Skip to main content

Full text of "Motion picture daily"

See other formats 


Scanned  from  the  collections  of 
The  Library  of  Congress 


Packard  Campus 
for  Audio  Visual  Conservation 
www.  loc.gov/avconservation 

Motion  Picture  and  Television  Reading  Room 
www.loc.gov/rr/mopic 

Recorded  Sound  Reference  Center 
www.loc.gov/rr/record 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOL.  58.  NO.  1 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JULY  2,  1945 


WB  Will  Have 
2  More  in  1st 
Half  of  '45-46 


Kalmenson  Lists  12  for 
6  Months;  Meeting  Ends 

Following  release  of  '"Conflict" 
and  "The  Corn  Is  Green,"  this 
month  and  "Christmas  in  Connec- 
ticut," next  month,  Warner  Bros. 

has  set  12  1945- 
46  pictures  for 
general  distribu- 
tion from  Sep- 
tember through 
T     „    .^ojjH         February,  it  was 
t^Rp   i^^M  1  '    announced  bj 
Ben  Kalmenson, 
general  sales 
manager,  on 
Friday  -at  the 
closing  session 
of  the  four-day 
district  man- 
agers' meeting, 
held  here  at  the 
home  office. 
This  is  two  more  than  were 
released  in  the  1944-45  Septem- 
ber-February period. 
The  six-month  schedule  fol- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Ben  Kalmenson 


SOPEG,  Companies 
Agree  on  New  Pact 


Loew's,  Paramount,  20th  Century- 
|  Fox,  RKO  and  Columbia  jointly  an- 
I  nounced  with  the  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employees  Guild,  Local 
1,  UOPWA,  on  Friday,  that  they 
have  finally  reached  an  agreement  for 
the  basis  of  a  new  contract  covering 
about  2,000  home  office  workers.  The 
new  contract  will  run  until  July,  1946. 

Negotiations   for   a   new  contract 
have  been  under  way  for  many  weeks, 
frequently    meeting    obstacles  which 
(  one  side  or  the  other  described  as 
insurmountable. 


AFL  Heads  to  Seek 
Strike's  End  Friday 

Hollywood,  July  1.  —  Attempting 
to  head  off  delay  in  settlement  of  the 
studio  strike  on  account  of  last  week's 
National  Labor  Relations  Board 
order  for  an  examination  into  the 
eligibility  of  voters  in  the  recent  set 
decorators'  election,  the  international 
presidents  of  all  American  Federation 
of  Labor  unions  having  locals  in  the 
studios,  including  those  on  both  sides 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


MGM  to  Meet 
July  12-14 


Following  a  recent  decision  of  the 
sales  cabinet  to  hold  special  sales  con- 
ferences in  various  territorial  areas 
every  three  months  to  discuss  existing 
problems  and 
post-war  activi- 
ties, M  -  G  -  M 
will  hold  the 
first  of  these 
meetings  in  Chi- 
cago, at  the 
Blackstone  Ho- 
tel, for  three 
days  starting 
July  12. 

William  F. 
Rodgers,  vice- 
president  and 
general  sales 
manager,  will 
conduct  the 
three -day  con- 
ference which  will 
(Continued 


William  F.  Rodger* 

be  attended  by  n 

ii  page  6) 


RKO  Exploitation 
For  Great  Britain 


Robert  S.  Wolff,  managing  director 
of  RKO  Radio  Pictures,  Ltd.,  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  who  is  here  by  plane 
from  London  to  confer  with  Phil 
Reisman,  RKO  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  said  in  a  press 
interview  at  the  weekend  that  he  is  set- 
ting up  an  RKO  exploitation  depart- 
ment in  London  patterned  after  the 
one  in  this  country  which  is  headed 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


7th  Drive  Is  Over, 
Credit  Runs  to  July  7 

The  Seventh  War  Loan 
drive  ended  Saturday,  but 
theatres  will  be  credited  with 
all  sales  through  next  Satur- 
day, July  7. 

Final  reports  on  results  of 
the  Seventh  have  not  yet  been 
compiled,  but  it  is  understood 
that  monetary  returns  by 
theatres  on  'E'  bond  sales 
were  bigger  than  ever,  as 
originally  requested  by  the 
Treasury  Department. 


Army  Show  Ends  7th 
In  N.  Y.  Tomorrow 


The  Army  Ground  Forces'  presen- 
tation, "Here's  Your  Infantry,"  plus 
entertainment  by  a  group  of  screen 
and  stage  stars,  will  bring  New  York's 
participation  in  the  Seventh  War  Loan 
to  a  climax  at  the  Yankee  Stadium  to- 
morrow night. 

The  presentation  will  be  free  to  War 
Bond  buyers  only,  and  is  sponsored  by 
the  War  Finance  Committee  in  con- 
junction with  the  industry's  New  York 
War  Activities  Committee;  William 
E.  Boyland  of  the  Bronx  War  Finance 
Committee  is  chairman  of  arrange- 
ments. 

Stars  who  will  head  up  the  enter- 
tainment portion  of  the  show  are 
Helen  Hayes,  Judy  Canova,  Abbott 
and  Costello,  Nicholas  Brothers,  Ed- 
ward Arnold,  and  others. 

Unit  No.  3,  a  group  of  36  infantrv 
battle  veterans  and  three  officers, 
will  present  "Here's  Your  Infantry," 
re-enactment  of  an  attack  on  the  Japs. 


Legislation  Will  Improve! 
Film  Corporate  Positions 


Industry  Leaders 
Pictured  Abroad 

A  full  page  of  official  U.  S. 
Army  Signal  Corps  photos  of 
the  New  York  and  Hollywood 
film  executives  who  are  visit- 
ing Europe  as  guests  of 
SHAEF  and  the  War  Depart- 
ment appears  in  this  issue  of 
Motion  Picture  Daily,  Page  3. 
Photos,  received  in  New  York 
at  the  weekend,  show  the  ex- 
ecutives on  their  arrival  in 
England  and  at  welcoming  re- 
ce~tLns  afterward. 


Washington,  July  1.  —  Tax  legis- 
lation which  will  improve  the  position 
of  film  and  other  corporations  has 
been  sent  to  the  House  by  the  Ways 
and  Means  Committee. 

Designed  to  aid  business  and  indus- 
try to  hurdle  the  transition  between 
war  and  peace,  the  bill  increases  the 
excess  profits  tax  specific  exemption 
from  $10,000  to  $25,000,  effective  in 
1946,  and  provides  that  the  postwar 
credit  of  10  percent  of  the  excess 
profits  tax  be  taken  currently  with  re- 
spect to  tax  liabilities  of  1944  and 
subsequent  years,  also  advancing  to 
Jan.  1,  1946,  the  maturity  date  of 
outstanding  excess  profits  taxes  on 
post-war  refund  bonds. 


State  Dept.  Is  Forging 
New  Protection  Policy 

By  BERTRAM  F.  LINZ 

Washington,  July  1. — A  'big 
stick'  policy  of  all-out  support  of 
the  motion  picture  and  other  indus- 
tries in  their  postwar  foreign  trad- 
ing is  in  the  making  in  the  State 
Department. 

High   officials  appearing  be- 
fore a  Senate  committee  study- 
ing postwar  policies  disclosed 
that  the  Department  is  deter- 
mined to  give  the  fullest  degree 
of  protection  to  our  nationals 
in  their  operations  abroad. 
Industrialists   and   department  ex- 
perts are  agreed  that  the  'jockeying' 
of  exchange  to  force  the  acceptance  of 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Congress  Gives  High 
Tribute  to  Walker 


Washington,  July  1.— The  House 
late  last  week  halted  for  more  than 
half-an-hour  to  pay  tribute  to  the 
services  rendered  by  film  exhibitor 
Frank  C.  Walker  as  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral. 

"In  Scranton,  Pa.,  the  name  Frank 
Comerford  Walker  stands  for  every- 
thing that  is  good,  clean,  pure  and 
wholesome,"  the  House  was  told  by 
Representative  John  W.  Murphy  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Murphy  reviewed  the  activities  of 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Start  Jurisdiction  of 
A  nti-discrimination 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  1.— Enforce- 
ment of  New  York's  Anti-discrimi-. 
nation-  Law,  making  religious  or 
racial  bias  in  selecting  workers  a 
punishable  offense,  will  begin  Mon- 
day with  opening  of  commission  of- 
fices in  New  York,  Albany  and  Buf- 
falo. Chairman  Henry  C.  Turner 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "The  Cheaters' 
appears  on  page  7. 


m  <■ 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  2,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


WILL  H.  HAYS  is  scheduled  to 
arrive  in  Hollywood  today  from 
New  York. 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  has 
returned  to  Atlanta  from  a  sales  meet- 
ing in  New  Orleans,  accompanied  by 
M  E.  Wiman,  O.  S.  Barnett, 
George  L.  Bell,  Jr.,  Jack  Barrett, 
O.  B.  Coeley  and  H.  H.  Jordan. 
/  • 

Allen  Usher,  Paramount  Chicago 
district  manager,  has  left  Salt  Lake 
City  after  conferences  with  Frank 
H.  Smith,  branch  manager  there, 
and  with  Hugh  Braley,  division  man- 
ager of  the  Denver  territory. 

• 

Jack  Kirby,  Paramount  district 
manager,  Atlanta,  is  the  grandfather 
of  a  baby  girl,  Bonnie  Ann  Kirby, 
born  to  Lt.  and  Mrs.  Jack  Kirby,  Jr., 
at  the  Army  Air  Forces  Hospital, 
Coral  Gables,  Fla. 

• 

Lacy  W.  Kastner,  Columbia  Con- 
tinental European  manager ;  Edmund 
Goldman,  Philippine  manager,  and 
Ely  Levy,  foreign  publicity  chief, 
left  Hollywood  for  New  York  by  train 
on  Saturday. 

Donald  M.  .Nelson,  new  president 
of  the  Society  of  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers,  arrived  in  Holly- 
wood Friday  and  went  into  conference 
with  Loyd  Wright,  John  C.  Flinn 
and  others. 

Capt.  Jeffrey  Lynn,  former  War- 
ner actor  now  stationed  with  the  12th 
Air  Force  in  Italy,  has  been  awarded 
the  Air  Medal  and  distinguished  unit 
citation  badge.  . 

Spyros  P.  Skouras  and  Murray 
Silverstone  of  20th  Century-Fox 
left  Hollywood  for  New  York  by 
plane  on  Saturday. 

• 

Charles  Walker,  20th  Century- 
Fox  division  manager,  has  returned 
to  Salt  Lake  City  from  a  visit  to 
Denver. 

• 

Ida  Lupino,  who  has  been  on  a  hos 
pital  and  war  bond  tour  in  the  East, 
will  leave  New  York  for  the  Coast 
today. 

Jesse  L.  Lasky,  RKO  Radio  pro 
ducer,  and  John  Wayne  returned  to 
Hollywood  at  the  weekend  from  the 
East. 

Carl  Nedley  of  the  Salt  Lake  City 
M-G-M   branch   has   returned  there 
from  a  swing  through  Montana. 
• 

Herbert  J.  Yates,  president  of  Re 
.  public  Prod.,  left  here  for  California 
on  Friday. 

John  Hodiak  arrived  in  New  York 
Friday  from  the  Coast. 

Hal  Wallis  arrived  here  yester- 
day from  Hollywood. 


Tradewise 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


T  T  is  apparent  that  the  indus- 
try,  individually  among  its 
principal  members,  and  collec- 
tively, is  making  an  excellent 
start  in  the  direction  of  a  re- 
entry into  the  foreign  markets 
which  have  been  closed  to  it  dur- 
ing the  war  years. 

Much  of  the  progress  that  has 
been  made  has  received  but 
scant  attention  because  it  has 
consisted  of  individual  steps  and 
accomplishments  which,  when 
recorded  as  isolated  events,  in 
themselves  signified  but  little. 
In  aggregate,  however,  they  are 
impressive.  The  story  they  tell 
is  a  complete  refutation  of  the 
familiar  complaint  in  some  in- 
dustry quarters  that  "the  indus- 
try is  doing  a  great  deal  of  talk- 
ing about  postwar  foreign  mar- 
kets— and  nothing  more." 


As  a  matter  of  fact,  every 
company  has  had  one  or  more 
of  its  representatives  in  com- 
mercially reopened  territories  in 
Europe,  Africa  and  the  Near 
East  during  the  past  six  months. 
Former  offices  or  new  represen- 
tation have  been  accredited  and 
the  groundwork  for  the  resump- 
tion of  distribution  has  been  laid 
and  communication  with  home 
offices  reestablished.  Commer- 
cially, the  companies  by  indi- 
vidual action  are  well  along  on 
the  road  that  leads  to  the  trans- 
action of  normal  business  once 
more. 

Behind  these  strictly  individu- 
al and  commercial  accomplish- 
ments, there  has  been  going  on 
apace  the  preparation  of  the  or- 
ganized industry  for  the  reestab- 
lishment  of  cordial  relations  and 
mutual  understanding  between 
the  industry  and  the  several  gov- 
ernments concerned,  without 
which  the  ordinary  commercial 
arrangements  would  be  pitifully 
vulnerable. 

• 

In  the  diplomatic  field,  the  or- 
ganized industry  has  approved 
the  appointment  of  "trade  am- 
bassadors" and  already  has  as- 
signed two,  Philip  L.  Saltonstall 
and  M.  A.  J.  Healy,  to  strategic 
posts  in  Europe.  The  appoint- 
ment of  additional  industry 
representatives  to  foreign  capi- 
tals is  imminent. 

In  addition,  Harold  L.  Smith, 
veteran  industry  representative 
at  Paris  and,  prior  to  joining 
MPPDA,  vice-consul  at  the 
American  Consulate  in  Paris,  is 
scheduled  to  leave  Boston  to- 
morrow to   take  up   the  reins 


again  for  the  industry  in  the 
French  capital. 

In  this  connection,  there  have 
been  critics  within  the  industry 
who  have  found  fault  with  the 
fact  that  up  to  now  there  has 
been  no  accredited  spokesman 
for  American  motion  pictures  in 
France,  and  at  a  time  when  that 
nation  has  been  revealed  as  ad- 
vocating, through  one  official  or 
another,  an  intent  to  seriously 
restrict  the  importation  into  the 
country  of  American  films. 

It  probably  did  not  occur  to 
such  critics  that  the  government 
at  Paris,  at  the  time  of  the  lib- 
eration and  immediately  follow- 
ing, was  subject  to  change.  In 
fact,  the  occupants  of  some  gov- 
ernmental positions  a  few 
months  ago  are  no  longer  on  the 
scene,  In  the  state  of  flux 
which  prevailed  several  months 
ago  there  was  not  only  the  pros- 
pect of  futile  negotiation  but  of 
future  embarrassment  as  well, 
awaiting  those  whose  impatience 
to  safeguard  trade  overshadowed 
everything  else. 

• 

The  desire  of  France  to  limit 
importations  of  motion  pictures 
is  understandable.  As  is  the 
case  with  most  other  nations, 
France  is  desirous  of  rebuilding 
its  own  motion  picture  industry 
and  of  assuring  its  continued 
growth  in  the  future.  It  is  the 
work  of  the  representatives  of 
the  American  industry  to  con- 
vince French  officialdom  .  that 
that  can  be  done  without  resort- 
ing to  unjust  discrimination 
against  our  films. 

Moreover,  there  is  a  practical 
consideration  of  as  much  interest 
to  France  and  the  French  mo- 
tion picture  industry  as  to  our 
own  industry  which  requires 
pointing  up  to  French  advocates 
of  restricted  film  imports.  That 
is  that  the  French  industry  will 
be  some  time  getting  back  on  its 
feet,  even  with  governmental  as- 
sistance. In  the  meantime,  the 
theatres  of  France  must  have 
product.  We  are  in  the  best  po- 
sition to  supply  it. 

Elsewhere,  as  in  France,  prob- 
lems of  this  kind  will  arise  con- 
tinually, and  will  threaten  the 
continued  unhampered  circula- 
tion of  American  motion  pic- 
tures in  this  or  that  nation.  It 
is  our  belief  that  the  industry  is 
planning  wisely  and  moving 
surely  toward  the  constructive 
and  effective  handling  of  all 
such  problems.  Amity,  under- 
standing   and    cooperation  are 


In  the 
Mailbag 


Editor,  Motion  Picture  Daily  : 

Since  confession  is  good  for  the 
soul,  I  herewith  unload  a  burden. 

Some  time  ago  when  our  sub- 
scription was  up  for  renewal,  I  sug- 
gested to  our  president,  Mr.  Fri- 
sina,  that  here  was  an  opportunity 
to  reduce  expenses  by  omitting 
your  publication.  His  veto  of  my 
suggestion  was  emphatic  and  he 
added  the  suggestion  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  renewing  the  subscription, 
we  in  the  office  should  devote  more 
time  each  day  to  reading  the  paper. 
I  am  pleased  to  outline  below  how 
this  advice  bore  fruit. 

We  are  privileged  in  Taylorville 
to  exhibit  on  Sundays  the  Fox 
Movietone  News  which  is  released 
midweek.  Unfortunately,  this  is 
too  new  to  receive  a  synopsis  sheet 
from  the  exchange.  Consequently, 
we  are  'in  the  dark'  as  to  contents 
until  after  the  subject  is  shown. 
However,  on  Friday,  May  25,  on 
reading  my  Daily  dated  May  23,  I 
caught  the  item  about  the  newsreels 
carrying  U.  S.  S.  Franklin  pic- 
tures. A  phone  call  to  Fox  con- 
firmed the  fact  that  my  Sunday 
newsreel  carried  these  shots.  In 
addition  to  advertising  same,  I  pre- 
vailed upon  our  daily  paper  to  re- 
print, almost  word  for  word,  the 
Motion  Picture  Daily  description 
of  the  films.  The  results  at  the 
box  office  were  gratifying. 

You  can  count  on  me  in  the  fu- 
ture a_s  a  constant  reader. 

Joe  Crivello, 
Capitol  Theatre, 
Taylorville,  Illinois. 


N.  A.  Taylor,  FPC 
Form  Partnership 

Toronto,  July  1. — N.  A.  Taylor, 
managing  director  of  20th  Century 
Theatres,  has  announced  a  nartner- 
ship  on  behalf  of  himself  with 
Famous  Players-Canadian  in  eight 
Ontario  houses  :  the  Circle,  Toronto ; 
Center,  London ;  Regent,  Sudbury ; 
Community,  W eland  ;  Elgin,  Ottawa  ; 
Century,  Trenton,  and  Vanity,  Wind- 
sor. This  follows  amicable  dissolu- 
tion of  partnerships  between  Taylor 
and  Hy  Freedman,  Sam  Ulster,  Ben 
Ulster  and  Abe  Polakoff. 

The  eight  will  be  taken  over  by  a 
new  firm,  Lhiited  Century  Theatres 
Co.,  Ltd. 


important  words  in  the  field  of 
the  industry's  diplomatic  activi- 
ties. They  imply  a  course  of 
action  the  absolute  opposite  of 
the  trade  theory  of  "rush  in  and 
grab."  Their  meaning,  rather, 
dictates  joint  and  amicable  ac- 
tion, calculated  to  achieve  what 
is  best  for  the  national  industry 
concerned  and  for  our  own  in- 
dustry. 

The  principle  is  likely  to  meet 
its  first  test  in  Paris. 

Most  informed  industry  mem- 
bers on  this  side  look  forward  to 
that  test  with  confidence  in  the 
outcome. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley.  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday.  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hone  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  ''Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald. 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday.  July  2.  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Yanks  Abroad  Are  Welcomed  by  British  Officialdom 


Industry  executives  making  a  tour 
of  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  Con- 
tinent as  guests  of  General  Eisen- 
hower received  a  rousing  welcome 
from  British  military  and  government 
officials  on  their  arrival  in  England. 

Comprising  the  largest  single  group 
of  industry  leaders  ever  to  visit  Eu- 
rope together,  they  spent  last  week  in 
the  London  area  and  are  scheduled  to 
arrive  on  the  Continent  today.  They 
will  visit  the  Belsen  and  Buchenwald 
horror  camps  and  a  number  of  battle 
areas  and  European  capitals  during  the 
next  two  weeks.  The  tour  is  a  back- 
ground visit  to  give  the  executives 
necessary  information  for  future  screen 
treatment  of  subjects  bearing  upon 
particular  phases  of  the  war  and  the 
peace.  Photos  are  by  the  U.  S.  Signal 
Corps. 


Industry  group  poses  in  front  of  a  B-17  during  visit  to  100th  Bombardier  Group.  8th  AAF,  at 
Thorpe  Abbot,  England.  Appearing  in  group  are:  Francis  Harmon,  R.  B.  Wilby,  Si  Fabian, 
Sidney  Buchman,  Lt.  Col.  J.  B.  Wallace,  Commanding  Officer  of  the  base;  Russell  Holman,  Cliff 
Work,  Barney  Balaban,  E.  J.  Mannix,  Taylor  Mills  and  N.  Peter  Rathvon. 


Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  20th  Century- 
Fox  vice-president  and  production 
head,  is  greeted  on  arrival  in  En- 
gland by  Francis  L.  Harley,  20th 
Century-Fox  managing  director  for 
Britain. 


Viewing  files  and  photos  of  combat  missions  at  the  100th 
Bombardier  Group  Field  of  the  U.  S.  Army  8th  Air  Force  at 
Thorpe  Abbot,  England.  Seen  in  group  around  Major  S.  Bowman 
are:  E.  J.  Mannix,  Jack  L.  Warner,  Barney  Balaban  and  Cliff  Work. 


Cliff  Work,  Universal  vice-presi- 
dent and  production  head,  talks 
with  British  Admiral  Kinahan  at 
an  Admiralty  reception  for  the 
visiting  American  film  executives 
in  London. 


Jack  L.  Warner,  vice-president  and  production  head  of 
Warner  Bros.,  enjoys  a  laugh  with  Admiral  Cunningham, 
First  Sea  Lord  of  the  British  Admiralty. 


Ben  Goetz,  M-G-M  British  produc- 
tion executive,  and  Si  Fabian,  industry 
War  Activities  Committee  executive, 
chat  with  Lt.  Commander  Hardy,  Flag 
Lieutenant  of  the  Board  of  the  British 
Admiralty  at  an  Admiralty  reception 
in  London. 


Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  presi- 
dent; Harry  Cohn,  Columbia  presi- 
dent, and  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO 
president,  discuss  their  experiences 
on  the  trip  at  Bobbington  Airport, 
England. 


JOIN  LEADING  SI 

ING  THE  TIMELII 

*★★★***★★*★*★★★*★ 

PICTURE  OF  ALL 

★    ★★★★-A-********  *** 

TIME..  AT  REGUI 
PRICES . .  DAY-AD 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  2,  1945 


MGM  to  Meet 
July  12-14 


{Continued  from  page  1) 
limited  group  of  home  office  execu- 
tives, sales  managers  and  district  man- 
agers. 

Attending  from  the  home  office,  be- 
sides Rodgers,  will  be  Howard  Dietz, 
vice-president  and  director  of  adver- 
tising, publicity  and  exploitation  ;  Silas 
Seadler,  director  of  advertising;  Wil- 
liam R.  Ferguson,  director  of  exploita- 
tion ;  Edwin  W.  Aaron,  circuit  sales 
manager ;  Henderson  M.  Richey,  as- 
sistant to  Rodgers  and  in  charge  of 
exhibitor  relations ;  Charles  K.  Stern, 
assistant  treasurer ;  Alan  F.  Cum- 
mings,  in  charge  of  exchange  opera- 
tions ;  William  G.  Brenner,  in  charge 
of  exchange  maintenance ;  M.  L.  Si- 
mons, editor  of  The  Distributor,  the 
company's  sales  publication. 

Sales  managers  who  will  be  on 
hand  include:  E.  K.  (Ted)  O'Shea, 
Eastern,  with  headquarters  in  New 
York ;  John  E.  Flynn,  Western,  with 
headquarters  in  Chicago ;  John  J.  Ma- 
loney,  Central,  with  headquarters  in 
Pittsburgh ;  Rudolph  Berger,  South- 
ern, headquarters  in  New  Orleans. 

District  managers  scheduled  to  at- 
tend are:  J.  J.  Bowen,  New  York; 
Herman  Ripps,  Albany ;  Maurice  N. 
Wolf,  Boston;  John  S.  Allen,  Wash- 
ington ;  Robert  Lynch,  Philadelphia ; 
John  P.  Byrne,  Detroit ;  Sam  A. 
Shirley,  Chicago ;  Ralph  W.  Maw, 
Minneapolis ;  George  A.  Hickey,  Los 
Angeles ;  Henry  A.  Friedel,  Denver ; 
Charles  E.  Kossnick,  Atlanta ;  arid 
Burtus  Bishop,  Jr.,  Dallas. 


Tower  Light  .Holidays 
Return  to  Eastman 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  1. — East- 
man. Kodak  Tower  was  lighted  Sat- 
urday night  for  the  first  time  in 
three  and  one-half  years.  The 
KODAK  sign  in  red  letters  was 
turned  on  for  the  first  time  last  Wed- 
nesday night,  as  was  the  beacon  light. 
They  had  been  dimmed  since  shortly 
after  U.  S.  entry  into  the  war. 

Eastman's  plants  will  close  on 
Fourth  of  July  for  the  first  time  in 
four   years   next  Wednesday. 


Army  Honors  Here 
For  Signal  Corps 

Signal  Corps  Photographic  Center, 
here,  which  produces  the  Army's  mo- 
tion pictures,  is  to  be  honored  with 
the  award  of  the  Army  Service  Forces 
Meritorious  Service  Unit  plaque,  at  a 
special  retreat  ceremony  this  after- 
noon. Brig.  Gen.  E.  L.  Munson,  Jr., 
chief  of  the  Army  Pictorial  Service, 
will  make  the  presentation  to  Col. 
Roland  C.  Barrett,  commanding  of- 
ficer of  the  post. 


Lillian  Forma  Luncheon 

Over  100  members  of  various  de- 
partments of  20th  Century-Fox  gave 
a  luncheon  Friday  at  the  St.  Moritz, 
here,  to  Lillian  Forma,  secretary  to 
Irving  Maas,  vice-president  of  20th 
Century-Fox  International  Corp.  She 
will  be  married  on  July  22  to  Isadore 
Abramson,  Pittsburgh  merchant. 


Pollock  Leaves  Biow 

Hollywood,  July  1. — Lou  Pollock 
has  resigned  from  the  Biow  agency  to 
resume  a  radio  writing  career. 


Heart  Attack  Fatal 
To  E.  B.  Johnson 


E.  Bruce  Johnson,  60,  executive 
vice-president  of  General  Register 
Corp.,  was  fatally  stricken  with  a 
heart  attack  in  his  office  here  Friday. 

One  of  the  organizers  of  First  Na- 
tional Pictures,  in  1917,  Johnson  was 
that  company's  vice-president  and  for- 
eign manager  from  1920  to  1929.  Lat- 
er he  was  on  his  own  in  the  film  im- 
port and  export  businuess  here  for 
five  years.  Johnson  became  Pacific 
Coast  division  manager  of  General 
Register  Corp.  in  1937. 

Johnson  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Genevieve,  and  daughter,  Eleanor. 


RCA  Gets  Renewal  on 
Patents  of  Philips 

Consummation  of  a  new  agreement 
granting  RCA  the  right  to  continue 
licensing  other  manufacturers  under 
U.  S.  patents  of  the  N.  V.  Philips' 
Gloeilampenfabrieken  (Philips  Incan- 
descent Lamp  Works  Co.),  formerly 
of  Eindhoven,  Holland,  was  announced 
here  Friday  in  a  joint  statement  by 
Dr.  Charles  B.  Jolliffe,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  RCA  Laboratories,  and 
Maynard  T.  Hazen,  vice-president  of 
the  Hartford  National  Bank  and  Trust 
Co.,  as  trustee.  The  agreement  will 
remain  in  force  until  Dec.  31,  1954. 
Rights  acquired  by  RCA  are  non-ex- 
clusive. 

RCA  is  also  granted  similar  rights 
to  license  the  U.  S.  Government  di- 
rectly for  the  duration  of  hostilities 
and  six  months  thereafter.  RCA's 
right  to  license  manufacturers  for  the 
sale  of  apparatus  to  the  Government 
also  continues  until  Dec.  1954. 


SLRB  Hearing  for 
Film  Drivers  Here 

The  New  York  State  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  has  taken  under  advise- 
ment the  request  by  the  Teamsters' 
Union  that  it  be  named  the  bargain- 
ing representative  for  film  dVivers 
here  in  their  negotiations  with  the 
Film  Carriers  Association  for  a  new 
contract. 

On  Friday  there  was  an  informal 
hearing  with  representatives  of  the 
teamsters  and  the  Film  Drivers  and 
Helpers  Union,  an  unaffiliated  union, 
which  has  a  contract  with  the  asso- 
ciation, which  will  expire  on  Dec.  13. 


AFL  Heads  to  Seek 
Strike's  End  Friday 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

of  the  controversy  and  others,  will 
meet  at  the  Drake  Hotel,  Chicago, 
Friday,  on  invitation  of  AFL  vice- 
president  William  Hutcheson. 

Objective  is  to  thresh  out  the  con- 
flicting claims,  including  jurisdiction- 
al ones,  in  an  effort  to  bring  about  a 
mutually  satisfactory  conclusion'  of  the 
strike  without  awaiting  NLRB  action. 

Herbert  Sorrell,  president  of  the 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  and 
other  CSU  officials,  will  leave  here 
by  train  tomorrow  for  the  meeting. 


Phillip  Scott  Killed 

Phillip  K.  Scott,  production  man- 
ager at  Kayton-Piero  Co.,  advertising 
agency  for  20th  Century-Fox,  was 
killed  in  a  vehicular  accident  in  Ger 
many  on  June  17.  He  was  with  the 
American  Army  of  Occupation. 


Utah  Bond  Winners   Big  Stick  '  to  I 


Hailed  by  Truman 


Salt  Lake  City,  July  1. — Presi- 
dent Truman  here  last  week  congratu- 
lated two  Utah  County  war  bond 
queens,  winners  among  253  who  have 
had  at  least  $5,000  in  'E'  bonds  voted 
them  in  a  statewide  contest  sponsored 
by  theatres.  Total  sales  of  $12,000,377 
were  realized  in  Utah,  78  per  cent  of 
them  in  the  contest.  This  is  one  of 
seven  Western  states  under  the  super- 
vision of  Charles  P.  Skouras.  Tracy 
Barham  is  state  chairman. 


Monogram  7th  Purchases 
Reach  $556,000  Total 

Hollywood,  July  1. — W.  Ray  John- 
ston, president  of  Monogram  Pic- 
tures reports  that  company's  purchases 
of  bonds  during  the  Seventh  War 
Loan  drive  totaled  $556,000,  $500,000 
by  the  corporation  and  $56,000  by 
home  office  and  exchange  employees. 


$1,200,000  'Swan  Song' 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  1. — A  bond 
show  which  grossed  $1,200,000  from 
2,000  attending  an  evening  perform- 
ance at  the  Strand  officially  ended 
the  industry's  drive  here  in  the  Sev- 
enth War  Loan. 


Contempt  Motion  Will 
Be  Heard  Here  Today 

Rosewelt  Realty  Company's  motion 
to  adjudge  Paramount,  Loew's  and 
RKO  in  contempt  of  the  consent  de- 
cree will  be  heard  today  before  Fed- 
eral District  Judge  Henry  W.  God- 
dard. 

Rosewelt,  which  operates  the  Orient 
Theatre,  Jersey  City,  has  alleged  that 
the  New  York  arbitration  tribunal  in 
1942  reduced  the  Orient's  clearance 
over  the  Cameo,  operated  by  the 
Rosyl  Amusement  Co.,  from  seven  to 
three  days.  Subsequently,  the  com- 
pany charged,  the  three  distributors 
asked  the  Orient  to  waive  its  clear- 
ance, and,  when  it  refused,  abolished 
clearance  entirely. 

This  is  said  to  be  the  first  action 
of  its  kind  since  arbitration  was  in- 
stituted under  the  decree. 


Coast  Independents 
HonorW  .R. Rothacker 

Washington,  July  1. — The  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers 
Association  honored  Watterson 
Rothacker,  chairman  of  the  Los  An- 
geles Board  of  Review  until  abolition 
of  that  agency,  at  dinner  last  week 
at  Brittingham's  Restaurant.  Joseph 
I.  Breen  and  John  C.  Flinn  were 
guest  speakers. 

Trem  Carr  presented  Rothacker 
with  a  gold  pen  and  pencil  set. 


Universal  Camera  Is 
Allowed  to  File  Again 

Philadelphia,  July  1. — The  Securi- 
ties and  Exchange  Commission  has 
dismissed  stop  order  proceeding  in- 
stituted three  months  ago  against  Uni- 
versal Camera  Corp.  in  its  registra- 
tion of  stock  because  the  company  has 
filed  amendments  correcting  the  "mis- 
leading and  inadequate  original  pros-, 
pectus." 


Assist  Films 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

depreciated  currencies  and  internal 
regulations  based  on  nationalistic  ide- 
ologies are  among  the  most  serious 
problems  which  the  film  industry  and 
many  others  will  face. 

Department  officials  also  have  agreed 
that  the  new  authority  given  the  Presi- 
dent to  cut  import  rates  in  the  nego- 
tiation of  new  reciprocal  trade  agree- 
ments will  not  be  used  to  the  detri- 
ment of  domestic  industry.  An  'escape' 
clause  will  be  incorporated  in  the 
agreements,  reserving  the  right  to 
modify  or  revoke  concessions  on  com- 
modities which  enter  the  U.  S.  in  such 
volume  or  under  such  conditions  as  to 
injure  domestic  interests. 


More  Features  Added 
ToPRC45-46Schedule 

PRC  has  announced  the  purchase 
of  another  original,  "I'm  From  Mis- 
souri," from  Larry  Liskin,  which 
will  be  one  of  PRC's  top  budget  pic- 
tures for  1945-46.  The  company  also 
announced  purchase  of  three  original 
Michael  Shayne  detective  stories  by 
Brett  Halliday,  to  be  produced  by 
Sigmund   Neufeld   also   for  1945-46. 

These  are  in  addition  to  the  pur- 
chase of  two  originals  by  PRC,  "The 
Mummy's  Daughter"  and  "Prison 
Farm"  as  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  on  June  29.  PRC's  1945-46 
production  schedule  will  also  include 
"Two  Little  Roughnecks,"  with  the 
Bowerv  Kids. 


Cuba  Honors  Disney 
As  'Good  Neighbor' 

Cuba's  appreciation  of  Walt  Dis- 
ney's services  in  'good  neighbor'  re- 
lations was  expressed  Saturday  in 
New  York  through  a  humidor  cab- 
inet made  of  35  rare  Cuban  woods. 
Presentation  was  made  just  prior  to 
his  departure  for  Havana,  by  Dr.  Jose 
E.  Perdomo,  technical  director  of  the 
Cuban  National  Tobacco  Commission 
and  government  press  chief,  who  came 
here  as  representative  for  Dr.  German 
Alvarez  Fuentes,  Cuba's  Commission- 
er of  Agriculture.  Ned  E.  Depinet, 
president  of  RKO  Radio,  accepted  the 
cabinet  on  behalf  of  Walt  Disney. 


RKO  Exploitation 
For  Great  Britain 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

by  Terry  Turner.  The  new  depart- 
ment will  concentrate  on  exploitation 
in  the  British  Isles  provinces. 

Five  RKO  productions  were  play- 
ing simultaneously  in  London's  West 
End  at  the  time  of  his  departure,  last 
week,  Wolff  said.  They  are:  "Prin- 
cess and  the  Pirate,"  "Murder,  My 
Sweet,"  "Three  Caballeros,"  "The  En- 
L-hanted  Cottage"  and  "Experiment 
Perilous." 


Truman  Honors  Merli 

Scranton,  Pa.,  July  1.  —  Pfc. 
Gino  J.  Merli,  formerly  of  the  Favini 
Peckville,  has  been  awarded  the  Con- 
gressional Medal  of  Honor  by  Pres- 
ident Truman  for  repeatedly  feigning 
death  under  probing  German  bayon- 
ets and  then  continuing  to  fire  his 
machine  gun  on  the  enemy. 


Mondav.  July  2,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


WB  Will  Have 
2  More  in  1st 
Half  of  '45-46 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

lows:  Sept.  1,  "Pride  of  the  Marines," 
starring  John  Garfield,  Eleanor  Parker 
land  Dane  Clark ;  world  premiere  will 
jhe  >held  in  Philadelphia,  home  town 
iof  Sgt.  Al  Schmid,  Marine  hero  whose 
^tory  is  depicted  in  the  film ;  Sept.  29, 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue,"  which  opened 
ilast  week  in  New  York  and  Holly- 
wood; Oct.  13,  "Three  Strangers," 
with  Sydney  Greenstreet,  Peter  Lorre 
and  Geraldine  Fitzgerald ;  Oct.  27, 
"San  Antonio,"  starring  Errol  Flynn, 
iin  Technicolor;  Nov.  24,  "Devotion," 
story  of  the  Bronte  Sisters,  with  Ida 
Lupino,  Olivia  de-  Havilland,  Nancy 
Coleman  and  Paul  Henried ;  Dec.  29, 
"The  Time,  the  Place  and  the  Girl," 
Technicolor  musical,  with  Dennis 
Morgan  and  Jack  Carson ;  Jan.  12, 
"Danger  Signal,"  with  Faye  Emerson 
and  Zachary  Scott ;  Jan.  26,  "Sara- 
toga Trunk,"  from  the  Edna  Ferber 
novel,  with  Gary  Cooper  and  Ingrid 
Bergman ;  Feb.  9,  "Shadow  of  a 
Woman,"  with  Helmut  Dantine,  An- 
drea King  and  William  Prince  ;  Feb. 
23,  "Cinderella  Jones,"  musical  with 
Robert  Alda  and  Joan  Leslie,  also 
starring  in  the  Gershwin  film. 

Releases  for  the  following  six 
months  have  also  been  tentatively  set, 
Kalmenson  said,  but  final  decision  in 
some  instances  will  be  governed  by 
market  conditions  at  that  time. 

Einfeld  Sets  Plans 

Warner  field  representatives,  who 
were  in  session  with  Mort  Blumen- 
stock,  Eastern  director  of  advertising 
and  publicity,  during  the  same  period 
as  the  district  managers'  meeting,  also 
attended  the  session  at  which  Kal- 
menson discussed  the  coming  product. 

Charles  Einfeld,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  advertising  and  publicity, 
and  Blumenstock  then  outlined  mer- 
chandising plans  for  most  of  the  early 
releases. 

Joseph  Bernhard,  general  manager 
of  Warner  Theatres,  also  addressed 
the  joint  meeting,  citing  the  more  in- 
tensive showmanship  that  will  be  re- 
quired of  both  field  men  and  exhibitors 
when  rationing  and  priorities  are  end- 
ed and  sources  of  amusement  that  have 
been  curtailed  by  wartime  necessity 
are  brought  back  to  compete  for  the 
public's  spending  money. 

Another  speaker  on  the  final  day 
was  Norman  H.  Moray,  short  subject 
sales  manager,  who  outlined  the  com- 
ing lineup  of  shorts. 


'Song'  One  of  Two  Best 

"A  Song  To  Remember,"  Colum- 
bia's Sidney  Buchman  production,  has 
been  selected  as  one  of  the  two  best 
foreign-made  pictures  '  released  in 
Buenos  Aires  during  the  first  five 
months  of  this  year,  by  the  Asociacion 
de  Cronistas  Cinematograf  cos  de  la 
Argentina,  leading  film  group  in  the 
South  American  country. 


New  Pickford  Plan 

Hollywood,  July  1. — Mary  Pick- 
ford  has  bought  the  script  of  "There 
Goes  Lona  Henry"  from  Benedict 
Bogeaus  and  will  start  shooting  it  in 
Technicolor  Sept.  1.  "One  Touch  of 
Venus"  will  be  pushed  back  to  next 
January. 


Review 


The  Cheaters' 


(Republic) 

\  HEART-WARMING  film  that  brims  with  sentiment  and  is  as  comfort- 
■tV  able  as  a  crackling  fire  is  Republic's  "The  Cheaters."  It  appears  in  time 
to  cap  that  studio's  current  10th  anniversary  observance  and  swell  its  list 
of  important  pictures.  Crowded  with  excellent  performances,  excelling  in 
production  values,  and  having  the  virtue  of  a  sound  story,  "The  Cheaters"  bids 
fair  to  be  one  of  Republic's  top  offerings.  It  may  even  prove  to  be  a  "sleeper" 
of  real  proportions. 

It  is  largely  Joseph  Schildkraut's  show.  He  is  superb  as  a  matinee  idol  down 
on  his  uppers,  who  enters  the  wealthy  and  grasping  household  of  Eugene 
Pallette  as  a  charity  case  for  Christmas.  Pallette's  family,  by  their  extrava- 
gance, have  brought  him  to  the  edge  of  ruin.  They  are  all  counting  on  the 
inheritance  from  his  uncle.  The  old  man  dies  and  leaves  his  fortune  to  an 
actress,  Ona  Munson,  whom  he  knew  as  a  child,  with  the  stipulation  that  if 
she  is  not  found  after  a  search,  the  money  shall  go  to  the  family.  Miss  Munson 
is  located  by  the  family  and  is  spirited  away  to  the  country  on  the  pretext  that 
she  is  a  cousin  of  theirs,  in  an  attempt  to  keep  her  ignorant  of  her  inheritance. 

She  proves  such  a  good  sport  and  so  resourceful  as  a  cook  when  the 
family's  servants  desert  them,  that  a  warm  feeling  springs  up  between  her  and 
Billie  Burke,  Pallette's  wife.  Meanwhile  Schildkraut,  who  knows  of  the  family 
scheme,  has  become  quite  taken  by  Miss  Munson  but  is  unable  to  rouse  himself 
from  his  lethargy  until  her  sincerity  impels  him  to  give  the  greatest  'perform- 
ance' of  his  career,  the  very  pointed  recital  of  Dickens'  "Christmas  Carol," 
directed  at  the  family.  The  effect  is  so  great  that  the  family,  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  themselves,  informs  Miss  Munson  of  her  inheritance  and  she  agrees 
to  share  it  with  them.  There  are  more  than  subtle  hints  that  the  futures  of 
Miss  Munson  and  Schildkraut  may  be  linked. 

The  story,  in  bare  outline,  offers  no  hint  of  the  rich  incident  with  which  it 
is  embroidered.  Audiences  will  emerge  from  theatres  with  a  warm  glow, 
cheerful  in  the  ultimate  goodness  of  mankind  for  it  is  that  kind  of  a  picture. 
Raymond  Walburn,  as  an  ineffectual  relative,  Anne  Gillis  and  Ruth  Terry, 
as  the  daughters,  and  Robert  Livingston,  David  Holt  and  Robert  Greig 
complete  the  cast.  The  St.  Luke's  Choristers  lend  their  young  voices  to 
glorious  song. 

Joseph  Kane's  direction  suffuses  the  production  with  warmth  ;  he  was  also 
associate  producer.  Frances  Hyland  fashioned  the  screenplay  from  an  original 
by  herself  and  Albert  Ray.  Walter  Scharf's  score  serves  to  heighten  the  mood 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Charles  Ryweci\ 


$250,000  UA  Budget 
For  4GF  Promotion 


An  extensive  United  Artists  pub- 
licity program  for  Ernie  Pyle's 
"The  Story  of  GI  Joe"  was  outlined 
by  George  J.  Schaefer,  board  chair- 
man of  Lester  Cowan  Productions,  at 
a  home  office  interview  here  Friday, 
which  was  attended  also  by  Cowan 
and  George  Lait  and  Hal  Boyle,  INS 
and  AP  war  correspondents,  respec- 
tively, both  of  whom  covered  war  the- 
atres with  Pyle  and  served  as  techni- 
cal advisers  during  the  filming  of 
"GI  Joe." 

Schaefer  said  a  "GI  Joe"  advertising 
budget  of  $250,000  or  more  has  been 
set. 


Start  Jurisdiction  of 
A  nti-discrimination 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

said  members  of  the  commission  were 
"determined  to  enforce  the  law." 

The  law,  enacted  by  the  1945  Leg- 
islature, empowers  the  commission  to 
take  punitive  action  against  employ- 
ers, labor  union  and  employment 
agencies  for  racial  or  religious  dis- 
crimination. 


Third  Hellman  Drive-in 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  1. — Announce- 
ment has  been  made  by  Neil  Hell- 
man,  general  manager  of  Hellman 
Theatres,  Albany,  that  he  has  se- 
cured land  on  the  highway  between 
Binghamton  and  Endicott  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  Drive-in  Theatre. 
This  will  be  the  third  Drive-In  to  be 
operated  by  the  Hellmans. 


FCC  to  Revise  FM, 
Video  Standards 


Washington,  July  1.— Regulations 
and  standards  of  good  engineering 
practice  for  television  and  FM  sta- 
tions will  be  -revised  immediately  by 
the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission so  that  no  time  will  be  lost 
by  manufacturers  in  designing  new 
transmitters  and  receiving  sets,  but  it 
will  be  at  least  60  days  after  the  lift- 
ing of  the  freeze  order  before  the 
construction  on  new  stations  will  be 
authorized,  it  was  announced  by  the 
FCC  Friday. 

In  the  near  future,  it  was  disclosed 
by  chairman  Paul  P.  Porter,  the  com- 
mission will  confer  with  representa- 
tives of  industry  groups  and  will 
hold  a  meeting  some  time  this  .month 
to  formulate  the  industry's  proposals 
for  rules  and  standards. 


GE  Displays  a  New 
Television  Receiver 

A  projection  system  originally  de- 
vised for  astronomy  was  disclosed  as 
the  formation  of  the  large-screen 
home  television  receiver  being  de- 
veloped by  General  Electric  Company 
for  home  use  whenever  war  restraints 
permit. 


Says  Television  Ready 
For  60,000,000  Soon 

"When  the  stations  are  built  fo;- 
which  applications  are  on  file,  tele- 
vision will  be  available  to  over  60.- 
000,000  people,"  according  to  Paul  E. 
Carlson,  executive  of  the  Allen  B. 
DuMont  Laboratories. 


High  Tribute 
For  Walker 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Walker's  uncle,  M.  E.  Comerford, 
with  whom  the  newly  retired  Post- 
master General  was  associated,  and 
declared,  "The  Nation's  loss,  insofar 
as  national  greatness  and  active  ser- 
vice is  concerned,  is  our  gain  in  Scran- 
ton." 

"Walker's  administration  of  the 
Postal  Service  has  been  a  most  not- 
able one,"  Murphy  continued.  "It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  it  will  long 
be  referred  to  as  a  golden  era  in 
the  history  of  the  postal  establish- 
ment. 

"Fe\v  in  our  times  have  rendered 
such  distinguished,  unselfish,  national 
service  as  Postmaster-General  Walk- 
er. Not  once,  but  time  after  time, 
he  deserted  his  private  pursuits  to 
answer  appeals  of  the  Chief  Magis- 
trate of  the  Nation  to  fill  roles  in 
national  emergencies  for  which  he 
was  peculiarly  fitted  through  charac- 
ter, personality,  adaptability  and  ad- 
ministrative experience.  In  each  and 
every  instance  he  measured  up  to  the 
high  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the 
Chief  Executive." 

Speaker  Rayburn,  Majority  Leader 
McCormack  and  members  of  the 
House  from  several  states  also  voiced 
high  appreciation  of  Walker's  work. 


Souvenir  Book  on 
Republic's  Tenth 


Production  facilities  and  studio  per- 
sonnel, the  company's  sales  organiza- 
tion, home  office  and  branch  personnel, 
and  foreign  branches  and  distributors, 
are  highlighted  in  a  souvenir  book 
issued  in  connection  with  Republic's 
current  10th  anniversary  celebration. 
Distribution  is  being  made  to  theatre- 
owners  throughout  the  world. 

The  book  opens  with  a  dedication  by 
R.  J.  O'Donnell,  chief  barker  of  the 
Variety  Clubs  of  America,  followed 
by  a  listing  of  Republic  men  in  service, 
and  a  double-spread  of  congratulatory 
signatures.  A  feature  of  Herbert  J. 
Yates,  Sr.,  'president  of  Republic  Pro- 
ductions, by  United  Press  correspon- 
dent Frederick  C.  Othman,  is  titled  "A 
Business  Man  Makes  Movies". 


Hervey  to  Paramount 

Hollywood,  July  1. — Andy  Hervey 
has  resigned  his  M-G-M  publicity 
post  after  14  years  to  join  the  Par- 
amount studio  on  July  23  as  head 
news  planter,  succeeding  Blake  Mac- 
Veigh,  whose  recently  announced 
resignation  to  establish  his  own 
business  becomes  effective  Aug.  1. 


Shapiro's  Next  Is  'Africa' 

Irvin  Shapiro,  general  manager  of 
United  Screen  Attractions,  announces 
that  the  first  feature  which  that 
company  will  release  will  be  "Africa 
Speaks." 


"immense" 

says  i  s  a  s 


CASH  CONTROL 
SYSTEMS  ■  LTD 
I  50i  BROADWAY 


-V-. 


\ 

IX, 


IS 


In  the  European  and'  Pacific  THEATRES  .  .  .  it's  BATTLE 
TACTICS  .  .  .  that  bring  VICTORY  In  YOUR  THEATRE 

.  .  .  it's  SALES  TACTICS  That's  why  the  EXHIBITION 

Generals  use  the  NSS  PLAN  OF  ATTACK  ...  to  break  up 
resistance  .  .  :  around  your  patron's  POCKETS  .  .  .  by  using 
a  TWO-PRONG  drive  from  either  flank  of  your  theatre 
FRONT  .  .  .  with  ACCESSORIES  .  .  .  ENCIRCLING  them 
in  your  LOBBY  .  .  .  with  MORE  ACCESSORIES  ...  and  then 
pushing  forward  ...  in  an  overwhelming  FRONTAL  ATTACK 
.  . .  from  your  SCREEN  .  .  .  with  those  mighty  TRAILERS  that 
NEUTRALIZE  any  resistance  It's  the  kind  of  STRATEGY 

that  SELLS  SEATS  .  .  .  take  it  from  your  SALES  GHQ  ### 


uiJimiiniiMiim 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOL.  58.  NO.  2 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  JULY  3,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Fromkess  Lists 
50  for  PRC 
For  Next  Year 


Total  Is  Five  More  Than 
This  Year;  8  in  Color 


Leon  Fromkess,  president  of 
PRC,  outlining  his  company's  pro- 
duction program  for  1945-46,  at  a 
luncheon  for  trade  press  represen- 
t  a  t  i  v  e  s  here 
yesterday  at  the 
Warwick  Hotel 
disclosed  that 
50  pictures  will 
be  embodied  in 
the  program. 

These  w  i  11 
include  34  fea- 
tures, eight  of 
which  are  to 
be  in  color,  and 
16  W  e  sterns. 
Total  output 
will  exceed  last 
year's  by  5  pic- 
tures. In  mak- 
the  eight  color 
pictures,  the  company  will  use  both 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Set  New  Marks 
In  N.Y.  Despite 
Record  Heat 


Leon  Fromkess 


Pat  he  Profit 

$489,352 


Pathe  Industries,  Inc.,  had  a  net 
profit  of  $489,352  for  the  fiscal  year 
ended  Dec.  31,  1944,  according  to  the 
company's  first  annual  report,  sent  to 
stockholders  yesterday  by  Kenneth  M. 
Young,  chairman  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. Pathe  subsidiaries  include 
PRC  Productions,  Inc.,  and  PRC  Pic- 
tures, Inc.,  and  others. 

Sales  for  the  year  were  $4,453,238 
and  gross  income  was  $1,260,745.  The 
company  began  the  year  with  a  sur- 
plus balance  of  $846,825  and  ended 
with  $1,047,437.    Total  current  assets 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Record  breaking  heat  over  the 
past  weekend  is  proving  to  be  no 
barrier  for  several  New  York  first- 
run  theatres,  many  of  which  are  set- 
ing  records  of  their  own  with  an  ex- 
pected assist  from  tomorrow's  Fourth 
of  July  holiday  business.  Six  new 
films  are  scheduled  to  arrive  this  week, 
opening  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
Roxy,  Paramount,  Globe,  Gotham  and 
Rialto. 

"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  is  headed 
for  a  new  record  at  the  Holly- 
wood and  "Blood  on  the  Sun" 
with  a  stage  show  is  recording 
an  outstanding  first  week  at  the 
Capitol,  while  "Conflict,"  at  the 
Strand,  and  "Wonder  Man,"  at 
the  Astor,  are  continuing  to  do 
record  business. 

Registering  a  $49,000  for  its  first 
five  days  at  the  Hollywood,  "Rhap- 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Nelson  Sidesteps 
"Big  Five"  Action 

Beverly  Hills,  Cal.,  July  2.— 
— Declaring  himself  unpre- 
pared to  say  whether  Society 
of  Independent  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  will  maintain 
its  on-record  position  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Government  suit, 
Donald  M.  Nelson,  president 
of  the  Society,  however,  says 
this:  "Personally,  I  have  al- 
ways been  against  monoply." 

On  March  26,  the  SIMPP 
filed  a  brief  with  the  Supreme 
Court  as  friend  of  the  court, 
in  which  it  joined  with  the 
Department  of  Justice  in 
seeking  to  restrain  the 
majors  from  practicing  what 
was  alleged  to  be  unreason- 
able clearance.  In  its  brief, 
the  majors  were  attacked  as 
monopolists. 


Nelson  Visions 
Trade  Upsurge 
Aided  by  Films 

Says  He  Joined  SIMPP 
To  Foster  Commerce 


Newspaper  Delivery 
Strike  to  Hit  Films 

The  strike  of  New  York  newspaper 
deliverymen  which  has  tied  up  the 
distribution  of  all  local  newspapers 
with  the  exception  of  PM  since  Sat- 
urday night  is  expected  to  have  some 
effect  on  several  new  films  which  are 
opening  at  downtown  first-run  theatres 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Goddard  Dismisses 
Contempt  Action 


Federal  Judge  Henry  W.  Goddard 
yesterday  dismissed,  without  preju- 
dice, a  motion  filed  by  Rosewalt  Real- 
ty Co.  to  adjudge  Paramount,  Loew's, 
and  RKO  Radio  in  contempt  of  the 
consent  decree.  The  court  suggested 
that,  since  the  motion  stemmed  from 
an  arbitration  case,  the  case  be  taken 
to  the  U.  S.  Attorney  General  because 
if  any  award  in  arbitration  is  violated, 
an  exhibitor  must  first  appeal  to  the 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Raw  Stock  Meet  August  13; 
Hope  Rises  on  Quota  End 


Smith  Leaves  WPB 
Equipment  Section 

Washington,  July  2. — Allen  G. 
Smith,  chief  of  the  theatre  equipment 
section  of  the  War  Production  Board, 
has  left  Government  service  to  re- 
turn to  private  business,  probably  also 
to  serve  until  the  end  of  the  war 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Business  in  Ohio  Is 
16%  Under  Year  Ago 

Columbus,  O.,  July  2. — A  de- 
crease of  16K>  per  cent  in  at- 
tendance at  Ohio  motion  pic- 
ture theatres  for  the  first  five 
months  of  this  year,  com- 
pared with  the  corresponding 
period  of  1944,  is  revealed  in 
figures  released  by  Don  H. 
Ebright,  state  treasurer. 

Collection  of  the  three  per 
cent  excise  admission  tax  for 
the  current  period  amounted 
to  $875,286,  against  $1,039,368 
in  the  same  period  of  1944. 
Collections  of  the  tax  for  the 
first  five  months  of  1943  were 
$880,612. 


Earlier  indications  that  raw  stock 
quotas  may  be  sharply  curtailed,  if  not 
completely  abandoned,  took  on  sharp 
impetus  yesterday  when  distributors 
were  informed  by  telegraph  to  attend 
a  meeting  in  Washington  August  15 
to  discuss  the  final  quarter  of  this 
year  and  the  first  three  quarters  of 
1946. 

Key  to  the  optimistic  surge  resides 
in  the  proposed  discussion  over  the 
first  nine  months  of  next  year  because, 
coupled  with  the  telegraphic  invitation, 
was  mention  of  the  intention  to  comb 
the  desirability  as  well  as  the  need  of 
extending  quotas  into  the  new  year. 


By  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Beverly  Hills,  Cal.,  July  2. — 
Describing  himself  as  an  'expansion- 
ist', Donald  M.  Nelson  told  a  press 
conference  here  that  his  acceptance 
of  the  SIMPP  presidency  was  dic- 
tated by  his  belief  the  screen  was  the 
most  effective  instrumentality  with 
which  to  promote  the  industrialization 
of  the  world.  He  considers  such  a 
world-wide  program  essential  to  the 
peacetime  welfare  of  humanity. 

"Not  only  American  pictures, 
but  all  American  merchandise, 
especially  including  American 
'know  how',  must  be  carried  to 
the  far  corners  of  the  earth", 
he  declared. 

Not  only  will  SIMPP  work  to  this 
end,  he  said,  but  all  groups  in  the 
(Continued  on  page  9) 


RCA  Acquires 
Brenkert  Co. 


Camden,  N.  J.,  July  2. — Purchase 
of  Brenkert  Light  Projection  Co.  and 
plans  for  expansion  of  its  production 
facilities  for  Brenkert  motion  picture 
projectors  and  Brenkert  arc  lamps 
and  accessories,  was  announced  here 
today  by  Frank  M.  Folsom,  executive 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Quimby  Heads  All 
MGM  Shorts  Units 


Washington,  July  2. — Stanley  B. 
Adams,  director  of  the  consumers  dur- 
able goods  division  of  WPB,  stated 
today  the  August  15  meeting  would 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Culver  City,  Cal.,  July  2. — Fred 
C.  Quimby,  M-G-M  short  subject  ex- 
ecutive, who  has  concentrated  on  car- 
toon production  since  1942,  today  re- 
sumed charge  of  all  short  production 
in  a  realignment  which  includes  Jerry 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


No  Paper  Tomorrow 

Motion  Picture  Daily  will 
not  be  published  tomorrow, 
Fourth  of  July,  Independence 
Day,  and  a  legal  holiday. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  3,  1945 


SOPEG  Pact  Grants 
5%  Wage  Increases 


Provisions  of  the  new  contract 
agreed  upon  between  Loew's,  20th 
Century-Fox,  Paramount,  RKO  and 
Columbia  and  the  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild,  Local 
No.  1  of  the  United  Office  and  Pro- 
fessional Workers  of  America,  CIO, 
covering  some  2,000  of  home  office 
'white  collar'  workers,  grants  wage 
increases,  sets  up  job  classifications 
with  minimum  and  maximum  wage 
scales  and  provides  for  maintenance 
of  membership  and  a  modified  form  of 
arbitration  on  dismissals. 

S2  Above  Standard 

Although  union  spokesmen  and  com- 
pany officials  refuse  to  divulge  details 
of  the  agreement  until  it  is  submitted 
to  the  SOPEG  membership  at  a  gen- 
eral meeting  here  July  10,  for  ap- 
proval, it  was  learned  authoritatively 
by  Motion  Picture  Daily  yesterday 
that  the  contract  sets  minimum  scales 
for  job  classifications  at  $2  a  week 
above  the  standard  minimums  of  the 
War  Labor  Board  in  this  area  for 
workers  in  the  lowest  classifications ; 
$3  a  week  in  the  middle  classifications ; 
and  $4  a  week  in  the  higher  classifica- 
tions. In  addition,  a  five  per  cent  wage 
increase,  a  balance  under  'the  Little 
Steel  formula'  is  provided  for,  retro- 
active to  July  28,  1944  with  other  pro- 
visions being  retroactive  to  that  date 
and  in  some  cases  to  Oct.,  1943.  The 
contract  provides  for  a  65  per  cent 
maintenance  of  membership. 


Personal  Mention 


Wallis  in  New  York 
To  Set  Campaigns 

Hal  Wallis,  production  head  of 
Hazen-Wallis  Productions,  will  re- 
main in  New  York  for  about  10  days 
to  set  campaigns  and  the  release  of 
"You  Came  Along"  and  "Love  Let- 
ters." He  arrived  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood  Sunday. 

Wallis  told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
yesterday  that  he  expects  to  have  the 
completed  script  of  "The  Searching 
Wind"  from  Lillian  Hellman  before 
he  returns  to  the  West  Coast.  He 
also  expects  to  confer  with  pianist 
Vladimir  Horowitz  while  he  is  in 
New  York  about  plans  to  film  the  life 
of  Tchaikowsky. 


Considine  Returns  as 
Producer  for  M-G-M 

Culver  City,  Cal.,  July  2. — John 
W.  Considine,  Jr.,  for  12  years  a  pro- 
ducer at  M-G-M,  has  returned  to  that 
studio  after  an  absence  of  four  months. 
His  first  production  under  a  new  con- 
tract probably  will  be  "The  Grips- 
holm,"  with  the  story  taking  place 
aboard  the  ship  which  has  been  used 
to  exchange  prisoners  throughout  the 
war.  The  story  is  by  Bob  Considine, 
who  was  co-author  with  Ted  W.  Law- 
son  of  "Thirty  Seconds  Over  Tokyo." 

Producer  Considine  had  considered 
independent  production  plans. 


Sherman  with  Peskay 

Phil  Frank  Sherman,  who  has  been 
discharged  from  the  Army,  has  re- 
joined Edward  J.  Peskay.  Sherman, 
prior  to  his  induction,  was  an  attorney. 


COL.  CHARLES  E.  KESSNICK, 
M-G-M  Southern  division  man- 
ager, has  returned  to  Atlanta  after 
visiting  the  Charlotte  branch. 

• 

Dr.  Janet  Mackie,  technical  med- 
ical advisor  for  films  of  the  health 
and  sanitation  division  of  the  Office 
of  Inter-American  Affairs,  has  left 
Miami  for  Lima,  Peru,  on  the  Peru 
Clipper  of  Pan  American  World  Air- 
ways. 

• 

Sam  Lefkowitz,  United  Artists 
district  manager,  has  arrived  in  W ash- 
ington  for  conferences  with  branch 
manager  Mark  Silver,  Lefkowitz 
will  visit  Baltimore  en  route  to  the 
home  office  later  in  the  week. 
• 

Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president  of 
20th  Century-Fox,  and  Murray  Sil- 
verstone,  president  of  20th  Century- 
Fox  International  Corp.,  returned  to 
New  York  from  Hollywood  yester- 
day. 

• 

Charles  Patch,  manager  of  the 
Art  Theatre,  Springfield,  Mass.,  is 
relieving  Edgar  Lynch,  manager  of 
the  Roger  Sherman,  New  Haven,  who 
is  on  vacation." 

• 

Jerry  Finnegan,  manager  of  E. 
M.  Loew's  Plymouth  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  has  married  Kathleen  Ols- 
son  of  Holyoke  and  the  couple  are  in 
New  York  on  their  honeymoon. 
• 

Molly  Stickles,  manager  of  the 
Palace  Theatre,  Meriden,  Conn.,  is  on 
her  vacation  and  Bob  Carney  is  filling 
in  as  relief  manager. 

• 

B.  Cohen  special  representative 
of  Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  is 
visiting  the  Atlanta  office  on  his  way 
to  the  branch  in  Charlotte. 

• 

N.  E.  Savini  of  Savini  Films,  At- 
lanta, accompanied  by  Mrs.  Savini, 
is    on   a    vacation   trip    to  Norfolk, 
Atlantic  City  and  New  York. 
• 

John  Matthews,  manager  of  the 
Empress  Theatre,  Danbury,  is  on  va- 
cation. 

Charles  Craig  of  the  Rialto  The- 
atre, South  Norwalk,  Conn.,  is  on 
vacation. 

• 

Grover  Parsons,  Paramount  branch 
manager  in  Atlanta,  is  in  Florida  on 
business. 

• 

L.-  A.  Stein  of  the  Stein  and  Floyd 
circuit  in  Florida,  is  visiting  in  At- 
lanta. 

• 

Carl  Gentzel,  M-G-M  auditor,  has 
left  Atlanta  for  another  branch  after 
spending  some  time  there. 

• 

Ellex  Drew,  RKO  Radio  contact 
player,  is  in  New  York  prior  to  her 
return  to  Hollywood. 

• 

Will  H.  Hays,  president  of 
MPPDA,  arrived  in  Hollywood  yes- 
terday from  New  York. 

• 

Joseph  Miklos  of  the  Palace  The- 
atre, Norwich,  Conn.,  is  on  vacation. 


HERMAN  WOBBER,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox district  manager,  is 
expected  to  stop  at  Salt  Lake  City 
on  his  return  from  the  Pacific  Coast, 
while  Charles  Walker,  division 
manager,  will  stop  at  Denver. 
• 

Luis  Cesar  Amaderi,  director  of 
Argentine  Son  Film  Co.,  is  in  Miami 
from  Buenos  Aires  on  the  South 
America  Clipper  of  Pan  American 
World  Airway,  enroute  to  Holly- 
wood. 

Karl  E.  Zint,  vice-president  of 
Western  Electric  of  Mexico,  has  left 
here  for  Hollywood,  where  he  will 
spend  three  weeks  before  leaving  for 
Mexico. 

• 

Henry  Hathaway,  director  for 
20th  Century-Fox,  is  en  route  from 
New  York  to  California,  accompanied 
by  William  Eythe  and  Lloyd 
Nolan. 

• 

Charles  Moscoyitz,  formerly  of 
Mort  Blumenstock's  publicity  staff 
at  Warners,  has  been  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant  and  is  stationed  in 
Czechoslovakia. 

Cliff  Almy,  Warner  sales  manager 
in  the  Philippines,  will  arrive  here 
about  July  15  for  conferences  with 
Wolfe  Cohen,  vice-president  of  War- 
ner International. 

• 

Charles  P.  Lester,  Southern  dis- 
trict manager  of  National  Screen 
Service  in  Atlanta,  is  in  Memphis  on 
business. 

Louis  de  Rochemont,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox producer,  will  return  to  the 
Coast   from    New    York  tomorrow, 
stopping  in  Washington  en  route. 
• 

Jack  Dumestke,  Chief  Barker  of 
the  Variety  Club,  Atlanta,  is  visiting 
New  York. 

Harry  G.  Ballance,  20th  Century- 
Fox  district  manager, 1  is  back  in  At- 
lanta from  a  trip  to  Texas. 

• 

A.  G.  Edwards,  PRC  Salt  Lake 
City  manager,  is  in  Denver  on  a 
several  weeks  business  trip. 

• 

Charles  Lazarus,  Detroit  M-G-M 
salesman,  is  in  New  York  from  that 
city  on  vacation. 

Bill  Walsh,  Warners  Los  An- 
geles city  salesman,  is  in  Santa  Mon- 
ica hospital  for  an  operation. 

• 

Sam     Dembow,     Jr..  president 
of  Golden  Prod.,  expects  to  leave  New- 
York  for  Hollywood  on  July  24. 
• 

Robert  Wolff,  RKO  Radio  man- 
aging director  in  England,  may  leave 
for  Hollywood  the  end  of  this  week. 
• 

Harry  Gold,  United  Artists  divi- 
sion manager,  returned  yesterday  from 
Detroit  and  Cleveland. 

• 

Bert  McKenzie,  M-G-M  Boston 
exploiteer,  is  in  town  for  a  few  days. 


Sears  Back  at  Desk; 
Back  in  Groove,  Too 

Gradwell  L.  Sears,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  United  Artists  distribution, 
returned  to  his  desk  on  schedule  and. 
as  promised,  yesterday.  He  arrived  at 
nine  A.  M.  and  left  at  five  o'clock. 
In  between,  he  conducted  business  as 
usual  and  in  accordance  with  normal 
routine.  He  conferred,  went  off  to 
lunch,  saw  a  film  in  the  afternoon. 

"Just  a  routine  day,"  his  secretariat 
advised. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.  and  6th  Ave. 

GREER  GREGORY 

CARSON     •  PECK 

"The  Valley  of  Decision" 

A  METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER  PICTURE 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 


YOURS' 

Claudette  COLBERT 
Fred  MacMURRAY 


IN  PERSON 

Mary  Beth 

HUGHES 

Bob 

HOWARD 


Robert  Lizabeth  Don 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In   HAL  WALLIS  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 

A  Paramount  Picture 
In  Person     STAN  KENTON  ^hTs* 


pj#AMoc//vr 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

MURDER,  HE  SAYS 

A  PARAMOUNT  PICTURE 

Brandt's  Air-Cooled 

GLOBE    &  46th  St. 


Buy 
War.  Bonds 


Samuel  GoJdwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Robert  Young  -  Laraine  Day 
"THOSE  ENDEARING 
YOUNG  CHARMS" 

An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


.MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Ouiglev,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief:  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  Uuigpubco,  New  ^ork. 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Yice-President ;  Red  Kami.  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  £.  Cunnmgnam,  -New* 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Lditor.  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup.  Editor;  cable  address.  "Quigpubco.  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  neram. 
Better  Theatres,  Internationa!  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  Is.  Y.,  under  the  act  ot  Marcn 
3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies.  10c. 


Jack  H.  Skirbail 

COLBERT*AMECHE 

Jil  Richard  Foran '" 
^000$ 


Charles  Dingle  •  Grant  Mitchell  •  Wilma  Francis  •  Chester  Clute  •  Irving  Bacon 
Hal  K.  Dawson  •  Edward  Fielding  •  Original  Screenplay  by  BRUCE  MANNING 
and  JOHN  KLORER  •  Produced  by  JACK  H.  SKIRBALL  •  Directed  by  SAM  WOOD 


Tuesday,  July  3,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


H.  L.  Smith  Leaves  to 
Open  Paris  Office 


Harold  L.  Smith,  associate  mana- 
ger of  the  MPPDA's  international  de- 
partment, sailed  from  Boston  yester- 
day to  reopen  the  MPPDA's  Paris 
office.  Philip  R.  Saltonstall  will  leave 
London  and  join  Smith  in  Paris  short- 
ly after  the  latter's  arrival.  The 
length  of  Smith's  stay  in  Paris  will 
depend  on  developments  there. 

"For  the  first  time  since  'D-Day' 
political  and  economic  conditions  in 
France  as  they  are  likely  to  affect 
distribution  of  American  motion  pic- 
tures are  taking  shape  in  such  form 
as  to  promise  continuity  in  the  fu- 
ture," according  to  the  MPPDA.  The 
MPPDA  office  in  France  will  have  no 
relation  to  the  operation  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Export  Association. 
Rather  the  purpose  of  Smith's  tem- 
porary stay  and  Saltonstall's  pres- 
ence is  "to  cement  the  many  historic 
ties  between  the  two  countries,  ties 
which  make  American  motion  pictures 
natural  entertainment  for  freedom-lov- 
ing Frenchmen  evervwhere."  said  the 
MPPDA. 

It  is  expected  that  Smith  may  re- 
turn to  the  U.  S.  by  the  year's  end 
to  resume  his  studies  of  official  meas- 
ures affecting  motion  pictures  in  all 
parts  of  the  world. 


60,000  at  'Infantry9 
Spectacle  Tonight 

One  of  the  largest  groups  of  screen, 
stage,  radio  and  opera  stars  ever  gath- 
ered for  one  performance  will  be  seen 
by  more  than  60.000  New  Yorkers 
this  evening  when  Betty  Grable,  Ab- 
bott and  Costello,  Lucille  Ball,  Dennis 
Morgan,  Helen  Jepson,  Helen  Hayes, 
Roddy  McDowall,  Edward  Arnold, 
Judy  Canova.  Tony  and  Sally  DeMar- 
co.  Edgar  Kennedy,  Hoagy  Carmi- 
chael.  Leo  Carillo,  the  Nicholas 
Brothers  and  Connie  Haines,  will  ap- 
pear in  person  in  the  "All-Star"  Stage 
show  to  be  presented  in  connection 
with  the  Army  Ground  Forces  battle 
spectacle,  "Here's  Your  Infantry,"  for 
war  bond  purchasers  at  the  Yankee 
Stadium. 


Off er  Jackson  Film  Probe 
Group  Chairmanship 


$14,121,000  Total 
Hollywood  7th  Sale 

Hollywood,  July  2.  —  The  Holly- 
wood War  Finance  Committee  today 
reported  Seventh  War  Loan  bond 
sales  totalling  $14,121,000.  bringing 
the  industry's  total  sales  since  the 
committee's  organization  in  1942  to 
SI  07.000,000. 


Ritchey  to  Mexico 
On  Mono.  Dubbing 

Norton  V.  Ritchey,  president  of 
Monogram  International  Corp. ;  will 
leave  New  York  for  Mexico  City  by 
plane,  tomorrow  to  confer  with  Jack 
Lamont.  manager  of  Monogram  Pic- 
tures de  Mexico,  S.A.,  regarding  the 
possibility  of  dubbing  future  pictures 
of  the  company  in  Mexico. 


Washington,  July  2. — Representa- 
tive Edward  J.  Hart  of  New  Jersey 
has  resigned  as  chairman  of  the  House 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activities, 
which  on  Saturday  initiated  an  in- 
vestigation of  alleged  subversive  ac- 
tivities in  Hollywood,  but  the  job  was 
not  offered  to  Representative  John  F. 
Rankin  of  Mississippi,  who  sponsored 
the  probe  and  is  ranking  member  of 
the  Committee,  but  to  Congressman 
Henry  M.  Jackson  of  Washington. 

Rankin  could  have  had  the  post  had 
he  desired  it,  but  his  acceptance  would 
have  required  him  to  relinquish  his 
chairmanship  of  the  Veterans'  Affairs 
Committee. 

Meanwhile,  investigators  for  the 
Committee  formerly  headed  by  Ex- 
Congressman  Martin  Dies  of  Texas, 
who  also  probed  Un-American  activi- 
ties in  Hollywood,  will  make  an  im- 
mediate survey  of  the  situation  in  the 
film  capital,  it  was  said. 

The  impending  probe  will  be  the 
first  investigation  directed  at  the  busi- 
ness since  1941,  the  year,  a  Sen- 
ate subcommittee  dug  into  alleged  in- 
dustry attempts  to  involve  the  nation 
in  the  war,  but  the  effort  bogged  down 
in  October  and  was  abandoned  abruptly 
when  Pearl  Harbor  was  attacked. 

The  proposed  investigation  will  en- 
tertain the  premise  that  reputed  sub- 
versive tactics  are  designed  to  over- 
throw the  Government. 

Proposed  by  Rankin 

The  inquiry  was  ordered  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  committee  called  for 
another  purpose  and  presided  over 
by  Representative  John  E.  Rankin  of 
Mississippi  in  the  absence  of  commit- 
tee chairman  Edward  J.  Hart  of  New 
Jersey  and  two  other  members.  Ran- 
kin is  reported  to  have  proposed  the 
investigation,  which  he  announced  in 
a  statement  asserting  that  information 
received  by  the  committee  indicated 
Hollywood  was  "the  greatest  hot  bed 
of  subversive  activities  in  the  United 
States."  adding:  "One  of  the  most 
dangerous  plots  ever  instigated  for  the 
overthrow  of  this  Government  had  its 
headquarters  in  Hollywood."  Rankin 
said  the  plot  ran  along  the  entire  Pa- 
cific Coast,  but  was  centered  in  Holly- 
wood, and  committee  investigators 
would  be  sent  to  that  city  immediately. 


Particular  attention,  he  said,  would 
be  given  to  a  Summer  school  that 
taught  "Communist  front  propagan- 
da." 

The  alleged  plot  was  said  to  involve 
"everybody" — producers,  top  stars,  film 
people  generally  and  even  workers  in 
factories  and  other  strategic  industries. 
Rankin's  move  brought  a  protest  from 
at  least  one  of  the  three  members  who 
did  not  attend  the  committee  meeting. 
Representative  J.  W.  Robinson  of 
Utah  complaining  that  he  thought  the 
action  was  out  of  order,  since  it  was 
not  on  the  program  for  the  meeting. 


Fromkess  Lists 
50  for  PRC 
For  Next  Year 


Hollywood  Is  Unperturbed; 
Sees  Move  as  Space  "Grab" 

Hollywood,  July  2. — Initial  reac- 
tion to  the  probe  authorized  by  the 
House  Committee  on  Un-American 
Affairs  found  Hollywood  at  large 
calm  and  unruffled  today.  Cross-sec- 
tional opinion  here  is  inclined  to  view 
the  Washington  move  as  "just  anoth- 
er grab  for  publicity  at  the  screen's 
expense." 

•  Sunday  newspapers  played  the  story 
prominently. 

A  spokesmen  for  the  Association 
of  Motion  Picture  Producers  said 
that  organization  had  formulated  no 
formal  expression  on  the  Rankin  state- 
ment but  that  AMPP's  attitude,  as 
heretofore  on  similar  occasions,  is  that 
Hollywood  welcomes  investigation  by 
responsible  authorities  at  any  and  all 
times. 

Other  organizations  here  were  with- 
out comment  today,  and  the  newspa- 
pers did  not  follow  up  the  Sunday 
stories. 

In  a  direct  rebuttal  to  Rankin's 
charges,  producer  Dore  Schary,  speak- 
ing before  the  Town  Forum  at  the 
Biltmore  Hotel,  said  today:  "Con- 
gressman Rankin  suffers  from  strange 
hallucinations.  I  have  never  heard 
anybody  say :  'Let's  make  this  pic- 
ture so  we  can  start  a  revolution.' " 

The  producer  took  issue  with  critics 
who  accuse  Hollywood  of  using  the 
screen  as  means  of  propaganda.  "The 
screen  today  is  a  free  medium,"  he  said 
"If  somebody  wanted  to  make  a  picture 
about  Fascism,  there's  nothing  to 
prevent  him.  But  he  would  have  to 
find  an  andience  who  would  go  to  see 
it. 


Porter  in  NSS  Sales  Post 

Chicago,  July  2. — Henry  Porter, 
for  the  past  five  years  head  of  the 
poster  department  for  National  Screen 
Service  here,  has  been  named  NSS 
salesman,  succeeding  Bernard  Cobb 
who  joined  the  sales  force  of  the  local 
RKO  exchange. 


Hits  Crime  Pictures, 
Praises  Code  of  PC  A 

Columbus,  O.,  July  2. — Expressing 
concern  over  what  is  described  as  an 
excess  of  crime  and  horror  pictures 
recently  released,  but  paying  tribute 
to  the  Hays  office — presumably  the 
Product  Code  Administration — which 
he  characterized  as  "not  too  extreme, 
but  particularly  alert  for  any  offen- 
sive dialogue  or  action,"  Kenneth  C. 
Ray,  State  Director  of  Education,  and 
ex-officio  of  the  censor  board,  whom 
a  national  magazine  cited  recently  as 
one  of  the  two  liberal  state  censor 
heads  in  the  country,  declared  in  an 
interview  here  that  a  shortage  of  qual- 
ity product  is  forcing  exhibitors  to 
book  anything  available,  adding  that 
"there  is  no  excuse  for  the  many 
'trashy'  pictures." 


Films  Will  Interpret 
Canada  to  the  World 

Topoxto,  July  2. — The  National 
Film  board  announces  that  a  Russian 
language  picture  called  "This  Is 
Canada"  has  been  produced  for  show- 
ing in  Soviet  schools  for  promotion  of 
goodwill.  The  board's  foreign-langu 
age  production  branch  has  also  made 
16  subjects  for  immediate  distribu- 
tion in  Central  and  South  America, 
with  the  pictures  already  in  circula- 
tion, while  two  in  Chinese  have  been 
sent  to  China  under  the  development 
of  a  worldwide  distribution  plan  to 
provide  visual  information  about  the 
Dominion. 

All  NFB  product  are  alreadv  being 
made  in  English  and  French,  and 
film  libraries  have  been  established  in 
Paris  and  Brussels.  A  start  has  been 
made  on  the  production  of  Canadian 
subjects  in  German. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

DuPont  double-exposure  and  Ansco 
triple-exposure  stock  as  either  be- 
comes available. 

Thirteen  of  the  new  season's  fea- 
tures already  are  in  completed  script 
and  will  go  before  the  cameras  during 
July  and  August.  These  include : 
"Bombshell  from  Brazil,"  "The  Lost 
Continent,"  "Strangler  of  the  Swamp," 
"Those  We  Fear,"  "Devil  Bat's 
Daughter,"  "Sorority  Girls,"  "The 
Flying  Serpent,"  "Romance  of  the 
West,"  "The  Clock  Struck  Five," 
"How  Do  You  Do,"  "Heritage," 
"Once  and  For  All"  and  "I  Ring 
Doorbells."  Ready  to  be  screened  at 
this  time  are:  "The  Enchanted  For- 
est," PRC's  initial  color  feature,  and 
"Song  of  Old  Wyoming,"  outdoor 
action  picture  in  color. 

The  completion  of  the  foregoing  will 
give  PRC  a  total  of  17  completed 
pictures  at  the  beginning  of  the  sea- 
son in  September. 

Others  present  at  the  luncheon  in- 
cluded :  Harry  H.  Thomas,  PRC's 
general  sales  manager ;  Don  McEl- 
waine,  advertising-publicity  head ; 
Roberto  Socas,  foreign  sales  man- 
ager ;  John  Weinisch,  New  York  ex- 
change manager;  William  Katz,  New 
York  exchange  office  manager,  and 
Lloyd  Lind,  assistant  general  sales 
manager. 

McElwaine  stated  that  he  is  prepar- 
ing a  national  campaign  for  at  least  12 
of  PRC's  1945-46  features. 


Walsh  to  Chicago  for 
Conference  on  Strike 

Hollywood,  July  2. — Richard  F. 
Walsh,  IATSE  International  presi- 
dent, will  leave  here  by  train  tomor- 
row for  Chicago  to  attend  a  meeting 
of  the  presidents  of  various  American 
Federation  of  Labor  unions  called  by 
AFL  vice-president  William  Hutche- 
son  for  the  purpose  of  working  out  a 
basis  on  which  the  strike  against  the 
major  studios  can  be  settled.  The  ses- 
sion will  be  held  Friday  at  the  Drake 
Hotel. 

Business  agents  Herbert  Sorrell  of 
the  Painters  Union;  D.  T.  Wayne. 
Machinists,  and  James  Skelton  and 
Joe  Caombiano.  Carpenters  left  for 
Chicago  by  train  today  to  present  the 
viewpoint  of  the  workers  supporting 
the  strike.  A  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  spokesman  said :  "The  Chicago 
meeting  cannot  settle  the  strike.  What- 
ever happens  there  will  be  reported 
to  the  Hollywood  unions,  to  be  voted 
upon  by  the  memberships  here." 

WLB  Terms  Prevent 
A  Building  Strike 

Unanimous  acceptance  by  about  15,- 
000  members  of  Local  32-B,  Build- 
ing Service  Employees  International 
Union,  AFL,  of  the  terms  of  a  regional 
War  Labor  Board  panel  decision  in 
the  dispute  with  the  Midtown  Realty 
Owners  Association,  presented  at  a 
meeting  at  Madison  Square  Garden  on 
Sunday,  has  averted  a  strike  of  build- 
ing service  employees  that  could  have 
conceivably  closed  down  virtually 
every  loft  and  office  building  in  Man- 
hattan. 


6 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  July  3,  1945 


Prutzman,  Schiller,  Cohn, 
Burrows  in  Stock  Deals 


Hollywood 


Production  in 
Slight  Drop; 
39  Are  in  Work 

Hollywood,  July  2.  —  Production 
dropped  slightly  during  the  week,  as 
seven  pictures  were  completed  and 
only  five  new  ones  were  brought  be- 
fore cameras. 

Work  was  resumed  on  David  O. 
Selznick's  "Duel  in  the  Sun,"  halted 
more  than  two  months  ago  due  to  the 
studio  strike.  The  shooting  index 
stood  at  39.  Production  scene  follows : 

Columbia 

Finished:  "Galloping  Thunder" 
(formerly  "Bronco  Busters"),  "Girl 
of  the  Limberlost." 

Shooting:  "The  Crime  Doctor's 
Warning"  (formerly  "The  Paper  Doll 
Murders")  ;  "The  Kansan,"  "She 
Wouldn't  Say  Yes." 

M-G-M 

Finished:  "Early  to  Wed." 

Started:  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
with  William  Powell,  Esther  Wil- 
liams, Angela  Lansbury,  James  Glea- 
son. 

Shooting:  "Two  Sisters  from  Bos- 
ton," "The  Postman  Always  Rings 
Twice,"  "A  Letter  from  Evie,"  "This 
Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Started:  "The  Lost  Trail,"  with 
Johnny  Mack  Brown,  Raymond  Hat- 
ton,  Riley  Hill,  Ed  Parker,  Steve 
Clark. 

Shooting:  "Allotment  Wives,  Inc." 
Paramount 

Shooting:  "Calcutta,"  "To  Each 
His  Own,"  "They  Made  Me  a  Killer" 
(Pine-Thomas)  ;  "The  Trouble  with 
Women." 

PRC 

Shooting:  "Detour." 

Republic 

Started:  "The  Cherokee  Flash," 
with  Sunset  Carson,  Tom  London, 
Linda  Stirling. 

Shooting:  "A  Guy  Could  Change," 
"Sunset  in  El  Dorado,"  "Mexicana." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:   "Dick  Tracy." 

Started :  "Riverboat  Rhythm,"  with 
Leon  Errol,  Glenn  Vernon,  Joan 
Newton. 

Shooting:  "Cornered,"  "Deadline 
at  Dawn,"  "The  Kid  from  Brooklyn" 
(Goldwyn). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Finished:  "Fallen  Angel,"  "Kitten 
on  the  Keys." 

Shooting:  "The  Spider,"  "Leave 
Her  to  Heaven,"  "The  Enchanted 
Voyage,"  "Now  It  Can  Be  Told." 

United  Artists 

Started:  "Whistle  Stop,"  (Nero 
Productions)  with  George  Raft,  Ava 
Gardner,  Victor  McLaglen,  Tom  Con- 
way, Florence  Bates,  Charles  Judel, 
Charles  Drake,  Jimmy  Ames. 

Resumed  production:  "Duel  in  the 
Sun"  (Selznick). 

Shooting:  "Getting  Gertie's  Gar- 
ter" (Small);  "Young  Widow" 
(Stromberg). 

Universal 

Shooting:    "As    It   Was  Before," 


Philadelphia,  July  2. — The  sale  of 
1,500  shares  of  Consolidated  Film  In- 
dustries preferred  stock  by  Herbert  J. 
Yates,  Jr.,  New  York,  leaving  him 
with  only  82  shares,  was  the  largest 
single  transaction  in  a  series  of  film- 
stock  deals  reported  by  the  Securities 
and  Exchange  Commission. 

Carried  in  the  monthly  summary, 
however,  were  a  series  of  reports  cov- 
ering 13  months  for  Trans  Lux  hold- 
ings of  Harry  Brandt,  New  York,  a 
director.  These  showed  that  between 
April  1,  1944,  and  April  30,  1945,  his 
direct  holdings  of  common  stock  in- 
creased from  32,000  to  58,915  shares, 
while  his  holdings  through  Helbel, 
Inc.,  increased  from  2,000  to  2,500 
shares,  and  through  his  wife  from 
14,400  to  14,700  shares,  while  holdings 
through  Broadyork,  Inc.,  remained 
constant  at  1,000  shares  and  through 
Harday  Operating  Co.  at  1,400  shares. 

Other  reports  showed  the  disposi- 
tion, by  gift,  of  71  shares  of  Columbia 
Pictures  common  by  Jack  Cohn,  New 
York,  leaving  him  with  32,425  shares, 
and  the  purchase  of  302  more  shares 
of  Loew's  Boston  Theatres  common 
by  Loew's,  Inc.,  giving  it  121,757 
shares. 

Belated  reports  for  Loew's  showed 
that  Al  Lichtman,  Culver  City,  Cal., 


9-Nation  Promotion 
Given  'Tomorrow' 

General  release  of  Paramount' s 
"And  Now  Tomorrow"  in  Latin 
America  is  being  promoted  through  an 
RCA  tieup  calling  for  925-line  news- 
paper ads  in  61  daily  papers  and  radio 
spot  announcements  over  stations  in 
nine  countries.  Dealer  tieups,  show 
window  and  theatre  lobby  displays  are 
also  being  worked  out  in  various  coun- 
tries through  local  Paramount  public- 
ity managers  and  RCA  dealers. 

The  tieup  was  arranged  by  RCA's 
international  division  and  Paramount 
International  Corp.  J.  Walter  Thomp- 
son Co.  is  the  agency.  The  campaign 
will  also  cover  countries  in  other  parts 
of  the  world. 


Sack  Gets  Cody  Rights 

Dallas.  July  2.  —  Sack  Amuse- 
ment Enterprises  has  acquired  nega- 
tives and  world  rights  in  both  16mm 
and  35mm  to  four  Bill  Cody  West- 
erns originally  produced  by  Nathan 
Hirsh  under  his  Aywon  banner.  Sack- 
will  re-issue  nationally  with  new 
prints  and  new  accessories.  Titles  are  : 
"Border  Guns,"  "Border  Menace," 
"Phantom  Cowboy"  and  "Western 
Racketeer." 


Barrymore  to  Vanguard 

Hollywood,  July  2.  —  Vanguard 
Films,  Inc.,  has  signed  Ethel  Barry- 
more  for  one  picture  a  year  for  the 
next  four  years.  "Some  Must  Watch," 
a  Dore  Schary  production,  is  sched- 
uled as  Miss  Barrymore's  first  under 
the  contract. 


"Alibi  in  Ermine,"  "Once  Upon  a 
Dream,"  "Frontier  Gal." 

Warners 

Finished:  "The  Two  Mrs.  Car- 
rolls." 

Shooting:  "Night  and  Day,"  "Con- 
fidential Agent,"  "Stolen  Life." 


disposed  of  his  last  100  shares  of  com- 
mon in  June,  1944,  and  that  Edward 
A.  Schiller  received  800  shares  in 
April,  1945,  in  the  stock  split-up  of  the 
company,  giving  him  1,200  shares. 

The  summary  also  showed  the  sale 
of  200  shares  of  Monogram  Pictures 
common  stock  by  George  D.  Burrows, 
Los  Angeles,  leaving  him  with  633 
shares,  and  the  purchase  of  1,349 
shares,  last  November,  and  sale  of  1,100 
shares  in  May  by  Howard  W.  Stub- 
bins,  Los  Angeles,  through  Monogram 
Pictures  of  California,  which  held 
7,772  shares  at  the  close  of  May. 

Other  transactions  reported  were  the 
sale  of  500  shares  of  20th  Century- 
Fox  common  stock  by  William  P. 
Philips,  New  York,  leaving  him  with 
1,001  shares,  and  the  disposition  by 
gift  of  400  shares  of  Universal  com- 
mon stock  by  Charles  D.  Prutzman, 
New  York,  leaving  him  with  6,600 
shares,  and  the  sale  of  1,000  shares  of 
the  same  stock  by  Daniel  M.  Sheaffer, 
Philadelphia,  leaving  him  with  23,265 
shares. 

A  report  on  Columbia  Broadcasting 
showed  the  sale  in  April  of  200  shares 
and  in  May  of  the  remaining  600 
shares  of  Class  A  common  stock  held 
by  Joseph  A.  W.  Iglehart,  New  York, 
through  a  partnership. 


Garcia  Named  RKO 
Columbia  Manager 

Phil  Reisman,  RKO  Radio  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  foreign  distribu- 
tion, announces  here  that  Antonio 
Garcia  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
the  company's  newly  established 
branch  in  Colombia,  with  headquarters 
in  Bogota. 

Sub-offices  of  the  new  Colombian 
branch,  RKO  Radio  Pictures  De  Co- 
lombia, Inc.,  will  be  opened  as  quick- 
ly as  possible.  Cine  Colombia,  S.A., 
handled  RKO  product  for  many  years 
prior  to  establishment  of  the  new 
branch  office. 


Quimby  Heads  All 
M-G-M  Shorts  Units 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Bresler  as  associate  and  M.  J.  Siegel, 
who  was  described  as  studio  execu- 
tive. 

Aside  from  shorts,  Bresler  has  been 
producing  M-G-M's  60-minute  feat- 
ures, originally  designed  to  reduce  the 
running  time  of  over-long  dual  bills 
when  the  top  half  runs  two  hours  or 
more. 

Siegel,  former  head  of  production 
for  Republic,  joined  Metro  some 
months  ago  as  a  feature  producer. 


Berger  Meets  Exhibitors 

Oklahoma  City.  July  2. — Rudy 
Berger,  Southern  district  sales  man- 
ager for  M-G-M,  today  met  with  lo- 
cal exhibitors  at  a  luncheon  here. 
Berger  will  travel  to  Kansas  City  for 
a  week,  whence  he  will  go  to  Chicago 
to  attend  the  M-G-M  sales  meeting 
starting  July  12. 


Special  'Sun'  Promotion 

Two  Chinese  girls,  Barbara  Hagman 
and  Rosetta  Tong,  have  been  engaged 
by  United  Artists  to  handle  special  ex- 
ploitation for  the  William  Cagney 
production,  "Blood  on  the  Sun." 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  2 

LESLIE  GOODWINS,  who  is  cur- 
rently directing  "Riverboat  Rhy- 
thm" for  RKO,  has  been  signed  to  a 
producer-director  contract  by  that  stu- 
dio. .  .  .  Alan  Ladd  and  Betty  Hutton 
are  to  co-star  in  "California,"  Techni- 
color romance  which  Seton  I.  Miller 
will  produce  for  Paramount.  .  .  .  Pa- 
tricia White,  Broadway  stage  actress, 
has  been  signed  to  a  long-term  con- 
tract by  Warners. 

• 

Jinx  Falkenburg  has  had  her  Co- 
lumbia contract  extended.  .  .  .  Nim- 
nally  Johnson  is  currently  preparing 
the  screenplay  for  "Home  Is  the 
Sailor,"  which  he  will  produce  for  In- 
ternational. .  .  .  Republic  has  signed 
Fred  Brannon,  former  property  depart- 
ment man,  to  a  directorial  contract. 
• 

Audrey  Totter  has  been  selected 
for  an  important  role  in  "The  Post- 
man Always  Rings  Twice,"  currently 
shooting  at  M-G-M.  .  .  .  John  Stahl, 
who  is  directing  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven,"  for  20th  Century-Fox,  has 
been  signed  by  that  studio  to  a  new 
seven-year  contract.  .  .  .  Mary  Treen 
has  been  added  to  the  cast  of  "A 
Guy  Could  Change,"  now  shooting 
at  Universal. 

• 

Carl  Razazza  has  been  signed  to  a 
three-year  contract  to  double  between 
the  Roxy  Theatre,  New  York,  and  the 
20th  Century-Fox  lot.  He  will  open 
at  the  Roxy  on  Aug.  8  as  m.  c.  and 
singer,  remaining  there  for  six  months 
and  then  comes  here  for  a  picture. 

Jack  Holding  4-Day 
UA  Meet  in  Texas 

Dallas,  July  2. — Fred  N.  Jack, 
southern  division  manager  of  United 
Artists,  is  holding  a  Southern  division 
sales  meeting  at  Tarpon  Inn,  Port 
Aransas,  Tex.,  through  July  4.  At- 
tending the  meeting  are  representa- 
tives from  UA  exchanges  in  Charlotte, 
Atlanta,  New  Orleans  and  Dallas.  In- 
cluded in  the  group  from  Dallas,  in 
addition  to  Jack  are :  Forrest  P.  Nine, 
branch  manager ;  T.  R.  Barber,  H.  C. 
Craver,  Paul  Backus,  W.  R.  Pitten- 
ger,  C.  G.  Cooper  and  William  Lewis, 
publicist. 

Those  attending  are  being  shown 
five  new  films  soon  to  be  released  by 
the  company  including  James  Cag- 
ney's  "Blood  on  the  Sun,"  Ernie 
Pyle's  "Story  of  G.  I.  Joe,"  "Mr.  Em- 
manuel," "Guest  Wife"  and  "Bedside 
Manner." 

Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  home  office 
sales  representative,  is  attending  the 

sessions. 


Mrs.  Golding  Honored 

Albaxy.  N.  Y..  July  2. — Mrs.  Lou 
Golding.  wife  of  Fabian  general  man- 
ager of  Wilmer  and  Vincent  Thea- 
tres, was  guest  at  a  farewell  lunch- 
eon in  Keeler's  Restaurant.  Wives  of 
Fabian  area  managers  and  of  other 
local  film  men  attended.  Golding  left 
Albany  last  Summer  for  Richmond. 


Shift  Monogram  Meet 

Hollywood,  July  2.  —  Monogram's 
regional  sales  meeting  to  be  held  in 
Chicago  has  been  postponed  frim 
July  14-15  to  July  21-22. 


r      ■  — ■  = 

BULLETIN 

U.  S.  TO  SEE  ECLIPSE 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  July  3,  1945 


$489,352  Pathe 
Industries  Profit 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

on  Dec.  31  were  $4,057,912;  current 
liabilities,  $2,709,681;  fixed  assets 
stood  at  $2,057,365. 

Dividend  payments  were  inaugurat- 
ed on  the  four  per  cent  cumulative 
preferred  stock  with  the  payment  of 
$1  per  share  Oct.  1  and  another  $1 
Dec.  31,  leaving  $4.49  per  share  ap- 
plicable to  common  stock.  This  was 
carried  to  surplus  account. 

Pathe's  film  laboratories,  according 
to  Young's  report,  processed  more 
film  in  1944  than  in  the  preceding  year, 
an  important  part  of  this  operation  be- 
ing for  'the  Armed  Forces. 

100%  Budget  Increase 

Young  points  out  that  the  1944-45 
schedule  of  PRC  Prod,  includes  24 
features  and  16  Westerns,  with 
budgets  per  picture  increased  approxi- 
mately 100  per  cent  over  the  previous 
season.  During  the  year,  he  added, 
PRC  Pictures,  Inc.,  acquired  seven 
exchanges  and  had  19  offices  operated 
by  franchise  holders. 

"Due  to  manpower  and  material 
shortages,"  Young  said,  "Pathe  Man- 
ufacturing Corp.  was  unable  to  man- 
ufacture enough  new  equipment  to 
meet  all  demands,  but  experimental 
machines  produced  before  the  war  are 
being  tried  out  under  service  condi- 
tions, and  reports  indicate  promising 
postwar  market  for  these  products." 

FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President,  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK :  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 

Franklin  6373 
HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Paramount  Cites  Veteran 
Employes  and  Exhibitors 


Chicago,  July  2.  —  Paramount's 
"third  of  a  century"  drive  meeting 
will  get  underway  in  the  local  offices 
Thursday,  with  an  open  session  for 
the  staff  as  well  as  exhibitors.  Jim 
Donohue,  division  manager ;  .Duke 
Clark,  drive  captain ;  J.  Harold  Stev- 
ens, exchange  manager,  and  William 
Demarest,  actor,  will  address  the 
group. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  meeting  will 
move  to  the  Ambassador  East  Hotel 
where  Betty  Hutton  will  be  host  to 
40  exhibitors  who  have  been  in  the 
business  30  years,  two  local  Para- 
mount employees  longest  in  service, 
also  two  theatre  operators  in  action 
at  least  a  third  of  a  century.  The 
employees  are  Bill  Hamm,  head  book- 
er, and  Herman  Busch,  head  of  the 
film  department.  The  exhibitors  are 
Jules  J.  Rubens,  head  of  Publix- 
Great  States  circuit,  and  Tom  Nor- 
man, operator  of  the  Pal  in  Pala- 
tine, 111. 


Sonny     Tufts  Will 
Study  Distribution 

New  Orleans,  July  2. — Sonny 
Tufts  is  scheduled  to  arrive  here  July 
4  for  a  conference  at  the  Paramount 
exchange.  He  is  one  of  several  stars 
who  expressed  an  interest  in  learning 
more  of  sales  and  distribution  prob- 
lems and  in  helpiiag  bring  about  clos- 
er understanding  among  various 
branches  of  the  industry. 

While  here  Tufts  will  attend  a 
luncheon  July  5  honoring  Mrs.  Paul- 
ine Taylor,  chief  accountant,  on  her 
30th  anniversary  with  the  Paramount 
exchange.  Hugh  Owens,  division 
sales  manager,  who  will  accompany 
Tufts  to  New  Orleans,  Allen  Usher, 
and  John  Kirby,  will  be  among  other 
out-of-town  visitors  here  for  the 
event.  Local  personnel  attending  will 
include :  Jack  Price,  branch  mana- 
ger ;  E.  E.  Shinn,  Sidney  Otis  and 
M.  J.  Artigues,  salesmen ;  and  Mrs. 


Irma  Rogers,  booking  manager.  Ex- 
hibitors in  this  section  who  have  had 
30-year  accounts  with  Paramount 
will  be  honored  guests  with  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor. 

Oklahoma  City,  June  2. — Sonny 
Tufts  was  featured  guest  today  at  Par- 
amount's  anniversary  party  honoring 
M.  A.  Moulder  of  Sapulepa,  the  com- 
pany's oldest  customer  in  this  terri- 
tory, and  Ben  Rucker  whose  25  years 
of  service  make  him  the  oldest  local 
exchange  employe  in  the  state. 


Party    Highlight  of 
Meetings  in  Dallas 

Dallas,  July  2. — Sales  meetings 
held  here  at  the  Paramount  exchange 
this  week  in  preparation  for  celebra- 
tion of  the  company's  33rd  anniver- 
sary, Aug.  20-Sept.  29,  was  high- 
lighted by  a  party  at  the  Dallas  Ath- 
letic Club  honoring  old  employees  and 
Sonny  Tufts,  Paramount  star,  who 
brought  studio  greetings  to  the  sales 
staff.  Oldtime  employees  honored  in- 
cluded Mrs.  Louise  Kay,  Mrs.  Willie 
Simmons,  Mrs.  Leafy  Taylor  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  George  Purvis. 

Guests  were  the  following  exhib- 
itors who  have  been  Paramount  cus- 
tomers for  30  years  or  more :  Karl 
Hoblitzelle,  Interstate ;  A.  V.  Wade, 
Gainesville,  Tex. ;  Sam  Landrum, 
Jefferson  Amusement  Co.,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johnnie  Stewart,  Kaufman, 
Tex. ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jim  Chatmas, 
Marlin,  Tex. ;  Mrs.  B.  S.  Ferguson, 
Hamlin,  Tex. ;  the  Misses  Dorbandt 
of  Athens,  Tex.,  and  L.  B.  Bissinger, 
Dallas. 

At  the  sales  meeting  talks  were 
made  by  M.  C.  (Duke)  Clark,  dis- 
trict manager  for  this  territory,  and 
Allen  Usher,  Chicago  district  mana- 
ger, who  are  national  co-captains  of 
the  'Paramount  Month'  drive,  and  J. 
J.  Donohue,  Southern  division  man- 
ager. The  list  of  product  and  new 
releases  was  outlined. 


Goddard  Dismisses 
Contempt  Action 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Attorney  General.  In  the  event  that 
the  Attorney  General's  office  takes  no 
action,  the  motion  can  be  resubmitted 
to  the  court,  Goddard  observed. 

Rosewelt,  which  operates  the  Ori- 
ent, Jersey  City,  alleged  that  after 
the  New  York  arbitration  tribunal  re- 
duced the  Orient's  clearance  over  the 
Cameo  Theatre,  Jersey  City,  from  sev- 
en to  three  days,  the  three  distribu- 
tors abolished  clearance  entirely. 

Mel  Albert,  attorney  for  the  plain- 
tiff, told  Motion  Picture  Daily  yes- 
terday that  he  would  probably  submit 
the  complaint  to  the  Attorney  Gen- 
eral's office. 


Son  of  J.  Parver  Dead 

Hartford,  July  2. — Sgt.  Hartley 
Parver,  son  of  manager  Jack  Parver, 
former  manager  of  the  Eastwood 
Theatre,  East  Hartford,  and  now 
manager  of  Brandt's  Victory,  New 
York,  recently  died  in  service  while 
stationed  in  India. 


Elaville  House  Burns 

Elaville,  Ga.,  July  2. — The  Ela- 
ville Theatre  was  damaged  by  fire  re- 
cently. 


Smith  Leaves  WPB 
Equipment  Section 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

as  liaison  between  the  theatre  equip- 
ment industry  and  the  Government. 

Smith  joined  the  WPB  in  Sept., 
1942,  as  a  consultant  and  in  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  became  acting  chief 
of  the  old  amusement  section,  being 
named  to  the  post  permanently  in 
March,  1943. 

Left  Industry  Healthy 

Responsible  for  seeing  that  exhib- 
itors of  the  country  received  at  least 
enough  equipment  to  keep  their 
screens  going,  he  succeeded  not  only 
in  preventing  the  closing  of  any  the- 
atres because  of  booth  trouble  but 
initiated  a  production  program  which 
left  the  industry  on  !V-E  day'  in  a 
healthy  position  for  a  gradual  return 
to  civilian  production.  Today,  the 
only  problem  facing  booth  equipment 
manufacturers  and  theatres  is  the 
shortage  of  electronic  parts,  which  is 
expected  to  become  less  serious  in  the 
near  future. 

Officials  of  the  WPB,  Army,  Navy 
and  Marine  Corps  wrote  Smith  let- 
ters of  high  commendation  of  his  work 
as  he  prepared  to  leave  the  agency. 


Paper  Strike 
To  Hit  Films 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

this  week,  should  the  tie-up  continue. 
Meanwhile,  distributors  are  making 
extensive  radio  spot  announcements  on 
local  stations  to  counteract  some  of 
the  effects. 

New  films  opening  at  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  the  Roxy,  Paramount,  A 
Gotham,  Globe  and  Rialto  are  ex-  t| 
pected  to  be  affected  by  an  inability  to 
give  the  films  sufficient  advance  ad- 
vertising and  promotion  as  well  as 
inability  of  the  people  to  read  news- 
paper reviews  following  the  openings, 
should  the  strike  continue.  Films  al- 
ready playing  New  York  first-runs  are 
not  expected  to  be  hit  since  they  are 
already  benefiting  by  word-of-mouth 
promotion. 

Neighborhood  circuit  houses  also  do 
not  anticipate  any  serious  deflections 
in  business  since  they  enjoy  local  pat- 
ronage and  many  patrons  phone  to  in- 
quire about  programs. 

May  Not  Be  Billed 

Although  most  papers,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Post  and  Bronx  Home 
News  are  continuing  to  nublish  'token' 
editions  for  sale  at  their  offices,  film 
companies  and  theatres  are  not  ex- 
pected to  be  billed  for  advertising  be- 
ing carried  since  they  buy  circulation 
which  the  papers  are  unable  to  furnish. 
The  W orld-Tclegram  dropped  amuse- 
ment and  other  advertising  yesterday. 

It  is  pointed  out  that  the  newsprint 
saved  during  the  current  strike  will 
enable  the  papers  to  make  more  space 
available  to  advertisers  during  the 
coming  months  while  rationing  of 
newsprint  continues. 


Hope  Rises  Quota  End 
Near;  Meet  Aug.  15 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

be  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the 
raw  stock  situation,  and  the  calling 
of  the  conference  did  not  indicate  that 
WPB  is  committing  itself  to  revoca- 
tion of  the  order  except  under  the  gen- 
eral policy  that  all  restrictions  shall 
be  lifted  at  the  earliest  possible  mo- 
ment. 

At  a  press  conference  today,  Adams 
said  full  details  of  fourth  quarter  mili- 
tary requirements  will  be  in  his  hands 
well  in  advance  of  the  meeting,  togeth- 
er with  information  regarding  actual 
production.  As  now  scheduled,  he 
said,  production  of  35mm  film  for  the 
first  nine  months  of  this  year  will  be 
equal  to  that  for  the  same  period  in 
1944. 

"Our  whole  point  is  that  we  want  to 
get  out  of  regulation  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible," he  said  in  explaining  that  if 
the  control  was  dropped  it  would  be 
possible  to  take  care  of  military  and 
lend-lease  requirements  under  L-233, 
the  production  control  order.  Under 
that  order,  manufacturers  could  be  in- 
structed to  set  aside  certain  quantities 
of  product,  and  the  rest  could  be  put 
on  the  market  to  meet  civilian  de- 
mand. 


Joseph  Coles  Dies 

Cleveland,  July  2. — Joseph  Coles, 
49,  owner  of  the  Nixon  Theatre. 
Akron,  for  the  past  two  years,  and 
with  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Co.  for  25 
years,  died  here  following  an  illness 
of  two  weeks.  Surviving  are  his 
widow,  Pauline,  and  one  son. 


Tuesday,  July  3,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


9 


Acquires  Brenkert 
Projector  Company 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
vice-president  of  RCA  in  charge  of 
RCA  Victor. 

Brenkert,  located  in   Detroit,  will 
continue  to  operate  as  a  separate  com- 
pany under   its  existing   name,  and 
1   Karl  and  Wayne  Brenkert  will  re- 

tmain  active  in  its  management,  ac- 
^  cording  to  Folsom. 
*'RCA  Victor  has  been  exclusive 
distributor  of  Brenkert  products  since 
1941,"  Folsom  stated.  "RCA  Victor 
will  increase  its  production  facilities 
in  line  with  anticipated  postwar  re- 
quirements." 

The  Brenkert  firm  has  been  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  arc  lamps  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
in  1939  introduced  to  the  trade  a  pro- 
jector of  its  own  design.  This  pro- 
jector and  Brenkert  arc  lamps  and 
booth  accessories  have  been  marketed 
since  1941  through  RCA  theatre  sup- 
ply dealers,  in  conjunction  with  the 
RCA  rotary  stabilizer  soundhead  and 
RCA  sound  svstems. 


Set  New  Marks  in  New  York 
Despite  a  Record  Heat 


Davis,  Blankfort  on 
Scripts  for  the  OWI 

Washington,.  July  2.  —  Frank 
Davis  and  Henry  Blankfort,  Holly- 
wood screen  writers,  have  arrived 
here  to  do  research  and  prepare 
scripts  for  two  new  shorts  to  be  re- 
leased on  the  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee-Office of  War  Information  pro- 


Third  Augusta  Station 

Augusta.   Ga.,   July  2.  —  Forma- 
tion of  a  third  broadcasting  station 
is    planned    for    this    city.  The 
Savannah  Valley  Co.  will  apply  as 
:  soon  as  restrictions  are  lifted.  The 
I  company  is  composed  of  W.  Mont- 
l   gomery    Harrison    Sr.,    Dudley  H. 
Bowen,    Randall    K.     Stozier  and 
Sergeant  George  C.  Weiss,  president, 
who  has  just  returned  from  overseas. 


Herbert  Joins  WNEW 


Radio  stations  WHNC.  Henderson, 
N.  C,  and  WALL,  Middletown.  N.  Y., 
have  joined  the  Mutual  network, 
bringing  to  268  the  total  number  of 
Mutual  stations,  according  to  Carl 
Hayerlin,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
station  relations. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

sody"  is  expected  to  complete  a  first 
week  with  a  record  $55,000  to  sur- 
pass the  previous  figure  of  $51,000  set 
by  "This  Is  the  Army"  two  years  ago 
at  a  higher  scale.  The  first  week  will 
•end  tonight  with  July  4  receipts  to  be 
figured  in  the  second  week. 

"Blood  on  the  Sun"  is  expected  to 
bring  a  heavy  $85,000  for  an  initial 
week  at  the  Capitol,  combined  with  a 
stage  show  presenting  Mark  Warnow 
and  his  orchestra.  Rose  Marie,  Jack 
Durant  and  Ethel  Smith.  "Conflict," 
combined  with  a  stage  show  with  Dane 
Clark  and  Louis  Prima  and  his  band 
at  the  Strand,  is  headed  for  over  $75,- 
000  for  a  phenomenal  third  week  on 
the  basis  of  $35,000  recorded  for  the 
first  three  days,  to  give  the  house  a 
record  third  week  which  might  equal 
or  better  the  previous  first  week  rec- 
ord under  present  policy,  as  set  by 
"Arsenic  and  Old  Lace,"  last  Labor 
Dav  week.  Second  week  for  "Con- 
flict brought  $76,000  and  the  first 
week  grossed  almost  $82,000. 


est  run  in  the  theatre's  history  by  the 
time  it  completes  its  ninth  week,  to- 
morrow night.  "Random  Harvest" 
held  for  11  weeks  and  "Mrs.  Miniver" 
for  10.  "A  Bell  for  Adano"  will  open 
on  Thursday. 

Elsewhere,  receipts  are  moderate 
with  the  heat  apparently  taking  some 
toll.  "Out  of  This  World"  will  com- 
plete a  fourth  and  final  week  at  the 
Paramount  with  $50,000;  "You  Came 
Along"  and  a  stage  show  featuring 
Stan  Kenton  and  his  orchestra  and 
Louis  Jordan  will  open  there  tomor- 
row. "Where  Do  We  Go  From 
Here?"  will  draw  about  $45,000  for 
the  final  six  days  of  a  fourth  week  at 
the  Roxy ;  "Nob  Hill"  and  a  stage 
show  featuring  Abbott  and  Costello 
will  open  there  tomorrow. 

Double  Bill  Scores 

Universal's  double  bill  revival  of 
"Invitation  to  Life"  and  "This  Side  of 
Heaven"  is  scoring  heavily  at  the  Re- 
public with  a  big  $18,500  expected  for 
an  initial  week;  it  will  continue.  "The 
Naughty  Nineties"  will  bring  about 
$18,000  for  a  second  week  at  the  Cri- 
terion. The  second  week  of  "Those 
Endearing  Young  Charms"  will  yield 
the  Palace  $18,000;  "Along  Came 
Jones"  will  probably  follow. 

"Murder,  He  Says"  is  expected  to 
bring  $10,000  for  a  second  and  final 
week  at  the  Globe ;  "The  Great  John 
L."  will  open  there  Saturday.  "Be- 
side Manner"  is  headed  for  $7,500  for 
a  second  and  final  w^eek  at  the  Gotham  ; 
"Twice  Blessed"  will  open  there  Fri- 
day. The  revival  of  "Call  of  the  Wild" 
is  registering  satisfactorily  at  the  Vic- 
toria with  $13,500  expected  for  the 
second  week ;  "Don  Juan  Quilligan" 
will  follow.  "Crime,  Inc."  is  headed 
for  $6,000  for  a  second  and  final  week 
at  the  Rialto ;  "Jungle  Captive"  will 
open  there  Friday. 


Army  Press  Showing 
Of  Three  Yesterday 

First  of  a  series  of  official  War  De- 
partment screenings  for  the  purpose  of 
furnishing  the  press  with  background 
material  on  Army  matters  of  current 
national  interest  was  held  yesterday 
at  the  Normandie  Theatre  here.  The 
initial  program  consisted  of  the  fol- 
lowing films :  "Camouflage,"  produced 
by  the  Army  Air  Forces  in  color 
with  animation  by  the  Army  Air 
Forces  staff;  "Special  Delivery — 
Japan,"  produced  by  the  Army  Pic- 
torial Service  for  16mm  release  to 
war  plants  and  factories ;  and  "Diary 
of  a  Sergeant,"  produced  by  the  Pic- 
torial Service  under  supervision  of 
the  Army  Medical  Corps. 


Repairing  Telecaster 

Chicago,  July  2.  —  Balaban  and 
Katz's  television  station  W  B  K  B 
closed  July  1  for  10  days  to  repair 
equipment,  Elmer  C.  Upton,  general 
manager,  announces.  The  station's  pat- 
tern is  remaining  in  the  air  during 
regular  broadcasting  hours  for  the 
convenience  of  manufacturers. 


KOIL  Joining  American 

Radio  station  KOIL,  Omaha,  will 
join  American  Broadcasting's  network 
on  Nov.  1,  according  to  Keith  Kig- 
gins,  American  vice-president. 


Nelson  Visions 
Trade  Upsurge 
Aided  by  Films 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

industry  must  adopt  the  same  policy. 
He  added  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
SIMPP  and  the  Hays  organizations 
cannot  collaborate  and  cited  conversa- 
tions with  Will  H.  Hays  since  accept- 
ing the  post  in  which  this  was  agreed. 

Whether  SIMPP  will  join  with  the 
majors  in  their  foreign  export  organi- 
zation formed  under  the  Webb  Act  is 
a  matter  for  early  determination  but 
it  has  not  yet  been  decided  Nelson 
said,  adding  the  determining  factor 
would  be  whether  the  'expansionist' 
objective  can  be  achieved  jointly. 

Asked  whether  it  would  be  neces- 
sary for  SIMPP  to  establish- a  world- 
wide distributing  organization  to  im- 
plement his  expansionist  policy,  Nelson 
said  he  hardly  thought  so  but  had  not 
gone  into  the  matter  fully.  He  affirmed, 
on  questioning,  that  if  changes  in  dis- 
tribution were  not  contemplated  as  a 
means  of  promoting  'expansion',  some 
attention  to  picture  content  was  in- 
tended to  further  the  plan  he  out- 
lined. 

Government  Suggestions 

When  asked,  "What  would  be  your 
attitude  toward  using  the  screen  to 
present  material  suggested  by  the 
Government"  ?,  he  replied,  "I  hope  we 
can  do  the  job  so  well  that  the  Gov- 
ernment will  not  need  to  offer  sugges- 
tions." In  general,  he  added,  he  is  op- 
posed to  'Government  in  Business,' 
holding  it  to  be  the  industry's  respon- 
sibility to  settle  its  own  problems. 

When  asked  whether  he  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  David  O.  Selznick's  recent- 
ly expressed  belief  that  the  Produc- 
tion Code  ought  to  be  revised,  Nelson 
pleaded  unfamiliarity  with  details  of 
the  Code  but  continued,  "The  code 
has  been  very  instrumental  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  industry.  It  has  prevented 
the  imposing  of  national  censorship. 
Everything  the  industry  can  do  along 
this  line  should  be  done.  The  job  we 
are  setting  out  to  do  can  be  done 
under  the  Code." 

Nelson  told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
he  will  make  frequent  tours  to  Europe 
and  elsewhere,  in  implementing  his 
'expansionist'  program.  He  will  re- 
main here  a  month. 


Vidio  Film  Corp.  Formed 

Albany,  N.  Y,.  July  2. —  Vidio 
Film  Corp.  has  been  incorporated  to 
conduct  a  motion  picture  business  in 
New  York.  Incorporators  are :  David 
Weiss,  Theodore  Berger  and  Solo- 
mon Widelitz.  Jacob  W.  Friedman, 
New  York,  was  incorporation  attorney. 


MITCHELL  MAY,  Jr. 

CO.,  INC. 

INSURANCE 
• 

Specializing 
in  requirements  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Industry 

75  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
510  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Angeles 


uavis,  niuriKi  uri  un 

Scripts  for  the  OWI 

Washington,.  July  2.  —  Frank 
Davis  and  Henry  Blankfort,  Holly- 
wood screen  writers,  have  arrived 
here  to  do  research  and  prepare 
scripts  for  two  new  shorts  to  be  re- 
leased on  the  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee-Office of  War  Information  pro- 
gram. 

Davis  and  Blankfort  are  conferring 
with  Tom  Baily,  coordinator  of  the 
Hollywood  division  of  WAC,  now  in 
Washington  on  the  Seventh  War 
Loan,  and  with  Ted  R.  Gamble  and 
other  representatives  of  the  Treas- 
ury and  OPA. 

Davis  is  working  on  a  'black-mar- 
ket' meat  report  and  Blankfort  is 
doing  a  subject  on  war  bonds,  their 
unifying  effect  in  the  war  effort  and 
their  value  as  a  personal  and  patriotic 
security.  The  scripts  will  be  com- 
pleted in  Hollywood,  where  the  sub- 
jects are  to  be  produced. 


Ira  M.  Herbert  has  joined  radio 
station  WNEW,  New  York,  as  na- 
tional sales  director,  it  is  disclosed  by 
Bernice  Judas,  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral manager.  Herbert  was  previously 
a  member  of  the  WMCA  sales  force 
and  more  recently  assistant  director  of 
sales  for  WHN. 


Mutual  Adds  2  Stations 


'Wonder  Man  Record 

The  present  pace  of  "Wonder  Man," 
at  the  Astor,  indicates  over  $60,000  for 
a  fourth  week  which  is  still  above  the 
previous  house  record,  as  set  by  "Prin- 
cess and  the  Pirate,"  earlier  this  year. 
The  third  week's  receipts  were  close 
to  $53,000.  Business  is  improving 
spendidly  at  the  Rivoli  with  over  $30,- 
000  expected  for  the  third  week  for 
"Junior  Miss"  which  will  surpass  the 
second  week's  receipts  which  reached 
$21,580  following  a  slow  initial  week 
of  $15,400. 

"The  Valley  of  Decision"  is  holding 
up  splendidlv  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  with  a  "big  SI  11, 000  expected  for 
the  ninth  and  final  week,  following  an 
eighth  week's  gross  of  $110,000.  The 
film  will  have  achieved  the  third  long- 


DuMont  Sells  First 
Television  for  S.  A, 

Negotiations  have  been  closed  be- 
tween Allen  B.  DuMont  Laboratories 
and  a  syndicate  of  Argentinian  busi- 
nessmen for  the  sale  and  erection  of 
the  first  television  transmitter  for 
South  America^  _The  syndicate,  head- 
ed by  Martin  Tow,~rroids-  the  only 
franchise  for  television  transmitters  so 
far  granted  in  Argentina.  Negotia- 
tions were  begun  in  1944  and  final 
arrangements  have  just  been  made 
by  Leonard  F.  Cramer,  executive  vice- 
president  of  DuMont. 

Though  this  will  be  the  first  sale 
of  a  television  transmitter  actually 
concluded  for  South  America,  several 
priority  applications  have  been  filed. 


Tolchin  Gets  WHN  Post 

Arthur  M.  Tolchin,  member  of  radio 
station  WHN  sales  staff,  has  been  ap- 
pointed assistant  director  of  sales  at 
the  Loew-owned  station. 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

1600  BROADWAY.  N.  Y.  19       Circle  6-66 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


IT'S  BOX-OFFICE 


%t  a  Few  of 

rates  with  the 

^^^^  h 

ouslV  Y»  „         _  X  .  ,Ub  dross 

today  -  es^hs^bers 

rates  w»ththe»e     ^  se|*alnu 
•  V  Series  that  reau  tA^on?xt 
statifeenbacks.''___^-  Pageantry, 
on  green  travaganza.  and 

Technicolor  .  t«gue,  **  Boxofflte 

spectacle,  ro     ^naids^  , 
beauttful  hare  -j^js*^  ^ 
llSho^doaland_^. 

^showmaVow.^offerS  — 
opportunities/  A 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  present* 


with    EVELYN  PHIL  ADELE 

KEYES  •  SILVERS  •  JERGENS 

end  CORNEL  WILDE 

Screenplay  by  Wilfrid  H.  Pettirt,  Richard  English,  Jack  Henley 
traduced  by  SAMUEL  BISCHOFF  •**  Directed  by  ALFR 

eHHeie^eie^^HIHilHHl^e^HeliHe^BHHelHHH^H^e^HHe^elH 


First  in 


and 
Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 


VOL.  58.  NO.  3 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JULY  5,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Record  June 
Heat  Singes 
Key  Grosses 

But  Month's  Averages 
Still  Top  Last  Year's 


Record-breaking  heat  waves  in 
many  parts  of  the  country  caused 
grosses  at  first-run  theatres  in  key 
cities  to  topple  during  June  below 
levels  maintained  throughout  May ; 
but,  for  the  most  part,  according  to  a 
tabulation  of  reports  from  Motion 
Picture  Daily's  field  correspondents, 
the  weekly  averages  per  theatre  con- 
tinued to  run  well  ahead  of  June,  1944, 
indicating  that  the  current  slight  slump 
does  not  go  beyond  seasonal  propor- 
tions. 

Only  exception  to  the  rule  in 
the  yearly  comparison  was  last 
week,  which,  with  an  average  of 
$16,410  per  theatre,  dipped  un- 
der the  $17,288  registered  for 

(.Continued  on  page  4) 


Export  Group 
Wrong  for  UA 


The  physical  set-up  of  United  Art- 
ists as  a  distribution  agent  for  many 
independent  producers  appears  to 
make  it  impossible  for  the  company 
t  o  participate 
in  the  newly- 
formed  industry 
Motion  Picture 
Export  Associ- 
ation, in  the 
opinion  of 
G  r  a  d  w  e  1 1  L. 
Sears,  U  A 
vice  -  president 
in  charge  of 
distribution. 

In  an  inter- 
v  i  e  w  here 
Tuesday,  f  o  1  - 
lowing  the  re- 
turn to  his  desk 
after  a  recent 
illness,  which  kept  him  away  for  five 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


Q.  P.  Photo 
Gradwell  L.  Sears 


Wilkinson  New  Story 
Editor  for  Goldwyn 

Hollywood,  July  4.— Maxwell  P. 
Wilkinson,  editor  of  Good  House- 
keeping, will  join  Samuel  Goldwyn 
on  Sept.  4  as  story  editor,  replacing 
Pat  Duggan,  who  has  been  named  as- 
sistant to  Goldwyn. 


Editors  of  Newsreels 
May  Visit  Europe, 
Pacific  War  Areas 


Editors  of  the  five  newsreels  are 
considering  a  trip  to  Europe  under 
U.  S.  Army  auspices  and  a  survey  of 
the  Pacific  under  Navy  sponsorship. 
As  a  result  of  the  contemplated  first- 
hand examination  of  Europe,  ultimate 
action  on  the  dissolution  of  the  news- 
reel  pool  may  follow,  it  is  learned 
here.  Thirteen  film  leaders  are  now  in 
Europe  at  the  invitation  of  the  Army. 

Examination  of  European  theatres, 
laboratories,  etc.,  it  was  pointed  out, 
would  permit  the  newsreels  to  make 
a  decision  on  the  dissolution  of  the 
military'  pool,  unless  the  situation  there 
should  improve  before  the  editors  had 
an  opportunity  to  make  the  projected 
trip.  Claude  Collins,  newsreel  coordi- 
nator, may  also  make  the  trip. 

No  Immediate  Change 

For  the  time  being,  it  is  believed, 
operation  of  the  European  pool  will 
continue  indefinitely  because  it  is  not 
possible  to  resume  private  operation 
due  to  the  attitude  of  many  European 
governments,  and  because  of  difficult 
physical  obstacles  that  confront  indi- 
vidual companies.  The  Pacific  pool 
will  definitely  continue  until  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Japanese  war. 

In  France,  the  government  is  exer- 
cising a  monopoly  over  newsreels, 
with  Libre  Actualite,  government  reel, 
.he  only  one  functioning. 


WORLD  CIRCUIT  OF 
FABRICATED  UMTS 


4BV  Out  of  B.  &  K. 
1st  Runs  in  Loop 


Chicago,  July  4. — The  success  of 
single  feature  policies  in  the  Balaban 
and  Katz  first-run  Apollo  and  Garrick 
Theatres  in  the  Loop  has  all  but  elim- 
inated the  chances  of  'B'  product  out- 
lets in  those  houses.  Formerly  on  a 
regular  twin  feature  diet,  Paramount, 
20th  Century-Fox,  and  M-G-M,  who 
have  exclusive  contracts  with  B.  and 
K.  houses  in  the  Loop,  found  a  first 
run  market  for  almost  all  of  their  re- 
leases, regardless  of  their  rating.  The 
switch  to  single  features  limits  those 
houses  to  the  use  of  choice  product 
only. 

Neighborhood  Premieres 

As  a  result,  neighborhood  B.  and  K. 
houses  are  now  used  to  premiere  less 
important  product  of  the  above-named 
producers.  Already  released  through 
tJiis  method  were  "Main  Street  After 
Dark,"  "Blonde  Fever,"  "National 
Barn  Dance,"  and  "Circumstancial 
Evidence."  Others  to  follow  are 
"Nothing  but  Trouble,"  "The  Bull- 
fighters," "High  Powered,"  "Double 
Exposure,"  and  "Dangerous  Passage." 


You  Came  Along 


[Paramount-Hai  Wallis\ 

HAL  WALLIS  and  company  have  a  sound  box-office  offering  in 
"You  Came  Along."  Belonging  to  the  top  money  bracket  in  its 
own  right,  it  gains  additional  value  by  introducing  to  film  audi- 
ences a  new  star,  Lizabeth  Scott,  a  young  lady  whose  talents,  it  can 
be  said  honestly,  carry  a  high  rate  of  commercial  exchange.  Her  per- 
formance herein  is  sure  to  win  her  a  sizable  following,  as  well  as  con- 
siderable attention  in  print  and  conversation. 

Based  on  a  story  of  today,  and  tomorrow — the  returning  war  hero, 
his  affairs  of  the  heart  and  his  attitude  toward  life — the  picture  has 
most  of  the  tested  and  proved  ingredients  of  successful  entertainment. 
Breezy  dialogue  and  humorous  situations  fade  into  and  emerge  from 
moving,  and  sometimes  pathetic,  emotional  scenes.  Underlining  all  is  a 
lapidly-developed  romance,  ardent  and  intimate  at  times,  and  dramatized 
by  a  tragic  fate  which  overhangs  it. 

Skillfully  acted  by  Miss  Scott  and  Robert  Cummings  in  the  top  roles, 
"You  Came  Along"  sparkles  with  fine  individual  performances  through- 
out the  cast. 

The  story  opens  with  three  returned  wounded  Air  Corps  officers, 
Cummings,  Don  DeFore  and  Charles  Drake,  starting  from  Washington 
on  a  War  Bond  sales  tour.  They  are  a  cocky,  happy-go-lucky  trio,  al- 
most completely  absorbed  by  the  female  of  the  species.  An  accident  to  a 
Treasury  Department  official  who  was  to  have  accompanied  them  on 
the  tour  puts  Miss  Scott  in  charge  of  the  group  in  his  stead  as  their 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Charles  Skouras  Takes 
Lid  Off  Long-Secret 
Mass  Production  Plans 


By  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Los  Angeles,  July  4. — Forma- 
tion of  a  separate  corporation  to 
manufacture  and  market  pre-fabri- 
cated  theatres  on  a  world-wide 
scale  is  nearing 
final  stages, 
Charles  Skou- 
ras, president  of 
National  Thea- 
tres, told  the 
trade  press  at  a 
meeting  here 
called  for  the 
purpose,  taking 
the  lid  off  long- 
secret;  plans  for 
putting  theatre 
building  on  a 
mass  produc- 
tion basis. 

E  x  h  i  biting 
scale  models  of 
several  types  of  theatres  which  can 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Charles  Skouras 


Para.  Chicago 
Meet  Today 


Chicago,  July  4. — As  a  prelude' to 
its  'Third  of  a  Century'  anniversary 
celebration,  which  will  be  highlighted 
by  'Paramount  Month,'  Aug.  26  to 
Sept.  29,  Paramount  will  launch  a 
two-day  organizational  meeting  at  its 
exchange  here  tomorrow,  and  will 
climax  the  morning  and  afternoon  ses- 
sions, at  which  plans  were  discussed 
for  formal  drive  observance,  by  honor- 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Odeon  Will  Proceed 
With  New  Theatres 

Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada,  Ltd. 
will  proceed,  as  soon  as  necessary 
Canadian  government  permits  are 
granted,  with  the  construction  of  the 
first  of  its  new  key-run  houses  across 
the  Dominion.  This  is  to  be  a  2,300- 
seater  in  Toronto  and  the  building  will 
include  a  five-story  administration 
centre  in  which  Odeon's  head  offices 
will  be  located. 

Shortly  after  J.  Arthur  Rank 
(Continutd  on  page  7) 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  5,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


ALFRED  HITCHCOCK  is  en 
route  to  London  where  he  will 
make  preparatory  arrangements  for 
the  production  of  a  feature  starring 
Gary  Grant,  next  year. 

• 

Tech.  Sgt.  Harold  J.  Salemson, 
formerly  a  Hollywood  correspondent 
for  a  string  of  French  publications 
prior  to  the  fall  of  France,  has  been 
named  chief  of  radio  in  the  Fort  Ben- 
ning,  Ga.  public  relations  office. 
• 

E.  J.  Sparks,  formerly  owner  of 
the  E.  J.  Sparks  Enterprises,  Jack- 
sonville, recently  visited  his  friend, 
Ed  Brown,  in  Atlanta  on  his  way  to 
his  summer  home  in  Asheville,  N.  C. 
• 

Sgt.  Sam  Gerace,  former  manager 
of  the  Rialto  Theatre,  Cleveland,  is 
home  on  a  60-day  furlough  after 
spending  four  months  in  a  German 
prison  camp. 

S/Sgt.  Forrest  Thompson,  former 
manager  of  Interstate's  Tower  and 
Melba  theatres,  in  Dallas,  is  home 
on  a  30-day  furlough  after  19  months 
in  England. 

John  Dall  will  leave  New  York 
next  Monday  for  the  Warner  studio 
where  he  is  under  contract.  He  has 
been  appearing  in  the  Broadway  play, 
"Dear  Ruth." 

Spence  Pierce,  Southwest  pub- 
licity director  of  20th  Century-Fox 
from  Atlanta,  is  enjoying  the  breezes 
in  Mobile,  Ala. 

'Buck'  Wade,  Universal  Salt  Lake 
City  manager  and  Mrs.  Wade  recent- 
ly celebrated  their  25th  wedding  anni- 
versary. 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  International  Pic- 
tures Eastern  publicity  manager,  has 
returned  from  a  month  in  Dallas  and 
other  Texas  key  cities. 

• 

Lt.   Tom   Mooney   of  the  Naval 
Air  Force,  son  of  Milton  A.  Moon- 
ey, head  of  Cooperative  Theatres  of 
Ohio,  is  now  stationed  in  Hawaii. 
• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Warners'  Eastern 
division    sales    manager,    will  leave 
New  York  today  for  Pittsburgh. 
• 

DTnah  Shore  has  arrived  in  New 
York  from  California  and  is  staying 
at  the  Waldorf. 

• 

Joseph   H.   Seidelman,  Universal 
International   president,   has  arrived 
in  Hollywood  from  New  York. 
• 

Mathew  Polon,  RKO  Theatres 
booker,  is  the  father  of  a  second  son 
born  at  Women's  Hospital. 

• 

Francis  W.  Farris  of  the  RKO 
Dallas  exchange  and  Mrs.  Farris  re- 
cently became  the  parents  of  a  son. 
• 

Rita  Hurwick  has  been  appointed 
publicity  director  of  radio  station 
WOV,  New  York. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN- 


/^\N  Tuesday,  which  was  five 
months  to  the  day  on  which 
he  became  ill,  Grad  Sears  sub- 
mitted to  a  press  interview  at 
United  Artists.  When  questions 
lagged,  he  volunteered  one 
which  was,  "Why  doesn't  some- 
one ask  why  I'm  no  longer  on 
the  board  ?"  Someone  did,  to 
which  Sears  answered:  "No  one 
reappointed  me." 

That  was  all  right  as  far  as  it 
went.  Only  it  did  not  go  far 
enough.  Here  is  the  rest  of  the 
distance : 

Originally,  Sears  went  on  at 
the  behest  of  David  O.  Selznick. 
Under  the  currently  prevailing 
formula  at  UA,  each  of  the  own- 
ers — ■  Selznick,  Mary  Pickford 
and  Charles  Chaplin — rates  three 
representatives.  With  Sears  in 
his  corner,  Selznick  looked  for 
added  strength  what  with  Grad's 
overall  influence  on  the  sale  of 
film. 

■ 

But  where  such  calculations 
went  off,  was  Sears'  view  of  his 
relationship  with  all  of  the  unit- 
ed artists  in  United  Artists,  not 
merely  one.  He  kept  himself 
attuned  to  the  realization  he  was 
employed  to  represent  the  com- 
pany and  not  any  one  interest 
in  it.  It  was  a  wise  and  proper 
decision  and  probably  a  neces- 
sary one  to  give  him  reasonable 
assurance  of  a  long  and  continu- 
ing company  association. 

It  has  to  be  said  on  Selznick's 
behalf,  however,  that  he  also 
realized  his  interests  did  not  al- 
ways necessarily  parallel  the 
overall  interests  of  UA,  which 
sounds  strange  although  it  is 
true ;  that  at  some  point  along 
the  line  David  O.  appreciated  the 
situation  and  the  sort  of  spot 
Sears  might  find  himself  in. 
After  all,  Miss  Pickford  and 
Chaplin  are  equal  partners. 

■ 

Under  the  original  setup  and 
the  impressions  which  grew  up 
around  it,  Sears  actually  was  in 
a  position  hardly  tenable.  Thus, 
when  election  time  rolled  around, 
he  went  off  the  board.  The  un- 
derstanding is  this  suited  him 
fine. 

However,  there  is  an  impres- 
sion afloat  in  some  UA  circles 
that  the  change  is  somewhat  on 
the  unfortunate  side;  that  Sears,  ■ 
as  supreme  sales  head,  properly 
belongs  on  the  board.  If  ever 
the  blueprint  can  be  re-scaled  on 
a  commonly  accepted  basis  al- 
'  lowing  his  return  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  company — mean- 
ing all  of  its  partners — advocates 
of   such   a    rearrangement  are 


confident  resulting  values  would 
be  decidedly  plus. 

■ 

The  character  of  the  new  UA 
board,  meanwhile,  emphasizes 
business,  not  films.  Of  the  nine 
members,  only  Neil  F.  Agnew, 
representing  Selznick,  and  Ed- 
ward C.  Raftery,  representing 
Miss  Pickford,  are  experienced 
in  the  complexities  of  this  busi- 
ness. Selznick's  remaining  two 
are  Philip  F.  Siff  of  Lehman 
Bros.,  and  Milton  H.  Kramer  of 
the  law  firm  of  White  and  Case. 
Miss  Pickford's  remaining  two 
are  Isaac  Pennypacker,  Phila- 
delphia lawyer,  and  Franklin 
Cole,  an  investment  advisor.  For 
Chaplin  are  his  brother,  Sydney ; 
Rex  Dennant  and  E.  Claude 
Mills. 

George  Bagnall,  long  a  UA 
vice-president,  went  off  because 
he  headquarters  in  Hollywood, 
which  is  the  usual  3,000  miles 
from  New  York  and  not  always 
an  accessible  spot  if  and  when 
questions  pop  up  for  fast  dis- 
posal. 

■ 

At  the  interview,  a  reporter 
put  a  question  about  Sears'  con- 
tract. He  answered  without 
hesitation.  The  arrangement 
runs  out  Dec.  31,  1946.  There 
has  been  no  talk  advanced  by 
either  side  about  a  renewal,  but 
Sears  thinks  this  is  as  it  should 
be  at  so  early  a  juncture.  UA 
had  two  years  in  which  to  advise 
its  distribution  chief  whether  or 
not  it  intended  going  through 
on  the  full  life  of  the  agreement. 

Had  UA  decided  to  call  it  off, 
it  would  have  been  obligated  to 
reach  a  settlement  covering  the 
unfilled  term.  But  the  company 
determined  to  stand  pat.  Thus, 
Sears  and  his  contract  go  their 
complete  course. 


At  99  Park  Avenue  and  in  53 
affiliated  centers  throughout 
New  York's  five  boroughs,  37,- 
500  volunteers — mostly  women 
— are  actively  drawn  upon  to 
serve  the  Armed  Forces  under 
the  presiding  hand  of  the  New 
York  City  Defense  Recreation 
Committee.  It  is  acknowledged 
this  committee  has  performed 
splendidly.  Yet  its  continuing 
requirements  are  two :  One  is 
volunteer  power  to  maintain  the 
service.  Two  is  a  steady,  and 
increased,  flow  of  tickets  to  pro- 
vide entertainment. 

Mrs.  Julius  Ochs  Adler, 
co-chairman  of  the  entertain- 
ment committee,  reports  10,000,- 
000  have  been  donated  and  dis- 


Australia  Renews 
Release  of  Funds 

Sydney,  July  4. —  Australia 
has  renewed  its  monetary 
agreement  for  American  dis- 
tributors, permitting  the  lat- 
ter to  receive  in  dollars, 
where  applicable,  monies  de- 
rived from  Australian  film 
rentals  of  American  films,  less 
Australian  commitments,  in- 
cluding Australian  taxes  and 
other  liabilities.  The  re-ar- 
rangement does  not  imply  any 
commitment  regarding  the 
rate  of  exchange  at  which  re- 
mittances shall  be  effected. 

The  renewal  of  the  release 
of  funds  will  run  another 
year,  to  June  30,  1946,  when 
the  matter  will  again  be  re- 
viewed. 


t 


New  Drive-In  Book 

National  Theatre  Supply  has  issued 
a  book  to  assist  prospective  outdoor 
theatre  owners  in  planning  a  Drive-In. 


tributed  to  date.  She  stresses 
the  need  for  more  entertainment 
now  that  limitless  thousands  of 
men  either  are  returning  from 
Europe,  are  bound  for  the' Paci- 
fic or  are  recuperating  from  bat- 
tle wounds  here.  When  she 
points  out  so  aptly  these  men  are 
entitled  to  the  very  best  New 
York  City  has  to  offer,  she 
strikes  a  note  which  will  be 
echoed  widely.  When  she  urges 
larger  donations  of  tickets  for 
motion  picture  theatres,  she 
sounds  an  appeal  which  the  ever 
generous  heart  of  show  business 
in  the  metropolitan  area  cannot 
resist.    Nor  would  it  try. 


It  is  a  weary  and  well- 
thumbed  chapter  which  Repre- 
sentative Rankin,  acting  chair- 
man of  the  House  Committee  on 
Un-American  Activities,  un- 
folds with  his  evasive  and  gen- 
eralized charge  that  Hollywood 
harbors  "one  of  the  most  danger- 
ous plots  ever  instigated  for  the 
overthrow  of  the  Government." 
Hollywood  went  through  this 
before  with  the  Dies  Commit- 
tee, predecessor  of  this  new  cru- 
sader on  its  white  charger,  and 
Hollywood  came  through  un- 
blemished. 

A  plot  to  overthrow  the  Gov- 
ernment suggests  the  responsible 
producers  running  the  show  -on 
the  Coast  are  not  aware  of  what 
goes  on,  or  are  being  sucked  in- 
to a  maneuver  insidiously  sugar- 
coated  to  get  the  conspiracy  down 
and  kept  there.  This  is  so  much 
nonsense  that  it  becomes  good 
advice  for  all  whose  blood  pres- 
sure may  go  bouncing  to  take  it 
easy.  The  teapot  tempest  will 
cause  its  flurry,  then  inevitably 
and  quietly  forsake  the  scene. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  l(N 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnjp,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


NO  RECEIPTS 
EVER  LIKE  IT/{  / 


RELEASE  AT 

HOLLYWOOD 


T  ALDA  AS  GEORGE  GERSHWIN  * 
LESLIE  AS  JULIE  ADAMS  *  ALEXIS 
AS  CHRISTINE  GILBERT  *  CHARLES 
N  AS  MAX  DREYFUS  *  JULIE  BISHOP  J^f 

GERSHWIN  ★  ALBERT  BASSERMAN  AS  PROFESSOR 

i  "  ■ .       -  " 

*  MORRIS  CARNOVSKY  AS  MR.  GERSHWIN  *  ROSEMARY  DE  CAMP  AS-  MRS.  GERSHWIN 


AS  THEMSELVES:  AL  JOLSON 
OSCAR  LEVANT  •   PAUL  WHITEMAN 
GEORGE  WHITE   •    HAZEL  SCOTT  •  ANNE  BROWN 


TOM  PATRICOLA  •  THE  WARNER  CHORAL  SINGERS 
;  T  RUDLEY  AS  IRA  GERSHWIN  *  EDDIE  MARR  AS  BUDDY  DE  SYLVA  *  OSCAR  LORAINE  AS  RAVEL  *  HUGO  KIRCHHOFFER  AS  WALTER  DAMROSCH  *  *  * 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  5,  1945 


Record  June  Heat  Singes 
Grosses  in  Key  Cities 


Para.  Chicago 
Meet  Today 


State  Dept.  Changes 
To  Waits  Byrnes 

Washington,  July  4. — No  changes 
in  the  administrative  line-up  of  the 
Department  of  State  will  be  made 
until  the  Budget  Bureau  has  com- 
pleted a  study  of  the  department's 
structure,  which  he  has  requested,  it 
was  disclosed  here  yesterday  by  James 
F.  Byrnes  immediately  after  he  had 
been  sworn  in  as  Secretary  of  State  in 
a  ceremony  at  the  White  House. 

Since  Byrnes  is  to  accompany  Pres- 
ident Truman  when  he  meets  with 
Churchill  and  Stalin  this  month,  it  is 
probable  that  reorganization  of  the 
department  will  not  take  place  for 
some  weeks. 

Prior  to  his  appointment  to  the 
No.  1  cabinet  post,  it  had  been 
rumored  that  Byrnes  would  replace 
most  of  the  top  men  who  entered  the 
department  with  Edward  Stettinius 
his  predecessor,  including  Archibald 
MacLeish  and  Nelson  Rockefeller. 

Byrnes  said  that  his  assumption  of 
the  State  Department  post  would  in- 
volve no  change  in  the  basic  principles 
of  foreign  policy,  since  it  is  the  fun- 
tion  of  the  Secretary  to  advise  the 
President  and  carry  out  foreign  policy 
as  determined  by  the  President  and 
Congress. 

'Magic  City*  Will  Be 
Robert  Riskin's  First 

Hollywood,  July  4. — Robert  Ris- 
kin,  writer-producer,  announces  here 
that  the  first  picture  from  his  newly- 
formed  independent  company,  Robert 
Riskin  Prod.,  would  be  "The  Magic 
City,"  a  story  which  stemmed  from 
one  of  his  experiences  while  chief  of 
the  overseas  film  bureau  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information. 

The  film  will  be  Riskin's  first  com- 
mercial venture  since  relinquishing 
the  OWI  post ;  his  last  assignment 
before  going  to  the  OWI  was  writ- 
ing the  script  of  "The  Thin  Man" 
for  M-G-M. 


Re-edited  "Two  Down 
And  One  to  Go"  Set 

Eliminating  the  controversal  foot- 
age dealing  with  the  Army's  point 
system  whereby  soldiers  may  be  dis- 
charged from  the  service  and  holding 
footage  to  658  feet,  M-G-M  will  revive 
distribution  of  "Two  Down  and  One 
to  Go."  The  re-edited  version  will 
consist  largely  of  the  address  of  Gen- 
eral George  Marshall  on  the  Army's 
global  strategy.  The  rendition  of  the 
national  anthem  which  closed  out  the 
original  version  will  be  retained. 

Studios  Offer  SPU 
Wage  Compromise 

Hollywood,  July  4. — In  response  to 
a  Screen  Players  Union  demand  for 
a  10  per  cent  wage  increase  in  all 
classifications,  the  producers  yester- 
day offered  an  agreement  providing 
some   increase   in   all  classifications. 

Christenberry,  Zapf 
Head  Veteran  Group 

Robert  K.  Christenberry,  president 
of  the  Hotel  Astor  here,  and  Harry 
C.  Zapf,  financial  secretary  of  Skouras 
Theatres,  have  been  named  national 
chairman  and  national  treasurer,  re- 
spectively, of  the  new  Veteran's  Po- 
litical Committee,  Inc.  of  the  U.  S. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  final  week  in  June  of  last 
year. 

The  earlier  three  weeks  of  the 
month  just  ended  brought  averages  of 
$15,788,  $16,666  and  $15,227,  respec- 
tively, against  May's  $16,219,  $17,613, 
$16,950,  $16,163  and  $15,989. 

Films  drawing  above  par  at  key- 
:ity  box  offices  last  month  included : 
"Valley  of  Decision,"  "The  Clock," 
"Salome,  Where  She  Danced,"  "Where 
Do  We  Go  From  Here,"  "Son  of 
Lassie,"  "The  Unseen,"  "Pillow  to 
Post,"    "Counter-Attack,"  "Without 


1945  Average 
Week  No.  of    Total  Per 

Ending  Theatres  Gross  Theatre 


[an.  5-6    136  $2,828,300  $20,7% 

Jan.  12-13    133  2,393,400  17,995 

Jan.  19-20    136  2,289,400  16,826 

Tan    26-27    149  2,543,400  17,069 

Feb.  2-3    148  2,534,300  17,123 

Feb.  9-10    144  2,506,700  17,407 

Feb.  16-17    141  2,491,800  17,672 

Feb   23-24    143  2,448,000  17,118 

March  2-3    134  2,462,100  18.373 

March  9-10    144  2,448,700  17,000 

March  16-17    152  2,530,500  16,648 

March  23-24    ....  144  2,248,900  15,687 

March  30-31  .....  137  2,123,100  15,446 

April  6-7    129  2,293,900  17,782 

April  13-14    138  2,268,600  16,349 

April  20-21    123  1,893,700  15,395 

April  27-28    137  2,179,500  15,908 

May   4-5    132  2,141,000  16,219 

May  11-12    123  2,166,400  17,613 

May  18-19    141  2,390,000  16,950 

May  25-26    127  2,052,800  16,163 

June  1-2    119  1,902,700  15,989 

June  8-9    128  2,020,800  15,788 

Tune  15-16    136  2,266,600  16,666 

June  22-23..   125  1,903.400  15,227 

Tune  29-30    119  1,953,800  16,410 


Republic  Transfers 
Cahill  to  Florida 

Atlanta,  July  4.  — Charles  H. 
Cahill,  formerly  with  Republic  Pic- 
tures in  New  Orleans,  has  been  as- 
signed to  the  company's  branch  in 
Tampa  as  office  manager  and  booker. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Coast  Guard 
for  four  years.  Cahill  is  replacing 
Miss  Marion  Neeld,  who  was  mar- 
ried to  Lt.  Charles  Butler. 

Paul  Stephens,  for  the  past  year 
office  manager  of  Republic,  Atlanta, 
has  resigned,  effective  immediately. 
Members  of  the  Republic  office  pre- 
sented Stephens  with  a  war  bond  and 
other  gifts.  He  resigned  to  accept  a 
position  with  another  organization, 
which  will  be  announced  later.  Ap- 
pointed to  replace  Stephens  was 
Charles  Roebuck,  former  salesman. 

RKO  Chicago  Meet 
Set  for  August  14 

Chicago,  July  4. — Herbert  H. 
Greenblatt,  RKO  branch  manager,  is 
mapping  details  for  a  regional  meet- 
ing at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here  for 
three  days  starting  Aug.  14.  Future 
product  will  be  discussed  along  with 
campaigns  for  "The  Bells  of  St. 
Mary's"  and  other  films. 


Bahn's  Father  Dies 

John  G.  Bahn,  81,  father  of  Chet 
Bahn,  editor  of  The  Film  Daily,  died 
Tuesday  at  his  home  at  Baldwins- 
ville,  N.  Y.  Funeral  services  will  be 
held  tomorrow  afternoon  at  Liverpool, 
near  Syracuse.  Also  surviving  are 
Bahn's  widow,  another  son,  three 
brothers  and  four  sisters.  He  was  re- 
tired from  the  New  York  Central. 


Love,"  "Blood  on  the  Sun"  and  "Those 
Endearing  Young  Charms." 

Others  that  showed  up  relatively 
well  in  the  reports  were :  "Diamond 
Horseshoe,"  "Between  Two  Women," 
"The  Enchanted  Cottage,"  "China 
Sky,"  "Son  of  Lassie,"  "Salty 
O'Rourke,"  "Dillinger,"  "The  Affairs 
of  Susan,"  "The  Picture  of  Dorian 
Gray,"  "Flame  of  Barbary  Coast," 
"A  Song  to  Remember,"  "Conflict," 
"Back  to  Bataan,"  "Nob  Hill"  and 
"Wonder  Man." 

Composite  key-city  boxoffice  reports 
for  1945,  to  date,  compared  with  cor- 
responding weeks  of  1944,  follow : 


1944  Average 
Week  No.  of    Total  Per 

Ending  Theatres  Gross  Theatre 


Jan.  7-8    117  $2,417,700  $20,664 

Jan.    14-15    134  2,040,700  15,229 

Tan.  21-22    149  2,311,400  15,513 

Jan.  28-29    147  2,365,200  16,090 

Fe*.  4-5    153  2,512,200  16,419 

Feb.    11-12    137  2,220,000  16,204 

Feb.  18-19    155  2,459,800  15,870 

Feb.  25-26    161  2,760,100  17,144 

March  3-4    147  2,397,100  16,307 

March  10-11    147  2,463,400  16,758 

March  17-18    153  2,661,100  18,761 

March  24-25    150  2,487,700  16.585 

March  31 -Apr.  1.  152  3,025,000  13,329 

April  7-8    153  2,340,600  15,298 

April  14-15    143  2,506,800  17,530 

April  21-22    148  2,564,200  17,326 

April  28-29    130  2,090,900  16,084 

May  5-6    143  2,238,700  15,655 

May  12-13    1.46  2,338,700  16,018 

May  19-20    162  2,417,000  14,926 

May  26-27    155  2,349,400  15,157 

June  2-3    143  2,242,500  15,683 

June  9-10    141  1,938,000  13,752 

June  16-17    135  1,934,400  14,322 

June  23-24    136  2,002,800  14,726 

June  30- July  1  ..  126  2,178,300  17,288 


Dick  Spier  to  Watch 
Ticket  Tax  Hearing 

San  Francisco,  July  4. — Dick 
Spier,  general  manager  for  Fox  West- 
Coast  Theatres,  here,  has  accepted  the 
appointment  as  an  observer  on  the 
Citizens'  Post-War  Planning  Com- 
mittee which  is  hearing  proposals  of 
a  subcommittee  favoring  a  four  cent 
tax  on  theatre  admissions  to  help  fi- 
nance the  city's  post-war  improve- 
ments. 

The  proposed  tax  is  opposed  by 
theatre  interests  here  on  the  ground 
that  it  singles  out  theatres  for  unfair 
taxation.  Conflict  with  the  theatres' 
position  was  indicated  in  the  report  to 
the  planning  committee  that  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Downtown  Associa- 
tion had  gone  on  record  as  endorsing 
'in  principle'  the  tax  proposal — includ- 
ing the  theatre  tax — but  reserved  the 
right  to  question  individual  taxes. 


WB  Ad  Sales  Drive  Is 
Set  for  July  15-21 

Warner  Bros,  has  set  the  week  of 
July  15-21  for  this  year's  "Ad  Sales 
Week."  The  drive  on  advertising  ac- 
cessories is  an  adjunct  of  the  com- 
pany's sales  drive,  which  started  April 
1  and  will  run  throughout  July. 

Ben  Goldman,  who  handles  acces- 
sory sales,  will  head  the  advertising 
sales  campaign. 


Bellamy  at  Bond  Fete 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  4. — One  of 
the  highlights  of  the  July  4  war  bond 
ceremonies  at  the  University  of  Utah 
stadium  here,  was  the  crowning  of  the 
Utah  War  Bond  Queen  by  Ralph  Bel- 
lamy. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ing  more  than  44  showmen  of  this 
territory  who  have  been  customers  of 
the  company  for  30  vears  or  more. 

Presiding  at  the  sessions  will  be 
M.  R.  (Duke)  Clark,  co-captain  with 
Allen  Usher  of  the  anniversary  drive 
and  district  manager  for  Dallas,  Okla- 
homa Gty  and  Memphis.  Usher  is 
currently  en  route  to  other  territories 
to  conduct  similar  meetings. 

Also  participating  today  will  be  all 
local  Paramount  employes,  J.  J.  Dono- 
hue,  Central  division  manager ;  J.  H. 
Stevens,  Chicago  branch  manager ; 
and  William  Demarest,  Paramount 
.star,  who  journeyed  here  from  Holly- 
wood to  attend  and  address  the  meet- 
ing, and  who  will  continue  to  Milwau- 
kee and  Minneapolis  for  other  sched- 
uled talks  to  company  personnel. 

Demarest,  to  be  introduced  by  Don- 
ohue,  will  analyze  box-office  power  of 
various  features  which  will  be  avail- 
able during  Paramount  Month.  These, 
he  stressed,  will  be  headed  by  Betty 
Hutton's  "Incendiary  Blonde"  in  Tech- 
nicolor, which  is  the  life  story  of 
Texas  Guinan  and  selected  as  the  an- 
niversary attraction. 

Following  the  afternoon  session  at 
the  Exchange,  a  reception  will  be  held 
at  the  Ambassador-East  Hotel,  with 
Betty  Hutton  and  Demarest  joining 
with  Paramount  officials  and  person- 
nel, plus  representatives  of  the  press, 
in  honoring  the  44  showmen.  Twelve 
of  these  showmen  have  been  doing 
business  with  the  organization  since 
1912,  the  year  that  Adolph  Zukor 
founded  Famous  Players. 

Donohue  described  the  honor  guests 
as  "friends  who  have  come  a  long  way 
with  us." 

The  List 

The  customers  honored  were :  Sam 
Abrahams,  Abe  Auerbach,  A.  Bartel- 
stein,  Louis  Brown,  Charles  Bugg, 
James  Coston,  Harry  Goldson,  Henry 
Goldson,  S.  J.  Gregory,  Louis  Harri- 
son, Nate  Joseph,  Verne  Langdon. 

Also:  Harry  Lubliner,  Bob  Lucas, 
Ed  Mager,  Alex  Manta,  Sam  Meyers, 
Wm.  J.  Mueller,  Van  Nomikos,  Joe 
Pastor,  William  Pearl,  Dave  Rice, 
J.  J.  and  M.  M.  Rubens,  Arthur  and 
Henry  Schoenstadt,  Emil  Stern,  H. 
Tague,  Ed  Trinz  and  M.  O.  Wells. 

Invited  and  honored  showmen  from 
outside  Chicago  and  the  suburban  area 
were :  Joe  Burke,  Gust  Constan,  Mrs. 
J.  W.  Edwards,  Dominic  Frisina, 
Harry  Gramp,  Gus  Kerasotes,  Joseph 
Learner,  I.  Levine,  Tom  Norman, 
Tracy  Orr,  George  Paul,  L.  G.  Rorer, 
Adolph  Szold  and  V.  U.  Young. 

Also  honored  at  the  reception  were 
the  two  oldest  employes  of  Para- 
mount's  local  exchange,  Herman  Busch 
and  William  Hamm. 


Zukor,  Stars  to  Tour 
31  Exchange  Centers 

In  preparation  for  Paramount 
Month,  August  26  to  September  29, 
climax  of  Paramount's  'Third  of  a 
Century'  celebration,  Paramount  stars, 
including  Ray  Milland,  Sonny  Tufts, 
Betty  Hutton  and  William  Demarest 
plus  Adolph  Zukor  and  Cecil  B.  De- 
Mille,  are  joining  company  sales  ex- 
ecutives on  a  swing  that  will  take 
them  to  each  of  the  country's  31  key 
exchange  cities  before  the  tours  end  on 
July  28  in  New  York. 


That's  our  promise  to  you 


t 


What  a  world  of  difference  there  is  between  the 
first  sound  in  pictures  and  today's  sound!  Continuing 
research  has  made  that  difference. 

Continuing  research  in  the  three  famous  laborato- 
ries above  has  led  to  a  major  share  of  the  improve- 
ments in  equipment  for  recording  and  reproducing 
sound. 

Continuing  research  in  the  studios  of  the  industry 
has  led  to  improvement  after  improvement  in  the 
techniques  of  using  this  equipment. 


Continuing  research  must  be  carried '  on  in  the 
future.  No  one  realizes  this  better  than  Western 
Electric.  Count  on  us  to  utilize  every  bit  of  knowledge 
gained  in  these  three  great  laboratories  which  can 
be  applied  to  making  sound  in  pictures  even  finer 
tomorrow. 

Electrical  Research  Products  Division 

OF 

Western  Electric  Company 

INCORPORATED  "  * 

233  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK  7,  N.  Y. 


*  SPEED  THE  DAY  OF  VICTORY  BY  BUYING  WAR  BONDS  -  MORE  WAR  BONDS  -  AND  STILL  MORE  lie 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  5,  194i 


Golden  Seeks  Aid  of 
Films  to  Sell  Goods 


Washington,  July  4. — A  definite 
program  to  encourage  the  use  of 
motion  pictures  to  sell  American 
goods  abroad  instead  of  literature  and 
samples  is  being  worked  out  by 
Nathan  D.  Golden,  chief  of  the 
motion  picture  unit  of  the  Bureau 
of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce. 

Pointing  out  that  many  of  our 
embassies  and  legations  abroad  are 
equipped  with  projectors,  Golden  pro- 
poses that  the  Bureau  work  out  with 
the  State  Department  plans  for  their 
use  for  the  showing  of  industrial  pic- 
tures to  selected  business  groups  from 
which  American  companies  are  desir- 
ous of  selecting  agents.  The  project 
is  receiving  the  support  of  Undersec- 
retary of  Commerce  Alfred  Schind- 
ler,  long  in  industry  and  foreign  trade. 

Discussed  in  Mid-West 

Golden  discussed  his  proposals 
with  industrial  film  producers  during 
his  Mid-Western  trip  last  month, 
pointing  out  that  a  big  field  for  post- 
war business  could  be  developed  for 
both  the  producers  and  the  industries 
which  they  filmed.  The  producers 
evinced  keen  interest  in  the  plan,  he 
said  in  a  report  on  his  trip,  and  are 
anxious  that  it  be  adopted  if  possible. 

Golden  contends  that  make-up, 
production  and  use  of  a  product  can 
be  described  far  better  in  a  film  than 
in  literature.,  which  in  the  past  has 
been  the  main  dependence  of  man- 
ufacturers in  the  foreign  field,  and  his 
proposal  that  such  pictures  be  shown 
at  embassies  and  legations  would  give 
them  a  standing  superior  to  that  of 
ordinary  advertising. 


FC  Answers  Roach, 
Wilson  Film  Charges 

Film  Classics  announces  that  prior 
to  the  filing  of  the  suit  against  it  by 
Hal  Roach  Studios  for  an  accounting 
of  certain  receipts  on  "Topper,"  it  had 
already  instituted  arbitration  proceed- 
ings against  Roach  for  alleged  failure 
on  the  part  of  Roach  Studios  to  de- 
liver all  pictures  required  under  its 
contract  with  Film  Classics,  as  well 
as  an  accounting  for  monies  said  to 
have  been  collected  by  Roach  and  al- 
legedly due  Film  Classics. 

Film  Classics  says  it  will  counter- 
claim in  the  "Topper"  suit  for  money 
reputedly  collected  by  Roach  Studios 
on  this  picture  belonging  to  Film 
Classics. 

Film  Classics  also  states  that  the 
rights  to  certain  pictures  which  were 
the  subject  of  another  suit  commenced 
by  Maurice  J.  Wilson  had  been  previ- 
ously sold  by  Film  Classics  to  Irvin 
Shapiro. 


M-G-M  International 
To  A  cquire  New  Home 

M-G-M  International  Films,  of 
which  Arthur  M.  Loew  is  president, 
has  acquired  a  building,  here,  on  West 
57th  St.  as  the  site  for  a  new  home. 
It  is  a  12-story  structure  and  will  be 
torn  down  and  a  new  building  erected 
as  soon  as  conditions  permit. 

Loew's  International  will  also  be  lo- 
cated in  the  building.  Various  units 
of  M-G-M  and  Loew's  International 
are  now  located  at  the  Loew  Building, 
in  the  Capitol  Theatre  Building,  and 
at  723  Seventh  Avenue.  All  groups 
will  eventually  be  located  in  the  new 
building. 


Fabricated  Houses  in  Mass 
Production.  Skouras9  Plan 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

be  shipped  complete,  by  train  or  boat, 
and  opened  for  business  three  weeks 
after  arrival,  Skouras  said  the  project 
"will  revolutionize  the  motion  picture 
business." 

Although  declining  for  the  present 
to  identify  individuals  associated  in 
the  corporation  being  formed,  Skouras 
detailed  the  policy  on  which  it  will 
operate.  Pre-fabricated  theatres,  in 
600,  1,000,  1,200,  2,500  and  3,000-seat 
sizes  ready  for  operation  at  a  savings 
of  40  to  60  per  cent  of  the  cost 
or  equivalent  houses  built  individually, 
can  be  purchased  by  anybody,  any- 
where, on  a  down  payment  of  50 
per  cent  of  the  purchase  price,,  he 
said.  Purchase  is  to  be  strictly  a 
package  deal,  with  all  equipment  and 
furnishings  provided,  Skouras  said, 
adding  that  in  more  than  two  years 
his  staff,  headed  by  R.  H.  McCul- 
lough,  had  perfected  a  structure  which 
meets  all  climatic  and  other  require- 
ments in  any  location  in  the  world. 

500  First  Year 

When  mass  production  can  be  start- 
ed, which  Skouras  indicated  will  be 
soon,  from  500  to  1,000  theatres  can 
be  turned  out  in  the  first  year,  after 
which  the  rate  can  be  stepped  up  to 
whatever  pitch  demands  dictate,  as 
proven  in  the  case  of  the  manufacture 
of  planes  for  the  war.  Meanwhile, 
the  War  Production  Board  has  grant- 
ed a  priority  for  the  construction  of 
the  first  pre-fabricated  theatre,  which 
National's  Fox  West  Coast  Theatres 
will  erect  in  North  Long  Beach,  with 
the  opening  scheduled  for  Thanksgiv- 
ing Day  and  theatre  men  everywhere 
invited  to  attend. 

Skouras  declined  to  estimate  the 
number  of  pre-fabricated  theatres  Na- 
tional will  need  for  its  contemplated 
South  American  expansion,  on  which 
company  executives  have  made  several 
trips  for  investigation,  but  he  men- 
tioned Russia  and  China  as  countries 
needing  "at  least  15,000  to  20.000 
each."  Extensive  demands  in  America, 
especially   from    small   towns  where 


pre-fabricated  houses  will'  replace 
present  worn-out,  old-fashioned  struc- 
tures, is  also  foreseen  by  Skouras, 
who  pointed  out  that  the  world-wide 
increase  in  the  number  of  theatres 
would  be  tantamount  to  a  world-wide 
increase  of  audiences  and  revenues, 
which  in  turn  would  enable  producers 
to  increase  production  investments 
and  make  better  pictures. 

The  theatres  can  be  shipped  by 
train,  truck  or  boat,  the  1,200-seat 
stadium  size  weighing  approximately 
300  tons  and  being  put  together  with 
nuts  and  bolts  so  that  it  can  be  dis- 
mantled and  moved  to  a  new  location 
readily — "like  a  circus  tent,"  accord- 
ing to  Skouras. 

He  said  models  had  been  shown  to 
J.  Arthur  Rank  of  '  England  here 
last  week  and  that  the  latter  had  dis- 
played "keen  interest." 

Construction  of  the  new  theatres,  it 
was  said,  is  to  be  all-steel,  fireproof, 
earthquake  proof,  air  conditioned, 
processed  against  pests  and  developed 
acoustically  by  means  of  a  new  device 
yet  to  be  divulged  but  already  in  use 
in  some  houses  of  National  Theatres. 

Seasonal  Decorations 

Decorations,  which  will  arrive  in 
packages,  attach  to  fibre-glass  interior 
surfaces  of  seven-inch  wall  and  ceiling 
material  and  can  be  changed  at  will, 
seasonally  if  desired.  Aisle  carpets 
button  to  the  floor.  Seats  come  in 
banks  of  seven,  20  inches  in  width,  and 
in  rows  30  inches  apart.  All  theatre 
models  include  tall  ornamental  towers 
which  are  to  be  television  aerials.  Pat- 
ents cover  everything  in  the  package. 

Questioning  which  sought  to  con- 
nect the  project  with  Henry  Kaiser, 
mass  production  builder  who  owns 
the  only  steel  plant  in  the  West,  drew 
neither  confirmation  nor  denial  from 
Skouras,  who  insisted  that  identities 
would  not  be  divulged.  However,  he 
affirmed  that  only  a  manufacturer 
equipped  to  handle  volume  efficiently 
and  quickly  could  perform  the  job  in- 
tended. 


Final  Times  Square 
Bond  Show  Today 

The  final  of  a  series  of  daily  war 
bond  rallies  which  the  industry  staged 
at  its  bond  booth  at  the  Times  Square 
Statue  of  Liberty  will  take  place  to- 
day when  the  entire  Roxy  stage  show 
featuring  Abbott  and  Costello,  with 
Connie  Haines  and  Bob  Mathews, 
will  be  presented  in  addition  to  a  spe- 
cial farewell  show  with  Lucy  Monroe, 
Phil  Brito,  Diane  Courtney,  Cass 
Franklin,  Norman  Lawrence,  Blaine 
Shannon,  Nord  Cornell,  Don  Romero, 
and  Vicki  Vola. 


Weisbaum  Going  Into 
Business  on  His  Own 

Republic's  Western  district  sales 
manager,  Francis  Bateman,  announces 
the  resignation  of  S.  D.  Weisbaum, 
manager  of  the  San  Francisco  branch, 
who  has  left  the  company  to  enter 
business  for  himself.  Weisbaum  has 
been  with  Republic  for  10  years. 

Bateman  has  appointed  S.  C.  Mar- 
tenstein,  salesman  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco office  for  the  past  ten  years,  to 
the  post  of  branch  manager. 


ABC  Capital  Post 
Goes  to  C.  C.  Barry 

Carlos  C.  Barry  has  been  named 
Washington  representative  of  the 
American  Broadcasting  Company,  in 
charge  of  activities  of  the  company  at 
the  Capital,  Robert  E.  Kintner,  vice 
president,  announces.  Kenneth  Berke- 
ley, now  Washington  manager  for 
American  and  head  of  radio  station 
WMAL,  an  ABC  affiliate,  will  con- 
tinue in  his  present  capacity. 

Barry  will  represent  the  company 
with    various    Government  agencies. 


MP  A  Plans  Outing  to 
Aid  Charity  Fund 

Motion  Picture  Associates  plans  to 
hold  a  boat-ride  up  the  Hudson  in  Au- 
gust to  raise  funds  for  its  charities. 
At  a  meeting  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  here, 
Tuesday,  David  Snaper  was  appoint- 
ed chairman  to  arrange  details  of  the 
affair. 

A  preliminary  report  on  MPA's  din- 
ner dance  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf  As.- 
toria  on  June  6  was  also  made  at  the 
meeting.  The  next  session  will  be 
held  early  in  September. 


Export  Group 
Wrong  for  UA 


(Continued  'rom  page  1 ) 

months,  Sears  explained  that  he  il 
fully  recovered  and  prepared  to  re 
sume  all  of  his  UA  activities. 

Sears  explained  that  he  had  dis 
cussed  UA's  participation  in  the  neuj 
foreign   trade   organization   with   II ' 
Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  president,  whei 
is  chairman  of  the  committee  whicn 
set  up  the  organization,  even  befon 
his  illness.     He  described  the  diffi  « 
culties  which  are  inherent  in  any  at  4 
tempt  to  try  and  compute  a  participa  1 
tion  in  revenue  which  might  be  earnec 
in  a  foreign  country  under  the  expor 
association  for  a  UA  independent  pro 
ducer,  pointing  out  that  UA  foreigi 
distribution  revenue  is  greater  propor 
tionately  than  domestic  revenues  or 
many  of  its  films. 

Formula  Inapplicable 

Under  plans  being  worked  out  b} 
the  foreign  trade  association,  partici 
pants  would  share  in  the  revenuej 
earned  in  a  foreign  country  on  th< 
basis  of  the  percentage  of  the  domes 
tic  gross  which  they  earn.  Sean 
pointed  out  that  this  formula  could  b< 
worked  out  for  a  company  which  pro 
duces  and  releases  its  own  films,  bu 
he  cited  the  fact  that  UA-  only  re-j 
leases  films  of  individual  producers 
some  of  whom  have  not  produced  an; 
films  recently.  Under  the  setup,  a 
Sears  explained  it,  if  Lester  Cowan': 
"The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe"  were  to  b< 
selected  for  distribution  in  a  foreigi 
country  by  the  association,  the  reve 
nue  derived  as  UA's  share  would  hav< 
to  be  distributed  among  all  UA  pro  l 
ducers  and  would  therefore  be  in 
equitable. 

The  Society  of  Independent  Motioi 1 
Picture  Producers,  with  which  severa 
UA  producers  are  affiliated,  has  beet 
invited  to  participate  in  the  export  as 
sociation. 

MPPDA  Resignation 

Sears  declared  that  UA  intends  tc 
go  through  with  its  resignation  fron 
the  MPPDA,  which  will  become  ef 
fective  in  several  months. 

He  discounted  reports  that  Davie 
H.  Coplan,  UA  distribution  head  ii 
Great  Britain,  is  planning  to  leave  th 
company  to  join  J.  Arthur  Rank- 
pointing  out  that  Coplan  has  a  fiver 
year  contract  with  UA.  Coplan  i 
presently  in  New  York,  but  plans  t< 
return  to  London  immediately. 

Questioned  about  the  continuance  o 
his  contract  with  UA,  Sears  discloset 
that  it  still  has  a  year-and-a-half  tc 


Government  Medal  t^ 
Mrs.  Pyle  at  Preview 

Washington,  July  4. — Presentatioi 
of  a  posthumous  Medal  of  Merit  t( 
the  late  Ernie  Pyle,  war  cor  re' 
spondent,  was  made  jointly  today  b; 
the  Army,  Navy  and  State  Depart 
ment.  The  medal  was  accepted  b; 
Mrs.  Geraldine  Pyle,  the  corre; 
spondent's  widow,  following  a  previev 
showing  to  members  and  guests  of  th 
National  Press  Club  of  the  film 
Ernie  Pyle's  "Story  of  G.  I.  Joe,"  a 
the  Palace  Theatre  here.  Picture  wa 
produced  by  Lester  Cowan  and  is  be 
ing  released  through  United  Artists.  > 


ttsfiursday,  July  5,  1945 


Motion  Picture  dailv 


jp(>deon  Will  Proceed 
^  Vith  New  Theatres 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

i  [quired    an    interest    in  Canadian 
deon,   it   was   understood   50  new 
oatres  were  contemplated.   Later  it 
r:  as  said  this  competitive  battle-threat 
Famous  Players  Canadian  might  be 
§  pan,doned. 

Building  plans  covering  new  thea- 
'4i!es  were  completed  at  recent  confer- 
ences here  between  J.  Arthur  Rank 
rlcind  his  Canadian  partner,  Paul  L. 
athanson,   and  were   announced  in 
oronto  Tuesday  by  Nathanson,  who 
1  president  of  Odeon,  and  by  Rank 
terests  in  New  York.   Actual  con- 
.:■  ruction  will  be  handled  by  Odeon's 
igineering-maintenance  division, 
.aded  by  Jay  I.  English,  who  has 
sen  studying  theatre  trends  in  both 
ie  United  States  and  Great  Britain 
id  returned  recently  after  a  six-week 
5  ispection  tour  of  British  Isles  theatres. 

British-American  Showcase 

When    completed,    Nathanson  an- 
aunced,  "the  new  Odeon  Theatre  will 
erve  as  a  showcase  for  both  British 
American  films."  He  noted  that, 
Fi  post-war  theatre  construction,  de- 
signs  must   now   take   into  account 
""be  over-all  city  and  town-planning 
^programs  which  are  being  worked  out 
i  most  communities.   "Theatres  can- 
?t  be  considered  merely  as  commer- 
al  structures,  but  as  community  cen- 
es,  essential  facilities  in  every  mod- 
:t''rn  area  of  population  which  fill  a 
tnnite    social    need,"    it    was  said. 
They  must  be  planned  as  part  of  the 
^t-war   development   and  improve- 
lent  programs  in  such  communities 
nd  designed  to  be  in  keeping  with  the 
laracter,  atmosphere  and  architecture 
t  ;f  each  municipality  or  district."  As 
">on  as  regulations  permit  a  start  will 
e  made  on  construction. 

Odeon's  larger  program,  which  in- 
olves  erection  of  modern  theatres  in 
rincipal  cities  across  the  Dominion, 
:verak^ill  follow  the  building  of  the  first ; 
ttfjj&t  is  hoped  that  the  general  program 
rtaijVill  aid  post-war  employment  in  Can- 
da,"  said  the  Rank  statement. 


Legion  Classifies  11 
Additional  Pictures 

H  The  Legion  of  Decency  has  classi- 
ud  11  additional  pictures;  in  Class 
i-l  are:  "Arson  Squad,"  PRC; 
Boston  Blackie's  Rendezvous,"  Co- 
nnbia,  and  "Colorado  Pioneers"  and 

jjjIjlTrail  of  Kit  Carson,"  Republic. 

jj  jj  In    Class   A-II   are :    "An  Angel 

'..  |-Jrom  Brooklyn"  and  "Girls  of  the  Big 
louse,"    Republic ;    "The  Beautiful 

;(^heat,"  Universal;  "Johnny  Angel" 
nd  "Mama  Loves  Papa,"  RKO  Ra- 
,  io,  and  "Why  Girls  Leave  Home," 
>RC.  Republic's  "Jealousy"  was  rat- 
d  in  Class  B. 


Bell  Acquires  Reissues 

Bell  Pictures  has  acquired  for  the 
■iuffalo  and  Albany  territories,  the 


•  t^elznick  pictures  "Prisoner  of  Zenda," 
Tom  Sawyer,"   "Garden  of  Allah" 
nd  the  three  Joe  E.  Brown  pictures 
lit  produced  by  David  E.  Loew.  Bell 
J  Irffvill  open  an  exchange  in  Buffalo,  but 
rn  Will  serve  the  Albany  territory  out  of 
lie  New  York  exchange. 


Goldraben  to  M-G-M 

I  Harold  Goldraben,  formerly  out-of- 
;own  booker  for  Loew's,  is  now  with 
he  M-G-M  foreign  department. 


You  Came  Along" 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

plane  leaves  Washington  for  Boston  on  the  first  leg  of  a  cross-country 
itinerary. 

Miss  Scott  is  businesslike  and  the  boys,  with  their  own  telephone 
numbers  in  Boston,  display  no  interest  in  their  tour  manager.  Familiarity 
breeds  attraction,  however,  and  in  Chicago  Cummings  makes  a  date 
with  Miss  Scott  (but  breaks  it  later)  and  DeFere  and  Drake  make  her  a 
gift  (anonymous)  of  an  evening  dress  for  the  occasion. 

r>  Y  the  time  they  arrive  on  the  West  Coast,  Cummings  is  in  serious 
pursuit  of  Miss  Scott.  The  other  two  are  frankly  her  admirers.  In 
San  Francisco,  Cummings  and"  Miss  Scott  are  in  love,  and  in  San 
Bernardino  he  proposes.  In  the  meantime,  Miss  Scott  has  learned  that 
Cummings  is  the  victim  of  an  incurable  ailment  resulting  from  his 
wounds ;  that  he  has  only  two  years  at  the  most  to  live.  She  decides  that 
her  problem,  in  substance,  is  no  different  from  that  of  the  wife  whose 
husband  is  leaving  for  war,  whose  days  also  may  be  numbered.  They 
marry. 

With  Cummings  assigned  to  Mitchel  Field,  they  settle  down  to  a 
few  months  of  idyllic  home  life  in  a  New  York  suburb,  during  which 
Cummings  confesses  his  happiness  and  tells  his  bridge  that  it  is  what 
every  fighting  man  hopes  to  return  to.  Soon  after,  he  dies  during  treat- 
ment for  his  ailment  at  Walter  Reed  Hospital.  Miss  Scott  is  left  with 
the  companionship  of  DeFore  and  Drake,  her  still  faithful  admirers. 

As  for  the  new  star,  Miss  Scott,  it  seems  likely  that  she  will  be 
compared  with  Lauren  Bacall,  and  while  that  certainly  will  do  her  no 
harm,  this  reviewer  believes  she  is  entitled  to  recognition  as  an  original 
personality.  She  delivers  one  song  in  a  slow,  husky  chant  but  her  speak- 
ing voice  is  moderate.  She  is  attractive  and  has  exceptional  screen 
presence.  Her  talent  is  definitely  of  star  caliber.  Her  love  scenes  are 
an  animated  delayed-action  bomb — a  slow-burning  fuse  ending  in  devas- 
tation. 

NUMEROUS  night  club  scenes  serve  to  introduce  music  and  songs. 
WaUis  has  given  the  picture  handsome  production  values  and  John 
Farrow's  direction  enhances  these  and  matches  the  fine  screen  play  by 
Robert  Smith  and  Ayn  Rand,  from  Smith's  story. 

Some  of  those  in  outstanding  supporting  roles  are:  Julie  Bishop,  Kim 
Hunter,  Helen  Forrest,  Rhys  Williams,  Franklin  Pangborn,  Lewis  L. 
Russell,  Robert  Sully,  Minor  Watson  and  Frank  Faylen. 

Running  time,  103  minutes.  General  classification.  Release,  Sept.  14. 

Sherwin  Kane 


Balaban  Buying  One, 
Building  Another 

Chicago,  July  4. — Expansion  plans 
of  the  H.  and  E.  Balaban  Corp.  here 
call  for  the  acquisition  of  the  Down- 
town Theatre,  Detroit,  from  Howard 
Hughes,  now  in  the  final  stages  of 
negotiation,  and  the  postwar  building 
of  a  drive-in  theatre  in  the  Northwest 
neighborhood  of  Chicago.  Elmer  Bal- 
aban, vice-president,  reveals  that  the 
corporation  has  acquired  88  acres  to 
be  used  for  a  commercial  business 
project,  in  addition  to  the  theatre. 

The  circuit  operates  10  houses  in 
this  area,  in  addition  to  the  Adams  in 
Detroit. 


Allied  of  Illinois  to 
Add  8  More  Houses 

Chicago,  July  4. — The  Allied  of 
Illinois  booking  and  buying  combine 
reports  the  addition  of  eight  theatres, 
making  a  total  of  80  member  theatres. 
The  newcomers  are  the  Bertha,  Ra- 
mova,  Milda,  Wallace,  Milo,  Thealia, 
and  Gage  Park  theatres  here,  and  the 
Villas  in  Cicero. 


Astor  Film  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y. — July  4.  —  Astor 
Film  Exchange,  Inc.  has  been  incor- 
porated to  conduct  business  in  New 
York.  Incorporators  are :  Louis  A. 
Ascher,  Fred  S.  Sanders  and  Naomi 
Kaplan,  all  New  York.  Fred  C. 
Sanders  was  incorporating  attorney. 


Wechsler  Is  Warner 
Cleveland  Manager 

Jerry  Wechsler,  formerly  Warner 
city  sales  manager  in  Boston,  has 
been  appointed  branch  manager  in 
Cleveland,  it  has  been  announced  by 
Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  man- 
ager, here. 

Wechsler  succeeds  Joe  Kaliski,  re- 
signed. His  film  career  goes  back  to 
1914  when  he  joined  Vitagraph  as 
a  salesman  in  Pittsburgh. 


No  New  Australian 
Houses  for  5  Years 

Los  Angeles.  Julv  4 — There  will 
be  no  new  theatre  building  in  Aus- 
tralia for  five  years,  according  to 
Ernest  Turnbull,  managing  director  of 
Hoyt's  Theatres,  here  for  conference* 
with  Charles  P.  Skouras  of  Fox  West 
Coast  Theatres.  Turnbull,  who  was 
to  stay  two  months,  said  that  the  war- 
created  need  for  homebuilding  wil1 
prevent  earlier  theatre  construction. 


Lift  Limit  on  Theatres 

Marshall,  Minn.,  July  4. — Ordi- 
nance limiting  the  number  of  theatres 
permitted  to  operate  in  the  city  has 
been  repealed  by  the  city  council. 
Move  is  said  to  be  backed  by  return- 
ing war  veterans,  as  well  as  other 
business  interests. 

W.  R.  Hiller  now  operates  the  400- 
seat  State  and  the  300-seat  Roxy  full 
time  at  Marshall.  The  city  has  a 
listed  population  of  3,250. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


"Something  You  Didn't 
Eat" 

( O IV  I-  WA  C-  Warners ) 

The  animated  cartoon's  remarkable 
capacity  for  lending  popular  appeal  to 
sober,  prosaic  subjects,  is  adequately 
demonstrated  in  "Something  You 
Didn't  Eat,  a  Disney  color  short  cur- 
rently appearing  in  theatres.  Warners 
is  distributing  in  behalf  of  the  War 
Food  Administration.  "Something  You 
Didn't  Eat"  presents  a  bookful  of  nu- 
trition facts  in  nine  very  entertaining 
minutes. 

The  film's  intent  is  to  acquaint  the 
public  with  the  necessity  of  a  good  diet 
in  maintaining  good  health  and  well- 
being.  Historical  'flashbacks'  of  sci- 
ence's initial  efforts  in  combatting 
scurvy  and  beri-beri  and  a  presenta- 
tion of  present-day  nutrition  knowl- 
edge are  put  across  in  plain  layman's 
language,  with  a  liberal  use  of  sym- 
bols, under  the  direction  of  James 
Algar.  Occasionally  a  tinge  of  humor 
is  added  to  hold  audience  interest. 
Running  time,  9  minutes.  Release  date 
June  28. 


Plant  to  Concentrate 
On  Air  Conditioning 

Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  July  4. — Manu- 
facture of  air  conditioning  equipment 
will  occupy  completely  the  Bloomfield 
works  of  General  Electric  Co.  after 
the  war,  Charles  E.  Wilson,  president, 
announces. 

Wilson  said  engineering  and  manu- 
facturing activities  of  the  company's 
industrial  control  division,  which  have 
occupied  about  half  the  facilities  of  the 
plant,  would  be  transferred  to  Sche- 
nectady. He  added  that  the  moves 
will  require  about  two  and  a  half 
years.  George  R.  Prout,  general  man- 
ager of  the  GE  air  conditioning  de- 
partment, estimated  that  demand  for 
automatic  heating,  air  conditioning 
and  commercial  refrigeration  products 
will  at  least  triple  in  the  immediate 
post-war  period. 


Ascap  Board  Elects 
Eleven  New  Members 

At  an  ASCAP  board  meeting  here, 
the  following  composers  and  authors 
were  elected  to  membership  in  the 
Society.  In  the  popular  music  field : 
Charlie  Abbott,  Art  Harry  Berman, 
Teddy  Hall,  Lucius  (Lucky)  Millin- 
der,  Leo  J.  (Lee)  Pearl  and  Axel 
Stordahl.  In  the  standard  music  field : 
Harold  Bauer,  William  Bergsma,  Al- 
berte  Chiaffarelli,  Paul  Creston. 

Antobal  Music  Company  (popular 
publisher)  was  also  elected  to  mem- 
bership. 


Hickson  Named  "GM." 

Hollywood,  July  4. — Hunt  Strom- 
berg  has  appointed  Daniel  C.  Hick- 
son,  former  Western  Electric  execu- 
tive, his  general  manager  under  a 
long-term  contract. 


"immense" 

says  t  s  R.  S 


WftiT£  fOft  DATA 

UNlCON  ■ 
CASH  CONTROL 


r 

Meet  the  Men  and  Women 

Who  Turn  Out  Many 
of  the  Navy's  Movies ... 

...THE  TECHNICIANS 
AT  ANACOSTIA 


They  were  in  the  industry  before  the  war ...  in 
the  processing  labs,  or  working  with  sound,  ani- 
mating, editing  ...  in  one  way  or  another  whipping 
exposed  film  into  finished  productions.  That's  what 
they're  doing  now  in  the  Photo  Science  Laboratory 
at  Anacostia,  D.  C.  Their  peacetime  productions  en- 
tertained or  sold.  Now,  their  Navy-made  movies 
inform,  inspire  and  instruct  the  officers  and  men  of 
our  fleets.  Anacostia's  technicians  are  an  important 
part  of  the  Navy's  never-ending  training  program; 
their  movies  help  make  and  keep  our  Navy  great. 


OFFICIAL  U.  S.  NAVY  PHOTOS 


Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors,  Fort  Lee,  Chicago,  Hollywood 


First  in 


A*~> 


< 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOL.  58.   NO.  4 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JULY  6,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Film  Stocks 
Increase  to 
8945,109,185 


Hit  Highest  Level  on 
N.  Y.  Board  in  16  Years 


Motion  picture  shares  on  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange  entered 
the  second  half  of  1945  on  an  ir- 
regularly higher  price  trend  after 
rising  in  the  first  six  months  of 
the  year  to  their  highest  total  mar- 
ket valuation  since  before  the  1929 
^tock  market  crash. 

Film  stocks  gained  $25,894,699 
in  the  first  six  months  of  1945, 
to  a  total  market  valuation  of 
§945.109,185,    compared  with 
§919,214,486  at  the  end  of  1944. 
In  addition  to  several  favorable  in- 
fluences of  their  own,  the  motion  pic- 
ture issues  reflected  an  advance  in  the 
general  stock  market,  which  showed  a 
net  gain  of  some  $7,000,000,000  for  the 
irst  half.    This  was  despite  a  loss  of 
ibout  $2,000,000,000  in  the  last  week 
of  the  period,  when  the  market  was 
msettled  by   expectations   of  higher 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Abate  Probe 
Of  Hollywood 


Washington'.  July  5. — The  Rankin 
nvestigation  of  an  alleged  Hollywood 
i»lot  to  overthrow  the  Government 
Las  reported  here  today  to  have  spent 
ts  force,  before  it  even  got  started. 

There  is  considerable  activity  with- 
n  the  Committee  to  prevent  the  an- 
ounced  probe  from  developing  into  a 
headline-hunt."  winding  up  in  a  fias- 
<j.  which  would  throw  a  shadow  over 
[he  real  work  the  House  Committee 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


\.  G.  Smith  Rejoins 
National  Supply 


Walter  E.  Green,  president  of  Na- 
onal  Theatre  Supply,  announces  that 
illen  G.  Smith,  formerly  chief  of  the 
leatre  equipment  section  of  the  War 
'roduction  Board,  has  rejoined  the 
Dtnpany. 

Before  he  was  called  to  Washington 
i  1942,  Smith  represented  the  corn- 
any  in  the  Southwest;  he  was  asso- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Holiday  Helps 
Five  Films  to 
Score  Heavily 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Heavy  Fourth  of  July  receipts  in 
most  sections  of  the  country  and 
school  vacations  are  offsetting  in 
many  instances  the  effects  of  the 
record  heat  wave  which  gripped  many 
key  cities  during  the  past  weekend, 
with  the  result  that  five  films  scored 
strongly  in  first-run  theatres  in  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily's  reports  from 
correspondents  in  14  cities  for  the 
week  ended  yesterday. 

The  five  were  led  by  "The  V alley  of 
Decision"  and  the  20th  Century-Fox- 
Clark  Gable  reissue,  "The  Call  of  the 
Wild."  with  "Nob  Hill,"  "The  Clock" 
a  n  d  "Those  Endearing  Young 
Charms"  completing  the  list.  Two 
others,  "Conflict"  and  "Blood  on  the 
Sun"  are  holding  up  big  with  extend- 
ed holdovers  predominating. 

The  seven  films  were  also  cited  by 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Arnold  Resigns  from 
U.  S.  Appeals  Court 

Washington,  July  5.  —  Justice 
Thurman  Arnold  of  the  United  States 
Court  of  Appeals  here  and  formerly 
head  of  the  anti-trust  division  of  the 
Department  of  Justice  at  the  time 
when  the  New  York  film  anti-trust 
action  was  started,  has  resigned,  ef- 
fective July  10,  according  to  a  White 
House  announcement. 


Coast  Union  Asks  for 
AFL  Strike  Support 

Officers  and  members  of  all 
locals  and  district  councils  of 
the  United  Brotherhood  of 
Carpenters  and  Joiners  of 
America  are  in  receipt  of  a 
plea  for  support  of  the  Con- 
ference of  Studio  Unions  in 
its  Coast  studio  strike  over 
the  jurisdictional  dispute  with 
the  IATSE.  All  three  unions 
are  members  of  the  AFL. 

Names  of  15  stars  are  giv- 
en in  the  leaflet,  all  accused 
of  crossing  the  CSU's  AFL 
picket  line,  with  the  request 
that  the  CSU's  "We  Do  Not 
Patronize"  campaign  be 
adopted. 


CIO  Showing  First 
Interest  in  Strike 


Hollywood,  July  5. — The  Congress 
of  Industrial  Organizations,  which 
disclaimed  interest  in  the  studio 
strike  here  early  in  its  16  week 
history,  today  reversed  itself,  accord- 
ing to  the  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  strike  strategy  committee, 
when  the  secretary-treasurer  of  the 
Los  Angeles  council  of  CIO  addressed 
a  letter  to  the  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  declaring:  "It  is  the 
strong  conviction  of  the  members  of 
the  CIO  in  this  area  that  the  respon- 
sibility rests  on  you  to  render  your 
decision  in  this  vital  case  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment."  All  fac- 
tions in  the  conflict  have  repeatedly 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Decree  Defendants  Ask  U.S. 
For  Further  Suit  Answers 


Leaders    To  Visit 
Rome  and  Berlin 

The  group  of  13  industry 
leaders  now  in  Europe  as 
guests  of  the  Army  will  ex- 
tend their  tour  of  Inspection 
to  include  Rome  and  Berlin. 
Instead  of  returning  here 
July  10,  they  are  due  July  15 
or  16. 

It  is  understood  Jack  L. 
Warner,  one  of  the  group, 
may  visit  Moscow  at  the  in- 
vitation of  the  Soviet  Govern- 
ment, to  inspect  Russian  stu- 
dios and  production  methods. 


Counsel  for  distributor  defendants 
in  the  Government's  New  York  con- 
sent decree  case  have  filed  a  motion 
returnable  in  Federal  District  Court, 
here,  on  Tuesday,  seeking  more  specific 
answers  from  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice to  their  interrogatories.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  Federal  Judge  Henry  W. 
Goddard  will  rule  on  the  motion. 

Previous  set  of  answers  filed  by  the 
Department,  on  June  4,  are  deemed 
unsatisfactory  by  the  distributor  de- 
fendants in  enabling  them  to  prepare 
for  trial,  which  is  scheduled  to  get 
underway  here  on  Oct.  8  before 
Judges  Learned  N.  Hand,  John  Bright 
and  Goddard.  Plans  of  the  distributor 
counsel  to  file  a  motion  for  more  ade- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


20th  Partner 
Policy  Abroad 
Will  Continue 


Little  Foreign  Building 
Planned :  Silver  stone 


Twentieth  Century-Fox  Interna- 
tional which  is  probably  more 
heavily  interested  in  foreign  exhibi- 
tion— other  than  in  England — than 
any  other  U.  S.  distributor,  operating, 
or  being  closely  associated  with,  cir- 
cuits in  Great  Britain,  Australia,  New 
Zealand  and  Mexico,  will  continue  its 
present  foreign  theatre  policy  of  "work- 
ing with  the  local  people,  who  are  part- 
ners" with  20th,  rather  than  embark- 
ing on  an  extensive  postwar  theatre 
construction  program,  as  envisaged  by 
Paramount,  Warners  and  Loew's, 
Murray  Silvertosen,  president  of  20th 
International,  tells  Motion  Picture 
Daily. 

"Our  policy  up  to  now  has  been  that 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Truman  Signs 
Tariff  Bill 


Washington,  July  5.  —  President 
Truman  today  signed  the  three-year 
extension  of  the  reciprocal  trade  pro- 
gram, which  includes  vast  new  ex- 
ecutive authority  to  cut  tariffs  in 
agreement  with  other  nations. 

Future  treatment  of  American  films 
in  many  foreign  markets  is  expected 
to  be  affected  by  the  new  program, 
since  the  State  Department  will  be  in 
a  position  to  offer  tariff  concessions 
on  films  and  other  commodities  in  re- 
turn for  the  lifting  of  discriminatory 
tariffs,  taxes   and  regulations  which 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


To  Submit  Contempt 
Motion  to  Tom  Clark 


Melvin  Albert,  attorney  for  the 
Rosewelt  Realty  Co.,  whose  motion  to 
have  Paramount,  Loew's,  and  RKO 
Radio  adjudged  in  contempt  of  the 
New  York  consent  decree,  which  was 
dismissed  by  Federal  Judge  Henry  W. 
Goddard  on  Monday,  said  here  yester- 
day that  he  is  prepared  to  refer  it  to 
Tom  Clarke,  U.  S.  Attorney  General, 
as  suggested  by  Judge  Goddard,  and 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  6,  194 


From  Australia  .  .  .  . 

"You  will  be  pleased  to  know  that 
the  International  Motion  Picture 
Almanac  is  an  invaluable  reference 
here — not  only  within  the  trade  but 
also  its  authority  is  consistently 
utilized  by  newspaper  editors  and 
film  writers.  I  can  assure  you  that 
t/ie  copies  available  are  well- 
thumbed  and  jealously  guarded  by 
those  who  own  them." — Lin  Endean, 
by  airmail  from  Sydney. 


Insist  UK  Overtime 
Dispute  Go  to  Govt. 


London,  July  5. — A  meeting  of  the 
British  Film  Producers  Association 
with  laboratory  employers,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  Association  of  Cine- 
Technicians,  having  proved  fruitless, 
the  employers  are  insisting  that  the 
dispute  on  the  union's  overtime  ban 
go  into  national  arbitration  on  July  16, 
in  accordance  with  a  Governmental 
order. 

The  union,  despite  protests  of  its 
members,  is  insisting  on  continuance 
of  the  ban,  which  has  also  been  reim- 
posed  on  feature  production.  BFPA 
sought  to  resolve  the  dispute  between 
the  laboratory  employers  and  the 
union,  which  erupted  after  the  employ- 
ers refused  to  ratify  an  agreement 
with  the  union  negotiated  by  its  own 
committee. 

Originally  the  dispute  was  one  over 
wages  between  the  union  and  the  As- 
sociation of  Film  Laboratory  Employ- 
ers, which  has  dragged  on  for  more 
than  a  year.  The  union,  determined 
to  bring  matters  to  a  head,  broadened 
the  area  of  the  dispute  by  imposing 
an  overtime  ban  on  all  branches  of 
production,  in  addition  to  those  of 
just  laboratories. 


William  Wyler  Joins 
Capra  and  Briskin 

Hollywood,  July  5. — Liberty  Films, 
Inc.,  announces  .that  Col.  William 
Wyler  will  join  Col.  Frank  Capra 
and  Col.  Sam  Briskin  as  partner  in 
the  production  company  on  his  dis- 
charge from  the  Armed  Forces.  Fol- 
lowing the  execution  of  a  one-picture 
commitment  to  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Col. 
Wyler,  like  Col.  Capra,  will  produce 
and  direct  at  least  one  picture  annually 
for  Liberty  which  was  recently  incor- 
porated with  $1,000,000  capitaliza- 
tion. 

No  distribution  outlet  has  yet  been 
chosen  for  Liberty. 


Name  Fanning  New 
L.  A.  Postmaster 

Los  Angeles,  July  5. — Michael  D. 
Fanning,  chairman  of  the  County 
Democratic  Central  Committee  and 
20th  Century-Fox  labor  relations  con- 
tact, has  been  sworn  in  as  Los  Ange- 
les postmaster  on  telegraphed  author- 
ization from  First  Assistant  Post- 
master General  Tom  Cargill. 

The  post  will  be  occupied  by  Fan- 
ning for  six  months  subject  to  Civil 
Service  rules  under  which  others  may 
compete  for  the  final  appointment. 


Personal  Mention 


ROY  HAINES,  Warner  Southern 
and  Western  sales  manager,  will 
leave  here  Sunday  for  Detroit,  Chi- 
cago, Kansas  City  and  other  points, 
returning  in  about  two  weeks. 


Harry  Graham,  Universal  South- 
ern division  manager,  has  returned  to 
Atlanta  from  Chicago,  where  he  was 
called  by  the  illness  of  his  mother, 
and  is  now  visiting  the  home  office 
in  New  York. 

• 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  general 
sales  manager,  will  arrive  in  Memphis 
today  and  in  Dallas  Monday  on  a 
Southern  and  Southwestern  tour,  from 
which  he  is  due  back  in  New  York  in 
about  10  days. 

• 

James  Coston,  Warner  Theatres 
zone  manager  in  Chicago,  has  been 
appointed  to  the  Chicago  police  de- 
partment's pension  and  retirement 
board  by  Mayor  Edward  J.  Kelly. 
• 

Robert  M.  Gillham,  Paramount 
advertising-publicity  director,  en  route 
from  New  York  to  the  Coast,  will 
confer  with  Betty  Hutton  in  Chi- 
cago tomorrow. 

• 

Linn  Unkefer,  assistant  to  Perry 
Leiber  at  RKO  Radio's  Coast  studio, 
will  return  to  Hollywood  today  after 
two  weeks  in  New  York. 

• 

Lucille  Ball,  M-G-M  actress,  has 
arrived  here  from  Hollywood  and  is 
staying  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  Ann 
Rutherford  is  also  here. 

• 

Perry  Spencer,  Universal  Southern 
advertising-exploitation  manager,  has 
returned  to  Atlanta  from  New  Or- 
leans and  Memphis. 

• 

Dennis  Morgan,  Warner  actor,  left 
New  York  yesterday  for  the  South 
to  begin  a  six-week  hospital  and  camp 
tour  under  the  USO. 

• 

Leon  Errol  this  week  is  observing 
his  64th  birthday  and  the  45th  an- 
niversary of  his  entry  into  show  busi- 
ness. 

• 

Eddie  Yarbrough  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  San  Francisco  office,  is  visiting 
New  York  for  a  few  days. 

• 

Angela  Greene,  Warner  actress, 
left  the  Coast  vesterdav  for  New 
York. 

• 

B.  Ratoport,  Universal  home  office 
auditor,  is  visiting  the  Atlanta  branch. 
• 

Charles  Prutzman,  Universal  at- 
torney, has  arrived  in  Hollywood  for 
studio  conferences. 

• 

Charles  Ryan,  assistant  Chicago 
zone  manager  for  Warner  Theatres, 
will  leave  July  13  for  a  three-week 
vacation. 


T  OUIS  PHILLIPS  of  the  Para- 
*— '  mount  legal  staff  left  yesterday 
for  a  month's  vacation  at  Murray  Bay, 
Quebec. 

• 

Major  D.  M.  Cooper,  son  of  Col. 
John  A.  Cooper,  secretary-manager 
of  the  .Canadian  16mm  Motion  Pic- 
ture Distributors  Association,  has  re- 
turned to  Toronto  after  serving  over- 
seas with  the  Royal  Canadian  Artil- 
lery for  five  years. 

• 

Jack  Benny,  Larry  Adler, 
Martha  Tilton,  Ingrid  Bergman, 
Constance  Dowling,  Ella  Logan, 
Jinx  Falkenberg  and  Ed  Gardner 
have  arrived  in  Europe  for  USO- 
Camp  Shows  engagements. 

• 

Eddie  Rosenbaum  has  returned  to 
his  publicist  post  with  Columbia  in 
°hiladelphia  after  recuperating  from 
an  illness.  Sid  Zins  who  substituted 
x>r  him,  has  gone  to  Washington. 
• 

Meyer  Adelman,  head  of  New 
Jersey  Messenger  film  delivery  service 
n  Philadelphia,  has  announced  the 
mgagement  of  his  son  Cpl.  Edward 
Adelman  to  Synthia  Fisher. 
• 

William  J.  Humphries,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox sales  manager  in  Philadel- 
phia, is  recuperating  at  University 
Hospital  from  an  emergency  ap- 
pendectomy. 

• 

Julius  Maretz,  legal  representative 
of  Loew's  Poli,  New  England  Thea- 
tres, has  been  named  prosecuting  at- 
torney of  the  New  Haven  City  Court. 
• 

J.  Arthur  Rank  and  his  party  left 
Hollywood  by  automobile  yesterday 
for  Pebble  Beach  and  San  Francisco 
en  route  to  New  York. 

• 

Evelyn  Koleman,  Republic  fan 
magazine  contact,  left  New  York  yes- 
terday to  visit  the  company's  North 
Hollywood  studios. 

• 

Louis  Krouse,  who  recently  re- 
signed as  IASTE  secretary-treasurer, 
has  entered  a  Philadelphia  hospital 
for  medical  treatment. 

• 

Rodney  Collier,  manager  of  the 
Stanley,  Baltimore,  will  leave  tomor- 
row for  a  vacation  in  Pennsylvania 
mountains. 

• 

Jack  Chisholm  of  Associated 
Screen  News  Ltd.,  has  returned  to 
Montreal  from  a  stav  at  Hudson's 
Bay. 

• 

Morris  Mechanic,  owner  of  the 
New  Theatre,  Baltimore,  is  in  New 
York  for  several  days. 

• 

Edward  Arnold,  M-G-M  actor,  is 
at  the  Waldorf  from  California. 
• 

Irving  Browning,  cameraman,  has 
left  New  York  for  Detroit. 


Bergere  Changes  Name 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  5.  —  Bergere 
Pictures  Corp.,  New  York,  has 
changed  its  corporate  name  to  For- 
dom  Pictures. 


Republic  Bond  Buy 

Hollywood,  July  5. — Republic  has 
made  a  corporate  purchase  of  $500,000 
in  war  bonds  in  the  Hollywood  War 
Finance  Committee  campaign. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Center 

"A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  .  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

VERONICA  SONNY 
LAKE  .  TUFTS 
EDDIE  MARJORIE 
BRACKEN  .  REYNOLDS 

'BRING  ON 
the  GIRLS' 

IN  COLOR! 


IN  PERSON 

LEE 

CASTLE 

and  ORCH. 
BILL 

JOHNSON 


A  20)h  Cenfvr 


i  Cenrory-Fox  Picture 


RIVOLI 

B'woy  &  49th  St. 


Doors  Open 
9i30  A.M/, 


Robert  Lizabeth  Don 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In   HAL  WALLIS  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 

A  Paramount  Picture 

and  His 
Orchestra 


In  Person     STAN  KENTON 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

URDER,  HE  SAYS 

A  PARAMOUNT  PICTURE 

Brandt's  Air-Cooled 
Buy  ^  |  j%  ©  E  B'way 


GLOBE 


&  46th  St. 


Samuel  Goldwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Tec/in/co/or 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 

CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Robert  Young  -  Laraine  Day 

"THOSE  ENDEARING 
YOUNG  CHARMS" 

An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


George 
RAFT 


Joan 
BENNETT 


Vivian 
BLAINE 


Peggy  Ann 
GARNER 

rr 


NOB  HILL 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolor 

r  ABBOTT  and  COSTELLO 


PLUS 
STAG 
BUY  MORE 
BONDS 


BftYV   7th  Ave-  & 

K  W  W    1         50th  St. 


12  in  Two  Days 

William  F.  Crouch,  Filmcraft  ex- 
ecutive producer,  made  12  "Soundies" 
in  two  days  this  week,  five  with  Cab 
Calloway's  orchestra  and  seven  with 
Glen  Gray's. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief-  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Ouigpubco,  New  York, 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan.  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  Aews 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollvwood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  L?ndon 
Bureau.  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second'  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies.  10c. 


THIS  COULD  GO  ON  FOR  EVER! 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  6.  1945 


Mrs.  Leonard  To  Be 
Feted  by  Managers 


CIO  Showing  Interest  in 
Strike;  AFL  Parley  Today 


Managers  of  Broadway  theatres 
will  give  a  luncheon  to  Mrs.  Louise 
Leonard,  manager  of  Loew's  Mayfair 
Theatre,  on  Monday,  at  the  Piccadilly 
Hotel,  here;  in  honor  of  her  20  years 
as  a  manager.  Montague  Salmon, 
manager  of  the  Rivoli,  is  chairman 
of  the  event. 

The  following  managers  have  been 
invited  to  attend:  Myrtle  Candee, 
Astor;  Herman  Landwehr,  James 
Kolbeck,  Capitol ;  Bessie  Dove,  Bob 
Nashick,  Loew's  Criterion;  S.  Man- 
dleblum,  Al  Naroff,  Globe;  Alfred 
Kaufman,  Gotham ;  Harvey  Burch, 
Hollywood ;  Gus  Eyssell,  Russell 
Downing  and  Fred  Cruise,  Music 
Hall;  Robert  Weitman,  Robert 
Shapiro,  Gene  Pleshette,  Paramount ; 
Roy  Conners,  Leonard  P.  Grant,  Pal- 
ace ;  Irving  Lesser,  David  Katz, 
Roxy ;  Frank  Frola  and  William  De- 
Laet,  Rivoli;  Bud  Levy,  Republic; 
William  Kurtz,  Rialto ;  Zeb  Epstein, 
George  Dindas,  Strand;  Edward 
Douglas,  Edward  Schwartz,  Alma  De- 
Weil  and  Eleanor  Schwerdfeger. 
Loew's  State;  Maurice  Maurer,  Vic- 
toria. 

Loew's  Delegation 

From  Loew's :  Oscar  A.  Doob, 
Ernest  Emerling,  Edward  C.  Dow- 
den,  Marvin  Rosen,  Anna  Ellmer, 
Paula  Gould.  Also  Betty  Stewart  and 
Miriam  Detless. 

Tonight  Loew's  Mayfair  Theatre 
will  celebrate  its  10th  anniversary. 
Judy  Garland  and  her  director-hus- 
band, Vincente  Minnelli,  will  appear 
in  person  and  cut  a  birthday  cake. 

Curbs  Developing  In 
Probe  Of  Hollywood 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

on  Un-American  Affairs  is  attempting 
to  do. 

When  a  new  chairman  takes  over 
the  Committee  it  is  probable  the  sug- 
gestion will  be  made  that  no  public 
hearings  be  planned  until  a  report  has 
been  received  from  investigators  who 
are  to  study  the  situation  in  Holly- 
wood. 

That  report,  it  is  believed,  will  show 
that  some  members  of  the  industry- 
are  interested  in  Communist  activi- 
ties, but  that  the  great  majority  are 
just  plain  Americans. 

Industry  men  who  have  been  in 
Washington  this  week  are  unperturbed 
over  the  announcement  of  the  investi- 
gation, taking  the  position  that  the 
work  done  by  the  industry  and  its  peo- 
ple during  the  war  is  an  adequate 
answer  to  any  charge  of  un-Ameri- 
canism. 

With  the  House  planning  to  recess 
.for  the  Summer  this  week,  if  possible, 
any  development  during  the  next  few- 
weeks  is  unlikely,  and  by  the  time 
Congress  returns  after  Labor  Day  the 
whole  thing  may  be  forgotten,  it  was 
suggested. 


UA's  Max  Heine  Dead 

New  Orleans,  July  5.  —  Services 
were  held  here  this  week  for  Max 
Heine  who  died  on  Detroit  June  27. 
Heine  was  at  one  time  a  salesman  for 
United  Artists  in  New  Orleans  and 
later  owner  and  manager  of  two  the- 
atres here.  He  is  survived  by  his 
widow,  the  former  Julie  Berrendsohn. 
who  was  secretary  for  several  years 
of  the  New  Orleans  Film  Board  of 
Trade. 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 
disclaimed  any  wish  to  have  the  CIO 
invade  the  studio  labor  field. 

Implications  of  the  strategy  com- 
mittee's release  of  the  CIO  letter 
could  not  be  determined  immediately 
due  to  the  absence  of  president  Her- 
bert Sorrell,  who  is  attending  a  meet- 
ing of  the  international  presidents  in 
Chicago. 

IATSE  international  representative 
Roy  M.  Brewer  today  arrived  back 
from  a  trip  to  Washington,  bringing 
his  family  and  planning  to  establish 
permanent  residence.  Brewer  has 
said  he  expects  the  strike  to  continue 
indefinitely. 


Film  Studio  Strike 
Parley  at  Chicago 

Chicago,  July  5. — An  attempt  to 
ward  off  any  further  delay  in  settle- 
ment, of  the  studio  strike,  which  re- 
sulted from  a  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  order  for  an  examination 
into  the  eligibility  of  voters  in  the  re- 
cent set  decorators'  election,  will  be 
made  tomorrow  by  international  presi- 
dents of  American  Federation  of  Labor 
unions   having   locals   in  the  studios 


Permanent  Storage 
For  War  Films  Seen 


Washington,  July  5. — The  cream 
of  the  motion  pictures  made  by  the 
Army  Signal  Corps  in  the  course  of 
actual  military  operations  since  Pearl 
Harbor  will  be  turned  over  to  the 
National  Archives  for  permanent  stor- 
age, under  plans  which  are  being  per- 
fected in  the  War  Department,  it  was 
learned  today. 

The  films  will  not  be  transferred 
until  after  the  end  of  the  war,  at 
which  time  it  is  hoped  the  National 
Archives  will  be  able  to  build  mod- 
ern storage  vaults  for  their  preserva- 
tion. If  pending  legislation  for  the 
building  of  a  National  Film  Library 
is  enacted,  however,  it  is  possible  the 
film  might  go  there  instead  of  to  Ar- 
chives, the  facilities  of  which  already 
are  overloaded. 

Army  officials  are  making  their 
plans  with  an  awareness  of  the  his- 
torical value  of  the  negatives  taken  in 
actual  battle  and  with  recollection  of 
the  haphazard  treatment  accorded  the 
pictures  taken  during  the  last  war, 
which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  large 
Quantities  of  footage.  A  contribution 
from  the  motion  picture  industry  for 
the  reprocessing  of  the  film  saved  a 
very  considerable  quantity  when  the 
War  Department  itself  had  no  funds 
with  which  to  halt  its  deterioration. 


$4,000,000  'Father' 
Gross  in  5V2  Years 

"Life  With  Father"  has  grossed 
$4,000,000  during  its  five-and-a-half- 
year  run  on  Broadway  and  has  been 
seen  by  2,500,000  people,  according  to 
the  play's  management. 

Now  in  second  place  on  the  list  of 
all-time  Broadway  hits,  "Father"  re- 
cently rung  the  curtain  on  its  2,383rd 
performance  to  break  the  performance 
record  of  "Abie's  Irish  Rose."  "To- 
bacco Road"  holds  first  place  with 
3,182  showings. 


and  representatives  of  both  sides  of  the 
controversy  at  a  meeting  in  the  Drake 
Hotel,  Chicago.  AFL  vice-president 
William  Hutcheson  extended  the  invi- 
tations to  meet. 

As  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  on  July  2,  the  objective  is  to 
bring  about  a  mutually  satisfactory 
conclusion  of  the  strike  without  await- 
ing further  NLRB  action  by  thrash- 
ing out  conflicting  jurisdictional 
claims. 

Herbert  Sorrell,  president  of  the 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  and 
other  CSU  officials,  will  be  present  at 
the  meeting. 

One  result  of  the  16-week-old  film 
strike  is  an  enormous  increase  in  the 
use  of  process  shots.  In  nearly  every 
major  Hollywood  studio  and  some  in- 
dependents, process  units  are  busier 
than  they  have  ever  been  before. 

Outdoor  and  indoor  footage,  stored 
away  in  vaults  for  years,  is  also  be- 
ing resorted  to  for  backgrounds  for 
new  pictures,  obviating  the  necessity 
of  new  sets  and  thereby  saving  time, 
labor  and  money.  Time  and  expense 
of  location  trips  are  also  done  away 
with  by  use  of  process  photography. 


New  Odeon  Theatre 
Drawing  Released 


Toronto,  July  5. — Odeon  Theatres 
of  Canada  today  released  an  architect's 
drawing  of  the  front  elevation  of  the 
projected  Odeon  Theatre  in  down- 
town Toronto,  to  be  built  as  soon  as 
government  permits  become  avail- 
able. Revealed  were  plans  for  a 
modernistic  10-story  tower,  a  two- 
story  lobby  and  a  tea  lounge. 

The  front  facade  will  be  done  in 
Indiana  limestone,  with  the  entrance 
in  marble  and  special  woods.  The 
auditorium  will  seat  2,300,  with  chairs 
measuring  36  inches  from  back  to 
back.  The  interior  decorative  scheme 
will  be  carried  out  in  lighting  effects 
instead  of  by  wall  finishes  or  hang- 
ings. The  facilities  will  include  a 
two-level  parking  garage  in  an  adjac- 
ent building,  with  covered  walks  lead- 
ing directly  to  the  lobby. 

Johnston  to  Coast; 
May  Meet  with  Hays 

Hollywood,  July  5. — Eric  John- 
ston, president  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  is  expected  here  early 
next  week,  ostensibly  to  attend  a 
C.  of  C.  dinner,  which  it  is  believed, 
although  without  confirmation,  will 
be  preceded  by  a  meeting  with  Will 
H.  Hays,  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors 
of  America.  Negotiations  designed 
to  bring  Johnston  into  the  MPPDA 
have  been  reported  for  some  time. 

Thompson  Resigns,  Is 
Replaced  by  Lohrenz 

Rud  Lohrenz,  United  Artists  Chi- 
cago district  manager,  has  assumed 
supervision  of  the  St.  Louis,  Omaha 
and  Kansas  City  offices,  formerly  in 
charge  of  T.  R.  Thompson,  who  has 
resigned,  Carl  Leserman,  UA  general 
sales  manager,  announced  here  yester- 
day. 


Paramount  Honors , 
Dallas  Oldtimers 


Dallas.  July  5. — The  Dallas  recep-J 
tion  with  manager  Fred  Larned  as  i 
host  honoring  oldtime  exhibitors  and  | 
the  oldest  Paramount  employees  start-  | 
ed  off  Allen  Usher's  second  trip  j 
around  the  nation  as  co-captain  of  the 
"Paramount  Month"  campaign.  The  I 
reception  was  held  at  the  Athletic)  [ 
Club  here. 

Mrs.  Louise  Kay,  contract  depart-f 
ment  head,  was  honored  as  the  oldest 
employee,  having  been  with  Para- j 
mount  27  years.  Also  honored  were 
Mrs.  Willie  Simmons,  Mrs.  Leafyn 
Taylor  and  Mrs.  Julie  Purvis,  the  1 
latter  three  having  been  with  Para-  t 
mount's  Dallas  branch  25  years. 

Exhibitors  attending  the  party  were 
Karl  Hoblitzelle.  Sam  Landrum.  L.  S. 
Bissinger,  A.  V.  Wade,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnnie  Stewart,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jim 
Chatmas,  Mrs.  B.  S.  Ferguson,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frank  Wilke  and  Miss  Dor- 
bandt. 


MPHOE  in  Demand 
For  Universal  Help  f 


Russell  Moss,  business  representa-  1 
tive  of  IATSE's  Motion  Picture 
Home  Office  Employes  Union,  Local  1 
No.  H-63,  expects  to  start  talks  with 
Universal  executives  here  on  Monday 
or  Tuesday  on  new  wage  demands  for 
about  175  Universal  home  office  'white 
collar'  workers. 

A      two-year      contract  between 
MPHOE  and  Universal  provides  for  , 
reopening  for  wage  adjustments  after 
one  year,  effective  July  1.    The  wage 
demands  approved  by  the  Universal 
workers  include  classification  adjust- 
ments and  new  classifications,  length  'j 
of   service    increases,    promotion  in- 
creases and  automatic  stepups  based  ^ 
on  length  of  service  within  classifi- 
cations. 

Moss  told  Motion  Picture  Daily  s 
yesterday  that  he  will  seek  an  eight  c 
per  cent  wage  increase  annually  for 
the  Universal  workers;  at  least  a  10 
per  cent  increase  where  promotions  ; ' 
are   made :    five   new   classifications ; 
and  automatic  stepups  within  classi- 
fications  for  periods  as  low  as  six 
months. 

MPHOE  represents  over  800  'white 
collarites'  in  the  Warner  Bros,  home 
offices    and   subsidiaries :    Paramount  , 
Sound  News  and  Universal  home  of- 
fice. 


Relax  'Frisco  Curfew  r, 
Till  3  A.M.  Sundays  <» 

San  Francisco,  July  5. — Local  the-  J 
atres,  last  week  ordered  by  Police  " 
Chief  Dullea  to  close  at  one  A.  M., 
can  hereafter  stay  open  until  three 
A.  M.  on  Sundays,  it  was  announced 
today  by  Joseph  Blumenfeld,  presi- 
dent of  the  California  Theatre  Associ- 
ation, following  a  meeting  with  the 
authorities.  i'i 


Nick  Tabah  Resigns 

Montreal,  July  5. — E.  N.  (Nick)  . 

Tabah,  who  with  N.  A.  Lawand,  or-  ; 
ganized    Confederation  Amusements 

of  Montreal,  some  15  years  ago,  has  p 

resigned  as  general  manager  and  sec-  ; 
retary-treasurer  of  the  company. 


Mav.  Julv  6.  1^45 


Motion  Picture  Dai^v 


ono.  May  Abandon 
Spanish  Dubbing 


fonogram,    which    was    the  first 
pany  to  dub  in  Spanish  for  the 
n  American  market,  is  undecided 
Ho  whether  to  continue  this  pro 
in  view  of  conflicting  report 
Ibh  have  come  from  that  territory, 
hough  the  great  majority  of  the 
il ic  South  of  the  border  has  pro- 
Sfinied  itself  as  being  in  favor  of 
(ling,  as  manifested  in  letters  re 
ied  by  Monogram,  there  has  been, 
lever,  a  number  of  critical  articles 
iocal  South  American  newspapers 
magazines.     There  seems  to  be 
mistaken  impression,  according  to 
logram,  that  the  American  film  in 
-try  is  utilizing  Spanish  dubbing  to 
Lte  competition  for  native  produc- 
!   which   the  company  specifically 
■jes  is  true  in  its  case. 

Oppose  Strange  Voices 

1  though  it  is  acknowledged  that 
bing  facilitates  the  understanding 
the  plot,  some  oppose  hearing 
nge  voices  issuing  from  the 
liths  of  well-known  actors  and 
jtld  prefer  to  miss  part  of  the  story 
>rder  to  hear  original  voices.  Ber- 
p  J.  Gates,  Monogram's  special 
■esentative  in  Latin  America,  now 
:ing  a  tour  of  the  territory,  is  con- 
ting  a  survey  regarding  dubbing. 
,-ton  V,  Ritchey,  president  of 
logram  International,  left  for 
kico  City  this  week  to  determine, 
>ng  other  things,  whether  "Dillin- 
should  be  dubbed  there  or  in 
lr  York. 

ast  year  Monogram  dubbed  six 
s :  "Lady,  Let's  Dance,"  "Un- 
wn  Guest,"  "Return  of  the  Ape- 
i,"  "The  Chinese  Cat,"  "Detective 
lV  O'Dav"  and  "Law  of  the  Val- 


Holiday  Helps  5  Films  to 
Score  Big  in  14  Cities 


d 


ruman  Signs  New 
eciprocal  Tariff 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

>r  to  the  war  were  making  it  in- 
isingly  difficult  for  American  com- 
ies  to  do  business  in  many 
opean  markets. 

ifficials  throughout  the  Govern- 
it  interested  in  motion  pictures  had 
n  following  the  course  of  the  leg- 
tion  closely  since  they  see  in  the 
lority  to  reduce  tariff  duties  the 
v  argument  effective  in  securing 
cessions  for  U.  S.  films, 
"he  law,  written  after  bitter  party- 
battles  in  Congress,  permits  the 
amings  of  some  duties  as  much  as 
per  cent  below  the  rates  of  the  last 
iff — the  Hawley-Smoot  law  of  1930. 


ameron  Buys  Arcadia 

Dallas,  July  5.  —  P.  G.  Cameron 
eran  Dallas  exhibitor,  has  pur- 
sed the  800-seat  Arcadia  here  from 
j:  Handley  and  Robert  Clemmons. 
k  theatre  will  be  operated  by  Guy 
raeron,  son  of  P.  G.  Cameron.  The 
:er  also  owns  three  California  the- 
es.   


ould  Rebuild  at  Hope 

Memphis,  July  5. — M.  A.  Light- 
n  of  Malco  Theatres,  Inc.,  has  ap- 
id  to  the  War  Production  Board 
a  permit  to  rebuild  a  theatre  re- 
tly  destroyed  by  fire  at  Hope,  Ark. 
aeggeman,  Swain  and  Allen  of  Lit- 
Rock  have  been  employed  as  archi- 
ts. 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 
circuit  executives  on  the  basis  of  their 
reports  from  all  sections  of  the  coun- 
try. Additionally  they  listed  "Back  to 
Bataan,"  "Son  of  Lassie,"  "The  Corn 
fs  Green,"  "Dillinger,"  "Where  Do 
We  Go  from  Here?",  "China  Sky" 
and  "Salty  O'Rourke,"  as  drawing 
good  receipts. 

In  the  reports  from  correspondents, 
"The  Valley  of  Decision"  brought  an 
outstanding  $133,300  in  seven  theatres 
in  five  cities  where  total  par  is  $121,- 
700.  It  was  a  leader  in  initial  weeks 
in  San  Francisco  and  as  a  dual 
in  Buffalo,  while  it  was  still  big  in  its 
second  week  in  Philadelphia.  It  drew 
strongly  in  fourth  weeks  in  three  Los 
Angeles  theatres  and  in  a  fifth  week  in 
Cincinnati. 

"The  Call  of  the  Wild"  was  out- 
standing in  three  Kansas  City  thea- 
tres and  in  three  Denver  houses  as  a 
dual,  while  it  scored  strongly  as  a 
double  feature  with  "Don  Juan  Quilli- 
gan"  in  three  Los  Angeles  theatres, 
for  first  weeks,  with  $100,300  re- 
corded. 

"Nob  Hill"  was  big  in  an  initial 
week  in  Philadelphia,  average  and 
moderate  in  initial  weeks  in  Cleveland 
md  Chicago,  respectively,  and  strong 
n  a  moveover  as  a  dual  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. "The  Clock"  was  strong  in 
nitial  weeks  as  a  dual  in  Kansas 
City,  St.  Louis  and  Indianapolis ;  it 
was  good  in  a  second  week  in  Chi- 
cago and  moderate  in  an  initial  week 


in  Cleveland.  "Those  Endearing 
Young  Charms"  was  good  as  a  dual  in 
initial  weeks  in  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis ;  it  held  up  well  in  a  second 
week  in  Cincinnati,  and  moderately  in 
a  second  week  in  Cleveland ;  it  drew 
fair  receipts  in  "an  initial  week  as  a 
dual  in  Omaha. 

"Conflict"  was  a  leader  in  an  initial 
week  in  Cincinnati  and  strong  as  a 
dual  in  an  initial  week  in  San  Francis- 
co. Holdover  business  in  three  Los 
Angeles  theatres  and  in  Philadelphia 
and  Denver  was  profitable.  "Blood 
on  the  Sun"  rolled  up  a  good  $106,800 
in  reports  from  nine  theatres  in  six 
cities,  all  of  them  being  holdovers.  It 
was  still  big  in  a  ninth  week  in  San 
Francisco,  with  moderate  receipts  be- 
ing recorded  for  second  weeks  in  four 
Los  Angeles  theatres,  and  in  Cleve- 
land and  Baltimore. 

"The  Great  John  L."  was  strong  in 
initial  weeks  as  a  dual  in  Buffalo  and 
San  Francisco ;  "Wonder  Man"  was 
outstanding  in  a  second  week  in  Chi- 
cago ;  "Thrill  of  a  Romance"  was  a 
leader  in  an  initial  week  in  Philadel- 
phia ;  "Dillinger"  was  good  in  an  ini- 
tial week  in  Baltimore  and  in  a  second 
week  in  Cleveland ;  the  Universal 
double-bill  reissue  of  "Imitation  of 
Life"  and  "East  Side  of  Heaven"  held 
up  well  in  a  second  week  in  Cincin- 
nati ;  "Out  of  This  World"  scored  in  a 
first  week  in  Baltimore  ;  "A  Song  to 
Remember"  was  still  above  average  in 
a  12th  week  in  Chicago. 


To  Submit  Contempt 
Motion  to  Tom  Clark 


'San  Pietro'  Set  for 
2  Weeks  at  Playhouse 

The  first  New  York  showing  of  the 
War  Department's  film  tribute  to 
U.  S.  infantrymen,  "San  Pietro,"  will 
be  a  two-week  engagement  at  the  55th 
St.  Playhouse,  starting  next  Wednes- 
day, the  War  Activities  Committee 
announced  here  yesterday 

The  three-reel  film,  produced  by 
the  Army  Pictorial  Service,  takes  its 
lame  from  a  mountain  village  in  It- 
*ly,  the  capture  of  which  symbolized 
the  struggle  of  the  foot-soldier  on  all 
fronts.  "San  Pietro"  was  photo- 
graphed by  an  Army  Pictorial  Service 
amera  crew  and  Signal  Corps  com- 
bat cameramen  at  the  front  under  the 
direction  of  Major  John  Huston,  as- 
sisted by  Capt.  Jules  Buck.  Major 
Huston  also  wrote  the  narration  and 
acted  as  narrator. 

Production  was  supervised  by  Col. 
Frank  Capra.  General  Mark  Clark 
appears  in  a  foreword  to  the  film. 


Vel  Mindyn  to  Uruguay 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  July  5. — S.  Kusiel, 
Columbia  Latin  American  supervisor, 
announces  here  that  Jack  Mindis 
Vel  Mindyn,  formerly  of  the  com- 
pany's Buenos  Aires  office,  has  been 
transferred  to  Montevideo  to  handle 
publicity  and  be  sales  assistant  to 
Joseph  E.  McConville,  manager  of 
the  Uruguay  office. 


Altec  in  Three  Deals 

D.  A.  Peterson,  Philadelphia  dis- 
trict manager  of  Altec  Service,  has 
renewed  service  agreements  with  Ha- 
mid's  Million  Dollar  Pier,  Atlantic 
City,  Castor  Theatre,  Philadelphia, 
and  the  Clifford,  Flynn  and  Co.  cir- 
cuit. 


A.  G.  Smith  Rejoins 
National  Supply 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

dated  with  National  since  it  was 
formed  in  1926. 

In  addition  to  looking  after  Na- 
tional's interests  in  Washington,  Smith 
will  assist  NSS  subsidiaries  of  General 
Precision  Equipment  Corp.,  which 
manufacture  theatre  equipment  and 
supplies.  These  include  Strong  Elec- 
tric Corp.,  Toledo ;  J.  E.  McAuley 
Manufacturing  Co.,  Chicago,  manufac- 
turers of  projection  lamps;  and  Hert- 
ner  Electric  Co.,  Cleveland,  manufac- 
turers of  generator  motors. 

The  War  Production  Board,  in  ac- 
cepting Smith's  resignation,  asked 
that  he  make  himself  available  from 
time  to  time  as  consultant  for  the 
WPB  on  probl  ems  affecting  the  in- 
dustry. 


Walker  a  Crash  Victim 

Pittsburgh,  July  5.— Funeral  rites 
for  Harry  Walker,  37.  were  held  here 
yesterday.  Walker,  who,  with  his 
brother  William  J.,  operated  theatres 
in  Crafton  and  Sharpsburg,  was  killed 
in  an  automobile  accident  on  his  way 
home  from  the  theatre  when  his  car 
crashed  into  a  truck.  Surviving  are 
his  widow  and  two  children.  The 
Walker  brothers  are  grandsons  of 
Harry  Williams  who  was  for  many 
years  owner  and  operator  of  the  local 
Academy. 


Mother  Is  Better 

Al  Finestone,  Paramount  home  of- 
fice trade  press  representative,  is  re- 
turning to  New  York  from  Kansas 
City  following  the  beginning  of  his 
mother's  recuperation  from  a  serious 
illness. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

will  do  so  shortly.  The  motion  re- 
sulted from  the  total  abolition  of  clear- 
ance between  the  Orient,  operated  by 
Rosewelt,  and  the  Cameo,  by  the  dis- 
tributors after  an  arbitration  award 
had  reduced  the  Orient's  seven-day 
clearance  to  three  days.  Both  thea- 
tres are  situated  in  New  Jersey. 

According  to  Section  23  of  the  de- 
cree, any  violation  of  an  award  must 
be  prosecuted  by  the  Attorney  General 
in  the  first  instance.  Upon  refusal 
of  the  Attorney -General  to  act  on  a 
claimed  violation,  an  exhibitor  may 
then  petition  the  court  for  relief. 

Says  Justice  Dept. 
Must  Enforce  Decree 

Washington,  July  5.— Department 
of  Justice  officials  are  without  informa- 
tion regarding  details  of  the  dismissal 
by  Judge  Goddard  of  New  York  Fed- 
eral District  Court  of  the  action 
brought  by  Rosewelt  Realty  Co.  to 
have  Paramount,  Loew's  and  RKO  ad- 
judged in  contempt  of  the  consent  de- 
cree for  alleged  violation  of  an  arbi- 
tration clearance  award  in  favor  of  the 
Orient  Theatre,  Jersey  City,  but  said 
the  matter  involved  the  right  of  a  pri- 
vate partv  to  seek  to  enforce  a  de- 
cree in  a  Government  suit. 

A  spokesman  for  the  Department 
said  there  is  considerable  doubt  wheth- 
er a  private  party  has  the  standing  to 
institute  contempt  proceedings  in  such 
a  case.  Since  the  Government 
brought  the  suit  and  secured  the  de- 
cree, he  explained,  it  is  up  to  it  to  see 
that  the  decree  is  complied  with  and  if 
any  private  interest  believes  it  is  be- 
ing violated  the  complaint  should  be 
filed  with  the  Department.  " 

While  officials  pointed  out  they 
could  make  no  formal  comment  in  the 
absence  of  definite  information  regard- 
'ng  the  situation,  they  indicated  that 
the  matter  had  not  been  brought  to 
the  department's  attention  prior  to  the 
filming  of  the  Rosewelt  motion. 


Decree  Defendants 
Ask  for  More  Data 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

quate  answers  were  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on  June  18. 

In  its  previous  answers,  embodied 
in  a  74-page  document,  filed  on  June  4, 
the  Department  of  Justice  listed  some 
550  complainants  but  failed  to  specify 
whom  it  would  call  as  witnesses  and 
the  nature  of  their  testimony.  The 
distributor  counsel  felt  that  the  De- 
partments' answers  did  not  define  the 
specific  issues  and  the  nature  of  the 
resumed  court  action. 

Meanwhile,  arrangements  are  being 
completed  for  representatives  of  the 
distributors' .  'downtown'  counsel  to 
visit  the  complainants  listed  in  the 
Department  of  Justice's  June  4  an- 
swers, to  seek  more  information  about 
the  specific  nature  of  their  complaints. 
These  field  investigations  will  start  in 
a  few  weeks. 


WANTED 

immediately,  one  branch  manager,  and 
one  salesman  in  each  of  our  Dallas  and 
Atlanta  offices.  Also  national  sales  man- 
ager. Experienced  film  men  only.  Excel- 
lent opportunities,  including  salary  and 
overage.  Expansion  program  planned. 
Wire,  don't  write.  Sack  Amusement 
Enterprises,  Film  Exchange  Bldg.,  Dallas. 
Texas. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  6,  19 


Credits  for  7th  Loan 
Sales  End  Tomorrow 

Tomorrow  will  be  the  last 
day  for  crediting  theatres 
with  Seventh  War  Loan  bond 
sales.  Although  the  Seventh 
War  Loan  drive  ended  offi- 
cially on  June  30.  theatres 
were  permitted  to  take  credit 
on  all  sales  through  Saturday, 
July  7. 


Exhibitors  Protest 
'Frisco  Tax  Plan 


San  bRANCisco,  July  5.— The  Cali- 
fornia Theatres  Association  cnarges 
that  motion  picture  theatres  nave  been 
singled  out  for  unfair  taxation  in  the 
proposed  plan  to  nuance  the  city's 
post-war  improvements  in  large  part 
from  an  amusement  tax.  The  proposal 
was  advanced  a  week  ago  by  a  sub- 
committee of  the  Citizens'  Postwar 
Planning  Committee  and  is  under  con- 
sideration. The  tax  would  average 
four  cents  per  ticket  to  theatres  and 
would  raise  an  estimated  $1,700,000 
annually. 

Describing  it  as  "hastily  conceived," 
the  association's  statement  said :  "At 
present  theatres  in  San  Francisco  pay 
a  license  tax  rated  upon  their  business 
capacity,  which  runs  into  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  a  year,  and  this  tax  is 
not  passed  on  to  the  public.  The  pro- 
posed tax  is  a  levy  directed  against 
the  public. 

"Theatre  owners  are  agreeable  to 
paying  their  fair  burden  of  the  tax 
load  in  San  Francisco,  but  they  seri- 
ously object  to  singling  out  the  the- 
atre-going public  as  the  only  portion 
of  our  population  to  pay  taxes  to  ef- 
fect improvements  over  the  next  30 
years  which  will  benefit  all  of  the 
people  of  this  area. 

"This  tax  is  not  a  wartime  measure, 
but  is  a  tax  on  the  postwar  period 
and  by  the  terms  of  the  report  would 
be  of  30  years'  duration. 

"The  amusement  industry  feels  that 
such  a  tax  levy  is  unfair,  discrimina- 
tory, .  and  an  unjust  burden  upon  the 
public." 


NBC  News  Telecasts 
Changed  to  Sundays 

NBC's  weekly  television  newsreel 
"The  War  As  It  Happens,"  will  be 
telecast  henceforth  on  Sunday  nights 
instead  of  Mondays. 

The  only  television  newsreel  in 
existence,  "The  War  As  It  Happens" 
is  also  seen  every  week  on  General 
Electric's  Schenectady  station  WRGB. 
The  newsreel,  edited  from  films  taken 
by  Army,  Navy  and  Marine  Corps 
photographers,  has  been  on  NBC's 
television  station  for  more  than  a  year. 
Paul  Alley,  NBC  television  newsreel 
editor,  is  in  charge  of  editing,  narra- 
tion and  complete  production. 


Gotham  Gets  'Cheaters' 

Republic's  "The  Cheaters"  will  have 
its  Broadway  opening  at  the  Gotham 
Theatre  on  July  20.  The  film  was 
tradeshown  in  New  York  June  29. 
"Flame  of  Barbary  Coast,"  Repub- 
lic's 10th  anniversary  picture,  is 
booked  to  play  the  RKO  Metropolitan 
Circuit  beginning  July  26,  and  will 
also  open  at  the  Paramount,  Newark, 
July  18. 


Sees  Big  Equipment 
Market  in  India 


Washington,  July  5. — Possibilities 
of  selling  new  or  reconditioned  pro 
jectors  in   India  are  excellent,  pro 
vided  that  import  licenses  can  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Indian  government, 
it  is  reported  by  Nathan  D.  Golden 
chief  of  the  motion  picture  unit  of  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Com 
merce. 

However,  it  was  shown  in  a  review 
of  the  Indian  equipment  market,  while 
200  projectors  a  year  can  be  ab 
sorbed  over  a  period  of  six  years  or 
more,  difficulty  has  been  experienced 
for  some  time  past  by  Indian  import 
ers  in  obtaining  licenses  to  receive 
various  goods  from  the  United  States 
when  such  goods  are  obtainable  from 
the  'sterling  area.' 

Sound  Equipment 

A  similar  heavy  demand  exists  for 
sound  equipment,  and  the  possibilities 
of  replacing  foreign  equipment  with 
that  from  the  United  States  are  ex- 
cellent as  the  latter  is  highly  regarded, 
but  here  again  import  and  toreign 
exchange  restrictions  may  prove  to  be 
a  barrier. 

Only  five  theatres  in  India  have 
mechanical  air  conditioning,  but  many 
theatres  are  contemplating  its  instal- 
lation, although  the  size  of  the  market 
is  indeterminate.  In  the  field  of  ac- 
cessories, projector  spare  parts  are 
the  most  urgently  needed  items  and  an 
abnormally  large  demand  is  foreseen 
for  the  first  few  post-war  years. 

There  should  also  be  a  good  mar- 
ket for  studio  equipment,  all  but  eight 
of  the  42  studios  in  India  being  in 
urgent  need  of  replacement  items,  it 
was  reported. 


Garfield  Funeral  in 
Cleveland  Sunday 

Herman  Garfield,  57,  associated 
with  the  industry  in  production  and 
distribution  for  the  past  35  years,  died 
on  Wednesday  in  Bellevue  Hospital, 
here.  The  remains  will  be  sent  to- 
day to  Cleveland,  where  services  will 
be  held  on  Sunday  at  the  Euclid  Ave- 
nue Temple  in  that  city. 

Among  his  various  associations  in 
the  industry  was  his  connection  with 
the  "Hopalong  Cassidy"  pictures  when 
they  were  first  produced. 


Fitzgibbons  Starts  on 
9th  Canadian  Drive 

Toronto,  July  5. — J.  J.  Fitzgibbons, 
chairman  of  the  motion  picture  War 
Services  Committee  of  Canada,  is  al- 
ready preparing  for  the  industry's  co- 
operation for  the  Ninth  Canadian  Vic- 
tory Loan  drive,  scheduled  for  next 
October,  the  second  such  campaign  for 
1945. 

It  has  been  intimated  there  will  be 
only  one  Canadian  bond  drive  in  1946. 


AFL  Grants  Charter 
To  Radio  Directors 


Philadelphia  Changes 

Philadelphia,  July  5.  —  Stanley 
Kositski,  Universal  office  manager 
here,  has  resigned.  Shirley  Mollinger 
of  20th  Century-Fox  has  been  pro- 
moted from  the  contract  department  to 
secretary  to  Edgar  Moss,  district 
manager.  Arthur  Davis  has  been  ap- 
pointed branch  manager  of  Confiden- 
tial Reports,  Inc.,  replacing  Harvey 
Shelley. 


The  Radio  Directors  Guild  has  been 
granted  a  charter  by  the  American 
Federation  ot  Labor,  thus  bringing  the 
union  in  line  with  the  majority  of  crea- 
tive and  technical  workers  engaged  in 
the  motion  picture,  radio  and  allied 
professions,  who  are  affiliated  with  the 
AFL. 

Intention  of  the  AFL  to  issue  a 
charter  to  the  Radio  Directors  Guild 
was  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  on  June  21.  The  Guild  is  tak- 
ing steps  immediately  to  resume  nego- 
tiations with  the  networks  for  a  con- 
tract covering  all  directors.  It  was 
organized  in  April,  1942,  and  now  in- 
cludes over  200  directors  and  assistant 
directors.  Both  the  American  Federa- 
tion of  Radio  Artists  and  the  American 
Federation  of  Musicians,  New  York 
Local  No.  802,  AFL  affiliates,  have 
pledged  their  support. 

William  N.  Robson  is  president ; 
Anton  M.  Leader,  vice-president ; 
George  Maynard,  secretary,  and  Rob- 
ert Lewis  Shayon  is  treasurer  of  the 
Guild. 


20th  Will  Continue 
Foreign  Partners 

(.Continued  from  page  \) 

of  working  with  local  people  who  are 
partners  with  us ;  they  run  the  busi- 
ness so  that  it  retains  its  local  char- 
acter." Silverstone  added :  "We  be- 
lieve that  the  local  people  know  their 
people  best." 

Twentieth  International  operates, 
with  local  partners,  or  is  closely  iden- 
tified with,  foreign  circuits  controlling 
about  670  theatres.  The  company  has 
a  50  per  cent"  interest  in  Metropolis 
and  Bradford  Trust,  which  controls 
the  Gaumont-British  circuit  of  approxi- 
mately 400  theatres.  In  Australia,  it 
has  a  controlling  interest  in  130  the- 
atres operated  by  Hoyt's.  The  com- 
pany shares  control  of  New  Zealand's 
Amalgamated  Circuit  of  80  houses, 
and  is  closely  associated  with  the 
Rodriguez  Circuit  of  Mexico,  which 
operates  about  60  theatres. 

Exclusive  'showcases'  of  20th  are 
the  Palacio  Theatre,  Rio  de  Janeiro ; 
Excelsior,  Lima,  Peru ;  Colon,  Cali, 
Colombia ;  20th  Century,  Johannes- 
burg, and  the  Cairo,  Cairo,  Egypt. 


Hollywood 


1 


<  < 


To  Seek  Referendum 
On  3-Cent  Ticket  Tax 

Chico,  Cal.,  July  5. — T.  and  D. 
Theatres,  which  had  been  supported 
by  AFL  unions  in  opposing  the  three- 
cent  tax  on  adult  theatre  admissions 
recently  adopted  by  the  city  council 
here,  has  declared  its  intention  to  seek 
relief  through  popular  referendum. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July 

WILLIE  AND  JOE,"  bewhij 
kered  doughboy  character! 
created  by  Pulitzer  prize  winner  Wij 
lim  Mauldin,  and  who  have  becon| 
famous  'GI's  of  World  War  II,  are 
be  filmed  by  International  Picturi 
William  Goetz  announces.  Goetz  hi 
purchased  screen  rights  to  Mauldin 
Book-of-the-Month  story  "Up  Front- 
With  Mauldin"  and  Mauldin  wi 
come  to  Hollywood  to  assist  in  writ' 
ing  the  screenplay.  It  will  enter  pre 
duction  before  the  year's  end. 

• 

Claire  Windsor  will  return  to  tl 
screen  for  one  of  the  top  roles  in  tl 
PRC  comedy,  "How  Do  You  Do? 
Lynn  Merrick  has  been  assigned  1 
Columbia  to  play  the  lead  opposii 
Richard  Dix  in  "Checkmate  for  Mui 
der."  .  .  .  Monogram  has  exercised  i 
option  on  the  services  of  Lee  (Lasses 
White,  who  recently  completed  a  iei 
tured  role  in  "Saddle  Serenade."  . 
Helene  Thimig,  Viennese  actress,  hi 
been  signed  by  Universal  for  an 
portant  part  in  "As  It  Was  Before 
• 

Robert  Golden  has  engaged  Harol 
Schuster  to  direct  "Breakfast  in  Ho. 
lyicood,"  which  will  be  released  b 
United  Artists.  .  .  .  Mike  Mazurki  lie 
been  signed  by  Republic  for  a  top  rol 
in  "Dakota."  .  .  .  Bonita  Granville  lit 
been  chosen  for  the  top  feminine  ro, 
in  RKO's  "The  Lie  Detector." 


Edward  Small's  next  picture 
United  Artists  release  will  be  "Be 
Donna,"  dramatization  of  the  Rob 
Hichens  novel.  .  .  .  Arnold  Press! 
burger  has  signed  Signe  Hasso  tl 
play  the  lead  opposite  George  Sander! 
in  his  forthcoming  "Scandal  in  ParisX 
.  .  .  Rosalind  Ivan  has  been  signed  tl 
portray  Edward  G.  Robinson's  wife  il 
"Scarlet  Street,"  which  will  be  mad| 
for  Universal  release  by  the  newh? 
formed  Diana  Productions. 


Will  Honor  Ben  Gross 

NBC,  radio  station  WEAF,  New 
York,  and  Mary  Margaret  McBride 
are  joining  forces  to  honor  Ben 
Gross  on  his  20th  anniversary  as  radio 
editor  of  the  New  York  Daily  Nezvs 
with  a  luncheon,  broadcast  and  recep- 
tion at  the  Hotel  Waldorf  Astoria  on 
Monday. 


Barasch  Resigns 

Lou  Barasch  of  the  Paramount 
home  office  press  book  department  has 
resigned  his  post. 


More  European  Mai\ 
Restrictions  Drop  pet 

Mail  service  to  Belgium,  DenmarlJ 
France,  Luxembourg,  the  Netberlandl 
and  Norway  has  been  extended  t 
comprise  all  classes  of  regular  mail 
— letters,  postcards,  printed  matter  i 
general,  commercial  papers,  sample 
of  merchandise  and  small  packets- 
Postmaster  Albert  Goldman  an 
nounces  here. 

However,  business  communication 
are  limited  to  exchanges  of  informa 
tion,  and  transactional  communica 
tions  may  relate  only  to  support  re 
mittances  and  the  protection  and  main 
tenance  of  property,  Goldman  state! 

Ordinary   parcel   post   also   is  re 
sumed  to  those  countries.     Only  on 
parcel  a  week  of  not  more  than  IB 
pounds  may  be  sent  by  or  on  behajl 
of  the  same  person  or  concern  to  tbM 
same  addressee. 


To  Give  Mystery  'Oscar' 

Mystery  Writers  of  America.  Inc.1 
will  present  an  annual  'Oscar'  for  thel 
best  mystery  film  of  the  year.  War'-^ 
ner's  "Conflict"  is  the  first  picture  fa 
be  endorsed  by  the  organization,  head! 
ed  by  Baynard  Kendrick  and  including] 
Rex  Stout.  Ellery  Queen,  Earle  Staifl 
ley  Gardner  and  other  detective  fiction! 
authors. 


(ALL  PERCENTAGE  FIGURES  ARE  BASED  UPON  COMPARISON  WITH  THE  BOXOFFICE 
GROSSES  OF  GAGNEY'S  PREVIOUS  MONEY-MAKING  SUCCESS,  "JOHNNY  COME  LATELY".) 

AKRON  •  Loew's  +26% 

BALTIMORE  •  Century  +38%  (Holdover) 

BOSTON  •  State  and  Orpheum  +26% 

CINCINNATI  •  Albee  to  Lyric  +21%  (Now  in  2nd  week  at  Lyric) 
CLEVELAND  •  State  +49%  (Moveover  to  Stillman) 
COLUMBUS  •  Ohio  +22% 

DENVER  r  Esquire,  Weber  and  Denver  +29%  (Moveover  to  Alladin) 
HARRISBURG  •  Regent  +12% 
INDIANAPOLIS  •  Palace  +33% 
KANSAS  CITY  •  Midland  +31% 

LOS  ANGELES  •  Chinese,  Uptown  State  and  Carthay  Circle  +33% 
LOUISVILLE  •  Loew's  U.  A.  +33%  (Moveover  to  Brown) 
NASHVILLE  •  Loew's  Vendome  +21% 
NEW  ORLEANS  •  Loew's  State  +29%  (Holdover) 


not.' 


NORFOLK  •  Loeufs  State  +18%  (Holdover) 
READING  •  Loew's  Colonial  +29% 
RICHMOND  '  Loew's  +24%  (Moveover  to  National) 
SAN  DIEGO  •  Fox,  State  and  Loma  +36% 
SAN  FRANCISCO  •  U.  A.  +28%  (Now  in  10th  week) 
SPRINGFIELD  •  Poli  Palace  +33% 
SYRACUSE  •  Loew's  +31%  (Moveover  to  Strand) 
WILMINGTON  •  Loew's  Aldine  +11% 
WORCESTER  •  Poli  +45%  (Moveover  to  Elm  Street) 


aA  *****  ' 

...AND  AT  THE  CAPITOL,  NEW  YORK, 
BUSINESS  IS  PLUS  21%! 


10 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  July  6,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Stocks  in  First  Half  of  1945 

High   and  Low  in  Stock  and   Curb  Trading  for  Five  Years 

New  York  Stock  Exchange 


Stock  and  Dividend 

Columbia  Pics.  (254e)  

Columbia  Pics.  pfd.  (2%) . 

Consolidated  Film   

Consolidated  Film  pfd.  (54 

Eastman  Kodak  (5b)  

Eastman  Kodak  pfd.  (5) . . 
General  Precision  Equip. 
Loew's  Inc.  (154)  


20th  Century-Fox  pr.  pfd.  (454). 
Universal  Pictures  (2)  


— 1945 — 

Close 

Net 

1944 

1943 

1942 

1941 

Sales 

High 

Low 

June  30 

Change 

High 

Low 

High 

Low 

High 

Low 

High 

774 

Low 

77,400 

25Vs 

21 

23 

+  254 

23 

1654 

1954 

9 

1154 

554 

454 

7,500 

51 

4754 

5054 

+  254 

4954 

3954 

41 

3054 

35 

24 

2854 

2154 
54 

82.500 

654 

454 

454 
30}4 

-  54 

654 

254 

354 

54 

541 

Vs 

154 

128,000 

33J4 
18354 

28 

+  1 

3054 

1654 

1954 

754 

9 

7 

11 

7 

84,000 

174 

17854 

+  54 

178 

157 

170 

14654, 

15154 

108 

14554 

12054 

329 

200 

185 

•  196 

+11 

195 

175 

184 

173 

180 

170 

18254 

160 

117,000 

30*6 

2254 

2754 

+  4 

2354 

187/6 

2454 

1354 

1454 

1054 

1654 

954 

202,200* 

2854 

26 

2654 

-  154** 

8154 

58 

6454 

4254 

4654 

37 

3954 

28 

690,700 

3454 

2754 

33 

+  354 

30 

2354 

30 

1554 

1754 

1154 

1654 

10 

695,200 

10 

m 

954 

+  54 

1054 

m 

1054 

354 

37,6 

2 

354 

2 

39,800 

WVA 

91 

10054 

+  m 

10754 

8554. 

10154 

5454 

5454 

3454 

5554 

3854 

502,390 

3054 

2654 

2854 

-  54 

2844 

2154 

2454 

12T4> 

16 

754 

954 

5 

193,352 

3754, 

34/8 

3554 

-  54 

3554 

2854 

3454 

25 

2654 

1954 

24 

1654 

5,520 

10654 

102 

104 

—  2 

10654 

100 

101 

99 

not  listed 

7,800 

2854 

2054 

2654 

+  554 

26 

1854 
1154 

1954 

16 

44 

25 

3054 

1454 

884,100 

1854 

13 

17 

+  354 

15 

1554 

754 

854 

454 

654 

254 

New  York  Curb  Exchange 


r 

1945— 

Close 

Net 

1944 

1943 

1942 

1941 

Stock  and  Dividend 

Sales 

High 

Low 

June  30 

Change 

High 

Low 

High 

Low 

High  Low 

High  Low 

  202,000 

454 

3 

454 

+  154 

454 

354 

4 

% 

154  54 

2}4  7/32 

  388,800 

2 

154 

154 

+  54 

m 

1 

154' 

54 

not  listed 

  63,100 

2% 

11/16 

154 

+15/16 

154 

54 

54 

3/16 

5/16  54 

54  54 

  152,900 

2554 

2054 

2154 

-  154 

24% 

1254 

1554 

654 

874  674 

11  654 

554 

4 

454 

+  % 

3 

454 

154 

154  54 

1  54 

*— Including  old  and  new  stock;  **— adjusted  to  allow  for  3-for-l  split-up  of  stock  in  May,  May,  1945;  a— accumulated  dividends  paid  or  declared  this  year;  b— declared  or  paid  so  far 
this  year;  c — also  extras;  d — paid  last  year;  e — payable  in  stock. 

Comparison  of  Valuation   of  Stock  Issues  1944-1945 


Stock 

Columbia  Pictures 
Columbia  Preferred 
Consolidated  Film  . 
Consolidated  Film  Preferred. 


Shares 
Outstanding 

368,268 
75,000 
524,973 
400,000 


Eastman   Kodak    2,476,013 

Eastman   Preferred   61,657 

General  Precision  Equipment  '.   586,087 

Loew's,   Incorporated   1,665,713 

Paramount    2,465,927 

RKO   2,753,053 

RKO   Preferred   128,170 

Twentieth   Century-Fox   1,741,995 

Twentieth  Century -Fox  Preferred    917,420 

Twentieth  Century -Fox  Prior  Preferred   500,000 

Warner  Bros   3,701,090 


^Adjusted  to  allow  for  3-for-l  stock  split-up  in  May,  1945. 


Close 
1944 

2054 
48 
554 
2954 

178 

185 
2354 
797.6 
2954 
954 
9154 
2854 
3554 

106 
1354 


Valuation 

$7,641,561 
3,600,000 
2,756,007 
11,800,000 

440,730,314 
11,406,545 
13,626.522 

133,048,825 
72.128,364 
25,465,740 
11,727,555 
49.864,606 
32.453,732 
53,000.000 
49,964.715 

$919,214,486 


Close 
June  30, 
1945 

23 

5054 
454 

3054 
17854 
196 

2754 

2654 

33 
954 
10054 

2854 

3554 
104 

17 


Valuation 

$8,470,164 
3,806,250 
2,493,621 
12,200.000 

441,968,320 
12,084,772 
16,070,871 

131,174,898 
81,375,591 
25,809,871 
12,865.063 
49.646,857 
32,224,377 
52.000.000 
62,918.530 

$945,109,185 


+  2Yi 
+  254 

-  54 
+  1 
+  54 
+11 
+  4 
-156 
+  354 
+  54 

+  m 

-  54 

-  54 

-  2 
+  354 


-Net 


+$25,894,699 


Hit  Highest  Level  on 
N.Y.Boardinl6Yrs. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
margin  requirements  and  an  increase 
in  corporate  profit  taxes. 

After  the  German  collapse  of  early 
May,  the  market  rose  to  the  highest 
levels  in  seven  years.  Subsequent  oc^ 
casional  declines  were  not  expected  in 
Wall  Street  to  develop  into  more  than 
what  were  called  "technical  correc- 
tions"— largely  selling  by  traders  dis- 
posed to  take  profits  after  sharp  ad- 
vances. General  belief  was  that  there 
would  be  "sell-offs"  from  time  to  time 
as  the  country  became  adjusted  from  a 
two-front  to  a  one-front  war,  but  that 
the  underlying  trend  would  remain  up- 
ward. 

Motion  picture  stocks  were  featured 
by  Warner  Brothers  and  Paramount, 
whose  strength  and  activity  reflected 
a  higher  earnings  trend  and  strength- 
ening of  their  financial  structures. 

Warners  led  the  film  list  both  in 
volume  of  trading  and  in  net  gain,  ad- 
vancing $12,953,715  in  market  value  to 
a  total  of  $62,918,530,  and  accounting 


for  more  than  half  the  rise  in  valua- 
tion of  the  entire  group.  The  stock 
was  in  brisk  demand  as  traders 
watched  its  latest  financing  program, 
cognizant  of  the  fact  the  company's 
funded  debt  has  been  more  than  halved 
in  the  last  ten  years,  while  working 
capital  and  cash  have  trended  upward. 
As  a  result  of  this  program,  an- 
nounced in  June,  substantially  all 
property  of  Warners  and  its  subsidi- 
aries in  the  United  States  will  be  free 
*rf  mortgage  debt.  The  financing  wa<- 
the  arrangement  on  very  favorable 
terms  of  a  $37,000,000  loan  with  a 
group  of  banks  to  pay  off  about  $21,- 
000,000  mortgage  indebtedness  and  a 
$17,000,000  seven-year  bank  loan  pre- 
viously arranged.  The  company  mean- 
while reported  a  net  income  of  $4,- 
605,088,  or  $1.24  a  share  for  the  six 
months  ended  Feb.  24,  1945,  com- 
pared with  $3,492,125,  or  94  cents  a 
share  for  the  six  months  ended  Feb. 
26,  1944. 

Paramount,  which  rose  $9,247,227  in 
market  value  to  a  total  of  $81,375,591, 
further  strengthened  its  financial  set- 
up by  prepaying  on  May  31  notes 
payable  to  the  amount  of  $1,000,000. 
And  on  June  1  directors  authorized 
immediate  prepayment  of  funds  neces- 


Illinois  Solons  Pass 
No  New  Film  Laws 

Chicago,  July  5. — The  64th  State 
General  Assembly  in  Springfield  has 
closed  a  six  months  session  without 
passing  a  single  piece  of  legislation 
which  had  any  direct  bearing  on  the 
film  industry.  Anti-discrimination  and 
fair  employment  bills  did  not  pass  a 
second  reading  either  in  the  Senate  or 
House. 


Charles  Goodman  Dies 

Cleveland,  July  5. — Charles  W. 
Goodman,  59,  stage  manager  at  RKO's 
Palace  Theatre,  here,  died  suddenly 
at  his  Willoughy  home.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  three  sons,  two  of 
whom  are  on  overseas  duty ;  a  daugh- 
ter, his  mother  and  a  sister. 


sary  to  retire  at  par  $1,250,000  out- 
standing three  per  cent  debentures, 
due  from  1952  to  1958. 

The  half-year  was  marked  by  a 
three-for-one  split-up  of  Loew's  com- 
mon stock  and  the  transfer  of  Univer- 
sal Pictures  from  the  Curb  Exchange 
to  listing  on  the  "Big  Board." 


RCA  Sets  Ten-Day 
Electronics  Meet 


Plans  for  future  activities  in  the 
field  of  electronic  service  and  mainte- 
nance will  be  discussed  by  executives 
and  district  service  managers  of  RCA 
Service  Co.  at  a  10-day  conference  be- 
ginning Monday,  at  the  Seaview 
Country  Club,  Absecon,  N.  J.,  it  has 
been  announced  by  W.  L.  Jones,  vice- 
president  of  the  company. 

Discussions  will  cover  plans  for 
service  field  engineering  operations, 
training  programs,  newly  developed 
test  equipment,  sales  markets  and 
other  activities  in  such  fields  as  motion 
picture  sound  and  projection,  elec-, 
tronic  power  heating,  electronic  in- 
dustrial controls,  electron  microscope, 
sound  systemsr  radio  and  television 
broadcasting  and  reception,  and  spe- 
cial applications  now  serving  the 
Armed  Forces. 

The  group  will  be  addressed  by  J. 
G.  Wilson,  newly  appointed  operating 
vice-president   of   RCA   Victor,   and  1 
other  RCA  executives. 


K 
W 

< 


Jj  —  </l 

iJ  s  . 
°-h2  * 

"5.  I  ~ 


CONFLICT 
Humphrey    Bog  art 

Alexis  Smith 
D — 86  mins  (418) 

(Rev.  6/13/45) 

THE  CORN  IS 
GREEN 
Bette  Davis 
John  Dall 
Joan  Lorring 
D— 114  mins.  (419)' 
(jRev.  3/29/45) 

Zum  So 

"s  £5 2S 

<(-,      °  Ji  in 

So£§  g.5 

HH  _  mO  g 

£2  ta  5 

KO  luQ-a  | 


iJ 
< 

« 

> 
i— i 

2 

D 


m  o  25 


3  00<  S-f-i  j 

W  ON  T  <  1-1  OX  • 

H  2' 


■Sh: 


5m 

CO  05  ^  O  0 


Cvo 

£  ^ 


H„  «J-E 

A-  I 

2 


0$ 


0)  ^ 

Saigas 

fe2    5E  2S 

W  |  5 
Q 


4)  S  On  . 
3  O 

Ji  gn 

0«f; 


*    a  " 
H     u  cg~ 

xy>  «  §°x 

fH  pq  o  in 

22     -  £  . 

^ 


X      .O  | 

U 


H  < 


WS  »  5 


2W  «  S? 

o>'~'&. 
w 


toH  5  >> 
«  <  E  S  «; 
hHO»  £ 

<o.t;xi 

M  C  «  Ox 
Xx       O  °»n 

«    M2  I 

o 


2  o  £ 
<2  5  « 


C  C 
J  — 

o  8w 
2C 


Of-1  5  5° 
H<  S  Sw 

><*  ra  .5 

<o  °-e c 

I 


<  S8E 
22  5  2-2 
OhOB  « 
.  <  «c 

i-l  q'-'p; 


< 

£3 


^7  O  41  II  «J 

Qco«  -a -si 

OH  .  conSt" 


We;  go  g 


o:_  c.  ■»  o  « * 


ow  s£.£5: 
Oo<;p» 

ho  s  a i $ 


03  „  - 
tV3 


o 

I 

K 

H 

o 

CM 


•So 


J  3S 


Z  H 


°51 


5u 


ij    |  s 

Q 


fo 

'2 


o  c  > 

Cj  (flu,  U 


W 

W  £ 
►Coo  i! 

2<:  S3 
S>  E 

r  ° 


< 
O 


;  2  _  o  E  ~ 

j  o^oj  I  S 
o 


0<0^  41  S" 


I 
so 


V  hJ  c  O  o 
0.      Q,  1-1      00  — 


5  =  « 


^2  ^ 

M  Q  oO  c  3  E  . 


u^"  o  ok°  .1-; 

«UH-B  o><  m„ 
rt  5^  O  u  s.1j  ^ 

-  J  r 

o 


H  Q 


O02 

g,|  .5; 
oo  3,3  scj 

aj<  »  S  > 

S3 M  I 
H  Q 


o  -is? 
a<£  >>.5i; 

rj  fH  n  c  g  ^ 


w 
2 
H 


E  * 


c  E  • 
c  o  c  > 

i  I 

O 


Hft, 
oo 


«  ~  S  E  . 


41  u  \o  <J 


PQ 
W 


CL,<  M  41  m  — » 

35(§  w-5^ 
mo  o^>  > 


O 

O  2 

oW„ 
w 

X 

e-i 


Er 


Ooo  c  fi 

O 


H0  iSo 

Oh  E  c 

1 


Io<  S[d  SC 
u  <  Ji  ■ 
H2<«S| 


in 


pHJcn.E 

_  O  u  41  - 

O  ,  S  c 


<->00  B 

oggS^ 

« 

I  o 


o 


»    f-l        4>  .S 

2S  -OS- 
Ed 


^5  L  «i^ 

O*  !  >■  • 
fe^^E 


u 

K 


00  S° 
«    5  ° 

00W  oo„-. 

gQ  «  >."?  > 
2    «s  h 


E  ifop« 


H 
33 

Woo  IS 
W  q  Ort 
2 

Eh 


X  -5 

r)  41  O 
"oo  jj'-> 

HHSS 

O  ta  to  3 
h  m  — 


< 
< 

Ph 


o 
o 


S         eP3  »S 
WD  o  b^ 

7^  rzr\  n  Jz  <— 


2 

>igi^io 

W 

"So35; 

g  00 

S< 

Wal 

s  Mo 
lins. 
5/15 

HX 

ow 

Jimmy 
Denni 

—54  n 
(Rev. 

S 

O 

00 

q<;  u<  2^ 
SM  ™  -5* 
DWS  g E > 

"2  a5 


00  «  >   .  vo 
2  5  2^ 

WJJ  c  E  > 

S  lw 
00  (J) 


f  —  ^ 

3« S  ow* 
S«5  Eg 

<9§32^ 


0"0*^- 


41  >H 

«<;  W 

f^f^Z  °K".E$ 

.Sm.  t^-1  ?>  a 


SiOM 
,&2 


a-  u 


W  g I &S¥ 

S  4,-O^.ES 
«  C  3  41  C  • 

d  £  E  Sox  £ 

J  Q 


M2  J32'-x 

og«  5; 
SSw 

o 


CO  <o 

-  hH  CXI 

-<K  gJSS^ 

—  J  •  *o 

g 

-IfH^i?9 
S2 
o 


w> 


Mrs 

22  H 

OD(3  5 

Q$  « e 5  > 
m  <  a  q  41 


1^*  °*  c  * 


00> 


<;W  3  t7  > 

5°^2P« 
2  w 
o 


r       fe  XO 

w£«  5; 

O  2     »  S 
W^iO 


6 

1 


u  Wh  41  10 

=  uor"I;:! 
q 


r»«"  M  P  (xj 
W^h       41  q  G 

f  S  -a  M  q  ^ 

j;oa|Q7£ 


^02 
HQ 


W  — 

00  -a  tS'-x 
00 

S  «J<  wo 
to  °J  g^- 

2 

o 

00 


41        4J  CXJ  > 

*  co«j 

3  "Ph 


1— >o 

Q  J;  .rT-x 

2  ^'q  .0 

HHQ-=>o 

«&<  g  1  - 
2° 


to.W 


o , 


13 


J^o"?  Em 
O' 


"•Jo  5 

2 


Q 

W 

00 

a 
J 

0) 

w 


'g  oS^ 
-pii,^^ 

-  I  I 


fl  -H 

-  Q 


< 

1— 1 

s 
& 

O 
o 


2u  N^-5£D*-n.5 
H2r2j  S2Q  g 

2Qb| l2gg?T 
H       *->  o 


to->!  Ee 


W5- 


BOSTON 
BLACKIE'S 
RENDEZVOUS 
Chester  Morris 

Nina  Foch 
D — 64  mins. 

YOU  CAN'T  DO 
WITHOUT  LOVE 
Vera  Lynn 
Donald  Stewart 

D — 74  mins. 

i  * 

^  CO 

Km<  3  5  5 

2S  5  > 
Hw.5^£ 


too  <j 

w«  HO 
H«|-§ 

gw,?o 


H  fe 


I  00 


s 


IN. 

xN 


be 
< 


be 
S 


IN. 


RESERVE  TOP  BILLING 

for  the  gradation 
fine  grain,  speed 
and  quality  of 

SUPREME 

NEGATIVE  FILM 


Ansco 

A  DIVISION  OF  GENERAL  ANILINE 
&  FILM  CORPORATION 

BINGHAMTON  •  HOLLYWOOD  •  NEW  YORK 


KEEP  YOUR  EYE  ON  ANSCO— FIRST  WITH  THE  FINEST 


JrfOTION  PICTURE 

1 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  MONDAY,  JULY  9,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


3MPE  Viewing 
television  in 
Foreign  Lands 

Dr.  White,  New  Chairman, 
Abroad  on  Developments 

A  wide  survey  of  all  technical  de- 
velopments in  television  made  in 
Europe  during  the  war  is  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  Society  of  Motion 
3icture  Engineers  by  Dr.  D.  R.  White 
it  E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours,  new 
•hairman  of  the  SMPE  television 
■ommittee,  Donald  M.  Hyndman, 
president  of  SMPE,  has  disclosed  to 
Paction  Picture  Daily. 

Dr.  White  has  left  for  an  ex- 
tended tour  of  England,  France 
and  Germany  and  expects  to  be 
gone  three  month-,.  He  will  sur- 
vey all  developments  and  report 
on  his  return. 

Dr.  White  will  survey  all  phases  of 
elevision  development,  since  duPont 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


Newsreelers 
To  Europe 


Editors  of  the  five  newsreels  are 
scheduled  to  leave  the  U.  S.  within 
three  to  six  weeks  for  a  month's  tour 
of  the  European  Continent,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  Italy,  in  order 
to  gather  material  with  a  "primary 
emphasis  on  American  troops  abroad." 
The  trip,  which  was  said  to  have  been 
under  consideration  in  a  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  story  of  July  5  and  will 
be  made  under  C.  S.  Army  auspices, 
was  confirmed  by  Walton  Anient,  ed- 
itor of  Pathe  News,  on  Friday. 

In  addition  to  Ament,  the  other 
newsreel  editors  going  are :  M.  D. 
Clofine,  News  of  the  Day;  A.  J. 
Richard,  Paramount  Newsreel;  Thom- 
as Mead,  Universal  Newsreel,  and  Ed- 
mund Reek,  20th-Fox  Movietone. 

The  editors,  as  a  result  of  exam- 

(Continucd   on   path'  11) 


Martin  Smith  Heads 
Owners  on  Decree 


$18,046,670  Bonds 
Sold  by  Loew  Houses 

Loew  Theatres  sold  $18,- 
046,670  in  bonds  to  patrons 
during  the  Seventh  War  Loan 
drive,  representing  204,671  in- 
dividual bonds,  according  to 
Charles  C.  Moskowitz,  Loew 
theatre  executive. 

The  Northern  California  di- 
vision of  the  Fox  West  Coast 
Theatres  had  sold  $10,671,600 
in  bonds  by  the  end  of  June. 
With  final  week's  figures  not 
yet  recorded,  Southern  Cali- 
fornia theatres  sold  over  $43,- 
000,000  in  bonds. 


WPB  Further 
Eases  Its  Ban 
On  Equipment 

Unrated  Orders  Can  Be 
Filled  After  Rated 


Seek  Army  Surplus 
Film  Disposition 


Washington,  July  8. — Allied's  na- 
tional  headquarters   here  announced 
today  that  Martin  G.  Smith  of  Toledo, 
president  of  Allied  States  Association, 
has  been  chosen 
temporary  mod- 
erator   of  the 
Conference  of 
I  n  dependent 
Exhibitors  on 
the  Consent  De- 
c  r  e  e,  pending 
the  next  meet- 
i  n  g    of  that 
group,   w  h  i  c  h 
will  be  held  in 
late  Summer  or 
early  Fall. 
Hugh  W. 
Martin   G.   smith      Bruen  of  Cali- 
fornia was  elect- 
ed moderator  at  the  meeting  in  Bret- 
<  Continued  on  page  12) 


Washington,  July  8. — Representa- 
tives of  six  agencies  met  Friday  to 
discuss  the  disposition  of  the  Army's 
surplus  training  and  orientation  films 
which  the  Office  of  Education  is  seek- 
.ng  to  secure  for  postwar  distribution 
tc    Ke  schools  of  the  country. 

The  conference,  an   outgrowth  of 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


I A  Meets  Set 
By  Leserman 


Following  a  meeting  of  members  of 
Southern  division  exchanges,  Carl 
Leserman,  United  Artists  general 
sales  manager,  announces  dates  for 
two  regional  sales  meetings  for  the 
Western  territory. 

First  of  these  meetings  will  get 
underway  on  July  13-14  at  the  Park 
Plaza  Hotel,  St.  Louis,  with  branch 
managers  and  salesmen  from  Omaha, 
St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  in  at- 
tendance. > 

Second  meeting,  scheduled  for  the 
Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago,  on  July 
15-16,  will  be  attended  by  branch  man- 
(Continued  on  page  12) 


Many  New  Theatres  Are 
Planned  for  Atlanta  Area 


Rodger s  Lining  Up 
Meeting  Delegates 

Heading  one  of  the  smallest  com- 
pany delegations  ever  to  travel  to  a 
sales  meeting,  William  F.  Rodgers, 
M-G-M  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  and  a  group  from  the 
home  office  will  leave  New  York  on 
Wednesday  for  Chicago  for  M-G-M's 
three-day  sales  conference  which 
(Continued  on-  page  11) 


Nearly  All  Omaha 
Regulations  Gone 

Omaha,  July  8. — This  city  is 
finally  free  of  war  manpower 
controls,  F.  M.  Rarig,  Jr., 
regional  WMC  director,  an- 
nouncing that  effective  im- 
mediately all  controls  are 
lifted  except  the  one  provid- 
ing ceilings  on  local  business 
establishments. 

William  Parkinson,  area 
WMC  director,  said  employ- 
ment ceilings  would  continue 
for  90  days  to  prevent  pos- 
sible runaway  expansion  in 
less-essential  industries  and 
to  insure  sufficient  labor  in 
essential  plants. 


Atlanta,  July  8. — Theatre  con- 
struction will  begin  just  as  soon  as 
material  is  available,  but  at  present 
time  there  is  not  enough  material  in 
the  Atlanta  territory  to  construct  very 
many  houses.  However,  while  there 
is  a  very  serious  shortage  of  all  build- 
ing material,  the  prospects  are  bright. 

Many  theatres  are  being  planned  by 
various  circuits,  such  as  Lam  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  Rome  ;  Bailey  Theatres,  At- 
lanta ;  Bijou  Amusement  Co.,  Nash- 
ville ;  Crescent  Amusement  Co., 
Nashville,  and  Cumberland  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  Tullahoma,  Tennessee. 

Several  theatre  supply  dealers  ad- 
vise that  while  metal  has  been  re- 
leased to  some  extent,  there  are  no 
available  supplies  for  even  maintain- 
ing repairs  on  machines  which  are,  in 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


Washington,  July  8.  —  Practi- 
tically  all  types  of  projection  equip- 
ment and  accessories  manufactured 
on  an  authorized  production  sched- 
ule may  be  sold  to  fill  any  orders  re- 
ceived, whether  rated  or  unrated,  to 
theatres,  or  otherwise,  as  long  as  rated 
orders  are  taken  care  of,  according  to 
the  War  Production  Board. 

This  equipment  is  listed  as 

Class  B  product,  as  is  wooden 

furniture,   including  wooden 

theatre  seats. 

Kited  orders  must  be  given  the 
precedence  required  by  WPB  Priori- 
ties Regulation  No.  1  or  other  applica- 
ble regulations,  or  unless  a  particular 
WPB  order  provides  otherwise.  This 
applies,  the  WPB  states,  even  though 
application  for  controlled  materials 
was  filed  with  the  expectation  that  all 
sales  would  be  made  on  rated  orders 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


Walker  Is  Proposed 
For  MPPDA  Post 


Washington,  July  8. — Frank  C. 
Walker,  head  of  the  Comerford  cir- 
cuit, and  until  June  30,  Postmaster- 
General,  is  recommended  by  Allied 
States  Associa- 
tion to  the  high 
post  in  the 
MPPDA  which 
has  been  off  ere  i 
to,  and  is  still 
being  consid- 
ered by  Eric 
Johnston,  in- 
dustrialist and 
president  of  the 
national  Cham- 
ber of  Com- 
merce. The  cita- 
tion was  made 
in  a  bulletin  is- 
sued by  Allied's 
national  headquarters  here  at  the 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


Frank  C.  Walker 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "White  Pongo" 
appears  on  page  10;  "On 
Stage  Everybody",  page  11. 


I 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  9,  1945 


\gencies  jrunas 
In  Congress  Tied  Up 

Washington,  July  8. — The  Office 
of  War  Information,  Office  of  Inter- 
American  Affairs,  War  Production 
Board  and  seven  other  war  agencies 
found  themselves  in  the  uncomfortable 
position  over  the  week-end  of  not 
knowing  where  their  next  dollar  was 
coming  from — victims  of  a  political 
fight  in  Congress  over  continuance 
of  the  Fair  Employment  Practice 
Committee. 

Funds  for  the  10  agencies  were 
knocked  out  of  the  War  Agencies 
Appropriation  Bill  on  Thursday  by 
House  friends  of  the  FEPC  and  the 
bill  was  sent  to  the  Senate,  where 
it  was  put  "on  ice"  until  the  Appro- 
priations Committee  could  figure  some 
way  out  of  the  muddle  which  had  been 
created.  The  Committee  is  expected 
to  meet  tomorrow  or  Tuesday  to  dis- 
cuss the  situation. 

The  War  Agencies  Bill,  which 
should  have  been  enacted  before  June 
30.  has  been  held  up  because  of  the 
fight  over  the  FEPC,  and  the  affected 
agencies  are  operating  under  a  reso- 
lution until  the  appropriations  are 
straightened  out. 

The  situation  has  raised  no  real 
concern  over  the  future  of  the  10 
offices  and  it  is  confidently  expected 
that  their  funds  will  be  restored  with- 
in a  few  days. 


Rank  Will  Arrive  in 
New  York  Wednesday 

J.  Arthur  Rank  is  expected  to  ar- 
rive in  New  York  from  San  Francisco 
on  Wednesday,  to  remain  here  for 
about  five  days  before  leaving  for 
London  on  or  about  July  16. 

Returning  with  Rank  will  be  John 
Davis  and  Barrington  Gain,  asso- 
ciates in  various  Rank  companies  in 
England,  who,  with  G.  I.  Woodham- 
Smith,  Rank  corporation  lawyer,  ac- 
companied the  British  film  executive 
on  his  U.  S.  tour  from  London, 
marked  by  a  series  of  conversations 
with  American  industry  leaders  in 
New  York,  Chicago,  and  Hollywood. 

Woodham-Smith  arrived  here  from 
San    Francisco  last  night. 


Hines  Resigns  from 
Scophony  Board  Here 

Earle  G.  Hines,  president  of  Gen- 
eral Precision  Equipment,  has  re- 
signed as  a  director  of  Scophony 
Corp.  of  America. 

The  result  is  that  GPE,  which  is 
the  largest  holder  of  Class  B  com- 
mon stock  of  Scophony  Corp.  of 
America,  own'ng  two-thFds,  is  no 
longer  represented  on  the  board. 
Paramount  Pictures  is  the  other 
holder  of  Scophony  common  stock. 


Personal  Mention 


LEON   FROMKESS,   PRC  presi- 
dent, left  New  York  for  California 
yesterday. 


Vincent  Trotta,  National  Screen 
Service  art  director,  is  in  Chicago, 
\vhere  his  son,  Seaman  1st  Class 
Elliott  D.  Trotta  is  being  graduated 
from  the  NATTC.  Prior  to  returning 
to  New  York,  July  16,  the  NSS  ex- 
ecutive will  make  a  tour  of  military 
hospitals,  sketching  patients  for  the 
USO. 

• 

S/Sct.  Sabu  Dastagir,  former 
actor,  and  gunner  on  a  B-24  Liber- 
ator, has  returned  from  the  South- 
west Pacific  to  Ft.  McDowell  in  San 
Francisco  Bay,  and  will  soon  visit 
lis  home  in  Hollywood.  - 
• 

Maj.  Edward  Chapman,  former 
Universal  and  RKO  script  writer,  has 
returned  to  the  U.  S.  after  reporting 
.he  air  war  over  Europe  for  Amer- 
ican Broadcasting. 

• 

Charles  Levy,  New  York  pub- 
licity representative  for  Walt  Dis- 
ney, left  here  Friday  for  three  weeks 
of  conferences  in  Hollywood. 

• 

Sonja    Henie   will   return   to  the 
U.  S.  this  week  from  a  tour  of  Army 
hospitals  in   Europe,  according  to  a 
press   dispatch   from  Copenhagen. 
• 

Walter    Gould,    United  Artists 
foreign    manager,    has    returned  to 
Paris  after  two  weeks  in  Sweden. 
• 

David  Coplan,  United  Artists  Brit- 
ish managing  director,  will  leave  New 
York  for  London  about  July  14. 
o 

Betty  Hutton,  Paramount  actress, 
will  arrive  in  New  York  today  from 
Hollywood. 

• 

Hal  B.  Wallis  expects  to  leave 
New  York  for  Hollywood  the  end  of 
this  week. 

• 

Robert   Gillham,   Paramount  ad- 
vertising-publicity director,  is  due  in 
Hollywood  from'  New  York  today. 
• 

George  Rigaud,  actor,  arrived  in 
New  York  Saturday  from  Hollywood 
to  start  rehearsals  in  a  stage  play. 

9 

Monte  Proser,  producer,  left  Fri- 
day for  California  to  seek  actors  for 
a  New  York  stage  musical. 


T    OU  WE 

cuit  sale 


WEINBERG,  Columbia  cir- 
es  executive,  has  left  for 
a  trip  to  seven  company  exchanges  in 
connection  with  the  'Montague  20th 
Anniversary  Campaign.'  Weinberg 
will  visit  Charlotte,  Atlanta,  New 
Orleans.  Dallas,  Oklahoma  City,  Mem- 
phis and  Chicago. 

• 

Lothar  Wolff,  former  chief  film 
editor  of  March  of  Time,  now  in 
charge  of  the  Coast  Guard  motion  pic- 
ture unit  in  New  York,  has  been 
promoted  from  lieutenant  (j.g. )  to 
lieutenant. 

• 

Irene  May  Kearney,  employe  of 
Comerford  Theatres,  Scranton,  Pa., 
has  announced  her  engagement  to 
S/Sgt.  Charles  J.  Geier  of  North 
Bergen,  N.  J. 

• 

Edgar  Kennedy,  RKO  Radio 
comedian,  will  return  to  Hollywood 
Wednesday  after  war-bond-rally  ap- 
pearances in  New  York  and  Washing- 
ton. 

• 

Helen  Remigi  of  the  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox Salt  Lake  City  office  has 
returned  to  work  after  a  prolonged 
illness. 

• 

Mrs.  Fred  Greenway,  wife  of  the 
owner  of  Loew's  Palace,  Hartford, 
underwent  an  operation  at  Mt.  Sinai 
Hospital  there  last  week. 

• 

Milton  C.  Woodward,  RKO  the- 
atres Chicago  publicity  director,  is  in 
St.  Paul  substituting  as  manager  of 
the  Orpheum  Theatre  for  Lou  Golden 
• 

Jack  Bush,  March  of  Time  film 
editor,  is  the  father  of  a  daughter, 
Diana,  born  last  week  at  Prospect 
Heights  Hospital,  Brooklyn. 

• 

Ira  Epstein,  Warner  field  repre- 
sentative in  Indianapolis,  is  on  an  as- 
signment in  Louisville. 

• 

Bob  Schv.  artz,  owner  of  the  Park 
Playhour  ,  Thomaston,  Conn.,  is  the 
father  ot  another  boy. 

Gus  Fausel  of  the  Quigley  Pub- 
lications advertising  department,  has 
returned  from  a  vacation. 

• 

Ernest  Van  Pelt,  M-G-M  Sal' 
Lake  City  salesman,  is  recovering 
from  illness. 


Begin  Griffith  Case 


Sherwin  Kane  is  on  vacation.  His 
columr.,  '  Tradewise",  appearing  in 
this  space  regularly  each  Monday, 
will  be  resumed  shortly. 


Preferred  Pictures  Is 
Changed  to  Global 

New  Orleans,  July  8.  —  H.  V. 
George  of  Hollywood,  and  Jack  Aus- 
let.  New  Orleans,  have  organized 
Global  Pictures,  '  Inc.,  formerly  Pre- 
ferred Pictures.  The  new  corporation 
will  handle  the  distribution  of  26  pro- 
ductions planned  for  next  season  by 
George,  who  is  expected  to  return 
here  later  this  Summer  for  further 
study  of  a  studio  location. 


Carol  Irwin  Promoted 

Carol  Irwin  has  been  named  East- 
er n  director  of  talent  and  program  de- 
velopment  for   American  Broadcast- 

\ynr  Co. 


SAG  Votes  Contract 
Minimum  Revisions 

Hollywood,  July  8. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild,  by  mail  vote,  has  ap- 
proved revisions  upward  in  minimum 
scales  under  the  10-year  contract  with 
producers  which  expires  in  1947. 

The  proposals  require  War  Labor 
Board  approval. 


Depositions  July  16 


Oklahoma  City,  July  8. — Henrj 
Griffing,  Griffith  Amusement  Co.,  chief 
counsel,  and  C.  B.  Cochrane,  co-coun- 
sel, will  arrive  in  New  York  tomor- 
row preparatory  to  the  taking  of  oral 
depositions  before  Magistrate  Jame:- 
T.  Maxwell,  starting  July  16,  in  the 
Government  anti-trust  suit  against  the 
local  circuit  Griffing  expects  to  bc| 
there  a  month. 

Summonses  to  make  statements 
were  mailed  Friday  to  14  film  execu- 
tives :  Hugh  Owen  and  Oscar  Mor- 
gan, Paramount;  Neil  Agnew,  Van- 
guard ;  Abe  Montague  and  Rube 
Jackter,  Columbia;  James  R.  Grain- 
ger, Republic;  W.  J.  Kupper.  Tom  J. 
Connors  and  Andrew  Smith,  20th 
Century- Fox ;  Gradwell  L.  Sears  and, 
Carl  Leserman,  United  Artists ;  Ned 

E.  Depinet,  RKO  Radio;  F.  J.  A. 
McCarthy,    Universal;    and  William| 

F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M. 
Trial   of   Griffith   Amusement  andl 

three  related  companies  began  in 
\\  estern  Oklahoma  Federal  District* 
Court  in  May  and  after  three  weeksi 
was  adjourned  by  Judge  Edgar  S. 
Yaught  until  Sept.  10. 


Unit  to  Handle  All 
Coward  Productions 

London,  July  8. — Three  studio  ar- 
tisans, Anthony  Havelock  -  Allan, 
David  Lean  and  Ronald  Neame,  have 
formed  Cineguild,  a  production  com- 
pany at  Denham  Studios.  The  three 
fir>t  came  together  during  the  making 
of  Noel  Coward's  "In  Which  We 
Serve."  Lean '  as  co-director,  Have- 
lock-Allan  as  associate  producer,  and 
Neame  as  director  of  lighting. 

The  new  unit  will  handle  all  Cow- 
ard productions,  besides  doing  a  num- 
ber of  stories  from  other  authors. 
They  have  been  associated  in  three 
subsequent  Coward  films.  Immediate 
plans  for  two  more  films  are  now  in 
hand,  the  first,  Charles  Dickens' 
"Great  Expectations,"  and  the  second, 
Margaret  Irwin's  novel.  "The  Gay 
Galliard."  which  will  be  in  TrcYi:i- 
color. 


Wilson  Gets  CBS  Post 

Elmo  C.  Wilson  has  been  appointed 
director  of  research  for  Columbia 
Broadcasting.  He  recently  returned 
from  overseas  where  he  served  as 
chief  of  the  surveys  division  of  the 
Psychological  W  arfare  Division  at 
SHAEF. 


Alexander,  Couret  of 
Paramount  Due  Here 

Robert  C.  Alexander,  manager  for 
Paramount  Films  de  Espana,  S.  A., 
Madrid,  and  Peter  Couret,  of  Para- 
mount- Mercurio  Films  S.  A.,  dis- 
tributor for  Paramount  in  Spain,  are 
due  to  arrive  in  New  York  by  clipper, 
according  to  George  Weltner,  Para- 
mount   International  president. 

Alexander  and  Couret  will  report  to 
Weltner  on  recent  operations  in  Spain, 
and  will  await  the  arrival  of  Robert 
ScbUss  .  divisio"1  manager  for  Conti- 
nental Europe,  Near  East  and  North 
Africa,  for  hr  t^er  confere  if 
Schless.  Weltner  said,  is  due  in  the 
home  offLe  •irru'i'1  riij-July. 


Barreca  ART  Head 

Henry  J.  Barreca  has  been  elected 
president  of  Amalgamated  Radio  Tele- 
vision Corp.  He  was  formerly  vice- 
president  of  the  company. 


MOTION  PICTURF  DAILY  Martin  Ouigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  -Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Ouigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Ouigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Ouigley  ~  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann.  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert' V.  Fecke,  'Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau.  624  South  Michigan  Ave..  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor:  London 
Bureau  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl  Hope  Burnup.  Manager;  PeW  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres.  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac.  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  ma;ter.  Sept.  2.!.  193S,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York.  N.  Y..  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign:  single  copies.  10c. 


THE  SHINING  I 


p 

JU 


91 

MAIN  STEM 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  JULY  9,  1945 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  9,  1945 


New  York  State  Has 
1,250  16mm  Units 


Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  8. — Approxi- 
mately 1,250  16mm  sound  projectors 
are  in  the  non-theatrical  field  in  New 
York  State,  a  survey  by  Edward  J. 
Mallin,  director  of  the  division  of 
films,  New  York  State  War  Council, 
reveals.  A  previous  estimate  had  been 
2,000,  but  this  apparently  included 
about  800  silent  film  projectors. 

Aiding  in  the  survey  were  10  film 
libraries,  including  a  number  operated 
by  colleges,  plus  Eastman  Kodak, 
General  Motors  and  Metropolitan  Life 
Insurance  Co. 

The  survey  was  conducted  as  part  of 
a  plan  for  obtaining  more  complete 
utilization  of  sound  projectors,  espe- 
cially those  owned  by  individuals,  in 
the  showing  of  War  Council  films. 
The  library  of  that  organization,  said 
to  be  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the 
world,  has  360  subjects,  chiefly  one, 
two  and  three  reels,  some  of  which,  in 
35mm  versions,  have  been  shown  in 
theatres.  The  films  were  produced  by 
the  State,  Office  of  War  Information, 
Army  and  Navy  Departments,  Office 
of  Latin-American  Affairs,  British, 
Belgium  and  other  information  cen- 
ters, and  some  few  were  made  by  Hol- 
lywood producers. 

All  War  Council  showings  are  on  a 
free-admission  basis  ;  more  than  2,000,- 
000  persons  are  estimated  to  have  at- 
tended the  screenings  last  year. 

Three  to  Open,  One 
Sold  and  One  Closed 

New  Orleans,  July  8— Film  row 
offices  report  that  J.  C.  Rickett,  for- 
merly manager  of  the  Allen  Theater 
in  Oakdale.  will  shortly  open  a  new- 
theater  in  Oberlin,  that  a  new  Negro 
theater,  the  Harlem,  is  slated  to  open 
in  Texarkana  this  month,  and  that 
L.  D.  Guidrv  and  Don  George  will 
have  the  Platte  Theater  in  Ville 
Platte,  in  operation  within  30  days. 

The  Lincoln  in  Laurel,  Miss.,  has 
been  sold  by  A.  H.  Freeman  to  Bijou 
Amusement  Co.  The  Gibsland  theater 
in  Gibsland,  has  closed. 

2  More  for  Schultzes, 
Now  Operate  Seven 

Cleveland,  July  8.— Nate  and  Sam 
Schultz,  who  own  the  Almira,  Union 
and  Ambassador  Theatres,  Cleveland; 
Strand,  Youngstown,  and  Lorain,  Lo- 
rain, have  concluded  a  deal  with  Floyd 
C.  Focht  for  the  purchase  of  his 
Quilna  and  Rialto  Theatres  of  Lima. 


Review 


Films  Fight  Illiteracy 

Mexico  City,  July  8— Local  ex- 
hibitors are  contributing  to  the  na- 
tional campaign  against  illiteracy, 
launched  recently  by  a  presidential 
decree.  They  have  donated  from  25 
to  50  passes  each  to  the  local  com- 
mittee, to  be  awarded  to  the  adult  and 
child  pupils  who  make  the  best  show- 
ings at  government  instruction  cen- 
ters. 


To  Remake  Ibanez  Novel 

Mexico  City,  July  8.  —  Producer 
Miguel  Contreras  Torres  has  pur- 
chased film  rights  to  "Blood  and 
Sand,"  famed  novel  by  the  late 
Vicente  Belasco  Ibanez  and  will 
make  the  production  here  in  Spanish. 
Made  by  Paramount  for  the  first  time 
in  1922,  it  was  filmed  again  by  20th 
Century-Fox  in  1941. 


"White  Pongo" 

{PRC) 

REPLETE  with  safari,  synthetic  jungle  and  stock  shots  of  African  animal 
life,  "White  Pongo"  may  satisfy  the  wanderlust  of  the  undiscriminating 
vicarious  traveler  to  distant  parts.  Children  will  probably  find  it  a  welcome 
diversion  from  radio  melodramatics. 

Raymond  L.  Schrock,  who  was  responsible  both  for  the  original  and  screen- 
play, conceived  a  white  gorilla,  a  missing  link  between  man  and  the  ape,  and 
put  a  group  of  eager  scientists  on  his  trail.  In  the  safari,  organized  by  sci- 
entist Gordon  Richards,  are  Al  Eben,  a  guide ;  Michael  Dyne,  his  secretary, 
who  is  in  love  with  his  daughter,  Maris  Wrixon;  Richard  Fraser,  a  rifleman, 
and  Lionel  Royce,  scientist  colleague.  Eben  turns  renegade  and  overpowers 
the  scientists  in  order  to  hunt  for  a  hidden  gold  field.  Fraser  turns  out  to 
be  a  secret  service  man  on  Eben's  trail  and  had  prepared  for  this  turn  of 
events  by  caching  food  and  guns. 

Meanwhile,  the  white  gorilla  has  trailed  the  renegade's  party  and  kills 
Eben,  at  the  same  time  fleeing  with  Miss  Wrixon.  It's  a  case  of  love  at 
first  sight.  Fraser  and  his  party  come  upon  a  strange  sight  in  the  jungle; 
two  gorillas  contending  for  the  girl  captive.  The  white  gorilla  is  victorious, 
but  meets  his  fate  as  a  captive  in  civilization.  Fraser  and  Miss  Wrixon  are 
thus  enabled  to  proclaim  their  love.  Sigmund  Neufeld  produced  and  Sam 
Newfield  directed. 

Running  time,  73  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  not  set. 

Charles  Ryweck 


UA  Dubs  Five  Films 
For  Latin-America 


Five  United  Artists  films  are  cur- 
rentlv  being  dubbed  in  Spanish,  in- 
cluding "Since  You  Went  Away,"  al- 
ready finished,  a  David  O.  Selznick 
film ;  "Guest  in  the  House,"  Hunt 
Stromberg  production ;  "Delightfully 
Dangerous,"  Charles  R.  Rogers ;  "The 
Southerner,"  David  Loew,  and  "Guest 
Wife,"  Jack  Skirball. 

Although  the  Selznick  picture  has 
been  tested  in  Mexico  City,  where  it 
played  simultaneously  at  the  Magerit 
and  Insurgentes,  then  moving  over  to 
that  city's  Lido  and  Savoy  theatres, 
general  release  will  take  place  this 
month. 

United  Artists  has  scheduled  full- 
page  advertisements  in  Cine-Mundial . 
Cinelandia  and  Norte,  the  three  maga- 
zines which  circulate  in  all  Central 
and  South  American  countries.  A 
complete  pressbook  in  Spanish,  as  well 
as  special  posters  and  other  acces- 
sories, have  also  been  prepared  for  the 
film's  release. 


Halts  Theatre  Rentals 

Montgomery,  Ala.,  July  8. — The 
Alabama  Supreme  Court  has  held  the 
Bessemer  city  government  could  not 
rent  part  of  the  City  Hall  for  use  as  a 
theatre.  The  court  said  that  "The 
city  may  not  .  .  .  turn  over  the  prop- 
erty to  an  individual  for  commercial 
purposes  .  .  ."' 


Moviepix  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  8. — Moviepix, 
Inc.  has  been  incorporated  to  oper- 
ate a  motion  picture  business  in  New 
York.  Incorporators  are :  Burnham 
Levy,  William  D.  Robinson  and  Anna 
Broder.  Marvin  W.  Levy  was  in- 
corporating attorney. 


Warner  Phila.  Changes 

Philadelphia,  July  8.  —  Samuel 
Kirsch,  manager  of  the  Orient,  in  the 
Warner  Theatre  Circuit,  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  Wynne,  re- 
placing Edgar  Wolf,  who  is  recuper- 
ating from  a  heart  attack.  David 
Sanderson  will  replace  Kirsch  at  the 
Orient. 


Soviet  Production 
Facilities  Improve 


Most  of  the  principal  Russian  film 
studio  setups  have  been  returned  to 
their  original  sites,  from  the  East  to 
where  they  were  evacuated  and  pro- 
duction facilities  are  steadily  improv- 
ing, it  was  learned  here  at  the  weekend. 
The  Soviet  film  makers,  in  response 
to  popular  demand,  are  turning  more 
to  comedies,  postwar  themes  and  also 
have  a  large  schedule  of  films  for 
children. 

Themes  which  do  not  deal  with  the 
war  against  Germany,  which  preoccu- 
pied the  Russian  studios  almost  exclu- 
sively, include  :  "The  Unbowed,"  "The 
Surgeon,"  "Sons,"  "When  the  Sky 
Was  Blue,"  based  on  Konstantin  Si- 
monov's  play  and  "A  Great  Life," 
showing  the  reconstruction  of  the  Don- 
bas.  Comedies  include :  "Spring"  and 
"Our  Mummy,"  a  musical  comedy. 

Children's  films  scheduled  include : 
"Robinson  Crusoe,"  "Ocean  Voyage," 
"Princess  Mary,"  "The  15-Year-Old 
Captain,"  after  the  novel  by  Jules 
Verne;  "Golden  Path,"  "Blue  Moun- 
tain," "Stone  Flower." 

Historical  pictures  include :  "Ad- 
miral Nakhimov"  and  "Battle  of 
Gruenwald."  Some  war  pictures  are 
still  being  produced,  including :  Serge 
Eisenstein's  "Ivan  the  Terrible,"  the 
first  of  a  series ;  "Army  General"  and 
"Destroyer  of  the  Swabians." 


4  Film  Companies  on 
WNEW  Air-Time 

Twentieth  Century-Fox,  Paramount, 
RKO  and  United  Artists  have  set  new 
deals  for  air  promotions  and  spot  an- 
nouncements on  radio  station 
WNEW,  New  York. 

Paramount,  RKO  and  UA  deals  are 
for  promotions  of  current  films,  and 
20th-Fox  has  contracted  for  a  series  of 
70  half-minute  announcements  weekly 
for  a  period  of  a  year.  Paramount 
has  taken  22  one-minute  announce- 
ments for  "You  Came  Along" ;  RKO, 
seven  half-minute  spots  for  "Those 
Endearing  Young  Charms,"  and  UA, 
18  five-minute  and  electrical  transcrip- 
tions for  "The  Great  John  L." 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  8. 

JESSE  L.  LASKY  has  purchased 
an  original  story,  "The  Man  Who 
Couldn't  Lose,"  which  he  plans  to  use 
as  a  starring  vehicle  for  John  Wayne. 
.  .  .  Arthur  Dreifuss  will  direct 
"Prison  Ship"  for  Columbia.  j 

Samuel  Goldwyn  has  engaged  radio 
announcer  Don  Wilson  to  play  him- 
self in  "The  Kid  from  Brooklyn."  .  .  . 
Twelve-year-old  Sue  England  has 
been  signed  to  a  term  contract  by  Uni- 
versal, and  will  appear  in  the  Piran- 
dello drama,  "As  It  Was  Before."  .  .  . 
Polly  Burson  has  been  signed  for  an 
important  role  in  Republic's  "The 
Cherokee  Flash." 

• 

Jules  Levey  has  borrowed  Rhonda 
Fleming  from  David  O.  Selznick  for 
a  top  role  in  "Trail  Town."  .  .  .  Den- 
nis O'Keefe  has  been  signed  by 
Columbia  for  the  male  lead  in  "Hail 
to  the  Chief."  .  .  .  Paul  Green,  win- 
ner of  the  Pulitzer  prize  for  his 
play,  "In  Abraham's  Bosom,"  has 
been  signed  to  a  writing  contract 
by  M-G-M. 

• 

Hal  Wallis  has  signed  Alichael 
Strong,  Broadway  actor,  to  a  term 
contract,  and  is  testing  him  for  a  role 
in  "The  Searching  Wind,"  which 
Wallis  will  make  for  Paramount.  .  .  . 
20th  Century-Fox  has  exercised  its 
option  on  the  services  of  Brad  Russell, 
and  he  has  been  assigned  a  top  role 
in  "Smoky."  .  .  .  Poni  Adams  will 
have  the  feminine  lead  in  Universal's 
Western,  "Law  for  Pecos." 

• 

Jinx  Falkenburg  has  had  her  Co- 
lumbia contract  extended,  and  has 
been  assigned  the  lead  in  "Duchess 
of  Broadway,"  which  Michael  Kraike 
will  produce.  .  .  .  Roy  Rogers  will 
be  starred  by  Republic  in  a  musical 
western  titled  "Don't  Fence  Me  In," 
which  John  English  will  direct.  .  .  . 
• 

M-G-M  has  signed  Robert  Z.  Leon- 
ard, director,  to  a  new  seven-year 
contract. 

• 

Paramount  has  arranged  to  borrow 
seven-year-old  Natalie  Wood  from 
International  Pictures  for  a  featured 
role  in  "The  Bride  Wore  Boots."  .  .  . 
Columbia  has  acquired  "A  Kiss  for 
Luck,"  original  by  Robert  Wyler,  and 
assigned  it  to  Leonard  Picker  for  pro- 
duction. .  .  .  Fussy  Knight  has  been 
set  for  the  top  featured  role  in  support 
of  Kirby  Grant  in  Universal's  next 
four  W esterns. 


Postwar  Theatre  Loss 

Toronto,  July  8. — There  has  been 
much  talk  in  the  Dominion  about  the 
postwar  expansion  of  theatre  com- 
panies but  postwar  plans  have  caused 
the  disappearance  of  one  downtown 
theatre  here,  the  Ace,  an  independ- 
ent house,  which  has  been  bought  by 
the  Robert  Simpson  Department  Store, 
for  the  construction  of  a  store  addi- 
tion. 


Film  Classics  Dissolved 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  8.  —  Film 
Classics  Distributing  Co.,  Inc.,  New 
York,  has  been  dissolved.  Stillman 
and  Stillman,  New  York,  were  the  at- 
torneys. 


J 


Monday.  July  9.  1945 


Motion  Picture  Dail,y 


11 


Rodger*  Lining  Up  |  /fe^^ 
[Meeting  Delegates 


■i 


(Continued  from  page  I) 
[opens   Inuisday   at   the  Biackstone 
;,  Motel.     it  win  be  the  first  district 
(managers  meeting  in  a  year,  the  in- 
1 1  requeue  _v  oi  uic  meetings  ot  late  ana 

the  smauiKss  oi  tne  delegation  being 
|  attribute  J  to  the  acute  transportation 
I  situation. 

M.  L.  Simons,  editor  of  The  Dis- 
\tributor,  company  sales  publication, 
[will  leave  here  tonight  for  Chicago  to 
jv.o  some  advance  work. 

Kudolpn    Beiger,    Southern  sales 

i  lanager,  is  now  visiting  in  Kansas 
K  ity,  getting  acquainted  with  theatre 

owners  in  one  of  the  new  territories 
|tiiat  is  now  under  his  supervision.  He 
•will  remain  in  ivansas  City  until  the 
inight  before  the  sales  conference 
n  pens. 

Those  Joining  Group 

Robert  Lynch,  Philadelphia  district 
manager,  will  join  tne  home  office 
group  leaving  Wednesday  night.  Mau- 
nice  X.  Wolf,  Boston  district  mana- 
ger, will  join  Herman  Ripps,  district 
,nianager  who  makes  his  headquarter^ 
£n  Albany,  and  there  join  tne  train 
jlarrying  the  home  otfice  contingent. 

In  the  home  office  group  will  be  E. 
iK.  O'Shea,  Eastern  sales  manager ; 
K.  W.  Aaron,  circuit  sales  manager; 
.Howard  Dietz,  vice-president  and  di- 
rector of  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation ;  Silas  F.  Seadler,  director 
if  advertising;  William  R.  Ferguson, 
director  of  exploitation ;  Henderson 
|M.  Richey,  assistant  to  Rodgers  and 
director  of  exhibitor  relations ;  Alan 
F.  Cummings,  in  charge  of  exchange 
operations ;  John  J.  Bowen,  Xew 
York  district  manager,  and  William 
,  i.  Brenner. 

I  George  A.  Hickey,  Western  super- 
visor, is  planning  to  leave  Los  An- 
.geles  tomorrow.  Other  district  heads 
who  will  leave  their  headquarters  in 
jilie  next  day  or  so  include  John  P. 
Byrne.  Detroit ;  John  S.  Allen.  Wash- 
jton;  Burtus  Bishop,  Jr.,  Dallas; 
,i_narles  E.  Kessnich.  Atlanta ;  Henry 
|\.  Friedel,  Denver ;  Ralph  Maw. 
Minneapolis;  John  S.  Allen,  Wash- 
ington. 

John  E.  Flynn,  Western  sales  man- 
i^-r,  and  Sam  Shirley,  Chicago  dis- 
{ rict  manager,  will  greet  the  home  of- 
fice and  field  groups  on  their  arrival. 


On  Stage  Everybody" 


ffobart  Theatre  in 
^Clearance  Appeal 

Hobart  Theatre  Corp .  operating 
I  he  Hobart  at  Woodside.  L.  I.,  N.  Y., 
,nas  appealed  a  clearance  award  of  the 
New  York  tribunal,  the  American  Ar- 
bitration Association  reported  here  on 
Friday. 

■  The  arbitrator  ruled  that  no  clear- 
ance shall  be  granted  by  Paramount, 
j^KO  Radio,  Loew's  and  Warners  to 
!  he  Granada,  Corona,  over  the  Hobart. 
jmd  also  that  the  maximum  clearance 
J  hat  may  be  given  to  the  Crescent, 
Vtoria.  shall  be  three  davs. 


Extend  Radiotelegraph 

Re-establishment  of  radiotelegraph 
ervice  to  Prague,  extension  of  radio- 
ilegraph  service  to  three  more  orov- 
nces  of  Italy,  and  the  lifting  of  the 
«n_  on  telegraph  addresses  to  Aus- 
"alia  and  Xew  Zealand  are  announced 
v  Lt.  Col.  Thompson  H.  Mitchell. 
ice-pr~cjdent  and  general  manager 
f  RC\  CT.miurications. 


(Universal) 

*  *  /"\  a  btage  Everybody"  is  a  lively  and  entertaining"  Universal  comedy, 

v-'  sor.g'  and  dancefest,  featuring  Jack  Oakie,  Peggy  Ryan  and  Johnny  Coy. 
It  stems  from  the  former  Blue  Xetwork  radio  show  which  served  as  a  medium 
to  provide  new  talent  with  an  opportunity  to  appear  on  the  air  to  be  'dis- 
covered. VA  hile  it  was  originally  designed  to  take  advantage  of  the  promo- 
tional possibilities  which  the  air  show  provided,  a  backstage  and  vaudeville 
background  predominates  in  the  screenplay  written  by  Warren  Wilson  and 
Oscar  Brodney.  The  10  winners  of  the  air  show  contest  appear  briefly  in  the 
film,  but  it  is  Oakie  and  Miss  Ryan,  as  a  father  and  daughter  song-and-dance 
team  which  provides  the  picture  with  its  strongest  box  office  appeal,  the  two 
performers  are  at  their  best  with  a  grand  assist  from  Coy,  the  sensational 
new  dancer  who  appeared  with  the  pair  in  "That's  the  Spirit."  Wilson  pro- 
duced the  film  with  Lou  Goldberg  as  associate.    Jean  Yarbrough  directed. 

Oakie  is  an  old  vaudeville  trouper  whose  pet  peeve  is  the  radio ;  he  says 
that  it  killed  vaudeville.  He  finally  gives  up  his  struggle  and  permits  his 
daughter  and  partner  to  go  and  live  with  her  grandfather,  played  by  Otto 
Kruger.  who  happens  to  be  the  president  of  a  radio  network.  It  is  during 
.lis  retirement  to  an  actors'  home  that  Oakie  gets  rid  of  his  'radiophobia' 
:nd  emerges  eventually  with  the  help  of  his  daughter  and  Kruger  as  the 
uccessful  master  of  ceremonies  of  the  "On  Stage  Everybody"  air  show. 

A  dozen  song  and  dance  numbers  are  liberally  spotted  in  the  footage,  some 
:>f  them  being  old  favorites,  with  a  few  new  ones  written  by  Inez  James  and 
Sidney  Miller.  Coy  is  swell  in  the  two  dance  routines  in  which  he  appears 
ind  Miss  Ryan  is  right  in  the  groove  in  almost  half  a  dozen  numbers,  with 
i:oth  Oakie  and  Coy,  and  on  her  own.  Also  featured  are  the  King  Sisters, 
,  ulie  London,  Esther  Dale.  Wally  Ford  and  Milburn  Stone. 

Running  time.  75  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  July  13. 

Milton  Livingston 


Studies  Television 
For  SMPE  in  Europe 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

.s  interested  in  television  as  it  affects 
the  possible  use  of  film  in  the  post- 
war. He  will  also  study  developments 
,n  theatre  television,  in  which  SMPE 
is  interested. 

Paul  J.  Larsen,  who  is  chairman  of 
SMPE's  theatre  television  practice 
committee,  is  presently  making  a  sur- 
vey of  what  theatres  can  expect  to 
have  in  the  way  of  television  equip- 
ment and  it  is  expected  that  Dr. 
White's  survey  will  be  correlated. 

Hyndman  stressed  that  although  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission 
l  as  granted  SMPE  channels  needed  to 
experiment  with  television  transmis- 
sion to  make  theatre  television  pos- 
sible, SMPE  will  forfeit  these  chan- 
nels if  experimental  activity  is  not 
conducted  within  a  reasonable  period. 
He  pointed  out  that  thus  far  there 
have  been  no  requests  to  experiment 
on  the  allocated  channels. 

SMPE,  which  now  requires  three 
times  its  previous  budget  for  mainte- 
nance, is  going  to  the  motion  picture 
industry  for  financial  aid.  Hyndman 
s->id  that  the  Society's  budget  proposal 
will  be  presented  to  industry  execu- 
tives. 


Newsreel  Editors 
Will  Go  to  Europe 


(Continued  from  page  1} 
ination  of  Europe  at  firsthand,  may 
be  able  to  decide  on  the  dissolution 
of  the  newsreel  pool.  Also  while  in 
Europe,  the  editors  will  seek  to 
gather  material  on  American  troops 
of  occupation  relative  to  their  duties, 
living  conditions,  etc.,  in  order  to  con- 
vey this  information  to  the  American 
public. 

Alter  the  tour  of  Europe,  the  news- 
reel  editors  will  then  survey  needs  of 
the  Pacific  area,  under  Navy  spon- 
sorship, for  war  correspondents  and 
newsreel  material  to  be  made. 

Thirteen  film  leaders  are  currently 
in  Europe  at  the  invitation  of  the 
Arm  v. 


"  "est,   Rank  Television 
F -ad,  To  Meet  Press 

Capt.  A.  G.  D.  West,  technical  di- 
rector of  television  for  the  J.  Arthur 
Rank  interests,  will  meet  members  of 
the  trade  press  here  today.  West  is 
h°re  to  studv  American  television 
developments  for  possible  adaptation 
bv  Rank  television  interests  in  En- 
gland. 


Para.  A  ims  for  Shorts, 
Newsreel  Attention 

To  insure  maximum  attention  to 
Paramount  shorts  and  newsreel  dur- 
ing Paramount's  'Third  of  a  Century' 
celebration,  sales  presentation  has 
been  prepared  by  Oscar  Morgan's 
short  subject  publicity  department  for 
use  of  the  distribution  department. 

The  various  production  units  in  Par- 
amount's  short  subject  set-un  are  cov- 
ered, with  each  unit  treated  individual- 
ly in  a  separate  section.  The  book, 
of  some  30  pages,  is  printed  in  color 
and  bound  with  a  die-cut  cover  printed 
on  wood  finish  stock  to  simulate  an 
office  door. 


'Cantinflas'  100%  Posa 

Mexico  City.  July  8.  —  "Cantin- 
flas,"  Mexican  comedian,  has  signed 
^>n  exclusive  player  contract  with  Posa 
Films,  to  run  until  1950.  He  is  "ice- 
nresident  of  Posa,  exclusive  producer 
?f  his  pictures. 


'Stage'  Premiere  Set 

Chicago,  July  8. — Universal's  "On 
Stage,  Everybody"  will  have  its  world 
premiere  at  the  RKO  Palace  here 
Wednesday,  with  ten  performers  in  the 
picture  making  personal  appearances 
on  opening  day.  Lou  Goldberg,  pro- 
ducer of  the  radio  show  of  the  same 
name,  is  coming  from  Xew  York  to 
supervise  the  stage  entertainment  here 
ai  d  in  other  key  cities  to  be  presented 
on  the  picture's  opening  day. 


Walker  Is  Proposed 
For  MPPDA  Post 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

weekend,  and  was  circulated  nation- 
ally. 

Johnston  is  expected  in  Hollywood 
early  this  week,  ostensibly  to  attend 
a  local  Chamber  of  Commerce  meet- 
ing, which  it  is  believed,  although 
without  confirmation,  will  be  preceded 
by  a  meeting  with  Will  H.  Hays. 

Negotiations  Cited 

Citing  the  Johnston  negotiations, 
and  the  recent  acquisition  of  Donald 
XTelson  to  head  the  Society  of  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers, 
Allied  observes :  "There  is  a  mad 
scramble  among  the  producers  to  se- 
cure 'names'  to  front  for  them  in  the 
trying  days,"  referring  to  Sherman 
Act  anti-trust  matters,  and  adding : 

"The  affiliated  producers  probably 
will  not  relish  suggestions  from  Allied 
in  this  matter  and  certainly  the  sub- 
ject of  these  remarks  will  not  thank 
us  for  our  trouble.  But  a  reading  of 
the  Congressional  Record  for  June  28 
reminds  us  that  the  affiliated  interests 
have  in  their  own  ranks  a  man  of 
distinction  and  prestige  who  would 
admirably  fill  the  bill  as  head  of 
MPPDA.  He  would  not  be  a  mere 
'front,'  but  a  real  leader  and  he  would 
not  have  to  take  time  out  to  learn  the 
business. 

"We  refer  to  Hon.  Frank  C.  Walker. 

"The  tributes  paid  Walker  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  attest  his 
high  standing  in  Government  circles. 
He  is  popular  in  all  branches  of  the 
industry  and  knows  how  to  get  along 
with  people.  Allied  leaders  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  '5-5-5  Conference'  re- 
member that  while  they  did  not  al- 
ways see  eye-to-eye  with  W'alker,  they 
never  lost  their  respect  for  him,  or 
their  tempers." 


Many  New  Theatres 
Planned  for  Atlanta 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

most  cases,  not  in  the  best  of  condi- 
tion in  many  theatres. 

A  new  theatre  has  been  recently  an- 
nounced by  Fred  G.  Weis,  Savannah, 
to  seat  1,200. 

A  million-dollar  sports  palace,  with 
accommodations  for  ice  carnivals, 
hockey,  basketball,  tennis,  wrestling 
and  special  film  shows,  is  awaiting  a 
priority  approval  from  the  Govern- 
ment to  get  started.  This  is  in  At- 
lanta. 


'Rhapsody'  Promotion  On 

Though  not  scheduled  for  showing 
outside  New  York  until  late  August, 
Warner's  "Rhapsody  in  Blue"  already 
is  receiving  advance  window  displays 
in  more  than  a  dozen  cities,  with  at 
least  35  more  scheduled  to  put  on 
display  within  the  next  week.  Reason 
for  the  promotion  so  far  in  advance 
of  the  opening  date  is  that  the  dis- 
Ha"s  are  based  on  Summer  apparel, 
nationally  advertised  lines  which  had 
m?de  promotional  tieups. 


says  l 


terrific 


rr 


WRITE  FOR  DATA 

UN  ICON 
CASH  CONTROL 
SVS-5  ."/S  ■  LTD 
I50i  BROADWAY 

nE*    '0»*  City 


MOTION.  PICTURE 'THEATRE 

n  :■■ 


12 


Motion  Picture  Daii/> 


Monday.  July  9.  1945 


Seligsberg,  Veteran 
Film  Lawyer,  Dies 


U.  S.  Agencies  Seek  Army  Mexican  Union  to 
0         j,  r\»  Produce  20  Films 

Surplus  rum  Disposition 


Funeral  services  were  held  here 
Friday  at  the  Frank  E.  Campbell 
Funeral  Home  for  Walter  N.  Seligs- 
berg, 63,  senior  partner  of  the  law 
firm  of  Seligsberg,  Friedman  and 
Berliner,  and  an  attorney  here  for  41 
years,  who  died  Thursday  at  his  home 
here. 

From  the  early  days  of  motion  pic- 
tures Seligsberg  represented  various 
film  interests.  He  was  an  attorney 
for  the  old  Triangle  Film.  Motion  Pic- 
ture Patents  Co.,  and  many  others, 
and  in  recent  years  personal  attorney 
for  William  F.  Rodgers,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  distribution  of  M-G-M. 

Seligsberg  was  graduated  from 
Columbia  University  Law  School  _  in 
1904.  He  was  executor  of  the  Jewish 
Child  Care  Association,  and  since 
1940,  appeal  agent  for  Local  Draft 
Board  No.  65. 

Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mrs.  Min- 
nie B.  Seligsberg;  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Ada  S.  Koempfer,  and  a  son,  Sergt. 
Walter  L.  Selden,  who  was  formerly 
on  the  editorial  staff  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Herald. 


WPB  Further  Eases 
Ban  on  Equipment 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

or  on  particular  orders,  and  even 
though  all  production  materials  re- 
quired were  obtained  by  the  use  of 
priorities  assistance. 

In  another  directive,  WBP  has  re- 
stated its  policy  on  cancellation  of  war 
contracts,  providing  for  cancellation  as 
rapidly  as  possible  after  victory  over 
Japan. 

The  amendment  states :  ( 1 )  War 
contracts  will  be  cancelled  as  rapidly 
as  is  mechanically  possible  after  the 
declaration  of  V-J  Day.  (2)  Proce- 
dures for  clearance  and  consultation 
on  cutbacks  will  cease  to  be  effective 
at  'V-J  Day'.  (3)  Procurement  agen- 
cies will  report,  by  program,  to  the 
Production  Readjustment  Committee 
those  programs  which  are  expected  to 
continue  after  'V-J  Day'.  Scores  of 
motion  picture  equipment  and  other 
firms  in  the  film  industry  and  related 
fields  hold  war  contracts,  many  of 
them  working  exclusively  for  the 
Government. 


Leserman  Sets  Two 
UA  Sales  Meetings 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

agers  and  salesmen  from  Indianapolis, 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  Minneapolis. 

J.  J.  Unger,  Western  sales  man- 
ager, now  is  visiting  the  various  ex- 
changes and  will  preside  at  both  meet- 
ing, assisted  by  district  manager  Rud 
Lohrenz. 

Highlight  of  the  meetings  will  be 
a  complete  sales  analysis  on  current 
product  and  a  resume  of  new  product. 


Merrier  in  New  CBS  Post 

Andrew  Mercier  has  been  named  as- 
sistant supervisor  of  studio  technical 
operations  at  CBS's  New  York  televi- 
sion station  WCBW,  Dr.  Peter  C. 
Goldmark,  CBS  director  of  engineer- 
ing research  and  development,  has  an- 
nounced. Mercier  will  work  under 
Philip  A.  Goetz,  supervisor  of  techni- 
cal operations. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
complaints  that  the  Army  was  de- 
stroying surplus  prints  by  burning, 
discussed  the  possibilities  of  civilian 
use  of  the  pictures  after  the  war,  but, 
according  to  any  Army  spokesman, 
without  reaching  any  decisions. 

It  was  indicated  that  the  matter 
is  quite  involved  and  a  number  of 
meetings  are  expected  to  be  held  be- 
fore some  plan  of  disposing  of  the 
films  is  agreed  upon.  No  date  has 
been  set  for  a  future  meeting,  how- 
ever. 

Recognizing  the  public  interest  in 
the  matter,  the  Army  spokesman  said 
it  had  been  decided  that  when  a  de- 
cision is  reached  a  formal  announce- 
ment will  be  issued. 

Representatives  Present 

Present  at  the  conference  Friday- 
were  representatives  of  the  Army 
Signal  Corps,  Army  Air  Forces, 
Army  Service  Forces,  Navy,  Surplus 
Property  Board  and  Office  of  Educa- 
tion. 

The  question  of  securing  both  the 
Army  films  and  Army  surplus  16 
mm.  projectors  was  taken  up  with 
the  Surplus  Property  Board  last 
month  by  Office  of  Education  officials 
who  urged  that  the  best  possible  use 
that  could  be  made  of  this  material 
was  through  the  nation's  schools. 
Board  officials  were  sympathetic  to 
the  suggestion,  but  did  not  take  any 
immediate  action  because  it  is  not 
known  how  much  equipment  will  be- 
come available,  nor  wh"n. 

The  Board,  however,  is  understood 
to  lean  toward  a  policy  of  making 
surplus  material  available  where  it 
will  do  the  most  good  and  is  opposed 
to  any  destruction  of  property  that  can 
be  used. 

The  Office  of  Education  is  anxious 


SWG's  Postwar  Plan 
Interests  Producers 

Hollywood,  July  8. — Interested  re- 
plies from  "several  independent  pro- 
ducers" have  been  received  by  the 
Screen  Writers  Guild  following  its 
mailed  proposal  that  a  preferential 
hiring  plan  for  ex-servicemen  writers 
be  adopted,  an  SWG  spokesman  re- 
ports here.  The  plan,  long  in  prep- 
aration, seeks  to  assure  veterans  a 
new  start  in  the  profession  they  left, 
without  penalizing  writers  presently 
employed. 

Observers  believe  that  if  the  plan 
succeeds  other  guilds  will  adopt  a 
similar  program. 

New  Altec  Contracts 
Signed;  2  Renewals 

Henry  Moog,  Atlantic  district  man- 
ager of  Altec  Service,  announces  sign- 
ing of  new  agreements  with  W.  A. 
Prewitt,  Jr.  Theatres  in  Hattiesburg, 
Miss.,  and  Jennings,  La. ;  also  the 
Ritz,  Bogalusa,  La.,  and  Marcilla, 
Rockingham,  N.  C,  and  renewals 
from  J.  R.  Moffitt's  Carver  and  State 
theatres,  Montgomery,  Ala. 

R.  Hilton,  Altec's  Chicago  district 
manager,  has  signed  new  service 
agreements  with  the  Bertha,  Chicago ; 
Cozy,  Milaca.  Minn. :  State,  Water- 
loo, la. ;  and  Praga,  Chicago. 


to  secure  training  films  that  can  be 
used  scholastically,  but  does  not  want 
any  that  include  material  of  military 
value  or  confidential  nature.  In  the 
W ar  Department,  some  officials  have 
contended  that  many  of  the  pictures 
are  of  a  nature  that  should  not  be 
released,  but  there  is  some  difference 
of  opinion  as  to  what  security  factors 
will  be  involved  after  the  end  of  the 
war. 

First  step  toward  developing  con- 
crete machinery  for  disposing  of  the 
Army's  pictures  will  be  the  screening, 
by  titles,  of  some  2,500  films  to  de- 
termine which  have  any  civilian  value. 
This  will  be  done  by  a  committee 
comprised  of  representatives  of  all 
interested  groups. 

It  was  explained  that  there  are 
problems  beyond  that  of  the  content 
of  the  films,  such  as  the  copyrights 
involved  in  sections  which  are  incor- 
porated with  material  filmed  by  the 
Army  itself.  For  this  reason,  it  is 
possible  that  many  of  the  pictures 
never  will  be  turned  over  for  civilian 
use. 

Service  Damaged  Film 

Army  and  Navy  representatives 
were  said  to  be  agreed  that  after  the 
war  no  security  would  be  involved, 
although  it  is  still  necessarv  to  keep 
much  film  secret.  The  Army  Pictorial 
Service  also  said  that  after  the  war  it 
will  set  up  the  machinery  to  service 
films  damaged  in  use. 

It  was  emphasized  that  none  of  the 
pictures  have  yet  been  declared  sur- 
plus and  that  the  discussions  involve 
only  prints.  The  negatives  will  go 
into  the  archives  and  be  available  at 
all  times. 

Another  point  of  agreement  was 
that  the  whole  thing  should  be  han- 
dled by  one  disposal  agency. 


Schenectady  Fabians 
Gross  $449,429  Bonds 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  8. — Bond 
shows  in  Fabian's  Schenectady  the- 
atres grossed  $449,429,  the  division 
office  here  announces.  The  Proctor 
house  netted  $177,552.  A  midnight 
show  at  the  Erie  had  sales  of  $157,527. 
A  children's  show  at  the  State  brought 
purchases  amounting  to  $42,225.  Other 
boxoffice  sales  aggregated  $72,125. 


$205,000  Record  Bond  Sales  by 
Paramount  in  New  Haven 

New  Haven,  July  8. — Jim  Darby, 
manager  of  the  Paramount  Theatre, 
here,  announces  that  $205,000  in  "E" 
Bonds  had  been  sold  by  the  theatre 
during  the  Seventh  War  Loan,  a  rec- 
ord for  theatres  in  this  city. 


S2  144,000  Bonds  Sold  at 
lEchine  Circuit  Premieres 

Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  July  8— With 
five  more  theatres  yet  to  report, 
Schine  Circuit's  home  office  announces 
that  $2,144.0C0  in  war  bonds  had  been 
sold  at  recent  premieres. 


Trado's  Mother  Dies 

Mrs.  Katherine  Trado,  65,  mother 
of  Russell  Trado,  secretary  t*>  Rutgers 
Neilson,  RKO  Radio  publicity  man- 
ager, died  on  Friday  at  her  home  in 
Union  City,  N.  J.  Funeral  services 
I  will  be  held  from  there  today. 


Mexico  City.  July  8. — The  pro- 
gram of  Mexico's  original  film  labor 
organization,  the  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Workers  Union, 
now  operating  with  less  members,  due 
to  the  players'  and  five  other  sections 
quitting  and  forming  their  own  union, 
to  produce  a  series  of  pictures  "that 
will  initiate  a  new  era  of  motion  pic -I 
ture  production  in  Mexico."  will  em- 
brace 20  films  and  is  to  start  before 
the  end  of  June,  announces  Salvador 
Carrillo,  the  union's  secretary. 

The  first  picture  will  be  titled  "Su- 
peracion"  ("Superation")  and  will  be 
produced  at  new  studios  here.  The 
Ministry  of  the  Interior  has  author- 
ized raw  stock  for  all  of  the  union's 
pictures,  plus  enough  to  make  two 
prints  of  each.  Carrillo  added  that 
the  first  picture  will  be  financed  by  a 
group  of  Mexican  capitalists,  headed 
by  A.  Travesi.  But  he  did  not  say 
whether  this  group  will  finance  the 
other  19  productions. 

Officers  of  the  new  union  formed 
with  the  withdrawal  from  National, 
and  headed  by  its  secretary-general. 
"Cantinflas"  (Mario  Moreno),  Mexi- 
co's Charlie  Chaplin,  have  complained 
to  President  Manuel  Avila  Camachc 
about  the  Ministry  allowing  the  Na- 
tional Union  raw  stock,  in  view  of  the 
acute  shortage  of  it.  and  because,  they 
said,  Travesi  has  no  connection  what- 
soever with  the  industry.  The  presi- 
dent promised  to  investigate  the  com- 
plaint. 

Bingo  Prevails  with 
Blocking  of  Bill 

Columbus,  O..  Tuly  8. — Ohio  ex- 
hibitors who  have  been  jubilant  over 
the  prospective  discontinuance  oi 
'Bingo'  are  doomed  to  disappointment, 
for  the  present,  at  least,  since  the  bill 
of  Senator  George  Shurtz.  New- 
comerstown  minister,  was  blocked  in 
the  Senate  Rules  Committee. 

The  measure  sought  to  amend  the 
anti-gambling  law  to  eliminate  ihe 
clause  which  classified  a  scheme  of 
chance  as  one  from  which  a  profit  was 
derived.  Churches  and  other  group? 
interpret  this  as  granting  them  legal' 
immunity,  under  the  contention  that 
proceeds  from  the  games  are  devoted, 
to  religious,  educational  or  charitable 
purposes.  The  games,  conducted  week- 
ly by  these  groups  in  many  situations, 
attract  large  followings,  and  provide1 
appreciable  theatre  competition. 

Martin  Smith  Heads 
Owners  on  Decree 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
ton  Woods  last  September.    For  per 
sonal  and  business  reasons  he  was  no 
able  to  devote  the  requisite  time  fa 
the  office. 

The  Conference  is  composed  of  in1 
dependent  exhibitor  associations  an 
was  formed  in  Jan.,  1944,  to  protec 
the  interests  of  the  independent  ex 
hibitors  in  connection  with  the  Gov 
ernment's  consent  decree  suit  agains 
the  distributors. 


Maizlish's  Mother  Dies 

Holly'WOod,  July  8. — Mrs.  Soph 
Maizlish,  mother  of  Harry  Maizlisl 
general  manager  of  Warner  Bros,  ra  | 
dio  station  KFWB,  died  at  the  Cedar; 
of  Lebanon  Hospital,  Friday,  at  tli 
age  of  73  after  a  long  illness. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOL.  58.  NO.  6 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  JULY  10,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Theatre  Video 
Equipment  to 
fake  5  Years 


Rank's  West  Says  Time 
\eeded  for  Development 


- 


It  will  take  at  least  five  years 
rom  the  present  to  develop  theatre 
elevision  equipment  which  will 
•under  good  service  and  provide 
jictures  of  sufficient  clearness  and 
brightness  to  be  acceptable  to  theatre 
matrons,  according  to  Capt.  A.  G.  D. 
*Vest,  technical  director  of  the  tele- 
vision companies  of  the  J.  Arthur 
Rank  organization,  London,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  British  Kinematograph 
Society. 

In  an  interview  here  yester- 
day, Capt.  West,  who  is  here  to 
study  American  technical  im- 
provements in  television,  freely 
discussed  British  post  war  tele- 
vision plans.  Rank  controls 
Bush  Radio,  Cinema  Television 
Ltd.,  Baird  Television  Ltd.  and 
Societe  Internationale  de  Tele- 
vision. 

Capt.  West  said  once  theatre 

{Continued  on  page  7) 


Clark  Weighs  Action 
On  Contempt  Motion 


Tom  Clark,  U.  S.  Attorney  General, 
has  informed  Melvin  Albert,  attorney 
for  Rosewelt  Realty  Co.,  that  the  De 
partment  of  Justice  will  decide  within 
a  week  to  10  days  whether  it  will  act 
on  Rosewelt's  motion  to  hold  Para- 
mount, Loew's  and  RKO  Radio  in 
contempt  of  the  New  York  consent 
decree,  which  motion  was  dismissed 
last  Monday  by  Federal  Judge  Henry 
W.  Goddard  in  New  York. 
Albert  submitted  the  motion  to  the 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Small  Sends  Kosiner 
On  European  Survey 

Taking  cognizance  of  broadening 
world-wide  markets  for  new  pictures, 
Edward  Small,  president  of  Edward 
Small  Productions,  Inc.,  announces 
that  his  New  York  representative, 
Harry  Kosiner,  will  leave  early  in 
August  for  Europe,  where  he  will 
spend  several  weeks  making  a  com- 
plete _  survey  of  conditions. 

With  the  end  of  hostilities  and  the 
expansion  of  foreign  markets.  Small 
is  now  mapping  his  future  program 
with  a  view  of  universal  appeal. 


Canada  to  Abandon 
'Daylight'  Time 

Ottawa,  July  9.— The  Can- 
adian Government  has  prom- 
ised that  reversion  to  Stand- 
ard Time  is  in  prospect  in  the 
Dominion  commencing  in  Sep- 
tember. Daylight  Saving  Time 
was  ordered  more  than  five 
years  ago  throughout  the 
country  as  a  war  measure, 
despite  many  protests.  It  was 
stated  in  official  quarters 
that  Daylight  Saving  is  being 
dropped  in  various  adjacent 
areas  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada  would  follow  suit 
to  avoid  confusion. 


Sherwood  on  6Ike' 
Film  Biography 


Playwright  Robert  E.  Sherwood 
starts  today  on  the  script  of  the  life 
of  Gen.  Dwight  D.  Eisenhower  which 
will  be  brought  to  the  screen  by  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn,  Motion  Picture  Daily 
learned  last  night  in  a  long-distance 
telephone  conversation  with  Goldwyn 
in  Washington. 

Goldwyn  also  stated  that  the  film, 
which  the  War  Department  and  Gen. 
Eisenhower  have  given  him  permission 
to  make,  will  be  released  in  the  Fall 
of  1946.  Shooting  will  start  on  Jan.  2. 
Milton  Eisenhower,  the  General's 
brother,  will  serve  as  a  technical 
director. 

All  profits  accruing  from  the  pro- 
duction "will  be  paid  to  non-profit 
foundations  established  by  General 
Eisenhower  and  by  me,"  Goldwyn  said, 
adding  that  the  profits  will  "be  dedi- 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


Receipts  Are 
Heavy  at 
N.  Y.  Theatres 


Again  aided  by  school  holidays 
and  vacations,  several  days  of  mild 
weather,  as  well  as  an  influx  of 
tourists,  New  York  first-run  thea- 
tres are  generally  chalking  up  a  week 
of  outstanding  grosses.  The  newspaper 
deliverers'  strike,  which  has  tied  up 
distributions  of  newspapers,  failed  to 
have  any  noticeable  effect  upon  re- 
ceipts. 

Of  new  arrivals,  "A  Bell  for  Adano" 
at  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  and  "Nob 
Hill,"  with  Abbott  and  Costello  in  per- 
son at  the  Roxy,  are  tops. 

Registering  a  big  $80,000  for'  the 
first  four  days,  ending  Sunday  night, 
"A  Bell  for  Adano"  is  headed  for  a 
heavy  $130,000  in  an  initial  week  at 

{.Continued  on  page  11) 


UA  Product  Jam  In 
Chicago  Is  Acute 


Chicago,  July  9. — An  acute  jam  of 
United  Artists  product  exists  in  the 
local  exchange  due  to  the  lack  of  open 
dates  in  first  run  outlets.  In  addition 
to  eight  pictures  made  available  by 
United  Artists,  and  announced  by  Carl 
Leserman,  UA  general  sales  manager, 
in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on  June 
28,  three  additional  features :  "Colonel 
Blimp,"  "Blood  on  the  Sun,"  and 
"Bedside  Manner" — are  on  the  local 
shelf  awaiting  release  dates. 

The  six  Balaban  and  Katz  houses 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Kuykendall  Discloses  WB  Resigns 
From  MPTOA,  But  Others  Will  Stay 

Resignation  of  Warner  Bros.  Theatres  as  an  associate  member 
of  the  MPTOA,  effective  July  1,  is  understood  to  have  been  deter- 
mined upon  about  a  year  ago  and  was  heralded  at  the  time  by  the 
resignation  of  Warners'  Joseph  Bernhard  from  the  MPTOA  board 
of  directors.  It  is  not  clear  why  the  intervening  year  elapsed,  but 
in  some  quarters  implementation  of  the  decision  then  taken  is  tied 
to  withdrawal  of  the  parent  Warner  company  from  the  Hays  asso- 
ciation. 

Warner  was  silent  on  the  move  yesterday.  It  was  E.  L.  Kuy- 
kendall, president  of  MPTOA,  who  made  known  the  resignation. 
He  said  MPTOA  was  advised  of  it  by  letter  from  Albert  Warner 
dated  July  1  and  that  no  reason  was  given  for  the  step. 

"It  is  understood,"  read  KuykendalPs  statement,  "that  no  such 
action  is  contemplated  by  the  other  affiliated  circuits  who  will 
continue  to  collaborate  with  independent  exhibitor  members  of 
MPTOA  on  the  defense  of  all  theatres  against  excessive  and  dis- 
criminatory taxation  and  against  destructive  and  unreasonable 
regulation  of  theatre  operation  by  law.  No  change  in  the  structure 
or  policies  of  MPTOA  is  contemplated  at  this  time." 


Walsh  Asks 
That  CSU 
Be  Disbanded 


AFL  Executives  Turn  to 
Deadlocked  Studio  Tilt 


By  SAM  HONIGBERG 

Chicago,  July  9. — A  meeting  of 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor's 
executive  council  here  on  Aug.  6 
will  consider  the  Hollywood  strike 
situation  in  light  of  an  inconclusive 
conference  of  the  international  presi- 
dents of  all  unions  concerned,  held  at" 
the  Drake  Hotel,  here,  over  the  week- 
end, when  Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE 
head,  declining  a  sub-committee  pro- 
posal that  conditions  in  the  studios  be 
restored  to  their  pre-walkout  status, 
insisted,  instead,  upon  the  disbanding 
of  the  Conference  of  Studio  Unions 
and  the  permanent  retention  of  all  re- 
placement employes. 

CSU  has  sponsored  the 
strike,  which  began  March  15 
in  a  dispute  with  IATSE  on  the 
jurisdiction    over   set  decora- 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Kirsch  Turns  Down 
Offer  on  Combine 


Chicago,  July  9. — Jack  Kirsch, 
president  of  Allied  of  Illinois,  has 
turned  down  an  offer  to  act  as  'over- 
seer' of  booking  combines  in  this  coun- 
try' representing  some  2,000  indepen- 
dent theatres.  Kirsch  declined  to  make 
any  statement,  neither  confirming  nor 
denying  the  report.  It  was  learned, 
however,  that  the  executives  of  book- 
ing combines  in  such  cities  as  Boston 
and  Baltimore,  have  offered  Kirsch 
the  job  because  of  his  experience  in 
organizing  the  Allied  booking  office 
here  which  is  now  buying  for  83  the- 
atres and  his  acquaintance  with  dis- 
tributors. 

■  While  Kirsch  is  said  to  be  interested 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Albright  to  Australia 
In  Oct  for  20th-Fox 

Murray  Silverstone,  president  of 
20th  Century-Fox  International  Corp., 
has  appointed  Sidney  Albright  manag- 
ing director  of  20th  Century-Fox  in 
Australia.  Silverstone  stated  that  he 
had  made  the  appointment  at  the 
recommendation  of  Otto  Bolle,  20th's 
Supervisor  for  the  Far  East,  Australia 
and  New  Zealand,  and  it  will  become 
effective  in  October.  Albright  re- 
cently resigned  a  United  Artists  post. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  July  10,  1945 


Rankin  Says  Probe 
Is  Not  a  4Joyride' 


Washington,  July  9. — Rep.  John 
E.  Rankin  of  Mississippi  today  sought 
to  reassure  the  industry  that  the  in- 
vestigation of  alleged  subversive  ac- 
tivities in  Hollywood  by  the  House 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activities 
would  not  be  a  "joyride",  as  he  said 
had  been  charged. 

Rankin  insisted,  however,  the  com^ 
mittee  investigators  would  make  an 
exhaustive  study  of  the  charges  which 
he  said  have  been  brought  to  the  com- 
mittee's attention. 

Hound  Illegitimates 

"We  are  not  going  to  hound  legitLr 
mate  producers.  We  are  not  going 
to  hound  legitimate  writers",  he  said, 
"but  we  are  out  for  those  who  would 
poison  the  minds  of  your  children  and 
encourage  subversive  elements  to  over- 
throw this  Government". 

While  the  Mississippi  congressman 
insisted  he  was  not  engaged  in  a 
"smear"  campaign  against  the  indus- 
try, the  committee  was  asked  by  Rep- 
resentative Frank  R.  Havenner  of 
San  Francisco  to  investigate  a 
"smear"  campaign  he  "said  was  di- 
rected at  him. 


Winn's  Illness  Causes 
UA  Manager  Shifts 

Due  to  the  illness  of  district  man- 
ager James  Winn,  Carl  Leserman, 
United  Artists  general  sales  manager, 
has  made  the  following  territorial 
changes  in  the  company's  district  man- 
agers setup : 

Sam  Lefkowitz,  New  York  district 
manager  in  addition  to  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Washington,  will 
now  handle  both  New  "Haven  and 
Boston  exchanges ;  district  manager 
Jack  D.  Goldhar,  in  addition  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Cleveland,  Detroit  and  Pitts- 
burgh, will  supervise  Buffalo. 

Eastern  sales  manager  Harry  Gold 
and  district  manager  Sam  Lefkowitz 
will  leave  tonight  for  Boston.  From 
Boston,  Gold  will  continue  on  to 
Cleveland. 


de  Rochemont  Plans 
Third  Trip  to  Europe 

Richard  de  Rochemont,  producer  of 
March  of  Time,  will  make  his  third 
trip  to  the  European  Theatre  since  the 
war  started  when  in  MOT'S  position 
as  a  full  member  of  the  newsreel  pool 
he  leaves  with  editors  of  the  five 
newsreels  on  their  trip  to  that  con- 
tinent to  gather  material  on  Ameri- 
can troops  stationed  there. 

The  editors  are  scheduled  to  leave 
within  three  to  six  weeks.  De  Roche- 
mont has  already  visited  the  Italian 
and  Continental  theatres. 


$22,000  at  'Joe'  Opener 

The  one-night  showing  of  "The 
Story  of  G.  I.  Joe"  on  Friday  at 
Loew's  Indianapolis,  marking  the 
film's  world  premiere,  grossed  $22,000, 
t^e  receipts  going  to  the  "Ernie  Pyle 
Fund  in  Journalism"  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Indiana.  Price  of  tickets  ranged 
upwards  to  $50. 


Personal  Mention 


TAMES  MULVEY,  Eastern  repre- 
•J  sentative  for  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
has  delayed  his  departure  from  New 

i'ork  for  Hollywood  until  Friday. 
• 

L.  E.  Goldhammer,  vice-president 
and  general  sales  manager  of  Film 
Classics,  has  just  returned  from  a 
three-week  Western  tour  in  which  he 
covered  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City,  Los 
Angeles  and  Chicago. 

• 

Louis  Astor,  Columbia  circuit  sales 
executive,  left  here  yesterday  for  a 
three-week  trip  to  Washington,  Pitts- 
burgh, Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  St. 
Louis,  Detroit,  Buffalo  and  Albany. 
• 

Ted  Shaw,  assistant  to  William 
C.  Gehring,  20th  Century-Fox  West- 
ern sales  manager,  has  left  here  for 
two  weeks  of  camping  and  fishing  in 
Canada. 

• 

Walter  Hoffman  and  Mike 
Weiss,  20th  Century-Fox.  exploitation 
representatives,  are  in  New  York  from 
Minneapolis  and  Philadelphia,  re- 
spectively. 

• 

Lt.  James  Anderson,  formerly  an 
assistant  RKO  Radio  director,  is  back 
at  the  studio  following  an  honorable 
discharge  from  the  Army. 

• 

Dick  Wright,  Warner  assistant 
Cleveland  zone  manager,  is  host  to  his 
mother,  who  came  on  from  Indianap- 
olis during  his  vacation. 

• 

Harry  Gold,  United  Artists  East- 
ern sales  manager,  and  Sam  Lefko- 
witz, district  manager,  will  leave  here 
tonight  for  Boston. 

• 

Hugh  Owen,  Paramount  New 
York  and  Southern  divisibn  manager, 
is  in  Atlanta  with  Allen  Usher  and 
Sonny  Tltfts. 

• 

Charles  Leonard,  Eastern  repre- 
sentative for  William  Cagney  Prod., 
returned  to  New  York  from  Buffalo 
yesterday. 

• 

Frank  C.  Walker,  president  of 
Comerford  Circuit,  is  en  route  to 
Scranton  to  look  over  circuit  proper- 
ties. 

• 

Jack     Sogg,     M-G-M  Cleveland 
branch  manager,  and  Mrs.  Sogg  are 
vacationing  at  St.  Ignace,  Wis. 
• 

Tom  Norman,  operator  of  the  Pal 
Theatre,   Palantine,   111.,  is  spending 
his  vacation  near  Minneapolis. 
• 

Jack  Rose,  executive  of  Manta  and 
Rose  Theatres,  Chicago,  is  in  New 
York  for  two  weeks. 

• 

Leon  Fromkess,  PRC  president,  is 
due  in  Hollywood  from  New  York  to- 
morrow. 

• 

Jim  Haley  and  Phil  Rapp  of 
Fabin's  Schenectady  Theatres  are  on 
vacation. 

• 

Luis  Cesar  Amadori,  South  Amer- 
ican director,  has  arrived  in  Holly- 
wood. 


TAMES  R.  GRAINGER,  Republic 
*J  president,  will  leave  today  for  a 
two-day  visit  to  the  company's  Boston 
branch. 

• 

Saul  Shurpin,  National  Theatre 
Supply  sales  representative  who  had 
an  emergency  appendectomy  last  Sat- 
urday at  the  Good  Samaritan  Hos- 
pital, Suffren,  N.  Y.,  is  recovering 
and  will  resume  his  duties  about 
Aug.  1. 

• 

Mat.  Robert  D.  Martin  of  the 
Army  Signal  Corps  has  returned  to 
the  Warner  studio  to  resume  his  post 
as  head  of  the  decorative  lighting  de- 
partment. Ed  Sticht,  acting  head  of 
the  department,  will  become  assistant. 
• 

Jack  Osserman,  head  of  the  Cen- 
tral and  South  American  and  Carib- 
bean territory  for  RKO,  will  leave 
Chicago  July  16  for  a  two-week  visit 
to  the  Coast  studios. 

• 

Mrs.  Ben  Goetz,  wife  of  the 
M-G-M  production  executive  now  in 
England,  is  scheduled  to  leave  here 
July  19  to  join  her  husband  in  Lon- 
don. 

• 

Cpl.  Ted  O'Shea,  son  of  E.  K. 
O'Shea,  M-G-M  Eastern  sales  man- 
ager, is  in  New  York  after  19  months 
in  the  Pacific  with  the  Marines. 
• 

Claude  Morris,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Prod,  exploitation  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  after  a  three- 
week  tour  of  the  country. 

• 

Sam  Scheckter,  manager  of  Col- 
onial Theatre,  Hartford,  and  Mrs. 
Scheckter  are  celebrating  their  fifth 
wedding  anniversary. 

• 

Eugene  Lajeunesse,  discharged 
from  the  Canadian  Army,  has  taken 
over  the  management  of  the  Fairyland 
Theatre,  Montreal. 

• 

Herman  Silverman,  general  man- 
ager of  the  Wometco  Circuit,  Miami, 
visited  the  Warner  studio  in  Holly- 
wood last  week. 

Tom  Donaldson,  M-G-M  Boston 
manager,  will  leave  here  tonight  for 
his  headquarters  after  home-office  con- 
ferences. 

• 

Larry  Stephens,  recently  appointed 
United  Artists  exploitation  director 
for  Canada,  has  been  visiting  in  Mont- 
real. 

Harold  Lloyd  is  in  Chicago  to  at- 
tend a  Shrine  meeting  at  the  Palmer 
House  today  and  tomorrow. 

• 

Bernard  J.  Gates,  special  repre- 
sentative for  Monogram,  has  arrived 
in  Buenos  Aires. 

• 

Elmer  Smith  and  Gustave  Kraus- 
harr.  National  Screen  auditors,  are 
in  Atlanta. 

• 

Cpl.  David  Katz  is  visiting  his 
brothers  Harry  and  Ike  of  PRC  of 
Atlanta. 


Joe  Krumgold  to 
Riskin  Productions 


Hollywood,  July  9. — Joe  Krum- 
gold, former  Hollywood  writer,  has 
been  signed  as  general  assistant  of 
Robert  Riskin  Productions.  Krum- 
gold will  concentrate  on  writing 
chores,  will  work  on  all  scripts,  and 
is  at  present  engaged  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  screen  play  for  the  first 
Riskin  film,  "The  Magic  City." 

Krumgold  has  worked  as  a  writer 
and  also  as  a  writer-producer  at  Re- 
public studio. 


Safier  to  Join  Gore 

Hollywood,  July  9. — Morris  Safier 
has  resigned  as  Western  sales  man- 
ager of  PRC  to  join  Gore  Brothers 
Theatres. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

VERONICA  SONNY 
LAKE  .  TUFTS 
EDDIE  MARJORIE 
BRACKEN  •  REYNOLDS 

'BRING  ON 
the  GIRLS' 

IN  COLOR! 


IN  PERSON 
LEE 

CASTLE 

andJJRCH. 
BILL 
JOHNSON 


^^Robert^^~^Uzabeth^^^^^^TJori 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In  HAL  WALL1S  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 


A  Paramount  Picture 
In  Person     STAN  KENTON 


and  His 
Orchestra 


Samuel  Goldwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Robert  Young  -  Laraine  Day 

"THOSE  ENDEARING 
YOUNG  CHARMS" 

An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres. '  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3-  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


i 


The 


TECHNICOLOR 

story  of  Aladdin 
and  his 
wonderful 

VAMP 


the  Technicolor 
Genie  with 
the  light  brown 
hairl 


COLUMBIA 
PICTURES 


Harem  Mouris  !  Covely  Slave  Qirls, 
Cuseious  Dancing  %eautles\ 
Romance Jn Old 'Hag dad! 


<w> 
lav 


Tuesday,  July  10.  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Donohue,  Demarest 
Address  Para  Meet 


Milwaukee,  July  9. — Press  repre- 
jsentatives.  exhibitors  and  others  at- 
tended a  reception  given  by  Paramount 
•over  the  weekend  at  the  Hotel  Schroe- 
Ider  here,  in  conjunction  with  the  com- 
pany's nation-wide  'One-Third  of-a- 
Century'  celebration. 

James  J.  Donohue,  Central  division 
I  sales  manager  from  New  York,  paid 
tribute  to  'old  timers'  who  have  done 
(business  with  Paramount  for  30  years, 
and  felicitated  Xorman  Puhlmann, 
i  oldest  company  employee  in  length  of 
service  in  the  Milwaukee  exchange. 

Among  those  attending  the  reception 
were :  Alfred  D.  Kvool,  Harold  J. 
i  Fitzgerald,  Jack  Yeo,  B.  K.  Fischer, 
j  John  Freuler,  Hy  Laden,  Larry  Law- 
rence, Walter  Monfried,  Arville  Schle- 
ben,  Harvey  Schwander.  Max  Krofta, 
Fred  Stein,  James  Gahagan,  and 
i>thers. 

Prior  to  the  reception,  exhibitors 
gathered  at  Paramount's  exchange  for 
a  meeting  which  featured  addresses  by 
rilm  actor  William  Demarest ;  M.  R. 
i  Duke)  Clark  and  Donohue  who  are 
on  tour  in  observance  of  'Paramount 
Month.' 

Tufts,  Mrs.  Taylor 
Feted  by  Paramount 

New  Orleans,  July  9. — Sonny 
Tufts,  Paramount  star,  was  co-honoree 
with  Mrs.  Pauline  Taylor,  the  local 
Paramount  exchange's  oldest  em- 
ployee, at  a  luncheon  at  the  New  Or- 
leans Athletic  Club  prior  to  his  de- 
parture for  Atlanta. 

Tufts  was  accompanied  to  New  Or- 
leans by  Hugh  Owen,  New  York, 
Paramount  division  manager ;  Vernon 
i  Bud)  Gray.  Atlanta,  district  pub- 
licity chief;  Allen  Usher,  San  Fran- 
cisco, district  manager  and  captain  of 
Paramount's  Third-of -a -Century' 
drive,  and  John  F.  Kirby,  Atlanta, 
district  manager. 

Special  guests  at  the  luncheon  were 
inhibitors  who  have  been  long-stand- 
ing Paramount  customers :  F.  R. 
Heiderick,  Bert  Kiern,  Mrs.  Henry 
Lazarus,  C.  E.  and*E.  M.  Thomassee, 
Joy  Houck,  L.  C.  Montgomery  and 
Harry  Suddath. 


Jones  to  Hollywood 
On  'Cassidy'  Revival 

Hollywood,  July  9. — Johnny  Jones. 
Chicago  circuit  operator  and  head  of 
the  recentlv-formed  Screen  Guild  Pro- 
ductions, has  arrived  here  for  confer- 
ences with  Harry  Sherman  on  a  long- 
pending  deal  under  which  Sherman 
would  revive  the  "Hopalong  Cassidy" 
series  for  SGP. 


Baity  to  Coast  Post 

Hollywood,  July  9.  —  Tom  Baily 
has  returned  here  from  Washington, 
where  he  served  four  months  as  in- 
dustry liaison  with  the  Treasury  De- 
partment, and  has  resumed  the  co-di- 
rectorship of  the  Hollywood  branch  of 
the  War  Activities  Committee  and  the 
executive  directorship  of  the  Califor- 
nia Theatre  Council. 


Making  3  for  China 

Sun  Dial  Films,  here,  is  producing 
three  one-reelers  for  the  Chinese  Min- 
istry of  Information,  titled :  "Road  to 
Victory,"  "China's  Defenders"  and 
"Backbone  of  China." 


Theatre  Video  Equipment 
Will  Take  5  More  Years 


(Continued  from  page  8) 

television  equipment  is  developed  to 
the  point  where  good  reception  can  be 
provided  for  theatres  on  feasible  equip- 
ment which  can  be  operated  by  theatre 
personnel,  including  regular  projec- 
tionists, the  800  theatres  in  the  Odeon 
and  British  Gaumont  circuits  in  Great 
Britain  will  be  equipped  with  receivers. 
Present  plans  also  call  for  Cinema 
Television  to  provide  equipment  for 
French  theatres,  Capt.  West  said. 

Theatre  television  will  require  at 
least  1,000-line  definition,  according  to 
Capt.  West.  Present  plans  call  for 
television  to  go  ahead  by  May  of  next 
year  on  405-line  definition,  he  pointed 
out,  with  800-line  television  being  de- 
veloped. 

Capt.  West  described  the  10-year 
plan  proposed  by  the  British  Kine- 
matograph  Society  for  the  technical 
development,  rehabilitation  and  re-edu- 
cation of  personnel  of  the  British  film 
industry.  This  involves  bringing  tele- 
vision into  the  fold  of  the  film  indus- 
try, since  it  is  felt  that  a  new  vitaliz- 
ing point  of  view  is  required,  he  said. 

During  the  first  two  years  under  the 
plan,  theatres  and  production  equip- 
ment would  be  replaced  with  the  latest 
equipment  and  personnel  would  be  re- 
educated in  the  best  use  of  the  equip- 
ment. During  the  following  two  years, 
auditorium  acoustics  would  be  im- 
proved and  better  sound  and  color 
would  be  developed.  Equipment  suit- 
able to  provide  black  and  white  mono- 
chrome television   for  theatres  with 


the  elimination  of  interference  would 
be  the  project  for  the  fifth  "and  sixth 
years ;  color  television  would  be  pro- 
vided during  the  seventh  and  eighth 
years  with  three-dimensional  television 
pictures  being  made  available  in  the 
10th. 

Home  television  development  will  be 
in  full  swing  by  next  May  with  wide- 
spread distribution  of  sets  being  ac- 
complished in  three  years,  Capt.  West 
said.  About  80  per  cent  of  England's 
population  will  be  able  to  receive  tele- 
vision entertainment  in  their  homes 
from  seven  main  transmitting  centers 
in  three  years,  he  pointed  out.  These 
centers  include  London,  Birmingham, 
Manchester,  Gloucester,  Leeds  and 
Bristol. 

Cinema  Television  through  Bush 
Radio,  will  produce  television  receivers 
for  the  home  but  due  to  increases  in 
costs  of  material  and  labor,  as  well  as 
taxes,  sets  which  sold  for  $180  in  1938 
will  cost  as  much  as  $500,  Capt.  West 
explained.  There  will  be  one  hour  of 
television  in  the  afternoon  and  two 
hours  each  evening  on  a  six  days  a 
week  schedule,  he  pointed  out.  Home 
television  will  be  Government-spon- 
sored and  theatres  will  buy  copyright 
to  programs  once  they  install  equip- 
ment, according  to  present  thinking. 

Capt.  West  described  German  and 
French  television  developments  during 
the  war  period  with  films  being  used 
but  does  not  believe  that  they  have 
created  any  important  changes.  He 
will  be  in  the  United  States  until  Julv 
29. 


Katcher  Is  Disney 
N.  Y.  Talent  Head 


Walt  Disney  has  appointed  Leo 
Katcher  to  head  the  East  Coast  story 
and  talent  department.  This  is  an  in- 
novation in  the  Disney  organization, 
since  hitherto  there  has  been  no  New 
York  office  dealing  solely  with  the 
purchase  of  property,  or  the  signing  of 
talent.  { 
-;  Katcher  who  has  just  returned  from 
k  six-week  visit  to, the  Disney  Studio 
ih  Burbank,  was  formerly  connected 
with  Samuel  Goldw'yn  -aud  David  O. 
Selznickr. 

  \ 

Disney  Seeks  Priority 
For  a  Sound  Stage 

Hollywood,  July  9. — Walt  Disney's 
plans  -for  the  future  include  further 
development  of  the  combined-  live  ac- 
tion-cartoon technique  -  introduced  in 
"The  Three  Caballerosj?'  but  no  ven- 
ture into  the  all-live  g^tion  field  is 
anticipated,  a  company^  official  said 
today  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  arising 
from  reports  that  the  sttidio  had  ap- 
plied for  a  priority  to  bt?ild  a  sound 
stage.  ,'  \ 


Hollywood  Vogue  in 
FWC  Circuit  Today 

Hollywood,  July  9. — T^e  Vogue 
Theatre  on  Hollywood  Boulevard  will 
pass  officially  into  controlj  of  Fox 
West  Coast  Theatres  tomorrow,  open- 
ing as  a  first-run  in  tandfem  with 
the  Orpheum  and  vowntown.\ 

A  deal  under  which  FW(\  would 
acquire  the  Pan  Pacific  in  thevmid- 
town  area  from  Harry  Popkin,  foriner 
owner  of  the  Vogue,  ^s  now  pending. 


Plan  for  Demobilized 
Actors  Is  Imminent 

Hollywood,  July  9. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild  late  this  week  or  early 
next  will  reveal  details  of  a  long- 
studied  plan  under  which  the  studios 
would  cooperate  with  the  Guild  to 
guarantee  reasonable  minimum  em- 
ployment, believed  90  days,  in  his  own 
profession  to  every  player  discharged 
from  military  service. 


Dillinger  Kin  Sues  Mono. 

Indianapolis,  July  9. — Mrs.  Aud- 
rey Hancock,  sister  of  the  late  John 
Dillinger,  has  filed  suit  in  Circuit 
Court  here  to  enjoin  Monogram  from 
showing  the  film,  "Dillinger,"  charg- 
ing that  it  is  detrimental  to  the  youth 
of  the  country.  Mrs.  Hancock  also 
asks  $500,000  damages  for  "mental 
anguish." 


Bromberg  Belittles  Charge 

Atlanta,  July  9. — The  relation  be- 
tween the  outbreak  of  vandalism  and 
the  showing  of  "Dillinger"  in  Atlanta 
"seems  rather  remote,"  Arthur  C. 
Bromberg,  president  of  Monogram 
Southern  Exchanges,  distributors  of 
the  film,  said  in  reply  to  Mrs.  Byron 
H.  Mathews,  president  of  the  Atlanta 
Better  Films  Committee. 


Elvira  Gone  to  Spain 

Mexico  City.  July  9.— Because  of 
unsettled  conditions  in  the  Mexican 
picture  industry,  Gonzalo  Elvira,  pro- 
ducer has  sold  his  stock  in  Artistas 
Asociados,  a  producing  company,  and 
gone  to  Spain  where  he  plans  to  make 
several  pictures. 


BIGGEST  SHIP  IS 


*  THE 


THE  QUEEN  ELIZABETH  * 


BIGGEST : 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED...  * 


'   1  ■  * 


My  ayes  op£W/v& 

MDER  All  7?/£  T/AfE 


Honorably  Discharged,  bul 


I 


Mm 


r 


The  Red  Cross 
worker  there  in 
the  hospital  corri- 
dor stopped,  startled 
by  my  blurting  out,  "It 
isn't  even  as  if  I'd  been 
injured.  I'm  just  a  coward 
who  couldn't  keep  on  taking 
F    it."  She  eyed  me  levelly. 
"Get  that  notion  out  of 
your  head,  soldier.  You're  in 
the  same  boat  with  the  fellow 
who  injured  an  arm  or  a  leg. 
You  injured  your  nervous  sys- 
tem instead.  Don't  let  anyone 
tell  you  you  can't  take  it.  Just 
see  to  it  that  you  don't  quit 
now.  So  long,  soldier." 


£VE#yjOE/S 
AJOBfORVS 


WE  ARE  LONELY  PEOPLE 


I  know  what  I  am,  and 
I  am  not  afraid  to  admit 
it.  I  was  an  alcoholic, 
drinking  like  a  crazy 
woman,  because  we 
alcoholics  are  unable  to 
drink  normally.  It  isn't  people  who 
drive  us  to  drink,  it  isn't  situations. 
Alcoholism  is  a  disease,  not  a  weakness. 
The  only  answer  to  the  alcoholic's  problem 
is  to  change  himself—  to  stop  drinking. 
Alcoholics  Anonymous  brought 
me  back  to  sanity  and  decency. 
I  have  become  a  realist. 
Now  I  want  to  tell  y^Hl 
what  AA  does,  how 
it  works,  and  why... 


/ME 

&?&rr  w/ves  JBo/r 


Does  Politeness  End  with  Marriage? 

by  Willetta  Niemi  Miller 

Married  people  get  into  the  habit  of 
taking  each  other  for  granted,  and  there- 
fore, completely  forget  to  be  polite  to 
each  other.  It  is  a  common  error.  A 
woman  bumps  into  a  man  accidentally 
at  a  party,  and  says,  "Why  don't  you 
look  where  you're  going?"  You  know 
whether  they're  married. 


IN  WONDER  LAND 


sBmm 


HEARTS 


Conducting  a  national  radio 
program  with  one  of  the  high- 
est Crossley  ratings  in  the 
business,  a  big  sponsor,  and 
thousands  of  listeners  had 
made  "Jonathan  Hope 
Advises"  almostahousehold 
word  in  the  last  five  years,  and 
my  name  a  national  catchword.  I 
took  my  job  of  helping  other  people  in 
dead  earnest  .  .  .  Toward  the  close  of  my 
program  that  night,  after  a  dramatic  pause, 
I  began,  "My  decision  in  this  case."  But 
before  I  could  say  another  word,  a 
hysterical  woman's  voice  from  the 
audience  screamed,  "You  fraud! 
I'll  tell  everyone  that  I'm  your 
daughter,  that  for  eighteen 
years  you  kept  me  buried 
away,  that  you've  brought 
only  misery  to  those  closest 
to  you.  How  can  you  solve 
anyone's  problem — you, 
who  can't  even  solve 
your  own?" 


MY  FRIEND,  BING 


by-Frank  Sinatra 

I'm  one  of  Bing's  zaniest  fans. 
His  career  has  been  an  inspi- 
ration to  me.  I  don't  believe 
that  any  other  star,  singer, 
radio  performer,  movie  idol, 
has  ever  been  so  consistently 
popular  as  Bing.  He's  bigger 
in  every  way  now  than  he 
ever  was.  I  consider 
Bing  one  of  the 
great  popular  art 
ists  of  all  time. 


X 


ft 


TRUE  CONFESSIONS  stories  and  articles 
are  not  really  written — they're  lived. 
The  exciting  things  in  its  pages  each 
month  could  have  happened  to  someone,  to 
you.  The  varied  problems  that  make  "Your 
Magazine  for  a  Better  Life"  compellingly  interesting  are  the 
everyday  problems  of  average  people.  They  don't  follow 
nice,  neatly  notched  patterns,  any  more  than  people's  lives 
do.  True  Confessions  is  trusted  because  the  good  sense  it  is 
filled  with  is  helpful. 


"DiBME 


Bought  at  newsstands  by  2,000,000  women  a  month  for  the  living  service  it  gives 

FAWCETT  PUBLICATIONS,  INC.,  295  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 
World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Magazines 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  10,  1945 


UA  Product  Jam  in 
Chicago  Is  Acute 


Walsh  Asks  That  the  CSU 
Be  Disbanded  in  Fight 


ontinned  from  page  1) 

in  the  Loop,  which  have  been  releas- 
ing most  of  the  UA  product,  also 
have  a  backlog  of  new  M-G-M,  Para- 
mount, Warner  and  20th  Century-Fox 
product.  While  UA  is  free  to  dicker 
with  the  independent  Oriental  Theatre 
for  playing  time,  the  policy  of  that 
house  calls  for  weekly  screen  changes 
and  only  occasionally  holds  a  picture 
a  second  week.  Distributors  of  "Story 
of  G.  I.  Joe,"  "The  Great  John  L.," 
"Blood  on  the  Sun,"  "Guest  Wife," 
and  "Captain  Kidd,"  among  others, 
are  demanding  long  runs  in  the  Loop, 
even  at  the  expense  of  delayed  releas- 
ing schedules. 

To  secure  Loop  outlets  without  fur- 
ther delay,  four  of  the  last  five  UA 
releases  here  have  played  away  from 
B.  and  K.  houses.  "Mr.  Emmanuel" 
was  sold  to  the  'arty'  World  Play- 
house, while  "Delightfully  Danger- 
ous," "It's  in  the  Bag,"  and  "Tomor- 
row the  World"  had  premieres  at  the 
Oriental.  David  Selznick's  "I'll  Be 
Seeing  You"  was  the  exception,  hav- 
ing played  the  Roosevelt. 


WB  Transfers  Mailer 

Hartford,  July  9.  —  Tommy  Mai- 
ler, for  the  past  15  years  with  Warner 
Brothers  in  the  Hartford  district  has 
been  transferred  to  Warners,  Jersey 
City. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 

SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  releases,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

tors;  and  "IA,"  since  that  time, 
has  established  a  number  of 
new  locals  to  keep  the  studios 
operating. 

CSU's  strike  strategy  committee, 
following  the  weekend  sessions,  con- 
tended that  Walsh's  action  has  wors- 
ened his  status  with  the  AFL  execu- 
tive committee  in  that  he  has  now 
formally  stated  his  previously-unde- 
clared defiance  of  its  order  that  he 
withdraw  the  charters  issued  to  Hol- 
lywood painters',  carpenters',  and  ma- 
chinists' unions.  A  CSU"  spokesman 
expressed  hope  that  this  would  result 
in  AFL's  eventual  expulsion  of  the 
"IA." 

On  Friday,  when  the  general  con- 
ference could  not  reach  any  agree- 
ment, William  Hutcheson,  AFL  vice- 
president  and  head  of  the  United 
Brotherhood  of  Carpenters  and  Join- 
ers of  America,  who  had  called  the 
Chicago  meetings,  appointed  the  sub- 
committee to  talk  with  Walsh  and 
his  two  representatives,  Eugene  Atkin- 
son, chief  of  the  Chicago  Projection- 
ists Union,  and  Frank  Stickling,  spe- 
cial "IA"  representative.  Hutcheson 
himself  was  chairman  of  the  concilia- 
tion group,  which  also  included  Har- 
vey  Brown,  president  of  the  Interna- 
tional Brotherhood  of  Machinists ;  Ed 
Brown,  president  of  the  International 
Brotherhood  of  Electrical  Workers ; 
Martin  Durkin,  president  of  the  Unit- 
ed Association  of  Plumbers  and 
Steamfitters ;  William  McFedridge, 
president  of  the  Building  Service 
Employees  Union,  and  L.  P.  Lindelof, 
president  of  the  Painters,  Decorators 
and  Paper  Hangers  of  America. 

Walsh's  Explanation 

Speaking  of  this  committee's  sug- 
gestion that  the  pre-strike  status  be 
resumed,  Walsh  said :  "They  wanted 
me  to  desert  the  members  of  TA'  and 
I  refused  it."  Later,  however,  Hut- 
cheson, questioned  on  this  point,  told 
Motion  Picture  Daily,  "We  didn't 
make  such  a  request." 

Herbert  Sorrell,  CSU  president, 
said  his  organization  would  continue 
to  fight  "all  the  way"  and  that  the 
union  is  in  a  position  to  hold  out  in- 
definitely. He  added,  however,  that 
CSU  has  no  intention  of  deserting 
AFL  for  the  Congress  of  Industrial 
Organizations  and  displayed  little  in- 
terest in  reports  that  the  Los  Angeles 
Council  of  CIO  had  urged  the  Nation- 
al Labor  Relations  Board  to  render 
an  early  decision  on  its  examination 
into  the  eligibility  of  voters  in  the 
recent  set  decorators'  election. 

Unofficially,  it  was  observed  that  the 
17-week-old  strike  has  never  been  far- 
ther from  settlement  and  that  it  was 
doubtful  whether  any  decision  from 
NLRB  would  alter  the  situation. 

In  a  prepared  statement,  Hutcheson 
said :  "An  offer  was  made  by  the  com- 
mittee representing  the  international 
organizations  that  a  status  quo  date  be 
determined  as  of  the  date  when  the 


'Bewitched'  Censored 

Chicago,  July  9.  —  M-G-M's  "Be- 
witched" was  given  an  "adults  only" 
tag  by  the  Chicago  censor  board. 
Similar  classifications  during  the 
month  of  June  were  given  Universal's 
"The  Jungle  Captive",  and  Dezel's 
"The  Enemy  in  Your  Blood".  The 
board  rejected  none  of  93  pictures. 


strike  was  called,  and  that  all  men 
employed  by  the  studios  prior  to  the 
date  determined  would  be  returned  to 
their  former  positions.  This  proposal 
was  refused  by  representatives  of  the 
IATSE." 

In  the  presence  of  the  presidents 
representing  their  organizations,  Hut- 
cheson stated  that  the  six  internation- 
als whose  members  are  affected  by 
the  strike  agreed  to  continue  to  sup- 
port their  members  in  the  present  con- 
troversy. 

Among  others  who  attended  the  gen- 
eral conference  were  D.  T.  Wayne 
of  the  Machinists  Union,  Hollywood ; 
James  Skelton  and  .  Joe  Cambiano, 
Carpenters  Union,  Hollywood ;  John 
Rooney,  president  of  the  Plasterers 
International ;  John  Marshall,  presi- 
dent of  the  Hod  Carriers  and  Labor- 
ers, Los  Angeles;  John  Gillespie,  gen- 
eral secretary  of  the  International 
Brotherhood  of  Teamsters ;  Hugo 
Ernst,  general  secretary  of  the  Hotel 
and  Restaurant  Employees  Interna- 
tional ;  Roy  Tindall  of  the  Internation- 
al Electricians,  Hollywood,  and  Bud- 
dy Green,  Hutcheson's  secretary. 


NLRB  Examinations 
Open  on  the  Coast 

Hollywood,  July  9. — Robert  N. 
Denham,  who  arrived  at  the  week- 
end from  Washington  to  preside  as 
trial  examiner  in  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  examinations  into  the 
eligibility  of  voters  in  the  set  deco- 
rators' election,  recessed  the  first  ses- 
sion at  midday  today  after  attorneys 
Maurice  Nicoson  for  NLRB,  Homer 
Nitchell  for  the  Producers,  Frank 
Pestana  for  CSU  and  Michael  Luddy 
for  IATSE  presented  complete  rec- 
ords in  the  case  with  which  Denham 
said  he  would  familiarize  himself  over 
night. 

The  next  session  will  open  tomor- 
row with  the  producers  and  IATSE 
scheduled  to  present  opening  argu- 
ments, after  which  CSU  will  present 
strike  replacement  personnel  for  ex- 
amination. The  understanding  is  that 
the  hearings  will  continue  several 
days,  with  all  challenges  made  by 
both  CSU  and  IATSE  coming  under 
examination. 

A  CSU  mass  meeting  Sunday  night 
was  told  that  the  Chicago  meeting  of 
the  international  presidents  had  served 
the  purpose  of  clarifying  the  grounds 
on  which  the  AFL  executive  council 
can  expel  IATSE  if  president  Rich- 
ard F.  Walsh  persists  in  his  refusal 
to  withdraw  the  charters  issued  the 
carpenters,  painters  and  machinists 
since  the  strike  started. 

CSU  president  Herbert  Sorrell  and 
his  party  are  expected  to  arrive  from 
Chicago  Tuesday  night.  Walsh  went 
on  from  Chicago  to  New  York.  Roy 
Brewer,  left  in  charge  here,  made  no 
comment  save  to  deny  reports  that 
IATSE  is  contemplating  withdrawal 
from  the  AFL. 


$23,777  for  'Great  John  L.' 

Revised  figure  on  the  initial  week 
of  "The  Great  John  L."  at  the  Orph- 
eum  Theatre,  San  Francisco,  was  $23,- 
777,  Bing  Crosby  Prod.,  the  film's 
producer,  reports  here.  This  figure, 
the  company  claims,  hits  an  all-time 
house  mark ;  the  film  is  expected  to 
remain  four  weeks. 


Short  Subject 
Reviews 

"China  Life-Line" 

(RKO-This  Is  America) 

One  of  the  most  pictorial  and 
factually  interesting  This  Is  Amer- 
ica shorts  to  be  produced  in  recent 
months,  "China  Life-Line"  clearly 
presents  the  incidents  in  the  battle  to 
supply  gasoline  and  oil  for  the  tanks 
in  China.  The  story  of  how  this 
necessity  for  war  was  shipped  from 
a  port  in  Texas  to  Calcutta  and  then 
to  Running  in  China  is  an  exciting 
one,  for  the  problems  of  the  Army 
engineers  were  not  simple,  as  this  film 
clearly  demonstrates. 

Difficulties  Encountered 

Combating  rugged  terrain,  Jap 
snipers,  monseons,  mud  and  illness, 
engineers  laid  the  pipe  line  that  car- 
ried gas  for  the  B-29*s  and  jeeps. 
Drums  of  the  fluid  were  flown  reg- 
ularly across  'The  Hump.'  Jeeps  were 
transformed  into  locomotives  to  haul 
oil  into  the  interior  of  China.  The 
picture  reveals  and  reflects  American 
ingenuity  and  efficiency  at  its  best — 
the  kind  of  ingenuity  that  is  winning 
the  war. 

Larry  O'Reilly  did  a  splendid  job 
on  photography  and  direction  of  the 
film  while  Ardis  Smith  turned  out  a 
top-notch  script.  Running  time,  16 
minutes. 


"Where's  the  Meat?" 

(20th-Fox-March  of  Time) 

Into  the  timely  topic  of  meat  scarci- 
ty, March  of  Time  editors  have  probed 
gingerly,  unearthing  some  revealing 
facts.  With  the  nation  producing  more 
meat  than  ever  before,  the  shortage  is 
reaching  critical  proportions.  The 
enormous  need  of  the  Armed  Forces 
consumes  most  of  the  supply,  with  the 
awakened  hunger  of  a  war-prosperous 
populace  accounting  for  a  good  deal 
more.  Another,  but  less  savory  ex- 
planation for  the  shortage  is  the  rav- 
enous appetite  of  the  black  market. 
The  subject,  curiously  enough,  shows 
that  in  certain  sections  there  actually 
is  an  oversupply  of  meat  and  that  it 
can  be  bought  legally  without  points. 
What  Washington  is  doing  to  remedy 
the  situation  is  shown,  with  statements 
from  Office  of  Price  Administration's 
Chester  Bowles  and  Secretary  of 
Agriculture  Anderson. 

Like  its  predecessors,  the  subject  is 
enhanced  by  forceful,  informative  nar- 
ration and  graphic  photography.  At 
this  juncture  when  the  question  looms 
very  important,  the  film  is  sure  to  find 
great  audience  .  response.  Running 
time,  17  minute?. 


GLOBE  TICKET 

COMPANY 
154  W.  14th  ST.     N.  Y.  C. 
Phone  WAtkins  9-1486 

PROMPT  SERVICE 
AS  USUAL 


Tuesday,  July  10.  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


11 


'Adano 9  and  'Nob  Hill 9 Draw 
Well  in  Opening  Weeks  Here 


Frank  Walker  Asks 
Postal  Revamping 


Production  in 
Sharp  Slump, 
Down  to  Thirty 


Hollywood,  July  9. — Due  in  part  t 
holiday  interruption,  production  took 
lan  unprecedented  drop  during  the 
I  w  eek,  as  10  pictures  were  completed, 
land  only  one  started.  At  the  weekend 
(the  shooting  index  stood  at  30.  com- 
i pared  to  39  a  week  ago.  The  produc- 
tion scene  follows : 

Columbia 

Finished:  "The  Crime  Doctor's 
Warning." 

Started:  "Song  of  the  Prairie,"  with 
Ken  Curtis,  Robert  Scott,  Hoosier  Hot 
Shots,  Jeff  Donnell. 

Shooting:  "She  Wouldn't  Say  Yes," 
"Renegades"  (formerly  "The  Kan- 
san") . 

M-G-M 

Shooting:  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
"Two  Sisters  from  Boston,"  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice,"  "A 
Letter  for  Evie,"  "This  Strange  Ad- 
venture." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "Allotment  Wives,  Inc." 
Shooting:  "The  Lost  Trail." 

Paramount 

Finished:  "They  Made  Me  a  Killer" 
(  Pine-Thomas). 

Shooting:  "Calcutta."  "To  Each  His 
Own,"  "The  Trouble  With  Women." 

PRC 

Finished:  "Detour." 

Republic 

Finished:  "A  Guy  Could  Change," 
"Sunset  in  El  Dorado." 

Shooting:  "The  Cherokee  Flash," 
"Mexicana." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:  "Deadline  at  Dawn." 

Shooting:  "Riverboat  Rhythm." 
"Cornered,"  "The  Kid  from  Brooklyn" 
i  Goldwyn). 

• 

20th  Century-Fox 

Finished:  "The  Spider,"  "Now  It 
Can  Be  Told." 

Shooting:  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven," 
"The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Finished:  "Young  Widow"  (Strom- 
berg). 

Shooting:  "Whistle  Stop"  (Nero)  ; 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  (Selznick)  ;  "Get- 
ting Gertie's  Garter"  (Small). 

Universal 

Shooting:  "As  It  Was  Before," 
"Once  Upon  a  Dream,"  "Frontier  Gal," 
"Shady  Lady"  (formerly  "Alibi  in 
Ermine"). 

Warners 

Shooting:  "Confidential  Agent," 
"Night  and  Day,"  "Stolen  Life." 

William  Webster  Killed 

Lt.  William  Webster,  26,  formerly 
of  the  RKO  Radio  Home  Office  pub- 
licity department,  was  killed  Saturday 
while  on  maneuvers  in  the  South. 
Webster  had  only  recently  recovered 
from  injuries  received  during  the 
European  campaign.  Funeral  services 
will  be  held  tomorrow  morning  at  Our 
Lady  oi  Good  Counsel  on  East  90th 
St.,  New  York. 


(.Continued  from  page  \) 

the  Music  Hall.  "Nob  Hill"  and  Ab- 
bott and  Costello  on  the  stage  drew 
$16,600  last  Tuesday  on  the  opening 
day  and  an  additional  $95,000  for  the 
next  five  days  ending  Sunday  night, 
with  $121,000  estimated  for  the  regu- 
lar week,  which  normally  starts 
Wednesday. 

Others  Drawing  Heavily 

The  Hollywood,  Capitol,  Astor, 
Strand  and  Paramount  are  also  draw- 
ing heavily.  A  second  week  of  $50,- 
000  is  expected  for  "Rhapsody  in 
Blue"  at  the  Hollywood,  which  will  be 
close  to  the  first  week  records  set  by 
"This  Is  the  Army"  and  "Passage  to 
Marseilles."  Initial  week's  receipts 
for  "Rhapsody"  set  a  new  all-time 
high  of  close  to  $54,000.  "Blood  on 
the  Sun,"  with  a  stage  show  featur- 
ing Mark  Warnow  and  his  orchestra, 
plus  Rose  Marie,  Jack  Durant  and 
Ethel  Smith,  at  the  Capitol,  is  scor- 
ing strongl\r  in  a  second  week  with 
$77,000  expected  on  the  basis  of  $46,- 
000  recorded  for  the  first  four  days. 
Initial  week's  receipts  exceeded  early 
expectations  to  smash  through  to  a 
near-record  $95,000.  "Conflict"  and  a 
stage  show  with  Louis  Prima  and  his 
band  and  Dane  Clark  are  continuing 
to  bring  record  receipts  to  the  Strand 
with  over  $72,000  expected  for  a  fourth 
week,  following  a  smash  third  week's 
$72,800.  "Wonder  Man"  is  expected 
to  bring  close  to  $40,00  for  a  fifth 
week  at  the  Astor,  following  a  big 
fourth  week  of  near  $50,000.  " 

"You  Came  Along"  and  a  stage  bill 
with  Stan  Keaton  and  his  orchestra 
and  Louis  Jordan  is  drawing  strongly 
at  the  Paramount  with  a  neat  S70.- 
000  expected  for  the  first  week.  Uni- 
versale double-bill  re-issue  of  "Imita- 

Kirsch  Turns  Down 
Offer  on  Combine 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  such  work,  his  other  duties,  includ- 
ing the  operation  of  his  own  four  the- 
atres here,  his  association  with  Screen 
Guild  Productions,  in  addition  to  vari- 
ous social  groups,  would  leave  him 
little  time  for  such  a  post. 

The  idea  behind  this  move  is  not  to 
organize  one  national  buying-booking 
unit,  since  terms  and  conditions  vary 
in  most  situations  and  since  there  has 
been  some  doubt  as  to  the  legality  of 
such  a  group.  However,  an  advisor  for 
all  local  units,  well  versed  in  the  buy- 
ing and  booking  of  films,  would  have 
considerable  influence,  it  is  felt. 


Elder  Lightstone  Dies 

Montreal,  July  9. — The  death  has 
occurred  here  of  Michael  Lightstone 
in  his  92nd  year,  two  of  whose  nine 
sons  became  prominent  in  the  film 
business  of  the  Dominion.  One  is 
Gordon  Lightstone,  general  manager 
of  Paramount  Film  Service,  Toronto, 
and  the  other  was  the  late  Joseph 
Lightstone,  manager  for  many  years 
of  the  Orpheum  Theatre,  Montreal. 


Ed  Sweeney  Succumbs 

Chicago,  July  9. — Ed  Sweeney,  59, 
projectionist  in  Warner's  Avalon  The- 
atre here  for  18  years,  died  of  a  heart 
attack. 


tion  of  Life"  and  "East  Side  of  Heav- 
en" is  big  in  a  second  week  at  the 
Republic,  with  $15,000  expected,  fol- 
lowing an  initial  week's  $18,500. 

Elsewhere  receipts  are  moderate. 
"The  Great  John  L."  is  expected  to 
bring  a  good  $15,000  for  a  first  week 
at  the  Globe,  on  the  basis  of  $6,500 
recorded  for  the  first  two  days. 
"Twice  Blessed"  is  drawing  satisfac- 
torily at  the  Gotham  with  $7,500  ex- 
pected for  the  first  week.  "Those  En- 
dearing Young  Charms"  is  holding  up 
strongly  at  the  Palace,  with  $19,000 
expected  for  a  third  week,  following 
a  second  week's  $21,000;  "Along 
Came  Jones"  will  open  July  18. 

"Junior  Miss"  is  holding  up  well  at 
the  Rivoli,  with  $20,000  expected  for 
a  fourth  week  following  a  third  week's 
$22,900.  "The  Call  of  the  Wild"  is 
headed  for  $10,000  for  a  third  week  at 
the  Victoria ;  "Within  These  Walls" 
will  follow,  according  to  plans  yester- 
day, instead  of  "Don  Juan  Quilligan," 
as  previously  indicated.  "The  Naugh- 
ty Nineties"  will  bring  a  satisfactory 
$17,000  for  a  third  and  final  week  at 
the  Criterion ;  "A  Thousand  and  One 
Nights"  will  open  tomorrow.  "Jun- 
gle Captive"  is  headed  for  $8,500  for 
a  week  at  the  Rialto  and  might  hold 
over. 


UA  Claims  Capitol  Mark 

United  Artists  said  here  yesterday 
that  with  receipts  for  the  first  four 
days  of  "Blood  on  the  Sun"  at  the 
Capitol  running  better  than  the  $50,- 
000  mark,  a  second  week's  gross  of  ap- 
proximately $83,000  is  expected.  The 
first  week's  receipts  of  $95,000,  ac- 
cording to  UA,  set  a  new  record  at 
the  theatre  since  the  inauguration  of 
the  stage  show  policy  in  1943. 

Sherwood  on  'Ike's9 
Film  Biography 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
cated  to  the  perpetuation  of  the 
principles  for  which  General  Eisen- 
hower and  the  millions  of  others  of 
the  Allied  Nations  have  fought  so 
magnificently  in  this  war." 

The  picture's  screen  play  will  be 
Sherwood's  first  film  chore  since  going 
into  Government  service  before  the 
war.  He  had  considerable  experience 
in  the  Mediterranean  and  European 
Theatres  under  General  Eisenhower's 
command. 

Eisenhower's  film  biography  is  "the 
first  and  most  important  thing"  on 
Goldwyn's  schedule,  the  producer  said. 

16mm  Rights  to  Pictorial 

Milton  J.  Salzburg,  president  of 
Pictorial  Films,  New  York,  an- 
nounces the  acquisition  of  16  mm 
world  distribution  rights  to  "So  Ends 
Our  Night",  an  adaptation  of  the 
Collier  serial  "Flotsam",  by  Erich 
Maria  Remarque,  produced  by  David 
L.  Loew  and  Albert  Lewin,  directed 
by  John  Cromwell,  and  co-starring 
Fredric  March,  Margaret  Sullivan  and 
Frances  Dee. 


Delay  'Anchors'  Showing 

"Anchors  Aweigh",  originally 
scheduled  to  be  tradeshown  "in  New 
York  and  Los  Angeles  today,  has  been 
postponed  until  July  17  which  is  the 
date  for  all  other  trade  exhibitions. 


Washington,  July  9. — Reorganiza- 
tion of  the  Postomce  Department,  pri- 
marily with  a  view  to  further  decen- 
tralization, is  recommended  in  a  report 
covering  the  year  ended  June  30,  1944, 
by  former  Postmaster  General  Frank 
C.  Walker. 

"Administration  of  the  postal  ser- 
vice is  too  highly  centralized  in  Wash- 
ington and  there  is  an  absence  of  that 
continuity  of  tenure  in  office  at  top 
administrative  levels  which  is  highly 
essential  to  effective  operations,"  he 
said. 

Walker  urged  creation  of  the  office 
of  director  of  postal  service,  with  long- 
tenure  of  office,  to  direct  administra- 
tion of  the  physical  job,  enabling  the 
Postmaster  General  to  devote  his  time 
to  executive  matters.  He  also  said 
long  terms  should  be  given  to  the  as- 
sistant postmasters  general,  a  general 
counsel,  a  purchasing  agent  and  a 
controller. 

Clark  Weighs  Action 
On  Contempt  Motion 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Attorney  General  after  Judge  God- 
dard,  in  dismissing  the  motion  without 
prejudice,  suggested  that  it  be  referred 
to  the  Department.  The  motion  re- 
sulted from  the  total  abolition  of  clear- 
ance between  the  Orient  Theatre,  op- 
erated by  Rosewelt,  and  the  Cameo, 
both  in  Jersey  City,  by  the  distributors 
after  an  arbitration  board  had  reduced 
the  Orient's  clearance  of  seven  days  to 
three  days. 


GE's  Record  Number 
Stockholders:  238,494 

Schenectady,  N.  Y  ,  July  9. — -Num- 
ber of  stockholders  in  General  Elec- 
tric as  of  June  22,  record  date  for 
the  dividend  payable  July  25,  totaled 
238,494,  an  all-time  high,  it  was  an- 
nounced by  W.  W.  Trench,  secretary 
of  the  company.  This  marks  an  in- 
crease of  6,162  over  last  year. 

Coe  Named  Patent 
Laboratories  Head 

Conway  Peyton  Coe,  formerly  U.  S. 
Commissioner  of  Patents,  has  been 
elected  vice-president  in  charge  of  the 
patent  department  of  RCA  Labora- 
tories, Brig.  Gen.  David  Sarnoff, 
RCA  president,  announced  here  fol- 
lowing a  meeting  of  the  board  of 
directors. 


Capitol  Blast  Kills  One 

Explosion  of  an  oil  separator  which 
released  carbon  dioxide  gas  from  re- 
frigeration apparatus  in  the  backstage 
basement  of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  here, 
Sunday  afternoon,  caused  the  death  of 
Samuel  McQuade,  52,  a  fireman  em- 
ployed by  the  theatre,  and  was  nearly 
fatal  to  Joseph  O'Day,  theatre  en- 
gineer. 


Herman  Garfield  Services 

Cleveland,  July  9. — Funeral  serv- 
ices were  held  here  yesterday  for  Her- 
nial! Garfield,  former  partner  with 
Harry  Sherman  in  Sherman  Produc- 
tions, who  died  suddenly  in  New  York 
on  July  4.  Surviving  are  two  sisters, 
Polly  Sacheroff ,  Cleveland ;  Mae  Coh- 
en, Los  Angeles,  and  a  brother,  Sam, 
also  oL  Los  Angeles. 


For 


MOTION  PICTURE 
ADVERTISING  and 
EXPLOITATION 


WNEW 


501   MADISON  AVE.,  NEW  YORK  22,  N.  Y. 


1  0,0  0  0    WATTS  -  ON    THE    AIR    24     HOURS    A  DAY 

REPRESENTED  NATIONALLY  BY  JOHN  BLAIR  AND  COMPANY 


OL.  58.  NO.  7 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JULY  11,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


End  of  Delays  in  Decree 
Trial  Ordered  by  Court 


.  S.  Gathers 
)ata  for 
^ilm  Treaties 


zechoslovakia,  Canada 
irst  to  Negotiate 


Washington,  July   10.  —  State 
department  experts  are  making  ex- 
austive  studies  of  film  situations  in 
rious  foreign  countries  to  gather 
ormation  in  the  negotiation  of  new 
iprocal  trade  agreements,  the  green 
lit  for  which  was  flashed  by  Presi- 
nt  Truman  last  week  when  he  signed 
gislation  extending  the  authority  to 
nake  such   pacts   for   another  three 
*ears. 

Among  the  first  countries 
to  be  invited  to  negotiate 
treaties  will  be  Czechoslovakia 
and  Canada,  it  is  expected. 

The  former  will  offer  the  first  test 
!f  the  Department's  determination  to 
rotect  our  film  industry  abroad,  the 
riginal  agreement  with  Czechoslova- 
ia  having  included  special  provisions 
}r  films,  developed  through  an  inter- 
hange  of  notes  and  appended  to  the 
reaty  after  it  had  been  signed. 

Russia  may  be  the  unknown  factor 
i  the  making  of  new  agreements  with 

(Continued  on  page  7)_ 


Canada  Film 
Unit  Expands 


The  Canadian  National  Film  Board 
.  ill  not  only  be  perpetuated  in  peace- 
ime  but  will  be  extended  insofar  as  it 
.ill  be  related  to  "rehabilitation,  re- 
onstruction,  public  health,  trade  and 
upport  of  the  national  diplomacy," 
ohn  Grierson,  Canadian  Film  Com- 
li-sioner,  told  Motion  Picture 
i  {Daily  here  yesterday,  prior  to  his  de- 
parture for  Canada.  As  Canada  ex- 
ends  her  diplomatic  representation,  so 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


How  They  Look 

Considerable  interest  has 
been  aroused  in  plans  com- 
pleted by  Charles  P.  Skouras 
for  the  manufacture  and  mar- 
keting of  prefabricated  thea- 
tres, as  reported  in  detail 
in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
July  5. 

Models  of  the  proposed 
houses  are  pictured  on  page  7. 


Jack  Warner  Back; 
Russia  Trip  Later 

Col.  Jack  L.  Warner,  execu- 
tive producer  for  Warner 
Brothers,  was  scheduled  to 
arrive  here  last  night  by  plane 
from  Europe,  the  first  of  16 
film  executives  to  return  from 
a  tour  of  the  European  battle 
areas  as  the  guests  of  General 
Eisenhower.  Business  pres- 
sure, according  to  the  home 
office,  forced  Col.  Warner  to 
postpone  a  visit  to  Russia. 

It  was  reported  that  Harry 
Cohn,  Columbia  president,  was 
also  scheduled  to  arrive  here 
from  Europe  last  night,  with 
the  other  executives  continu- 
ing their  tour  in  Italy. 


Advance  MGM  Meet 
In  Chicago  Today 


Chicago,  July  10. — William  F. 
Rodgers,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  will  hold  a  special 
meeting  of  M-G-M  sales  managers 
at  the  Blackstone  hotel,  here,  tomor- 
row, preliminary  to  the  first  confer- 
ence of  district  and  sales  managers, 
w  hich  is  slated  to  get  under  way  Thurs- 
day. 

Rodgers,  Edwin  W.  Aaron,  circuit 

{Continued  on  page  7) 


or 


Suit  Principals  Told  to  'Cooperate, 
Else';  Wright  to  Base  Case  on  Trade 
Documents,  Probably  Using  No  Witnesses 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

The  Department  of  Justice  intends  to  present  a  prima  fa-cie  case 
based  on  documents  relating  to  the  distribution  methods  and  prac- 
tices of  the  five  distributor  defendants  with  affiliated  circuits  in  the 
New  York  anti-trust  case  and  probably  will  not  call  a  single  witness. 
Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant  to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom 
Clark,  disclosed  in  New  York  Federal  Court  yesterday. 

The  whole  tone  of  the  hearing — 
the  first  before  the  newly-appointed 
three-judge  statutory  court,  com- 
posed of  Judge  Augustus  N.  Hand, 
circuit  judge,  who  presided,  and 
Judges  Henry  W.  Goddard  and 
John  Bright — was  of  stern  admonition 
to  'get  things  going'  in  the  action, 
which  has  been  pending  for  seven 
years,  since  July  20,  1938,  with  the 
Department  of  Justice  having  first 
filed  its  complaint  on  that  date. 

Judge  Hand  warned  that  there  must 
be  a  greater  spirit  of  cooperation  be- 
tween the  two  parties,  or  else  the 
Court  would  take  'appropriate  action.' 
He  indicated  that  he  might  even  order 
examinations  before  trial,  and  declared 
that  the  three  judges  "do  not  intend 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


A.  C.  Hayman  Dies, 
Services  Held  Today 

Buffalo,  July  10. — Funeral  services 
for  A.  Charles  Hayman,  61,  president 
of  the  New  York  State  Motion  Pic- 
ture Theatre  Owners,  Inc.,  will  be 
held  at  two  P.M.  tomorrow  at  his 
residence,  230  Jefferson  St.,  Niagara 
Falls.  He  died  Monday  in  a  Niagara 
Falls  hospital  four  days  after  suffer- 
ing a  stroke. 

An  industry  veteran  in  New  York 
State,  Hayman  began  in  the  industry 
at  15  as  a  photographer,  taking  shots 
of  fires,  ship  landings  and  the  like  for 
sale  to  New  York  penny  arcades.  He 
later  toured  New  York  and  New  En- 
gland with  a  portable  projection  ma- 
chine  exhibiting  films   in  tents  and 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


State  Dept.  Fails  to  Get 
British  Raw  Stock  Aid 


Washington,  July  10.  —  With  the 
State  Department  unable  to  secure 
any  modification  of  the  British  order 
restricting  the  consumption  of  film  by 
foreign  countries,  including  American 
distributors  in  England  in  order  to 
provide  raw  stock  for  pictures  to  be 
distributed  in  the  United  States, 
Washington  observers  today  expressed 
the  opinion  that  American  companies 
will  have  to  put  up  with  the  situation 
until  the  35  mm.  supply  situation  im- 
proves to  the  point  where  all  War 
Production  Board  restrictions  can  be 
removed  and  quantity  exports  permit- 
ted. 

The  State  Department,  it  is  under- 


stood, is  continuing  its  efforts  to  set- 
tle the  difficulty  but  has  been  unable 
to  make  headway  against  the  conten- 
tion of  the  British  Board  of  Trade 
that  there  is  no  discrimination  in  the 
order,  since  it  applies  to  all  foreign- 
ers alike  although  the  American  com- 
panies are  the  only  "foreigners"  with 
a  stake  in  the  situation. 

The  controversy  has  been  stalemated 
by  the  British  attitude  and  the  posi- 
tion taken  here  by  the  WPB  that  it 
cannot  make  raw  stock  available  for 
British  pictures  beyond  the  quotas  al- 
ready granted  on  the  basis  of  past  op- 
erations in  this  market.  Board  offi- 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


New  Limits 
On  Projectors 


Washington,  July  10. — Limitations 
on  the  production  of  projectors  were 
intimated  today  by  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board  in  a  list  of  critical  mate- 
rials 'which  showed  that  fractional 
horsepower  electric  motors  are  in  very 
short  supply. 

The  WPB  joint  committee  on  criti- 
cal materials  and  products,  reporting 
on  items  which  threaten  to  limit  the 
procurement  of  essential  products  of 
high-urgency  programs,  also  listed 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Reviews  of  "Her  Highness 
and  the  Bellboy,"  "And  Then 
There  Were  None"  appear  on 
page  6. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  July  11,  194E 


St.  John  Made  OWI 
Chief  at  Chungking 


The  overseas  branch  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information  announces  that 
Archer  St.  John,  Gaylordsville,  Conn., 
will  leave  soon  for  the  OWI  outpost 
in  Chungking,  China,  where  he  will 
serve  as  chief  of  that  office. 

St.  John  is  owner-publisher  of  the 
Air  News  Publishing  Co.  and  St. 
John  Publications,  New  York;  he  is 
also  editor-publisher  of  Flying  Cadet. 


Am  eel  Discharged, 
Rejoins  'Daily'  Staff 

After  three  years  with  the  Army, 
Eugene  T.  Arneel  has  returned  to  the 
editorial  staff  of  Motion  Picture 
Daily. 

He  had  been  with  the  88th  Division 
in  the  Mediterranean  Theatre  until 
placed  on  the  casualty  list  by  a  gunner 
firing  from  a  Jerry  tank  while  ap- 
proaching Rome.  He  received  a  medi- 
cal discharge  at  Camp  Edwards  Con- 
valescent Hospital,  Mass.,  in  May. 


20th-Fox  Executives 
To  Fete  Rank  Today 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  who  is  expected 
to  arrive  here  today  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, will  be  guest  of  20th  Century- 
Fox  executives  at  a  luncheon  meeting 
at  noon.  He  will  remain  here  for 
about  five  days  before  departing  for 
London  on  or  about  July  16. 

Returning  in  the  Rank  retinue  will 
be  John  Davis  and  Barrington  Gain. 
G.  I.  Woodham-Smith  has  already  ar- 
rived from  the  West  Coast. 


Mestanza  To  Produce 
Film  Shorts,  Records 

Foreign  Screen  and  Radio  Service 
has  been  organized  with  headquarters 
in  New  York  and  will  start  function- 
ing immediately  for  the  production  and 
distribution  of  commercial  shorts, 
trailers  and  radio  transcriptions 
abroad,  according  to  an  announcement 
made  here  yesterday  by  Eliane  Henno 
de  Alban-Mestanza,  who  heads  the 
new  organization. 


Cowan  to  Be  on  WHOM 

Lester  Cowan,  United  Artists  pro- 
ducer, will  be  a  guest  on  local  radio 
station  WHOM's  "Parade  of  Fea- 
tures" this  evening  in  connection  with 
his  production,  "The  Story  of  G.I. 
Joe,"  dealing  with  the  life  of  the  late 
Ernie  Pvle. 


NBC  to  Fete  Newsmen 

NBC  correspondents  Lowell 
Thomas,  W.  W.  Chaplin  and  John 
Mac  Vane,  who  have  just  returned 
from  the  war  fronts,  will  recount  their 
experiences  at  an  NBC  luncheon  in 
their  honor  at  the  Hotel  Ambassador 
here  tomorrow. 


Mono.  Coast  Meet  Set 

Hollywood,  July  10. — Del  Mar  Ho- 
tel at  Del  Mar,  has  been  set  as  the  site 
of  Monogram's  West  Coast  regional 
meetings  to  open  July  15,  according 
to  Steve  Broidy,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  operations. 


Personal  Mention 


WILLIAM  F.  RODGERS, 
M-G-M  vice-president  in  charge 
of  sales,  left  here  for  Chicago  yester- 
day to  prepare  for  a  sales  meeting 
which  opens  tomorrow  at  the  Black- 
stone  Hotel  there.  Howard  Dietz 
and  Henderson  M.  Richey  will  leave 
today. 

• 

Jerome  Pickman,  executive  as- 
sistant to  Hal  Horne,  20th  Century- 
Fox  director  of  advertising,  exploita- 
tion and  publicity,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Harrisbufg,  Pa., 
with  Peggy  Ann  Garner,  who  ap- 
peared there  at  a  bond  rally. 
• 

Walter  Vincent,  executive  of 
Fabian-Wilmer  and  Vincent  Theatres, 
left  here  yesterday  for  Norway,  Me., 
where  he  will  spend  six  weeks'  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Herman  S.  Hodes,  New  Haven 
correspondent  for  Motion  Picture 
Daily,  and  Mrs.  Hodes  observed 
their  10th  wedding  anniversary  yes- 
terday. 

• 

Anthony  Quinn  and  Felv  Fran- 
quelli,  RKO  Radio  actors,  are  in 
New  York  following  personal  ap- 
pearances in  New  England  and  the 
Midwest. 

• 

Sid  Blumenstock,  20th  Century- 
Fox  exploitation  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  the  home  office  from 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

• 

Will  Yolen  and  Abe  Kronenberg 
of  Warners'  home  office  publicity  de- 
partment will  return  today  from 
Hartford. 

• 

John  J.  Rubach,  manager  of 
RKO's  New  Haven  branch,  will  leave 
on  vacation  this  week  for  Buffalo, 
his  home  town. 

• 

M.  A.  J.  Healy  has  arrived  in  Lon- 
don, where  he  will  be  associated  with 
F.  W.  Allport  in  the  MPPDA  of- 
fice. 


LEONARD  H.  GOLDENSON, 
Paramount  vice-president  in 
charge  of  theatre  operations,  and  Ed- 
ward Hyman,  Paramount  theatre 
executive,  visited  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  this  week ;  Hyman  remained 
in  that  territory  for  a  tour  of  West- 
ern Massachusetts  Theatres  with 
Nathan  S.  Goldstein,  president  of 
the  circuit. 

• 

Subodh  Ganguli,  Paramount  gen- 
eral sales  manager  in  India,  Burma 
and  Ceylon,  has  left  New  York  for  his 
post  at  Bombay  after  eight  weeks  of 
conferences  with  George  Weltner, 
Paramount  International  president, 
and  J.  E.  Perkins,  manager  for  the 
Far  Eastern,  Australian,  New  Zea- 
land and  South  African  division. 
• 

Harry  M.  Kalmine,  Warner  The- 
atres assistant  general  sales  man- 
ager, is  on  an  inspection  tour  through 
the  Wisconsin  territory  and  will  re- 
turn to  New  York  at  the  end  of  this 
week. 

■  • 

E.  X.  Callahan,  20th  Century- 
Fox  district  manager,  conducted  a 
sales  meeting  at  the  New  Haven  office 
last  week. 

• 

Denny  Welsh,  20th  Century-Fox 
newsreel  cameraman  in  Philadelphia, 
will  become  a  bridegroom  on  Satur- 
day. 

Louis  J.  Kaufman,  Warner  The- 
I  atres  executive,  will  return  to  New 
York  tomorrow  from  a  business  trip 
to  Cleveland. 

• 

Charles  Lester,  National  Screen 
Southern  division  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  Atlanta  from  Memphis. 
• 

George  Fishman,  Warner  Phila- 
delphia field  representative,  is  in 
Roanoke,  Va.,  for  a  few  days. 

• 

John  Miljan,  RKO-Radio  actor, 
is  back  from  a  seven-month  USO 
tour  in  the  Mediterranean  area. 


Coston  Fishing  Party 

Chicago,  July  10. — A  three-day  fish- 
ing party,  with  all  industry  discussions 
barred,  will  open  in  Eagle  River, 
Wis.,  home  of  James  Coston,  Warner 
Theatres  zone  manager  here,  on 
August  9.  Among  those  who  will  at- 
tend, in  addition  to  Coston,  are  Tom 
Connors,  20th-Fox  sales  manager ; 
Jack  Flynn  and  Sam  Shirley,  West- 
ern division  and  Chicago  district  man- 
agers for  M-G-M ;  Walter  Immer- 
man,  general  manager  of  the  Balaban 
and  Katz  Circuit,  and  Ralph  G.  Bran- 
ton,  operating  head  of  Tri-States. 


Camp  Named  for  Griffith 

Oklahoma  City,  July  10. — Dedicat- 
ed to  the  memory  of  R.  E.  Griffith, 
late  president  of  the  Texas  theatre  cir- 
cuit bearing  his  name,  a  $25,000  camp 
lodge  for  youngsters  has  been  opened 
at  a  YMCA  camp  near  Turner  Falls, 
state  park  in  Southern  Oklahoma. 

The  lodge  was  presented  to  the 
youth  organization  by  L.  C.  Griffith, 
brother,  and  president  of  the  Griffith 
Amusement  Co. 


'Nights'  Premiere  Here 

Columbia's  "A  Thousand  and  One 
Nights"  will  have  its  premiere  this 
evening  at  the  Criterion  Theatre.  The 
occasion  will  be  marked  with  a  party 
in  the  theatre's  lounge  at  which  25 
returning  servicemen,  each  from  a  dif- 
ferent state  will  find  the  'things  they 
missed  most  from  their  native  states' 
while   away   at  war. 

Two  radio  programs  will  be  devot- 
ed to  the  film.  The  first  will  be 
"Queen  for  a  Day,"  on  26  stations  of 
Mutual  and  the  second  will  be  broad- 
cast from  the  lounge  of  the  Criterion 
this  evening  over  New  York  station 
WHN. 


SCG  Appeals  Contract 

Hollywood,  July  10. — The  Screen 
Cartoonists  Guild  has  appealed  the 
U.  S.  Conciliation  Service  an  em- 
ployment contract  which  failed  to 
receive  the  approval  of  M-G-M, 
Warner's,  Walter  Lantz  and  Screen 
Gems,  assertedly  because  of  the  stud- 
ios' insistence  that  the  document 
cover  two  years  instead  of  one. 


SEP  Cover  Features 
Industry  Gift-Films 

The  Saturday  Evening  Post 
of  July  14  will  feature  a  cover 
depicting  the  industry's  gift- 
films,  as  shown  at  fighting 
fronts  throughout  the  world. 
The  painting,  which  illustrates 
a  group  of  GIs  watching  a 
Hollywood  film  during  heavy 
rains  somewhere  in  the  South 
Pacific,  was  done  by  Steven 
Dohanos.  It  records  the  work 
performed  by  the  WAC,  in 
cooperation  with  Army  Pic- 
torial Service,  in  providing 
new  Hollywood  releases  to 
troops  in  battle  areas  around 
the  globe. 


Lieut,  Wrigley  Cited 
For  War-Filming  Job 

Washington,  July  10.  —  Lieut. 
Dewey  Wrigley,  USNR,  former 
Hollywood  cameraman  for  Cecil  B. 
DeMille,  has  received  two  citations, 
the  Bronze  Star  Medal,  and  a  letter 
of  commendation  from  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  for  outstanding  perform- 
ance of  duty. 

Lieut.  Wrigley,  who  has  been 
awarded  two  Purple  Hearts  as  a  re- 
sult of  wounds  received  in  action  in 
the  European  Theater,  is  a  fleet  pho- 
tographic officer.  His  latest  duty  was 
with. the  Fleet  during  the  battle  for 
Okinawa.  Many  of  the  scenes  taken 
by  Lieut.  Wrigley  and  his  unit  are 
contained  in  The  Navy  Photographic 
Services'  new  motion  picture,  "The 
Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay,"  which  will  I 
be  released  July  26  by  the  War  Ac- 
tivities Committee  of  the  industry, 
through  Paramount  Pictures. 


Major  General  Curtis 
Is  Home  on  Furlough 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  10. — Major 
General  Edward  Peck  Curtis,  chief  of 
staff  of  the  Army  Strategic  Air 
Forces  in  Europe,  on  leave  as  motion 
picture  raw  stock  sales  manager  of 
Eastman  Kodak,  is  at  his  home,  here, 
on  furlough  until  July  15,  when  he  is  i 
due  to  report  to  Washington  to  de- 
termine his  future  Army  status. 


Quigley,  Jr.,  Sees  Pope 

Rome,  July  10. — L'Osservatore  Ro- 
mano, Vatican  newspaper,  reports  that 
Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  of  the  editorial : 
staff  of  Quigley  Publications,  was  re- 
ceived last  week  in  private  audience  bv 
Pope  Pius  XII. 


Hirliman  Sets  Deal 

Hollywood,  July  10.  —  George  A. 
Hirliman  is  en  route  to  New  York 
after  conferences  with  independent 
producers  who  will  furnish  16  mm  fea- 
tures for  International  Theatrical  and 
Television  Corp.  He  closed  a  deal  | 
with  Alvin  Gordo,  for  a  Kodachrome; 
feature. 


20th  Transfers  Diamond 

Baltimore,  July  10. — Sam  Diamond. 
20th  Century-Fox  salesman  in  the 
Baltimore  territory,  is  being  trans- 
ferred to  Philadelphia. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications;  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion'  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies.  10c. 


1  Wednesday,  July  11.  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


<ee  Big  IA'  Studio 
contract  Demands 


j  Hollywood,  July  10.  —  IATSE 
Icals  employed  in  the  studios  are 
leeting  this  week  on  proposals  for 
ianges  in  their  contract,  which  runs 
itil  Aug.  10,  194l>.  Hither  party  may 
nbmit  revision  suggestions  until 
ply  IS. 

Although  the  unions  have  received 
1  wage  increases  permissible  under 
c  Little  Steel  formula,  certain 
Ganges  in  hour  schedules  and  condi- 
bns  tantamount  to  an  increase  can 
•  made,  and  the  present  position  of 
le  'IA'  in  the  studio  situation  sug- 
;sts  that  demands  along  these  lines 
;ill  be  considerable,  according  to  ob- 
trvers  here. 
Hearings  on  the  eligibility  of  voters 
the  recent  National  Labor  Relations 
card  set  decorators  election,  con- 
sted  by  both  'IA'  and  the  Confer- 
nce  of  Studio  Unions,  were  continued 
»day,  with  CSU  and  producer  attor- 
ns acquainting  trial  examiner  Rob- 
l.rt  N.  Denham  with  the  background. 


Milt  Young  Accepts 
Dost  at  Columbia 

«    Philadelphia,    July     10.  —  M  i  1  t 
oung,  for  many  years  a  member  of 
le  publicity  staff  of  Warner  Theatres, 
ill  become  exploiter  for  Columbia 
ere  on   July   31,   succeeding  Eddie 
-osenbaum,  who  will  join  the  com- 
auy's  promotion  staff  in  New  York. 
Other  changes  at  local  exchanges 
ring  Bob  Swain,  released  from  the 
larine    Corps,    to    Universal    as  a 
Doker,  replacing  Morris  Lewis,  re- 
gned;  at  Paramount,  Russell  Eich- 
igreen,  formerly  with  Warners,  joins 
ne    staff    as    a    salesman,  replac- 
pg  George  Elmo,  who  was  recently 
((.-Tomoted    to    branch    manager  in 
Manama;  Jim  Flynn  returns  to  the 
ulustry   as    a   booker   at  Republic; 
ntil  several  years  ago.  he  had  been 
Columbia  booker. 


fill 
9h 


tudell  Re-enters  Trade 

j  ip\  Hollywood.  July  10. — Maxson  F. 
udell,  prominent  in  film  advertising, 
ublicity  and  production  circles  prior 
>  entering  war  work  three  years  ago, 
IfVill  return  to  the  industry.  Judell, 
.ho  also  served  as  account  executive 
,ith  several  advertising  agencies,  was 
tory  editor  for  a  number  of  produc- 
r>  and  studios,  was  a  newspaper  col- 
mnist,  and  publicity  director  for 
arious  motion  picture  campaigns. 


Simons  to  Chicago 

Two  special  issues  of  The  Distrib- 
Uor,  M-G-M's  sales  publication,  will 
>e  published  in  Chicago  during  the 
ales  conference  which  gets  underway 
I  Thursday   at   the   Blackstone  Hotel. 
[|(M.  L.  Simons,  editor,  has  left  here 
j-l/or  Chicago  to  prepare  for  the  special 
if 


ssues. 


Glendale  Tax  Up 

Hollywood,   July   10.  —  The  City 


it 


ouncil  of  Glendale,  considered  a  key 
pot  because  of  its  proximity  to  Los 
\ngeles  and  its  frequent  use  for  pre- 
views, will  vote  Thursday  on  an  ordi- 
,t  nance  which  would  levy  a  two-cent 
idmission  tax. 


Emca  Becomes  Elbidua 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  10. —  Emca 
Tilm  Corp.,  New  York,  has  changed 
ts  name  to  Elbidua  Motion  Picture 
3orp. 


Court  Orders  End  of  All 
Delays  in  Decree  Trial 


(Continued  from   pngc  \) 

to  spend  the  rest  of  their  lives  hearing 
the  case." 

Wright's  revelation  of  the  Govern- 
ment's intended  procedure  in  the  case, 
which  is  scheduled  to  go  to  trial  in 
New  York  Federal  Court,  Oct.  8  be- 
fore the  three  judges,  came  during 
arguments  by  counsel  for  Paramount, 
Warner  Bros.,  20th  Century-Fox, 
RKO  Radio  and  Loew's,  on  motions 
to  require  the  Department  of  Justice 
to  furnish  'more  satisfactory  answers' 
to  interrogatories  relating  to  Govern- 
ment witnesses  and  the  nature  of  the 
issues  which  are  to  be  tried. 

Present  Answers  Accepted 

Judge  Hand  suggested  that  since  the 
Department  plans  to  resort  to  a  prima 
facie  documentary  case,  it  would  not 
be  necessary  for  the  Department  to 
answer  more  fully  at  present.  The 
motion  was  held  in  abeyance,  subject 
to  another  hearing  on  five  days  notice, 
should  the  Department  alter  its  pres- 
ent plans. 

Wright  indicated  that  it  might  be 
necessary  to  call  some  witnesses  in 
rebuttal  to  defendant  testimony,  and 
that  he  was  not  prepared  to  say  that 
he  definitely  would  not  call  a  single 
witness,  when  questioned  by  Judge 
Hand  as  to  whether  he  was  willing 
to  rest  his  case  on  the  documents 
alone. 

Wright  explained  that  the  Depart- 
ment will  attempt  to  show  through 
the  documents  that  the  five  distribu- 
tor defendants  with  affiliated  circuits, 
through  cross-licensing,  restrictions  on 
minimum  admission  prices  and  avail- 
ability of  product,  as  well  as  through 
other  trade  practices,  are  allegedly  in 
violation  of  the  Sherman  Act  in  that 
they  control  the  first-run  houses  in  92 
cities  of  the  United  States  with  popu- 
lations of  100,000  and  over,  and,  fur- 
thermore, alleging  that  they  dominate 
exhibition  in  432  situations  in  this 
country.  Because  of  these  facts,  the 
Department  charges,  the  five  distribu- 
tors have  a  monopoly  on  both  distribu- 
tion and  exhibition  per  se. 

Sticks  to  Divorcement 

Wright  declared  again  yesterday 
that  the  remedy  is  divorcement  of  the 
affiliated  circuits  from  the  distributors 
and  an  injunction  against  their  trade 
practices.  The  Department  has  listed 
some  850  complainants  against  these 
practices,  but,  according  to  Wright, 
not  a  single  one  of  them  would  be 
called  to  testify  according  to  present 
plans. 

Wright  said  that  he  planned  to  pre- 
sent 'a  comprehensive  trial  brief  to 
the  distributor  defendants  before  the 
trial  and  he  was  directed  by  Judge 
Hand  to  supply  this  brief  to  distribu- 
tor counsel  by  Sept.  20.  Judge  Hand 
further  directed  counsel  for  the  dis- 
tributors to  provide  the  Department 
with  information  which  it  desires  by 
Aug.  1.  Wright  was  directed  to  supply 
the_  distributors  with  documents  upon 
which  it  intends  to  rely  during  the 
trial  by  Sept.  1.  In  all  cases,  however, 
the  documents  will  be  supplied  as  they 
become  available. 

Wright  met  with  distributor  counsel 
here  yesterday  afternoon  to  discuss  the 
interchange  of  documents  and  a  fur- 
ther meeting  will  probably  be  held  this 
morning.  Additional  meetings  are  also 
planned,  but  will  be  held  later,  since 


Wright  plans  to  return  to  Washington 
tonight. 

Wright  argued  that  the  factual  ma- 
terial which  he  has  asked  for  from  the 
distributor  defendants  is  part  of  the 
prima  facie  evidence  he  intends  to 
present.  Included  in  the  'information  he 
is  seeking  is  all  data  relating  to  the 
release  of  feature  pictures,  short  sub- 
jects and  newsreels  during  1943-44. 
Information  which  he  has  requested 
also  includes  the  names  of  features  re- 
leased during  that  year,  total  number 
of  domestic  billings  broken  down  into 
exchange  territories,  the  amount  of 
revenue  received  by  the  distributors 
from  each  of  the  affiliated  circuits, 
names  of  the  circuits  paying  the  next 
largest  film  rental,  the  total  number 
of  shorts  and  newsreels  released  and 
total  rentals,  and  names  of  all  first- 
run  exhibitors  of  1943-44  features. 

Play-Off  Information 

The  Department  is  also  seeking 
complete  information  relating  to  the 
playing-off  of  pictures  in  the  92  cities 
of  100,000  population  or  more,  going 
back  as  far  as  1936,  and  is  also  seek- 
ing information  on  the  playing  of  pic- 
tures in  the  432  situations  in  which  it 
alleges  the  distributor-defendants  have 
a  monopoly. 

Yesterday's  session  saw  leading 
counsel  of  all  five  distributor  defen- 
dants and  their  'downtown'  lawyers  in 
attendance.  Whitney  N.  Seymour  of 
Simpson,  Thatcher  and  Bartlett  argued 
for  the  distributors,  aided  by  John 
Caskey  of  Dwight,  Harris,  Koegel 
and  Caskey,  the  former  representing 
Paramount  and  the  latter,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox. 

Other  attorneys  present  included 
Austin  C.  Keough,  Paramount ;  J. 
Robert  Rubin,  Loew's ;  Robert  W. 
Perkins  and  Howard  Levinson,  War- 
ner Bros. ;  William  Zimmerman,  RKO 
Radio;  Benjamin  Pepper,  executive 
co-ordinator  of  trial  preparations  and 
Sidney  Schreiber  of  MPPDA. 


GE  Set  to  Make  New 
FM-Air  Equipment 


Schenectady,  July  10.  —  General 
Electric,  manufacturer  of  FM  radio 
sets,  will  produce  station  transmitters 
and  receivers  for  the  new  FM 
broadcast  frequency  bands  assigned 
by  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission, according  to  Dr.  W.  R.  G. 
Baker,  GE  vice-president  in  charge 
of  the  company's  electronics  depart- 
ment. 

Until  new  FM  transmitters  are 
manufactured,  installed  and  begin 
operation  in  the  higher  frequencies, 
there  is  no  need  for  the  public  to 
buy  converters  for  their  present  FM 
receivers,  it  was  said. 


'On  Stage'  Premiere 
In  Chicago  Today 

Chicago,  July  10.— Universal  is 
sharing  an  increased  advertising 
budget  with  the  Palace  Theatre  here 
for  the  campaign  of  "On  Stage, 
Everybody,"  which  will  have  a  world 
premiere  here  tomorrow.  The  troupe 
of  10  winners  in  the  radio  show  of  the 
same  name,  appearing  in  the  film,  will 
make  personal  appearances  on  the 
opening  day.  They  will  continue  to 
Peoria  and  Joliet,  111.,  and  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  for  similar  appearances. 
Lou  Goldberg,  associate  producer,  is 
accompanying  the  troupe. 


'Marines'  Premiere  Is 
Scheduled  for  Aug.  1 

Philadelphia,  July  10. — A  world 
premiere  with  civic  and  military  cere- 
monies is  being  set  up  by  Warner 
Bros,  for  the  launching  of  "Pride  of 
the  Marines"  on  August  10  at  the 
Mastbaum  Theatre,  here. 


'Bataan'  to  35  Houses 

Cleveland,  July  10. — "Back  to  Ba- 
taan" is  set  to  play  35  houses  in  the 
Cleveland  area  day  and  date,  starting 
July  18,  RKO  branch  manager  Al 
Kolitz  announces. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOW 


u 


NEW  DATE  FOR 

ANCHORS  AWEIGH 


if 


(TECHNICOLOR) 

New  York-New  Jersey  and  Los  Angeles 
Territories  Only 


NEW  YORK-NEW  JERSEY 


10:30  A.  M. 


TUESDAY,  JULY  17  ^oa,2:30P 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM  — 630  NINTH  AVENUE 


LOS  ANGELES 
TUESDAY,  JULY  17  •  2:30  P.  M. 

AMBASSADOR  THEATRE— AMBASSADOR  HOTEL 


THE 
BIG 
ONES 
COME 

FROM 


"VALLEY  OF  DECISION" 
"THRILL  OF  A  ROMANCE" 

(TECHNICOLOR) 

"SON  OF  LASSIE" 

(TECHNICOLOR) 

"WITHOUT  LOVE" 
"THE  CLOCK" 
"MEET  ME  IN  ST.  LOUIS" 

(TECHNICOLOR) 

"NATIONAL  VELVET" 

(TECHNICOLOR) 

'PICTURE  OF  DORIAN  GRAY' 
30  SECONDS  OVER  TOKYO 


AND 
HERE'S 
THE 
NEXT 
M  G  M 
BIG 
ONE! 


I, 


Jl. 
III 


_ 


! 

L 


M"G"M  presents 

FRANK  SINATR 
KATHRYN  GRAY 

GENE  KELLY 


PHOTOGRAPHED  IN  TECHNICOLOR 


JOSE  ITURBI 


•DEAN  STOCKWELL  •  PAMELA  BRITTON  "RAGS"  RAGLAND  .  BILLY  GILBERT 

HENRY  O'NEILL  •  Directed  by  GEORGE  SIDNEY  •  Produced  by  JOE  PASTERNAK 


Watch  for  World  Premiere 
at  Capitol  Theatre,  N.Y. 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  July  11,  1945 


Paramount  Host  to 
Charlotte  Owners 


Charlotte,  July  10.  —  Exhibitors 
who  have  played  Paramount  pictures 
30  years  or  more,  including  showmen 
who  have  exhibited  the  Paramount 
trademark  on  their  screens  since  the 
company  was  founded  in  1912,  were 
honored  at  a  reception  here  yesterday 
in  prelude  to  Paramount's  "The  Third 
of  a  Century"  celebration. 

Among  those  attending  the  recep- 
tion, at  the  Hotel  Charlotte,  were : 
Charles  W.  Picquet,  oldest  exhibitor 
in  this  territorv,  and  Mrs.  Picquet ; 
T.  L.  Little,  H.  F.  Kincey,  Roy 
Smart,  S.  D.  Trincher,  Tom  Little, 
Airs.  Ernest  G.  Stallings,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  H.  D.  Hearn,  Exhibitors  Serv- 
ice. 

Also  attending  were  Emery  Wister 
and  Martha  Avey,  Charlotte  Press; 
Adelaide  Butler,  Charlotte  Observer; 
Martha  Miller,  commentator,  Station 
WBT.  In  the  Paramount  touring 
group  were  Sonny  Tufts,  Paramount 
star ;  Hugh  Owen,  New  York  and 
Southern  division  manager ;  Allen 
Usher,  "Paramount  Month"  co-cap- 
tain, and  John  F.  Kirby,  Atlanta  dis- 
trict manager.  Harry  H.  "Haas, 
branch  manager,  and  the  entire  Char- 
lotte sales  staff  also  attended. 


Ray  Milland  to  Honor 
Mrs.  Eddy  in  Albany 

Albany,  July  10.— Actor  Ray  Mil- 
land,  visiting  here  July  24  in  connec- 
tion with  Paramount's  33rd  anniver- 
sary, will  speak  at  a  luncheon  at  the 
De  Witt  Clinton  Hotel  honoring  Mrs. 
Marie  Eddy,  office  accountant  at  the 
Albany  exchange,  who  is  completing 
her  25th  year  with  the  company.  Ac- 
companying Milland  will  be  William 
Erbb,  New  York  district  manager ; 
Allen  Usher,  Chicago,  co-captain  of 
the  anniversary ;  Al  Kane,  Boston  dis- 
trict manager,  and  Ed  Wall,  upstate 
publicity  director.  Clayton  Eastman, 
branch  manager,  will  preside  at  the 
meeting-. 


Also  Fannie  Voss 

Cincinnati,  July  10.  —  When  Ray 
Milland  makes  a  personal  appearance 
here  on  July  17,  in  connection  with 
Paramount's  'Third-of-a-Century'  cele- 
bration, he  will  be  host  at  a  reception 
in  honor  of  Fannie  Voss,  film  inspec- 
tress,  who  has  been  associated  with 
the  local  branch  for  30  years. 


$49,000  for  'Wonder  Man' 

Due  to  a  typographical  error  in  yes- 
terday's report  of  New  York  first-run 
receipts,  the  estimated  fifth  week's  re- 
ceipts for  "Wonder  Man"  at  the  As- 
tor  were  incorrectly  listed.  About 
$49,000  is  expected  for  the  fifth  week, 
ending  tomorrow  night. 


Reviews 


'Her  Highness  and  the  Bellboy* 


(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

Hollywood,  July  10 

HEDY  LAMARR  plays  Her  Highness  and  Robert  Walker  plays  the  bellboy 
in  this  comedy  backgrounded  by  pathos,  a  pairing  which  promises  to 
pique  the  curiosity  of  their  respective  followings  in  a  degree  making  a  look-see 
mandatory.  With  names  like  June  Allyson,  Carl  Esmond,  Agnes  Moorehead 
and  Rags  Ragland  for  second-tier  billing,  plus  the  signature  of  producer  Joe 
Pasternak,  the  property  stacks  up  as  a  commercially  attractive  package. 

The  story,  an  original  screenplay  by  Richard  Connell  and  Gladys  Lehman, 
compares  with  those  'princess  and  pauper'  plots  in  common  usage  several  dec- 
ades back,  but  it  is  a  modernized  and  not  very  serious  version  of  the  theme. 
The  place  is  New  York  and  the  period  appears  to  be  just  prior  to  the  out- 
break of  war,  for  it  was  when  princesses  travelled  in  state  and  bellboys  were 
available  for  such  chores  as  walking  hotel  guests'  dogs.  Setting  and  dating 
conspire  to  give  the  whole  enterprise  a  not  unpleasant  never-never-land  colora- 
tion which  dispenses  with  the  requirement  of  plausibility. 

Walker  and  Ragland  play  bellboys  in  a  metropolitan  hotel  who  collaborate 
in  ministrations  to  a  shut-in,  Miss  Allyson,  who  makes  her  living  by  painting 
toys.  When  Miss  Lamarr,  princess  of  an  unnamed  empire,  arrives  to  seek  out 
a  former  sweetheart,  Carl  Esmond,  she  makes  W alker  her  personal  servant 
and  he  falls  in  love  with  her,  fancying  his  affection  reciprocated  although  it  is 
not,  in  fact,  recognized  by  the  princess.  Much  misunderstanding,  most  of  it 
humorously  and  much  of  it  very  sentimentally  treated,  precedes  receipt  of  news 
that  the  princess  has  become  queen,  which  in  turn  precedes  Walker's  realiza- 
tion that  he  is  in  love  with  Miss  Allyson  and  Miss  Lamarr's  realization  that 
she  does  not  want  to  be  queen  anyway. 

Performances,  and  direction  by  Richard  Thorpe,  go  far  toward  making  it  a 
better  picture  to  see  than  to  read  about. 

Running  time.  112  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


H 


"And  Then  There  Were  None" 

{20th  Ccntwv-Fo.r—Popkin  ) 

Holly-a-ood,  July  10 

ARRY  M.  POPKIN'S  initial  production  venture  will  give  puzzle-fans 
a  wonderful  time.  It's  a  dramatization  of  Agatha  Christie's  popular 
mystery  story,  which  appeared  on  Broadway  under  the  title  "Ten  Little  In- 
dians." The  ingeniousness  with  which  the  plot  has  been  worked  out  is  fas- 
cinating to  behold. 

As  well  as  a  good  story  to  keep  the  customers  in  their  seats,  the  picture 
has  plenty  of  names  to  get  them  there  in  the  first  place.  Barry  Fitzgerald, 
Academy  Award  winner,  heads  the  list,  followed  in  close  succession  by  Wal- 
ter Huston,  Louis  Hay  ward,  Roland  Young,  June  Duprez,  Sir  Aubrey  Smith, 
Judith  Anderson  and  Mischa  Auer.  All  of  them  perform  in  finished  fashion, 
with  Young's  portrayal  a  shade  the  best. 

The  story,  as  all  readers  of  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  are  well  aware,  tells 
of  ten  people,  trapped  on  an  island  off  the  English  coast.  At  the  picture's 
outset  they  are  each  accused,  via  a  phonograph  record,  of  various  crimes. 
Their  unknown  host  promises  them  that  each  will  pay  for  his  misdeed.  Then, 
following  the  pattern  of  the  nursery  rhyme  about  the  ten  little  Indians,  one 
after  another  meets  death.  At  last  only  two  are  left,  a  young  girl,  accused  of 
the  murder  of  her  late  fiancee,  and  a  young  man,  charged  with  responsibility 
for  the  deaths  of  25  South  African  natives.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  reveal  the 
conclusion.    Suffice  to  say  that  it  is  clever  and  satisfying  in  the  extreme. 

The  difficulties  that  beset  the  director  of  such  a  drama,  in  which  a  great 
number  of  characters  must  be  introduced  and  established,  have  been  ably  over- 
come by  Rene  Clair.  His  firm  hand  never  falters.  Richard  Haydn,  it  should 
be  noted,  contributes  an  excellent  bit  in  his  portrayal  of  the  butler.  The 
screenplay  was  written  by  Dudley  Nichols,  and  it's  an  expert  piece  of  crafts- 
manship. .  ... 

Running  time,  99  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Thalia  Bell 


Pair  Rob  Boston  House 

Boston,  July  10. —  The  Franklin 
Park  Theatre  here  was  robbed  of  $2,- 
500  in  cash  and  $1,300  in  war  bond 
sale  receipts  by  two  masked  gunmen, 
who  held  up  manager  Frances  Moran. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc. 

New  York  Trade  Showing 

of 

"The  Falcon  in  San  Francisco77 

TUESDAY,  JULY  17,  at  2.30  P.  M. 


RKO  Projection  Roor 


630  Ninth  Ave.  New  York,  N.,Y. 


U.  S.  Fails  to  Get 
British  Stock  Aid 

(Continued  from  page  1). 

cials  have  pointed  out  that  the  domes- 
tic industry  has  had  to  take  a  .severe 
cut  in  film  supplies  and  contend  that 
a  further  cut  to  provide  additional 
film  for  operations  of  foreigners 
could  not  be  justified. 

At  the  same  time,  it  has  been  point- 
ed out  that  all  foreign  countries  have 
been  cut  proportionately,  and  England 
has  suffered  to  no  greater  extent  than 
any  other. 

There  is  no  indication  that  if  do- 
mestic allocations  are  abandoned  at  the 
end  of  this  quarter  there  will  be  any 
additional  film  for  export  purposes, 
although  it  is  believed  that,  barring 
unforeseen  developments,  the  situa- 
1  tion  will  clear  up  early  in  1946. 


Canada  Film 
Unit  Expands 


(Continued  from  page  \) 

has  she  extended  her  film  offices  wm 
representatives  emerging  in  Mexie 
City,  Austral  iat  England  and  eventual 
ly  Paris  and  Moscow,  Grierson  said 

Pointing  out  that  the  Canadian  Filn 
Board,  unlike  the  U.  S.  Office  of  Wai 
Information,  is  a  peacetime  agency 
created  by  an-  act  of  the  Canadiai 
Government,  Grierson  said  that  filn 
offices  are  associated  with  embassie 
and  high  commissioners. 

"Canada  is  becoming  interested  ii 
playing  her  part  in  films  on  the  inter- 
national level,"  Canada's  film  commis- 
sioner said.  The  board  is  exchanging! 
material  with  Russia,  and  is  currenth 
producing  a  six  or  seven-reel  film  oi 
Canada,  which  will  be  dubbed  in  Rus 
sian.  During  the  San  Francisco  se- 
curity conference,  Grierson  said,  th< 
board  maintained  a  nine-man  earner; 
crew  in  that  city.  "Now  the  Peace,' 
which  UA  will  release,  is  a  docu 
mentary  on  Dumbarton  Oaks  and  in 
ternational  security.  "Labor  Front' 
and  "Global  Air  Routes"  treated  theii 
subject  matter  on  the  internationa 
plane,  while  a  new  documentary 
"Food,  the  Secret  of  the  Peace"  wil  l 
treat  of  the  international  aspects  o 
food,  he  said. 


Material  Shortage 
Curbs  Projectors 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

electronic  components,  x-ray  film  anc 
laboratory  equipment. 

It  had  been  expected  that  the  pro- 
duction of  projectors  would  be  re 
sumed  without  any  new  controls  anc 
as  reported  in  Motion  Picture  Dail1! 
last    Monday,    according    to    WPB  [ 
practically    all    types    of  projectior, 
equipment  and   accessories  manufac- 
tured   on    an    authorized  productior 
schedule  could  be   sold  to   fill  anj] 
orders  received,  whether  rated  or  un- 
rated,  to  theatres,   or  otherwise, 
long  as  rated  orders  come  first. 

The  new  shortages  will  not  result 
in  the  reinstatement  of  any  of  the  pro-" 
duction  controls  which  have  lifted,  bu' 
will  serve  to  dam  back  civilian  pro 
duction  of  items  in  which  the  scarci 
materials  are  used. 


Bell  Gets  'Samurai' 

Bell  Pictures  has  acquired  New 
York,  Albany  and  Buffalo  distributioi 
rights  on  the  feature  "Samurai,"  whicl 
is  based  on  the  Jap  code  of  glorifiec 
death.  "Samurai"  opens  at  the  Work 
Theatre,  New  York,  in  August. 


Top  Flight 

Hollywood  Representation 

Available 


For  movie  producer;  also  for 
advertising,  publicity,  radio, 
stories,    talent,    publisher,  etc. 

Very  well-known  in  New  York,  with 
record  of  notable  achievements  (aide  to 
Herbert  J.  Tates.  Harry  M.  Goetz.  and 
others;  story  editor;  director  of  advertis- 
ing and  publicity  for  Columbia  and  Bruns- 
wick Records ;  acc.  executive  with  Lord  & 
Thomas  and  N.   W.  Ayer  &   Son;  etc.) 

MAXSON  F.  JUDELL 
P.  O.  Box  446,  Hollywood  28,  Calif. 


*   *dnesday.  July  11,  1945 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


m  pan  Pietro'  Filming  What  Prefabricated  Theatres  Look  Like 

£  Described  by 


laj.  John  Huston 


'h  ilt  presence  of  cameramen  on  the 
lid  of  battle   "is  of  great  morale 
metit  to  combat  soldiers,"  according 
Major  John  Huston,  former  War- 
<r  director,  who  related  details  con- 
feted   with    the   production    of  the 
trn   "San   Pietro,'"  at  an  interview 
'fre  yesterday.     The  picture,  a  35- 
inute  W  ar  Activities  Committee  re- 
k-e.  opens  today  at  the  55th  Street 
layhouse,    it   was    directed,  written 
id  narrated  by  Major  Huston. 
Two  seven-men  camera  crews  were 
Nigaged  in  filming  "San  Pietro"  over 
four-month  period.   Major  Huston 
'  ~$  id.     He  described  the  picture,  an 
uial   record  of  the  battle  for  the 
"•rale  Italian  farming  village  of  San 
pietro,  which  the  Americans  wrested 
om  the  Germans  in  Dec,  1943,  as  a 
-"->rtrayal  of  the   'typical'   battle  for 
^t.twns  during  the  war  in  Europe, 
oj:  Three  of   the   men   working  with 
» »j'tuston  were  industry  men  :  Lieuten- 
a':its    Bradlev   and    Meers,  formerly 
idi  M-G-M,  and  Capt.  Jules  Buck, 
cond  in  command  to  Huston,  previ- 
-Visly  connected  with  Universal's  pub- 
:ity  department.    The  other  11,  two 
*  m-  whom  were  killed  during  the  mak- 
g   of  the  picture,  were  trained  at 
istoria   here.     Huston   said   all  but 
few    received    wounds    during  the 
P  Iming. 

'Classical  Set-L'p' 

Huston  described  the  battle  for  San 
lietro    as    "classically    set    up  for 
hotographing."     Total   35mm  foot- 
ge  exposed  was  45,000  feet,  which 
:    as  been  cut  to  three  reels. 

Huston    is    presently    engaged  in 
"  -riting  the  script  for  a  feature  pro- 
uction   on   the   psychiatric  rehabili- 
ktion   of   returning    veterans,  which 
i^'^ill  be  filmed  at  the  Mason  General 
"•'lospital,  Brentwood,  L.  I.,  under  his 
r'irection.    His  last  picture  for  \\  ar- 
ers,    before    entering    service,  was 
Across  the  Pacific,"  with  Humphrey 
^'logart.    Huston  indicated  his  inten- 
on  of  returning  to  Warners  at  the 
Conclusion  of  hostilities. 


Services  Today  for 
A.  Charles  Hay  man 

{Continued  from   pane  1) 

ialls.   A  tour  of  the  Southwest,  show- 
ig    "The    Great    Train  Robbery," 
nder  canvas,  was  followed  by  his  en- 
ering  distribution,  with  the  acquisi- 
tion of  a  number  of  exchanges  extend- 
'ng  from  New  York  to  Buffalo.  Sub- 
equently  he  acquired  a  theatre  circuit 
■:i  Upper  New  York  State.    This  was 
disposed  of  and  at  the  time  of  his 
.eath  Hayman  was  engaged  in  operat- 
ing three  houses,  the  Lafayette  here, 
r.nd  the  Strand  and  Cataract,  Niagara 
l7alls. 

Hayman's  earlier  interests  also  in- 
cluded directing.  He  assisted  in  the 
lirection  of  "The  Great  Train  Rob- 
>ery_i"  in  which  he  also  appeared  as  a 
Tunman,  and  is  credited  with  Bronco 
Billy  Anderson's  first  film. 

Hayman  was  an  associate  and  inti- 
nate  of  many  of  the  screen's  person- 
ilities,  among  them  Adolph  Zukor. 
Carl  Laemmle,  D.  W.  Griffith,  Jesse 
lasky,  Mary  Pickford. 

Surviving  are  his  widow,  Mrs. 
Marie  D.  Hayman ;  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Joseph  Harmon ;  .  two  sons,  Robert 
and  Lt.  Richard  C.  Hayman,  now 
•lome  on  furlough,  and  a  grandson. 


Above  is  a  scale  model  illustrat- 
ing the  auditorium  side  wall  deco- 
rations of  a  proposed  800-seat  pre- 
fabricated theatre,  one  of  five  dif- 
ferent types  which  are  to  be  man- 
ufactured and  marketed  by  a  com- 
pany in  which  Charles  P.  Skouras, 
president  of  National  theatres, 
will  be  a  dominant  factor. 

To  the  right  are  additional  mod- 
els conveying  an  idea  of  what 
other  types  are  designed  to  look 
like.  Their  capacities  will  range 
from  1,000  to  1,200  seats  and  there- 
after to  2,500  and  3,000  seats,  ac 
cording  to  plan.  Skouras  is  ex- 
plaining detail  to  a  group  which 
includes  Ernest  Turnbull,  execu- 
tive of  Hoyt's  Theatre,  Australia; 
R.  H.  McCullough,  Fox  West 
Coast  executive  who  heads  the 
staff  responsible  for  the  develop- 
ment after  two  years  of  study,  and 
William  R.  Weaver,  Hollywood  ed- 
itor of  Quigley  Publications. 


Advance  MGM  Meet 
In  Chicago  Today 


(Continued   from    paije  I) 

sales  head,  and  Edward  K.  O'Shea, 
Eastern  sales  manager,  are  due  from 
New  York  tomorrow  morning.  Due  to 
arrive  from  their  respective  quar- 
ters about  the  same  time  are :  John 
J.  Maloney,  Central  sales  manager, 
Pittsburgh ;  Rudolph  Berger,  South- 
ern sales  chief,  from  Kansas  City, 
and  George  A.  Hickey,  West  Coast 
supervisor,  Los  Angeles. 

The  smallest  group  of  home  of- 
fice executives  ever  to  attend  a  sales 
conference  is  due  here  Thursday,  as 
well  as  field  district  managers.  John 
E.  Flynn,  Western  sales  manager,  and 
Sam  Shirley,  Chicago  district  man- 
ager, also  will  attend  the  sessions. 

There  will  be  no  general  meeting 
of  branch  managers  this  year. 


Services  for  Mrs.  Beier 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  at  the 
Park  West  "Memorial  Chapel  here  to- 
day for  Mrs.  Rae  Beier,  wife  of  Nat 
Beier.  who  is  associated  with  the 
Paramount  sales  department,  and 
mother  of  Leonard  Beier,  Columbia 
publicist.  Mrs.  Beier  died  here  Sun- 
day. 


$10,414,173  Bond  Sale 
By  Broadway  Houses 

A  record  almost  300  per  cent  better 
than  they  set  in  the  Sixth  War  Loan 
was  established  in  the  Seventh  War 
Loan  by  Broadway  first-run  theatres, 
which  sold  $10,414,173  worth  of  bonds, 
compared  to  $3,663,000  in  the  previous 
loan. 

With  a  sale  of  75,214  bonds  the 
theatres  not  only  established  a  money 
record  but  also  set  a  record  of  having 
sold  almost  two  bonds  for  every  thea- 
tre seat,  according  to  an  announce- 
ment by  Irving  Lesser,  general  chair- 
man, and  Monty  Salmon,  Broadway 
chairman  of  the  New  York  War  Ac- 
tivities Committee. 


2  Sell  $2,276,075  Bonds 

The  Academy  of  Music,  Manhattan, 
managed  bv  Nate  Simons,  sold  $1,- 
256.650  worth  of  war  bonds  to  8,330 
purchasers,  and  the  Ogden  Theatre, 
Bronx,  managed  bv  Al  Tacobs,  sold 
$1,019,425  to  9,496,  according  to  re- 
ports by  Irving  Lesser,  general  chair- 
man of  the  New  York  War  Activities 
Committee. 


'Morgan'  Showing  Aug.  S 

M-G-M  will  tradeshow  "The  Great 
Morgan"  in  all  exchange  centers  on 
August  3. 


U.  S.  Gathers  Data 
For  Film  Treaties 


(Continued  from  fane  1) 

Czechoslovakia  and  other  countries 
lying  within  the  huge  sphere  of  influ- 
ence which  the  USSR  has  carved  out 
for  itself  during  the  war. 

It  is  considered  more  than  possible 
in  informed  quarters  here  that  the  So- 
viet government  will  watch  closely 
any  negotiations  between  the  U.  S. 
and  the  countries  of  Eastern  Europe 
and  that  suggestions  from  Moscow  as 
to  the  content  of  trade  agreements  will 
carry  considerable  weight. 

From  the  film  angle,  the  State  De- 
partment will  enter  the  negotiation  of 
postwar  agreements  with  a  much  bet- 
ter idea  of  the  barriers  the  industry 
faces  than  it  had  when  it  made  the 
original  agreements  before  the  war. 
It  is  considered  that  motion  pictures 
will  be  a  feature  of  a  large  proportion 
of  the  new  agreements. 


Forgoston's  Mother  Dies 

Sam  Forgoston,  advertising  produc- 
tion manager,  trade  paper  division  of 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  here,  has  lost 
his  mother.  Burial  was  in  Montefiore 
Cemetery,  L.  I. 


- 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN  Radio  City   July  27 

ST.  PAUL,  MINN  Paramount   Aug.  2 

ATLANTA,  GA  Grand   Aug.  1 

NASHVILLE,  TENN  Vendome   Aug.  1 

SYRACUSE.  N.  Y  State  July  2  5 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y  Buffalo   Aug.  8 

DAYTON,  OHIO   Loew  s   Aug.  1 

AKRON,  OHIO   Loew  s     July  25 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO   State   Aug.  1 

CANTON,  OHIO  Loew  s  ..Aug.  1 

TOLEDO.  OHIO  Valentine   Aug.  1 

HOUSTON.  TEXAS   State   Aug.  1 

LOUISVILLE,  KY  U.  A  July  25 

KANSAS  CITY,  MO  Midland   July  2  5 

HARRISBURG,  PA  Regent   July  25 

READING,  PA  Colonial   July  25 

WILMINGTON,  DEL  Aldine   Aug.  1 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO  State   Aug.  1 

RICHMOND,  VA  Loew  s   July  25 

NORFOLK,  VA  State   Aug.  I 

BALTIMORE,  MD  Century  Aug.  1 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO   Albee   July  25 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LA  State   July  25 

ALBANY,  N.  Y  Strand   July  26 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA  Mastbaum    July  27 

DETROIT,  MICH  Michigan   Aug.  3 

TROY,  N.  Y  Troy   Aug.  2 


and  So  Have  42,000,000  Readers 
of  These  Magazines! 


AMERICAN  WEEKLY   ..July  29 

LIFE   Aug.  6 

TIME   Aug.  13 

MOVIE  STORY   Sept. 

MOTION  PICTURES  Sept. 

MOVIES   Sept. 

MOVIE  LIFE  Sept. 

MOVIE  STARS  PARADE   Sept. 

PERSONAL  ROMANCES   Sept. 

SILVER  SCREEN   Sept. 

SCREENLAND  Sept. 

MOVIE  SHOW  Sept. 

MODERN  SCREEN   Sept. 

MOVIELAND   Sept. 

PHOTOPLAY    ..Sept. 

SCREEN  ROMANCES   Sept. 

SCREEN  GUIDE  ..Sept. 

SCREEN  STARS  Sept. 


First  in 


Accu 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


)L.  58.  NO."  8 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  JULY  12,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


.odak  to  Make 
'rofessional 
6mm  Line 


ill  Start  Soon  to  Meet 
xpected  Postwar  Need 


astman  Kodak,  in  Rochester, 
ns  to  begin  the  manufacture  of 
fessional  16  mm  equipment,  hi- 
ding cameras  and  sound  projec- 
s,  as  soon  as  material  becomes 
ailable,  it  is  learned  here. 

Before  the  war  Eastman  con- 
fined itself  to  the  manufacture 
of  amateur  equipment  for  home 
use  with  its  Cine  Kodak  camera 
being  the  nearest  to  a  profes- 
sional model. 

The  new  16  mm  sound  projectors 
-11  be  built  according  to  American 
"ar  Standards  specifications  drafted 
st  year.  Projectors  based  on  these 
andards  are  being  manufactured  by 
veral  companies.  Most  of  those 
ade  during  the  war  have  gone  to 
ie  armed  services.  While  the  Army 
now  replacing  its  16mm  projectors 
use  in  the  European  Theatre  with 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


7A  to  Hold  3 
More  Meets 


Sales  meetings  for  United  Artists' 
astern  territory,  supervised  by  Harry 
.  Gold,  manager,  will  be  held  this 
iionth  in  Boston,  Cleveland  and  Phila- 
?lphia,  Carl  Leserman,  UA  general 
lies  manager,  announces. 
First  of  the  three  meetings  will  be 
eld  at  the  Statler  Hotel,  Boston,  July 
4-15  with  branch  managers  and  sales- 
men from  Boston,  New  Haven  and 
,uffalo    attending.     The  Cleveland 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Production  Halt  in 
}pain  Hits  US  Films 


PRC  Sales  Meeting 
In  Chicago  Aug.  4-5 

Chicago,  July  11.— PRC  will 
hold  a  sales  meeting  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel,  here,  Aug. 
4  and  5.  Due  to  travel  re- 
strictions, attendance  will  be 
limited  to  key  home  office 
personnel,  exchange  managers 
and  franchise  owners.  Presi- 
dent Leon  Fromkess  is  ex- 
pected to  announce  additional 
exchange  purchases  at  the 
meeting. 


SOPEG  Membership 
Ratifies  War  Pacts 


Members  of  the  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild  of  the 
United  Office  and  Professional  Work- 
ers of  America,  employed  at  Loew's, 
20th  Century-Fox,  Paramount,  RKO 
Radio  and  Columbia  have  approved 
new  contracts  between  SOPEG  and 
the  companies.  About  2,000  'white 
collarites'  are  affected.  Contracts  will 
go  to  the  War  Labor  Board  shortly 
for  approval.  Issues  still  in  dispute 
on  job  classifications  and  rates  are  due 
to  be  submitted  to  arbitration. 

Provisions  of  the  new  contracts  are 
substantially  the  same  as  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on  July  3.  A 
five  per  cent  wage  increase  is  provided 
for,  retroactive  to  July  28,  1944;  job 
classifications  with  minimum  and  max- 
imum wage  scales  are  established,  with 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


PRIMA  FACIE  CASE 
LINKS  'LITTLE  3' 


Campaign  on 
12  for  M-G-M 


Chicago,  July  11. — The  identities 
of  at  least  12  1945-46  productions  will 
be  disclosed  to  delegates  to  M-G-M's 
sales  meeting,  which  will  open  to- 
morrow morning  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel,  here,  and  will  run  through 
Saturday,  presided  over  by  William  F. 
Rodgers,  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  distribution.  The  meeting 
will  map  promotional  campaigns  for 
the  12,  and  possibly  others. 

Several  topics  pertinent  to  the  fu- 
ture of  M-G-M  operations  will  be 
discussed  by  Rodgers  and  by  sales 
managers,  divisional,  and  district  man- 
agers and  a  limited  group  of  home  of- 
fice executives. 

Included  in  the  topics  will  be  the 
marketing  and  merchandising  of  pic- 
tures the  company  will  release  from 
now  until  the  end  of  the  year. 

Howard  Dietz,  vice-president  and 
director  of  advertising,  exploitation 
and  publicity  ;  Si  Seadler,  director  of 
advertising,  and  William  R.  Fergu- 
son, exploitation  director,  will  detail 
various  campaigns  in  preparation  and 
planned.    They  will  arrive  from  New 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


U.S.  Will  See  More  British 
Films  'Cooperatively':  Rank 


The  cessation  of  film  production  in 
pain,  which  has  occurred  in  the  past 
K>nth  because  of  raw  stock  shortage, 
'ill  eventually  mean  the  stoppage  of 
t  S.  imports  by  the  end  of  1946, 
Robert  C.  Alexander,  executive  man- 
ger of  Paramount  Films  de  Espana, 
•.  A.,  who  arrived  in  New  York  from 
ladrid  on  Tuesday,  revealed  in  an  in- 

(Continved  on  page  6) 


The  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  both  will  profit  by  coopera- 
tion^rather  than  competition — in  the 
postwar  motion  picture  industry,  ac- 
cording to  J. 
Arthur  Rank, 
described  as 
England's  most 
influential  film 
industry  figure, 
who  returned  to 
New  York  yes- 
terday from  a 
trip  to  the 
Coast. 

Rank  said 
Britain  plans  to 
go  into  the  bus- 
iness of  inter- 
national films  J.  Arthur  Rank 
after   the  war. 

He  reiterated  that  English  directors 
plan   to   study   American  techniques 


in  Hollywood  with  the  aim  of  in- 
troducing more  'American  appeal' 
in  British  films. 

As  soon  as  the  British  government 
relaxes  its  control  of  British  films, 
Rank  said,  "we  will  really  go  into 
the  business.  We  have  the  talent  and 
ability,"  he  declared.  "Undoubtedly 
you  in  America  will  be  getting  more 
British  films  than  you  have .  in  the 
past.  But,  principally,  it  will  be  on 
a  cooperative  basis  rather  than  a  com- 
petitive basis.'' 

Returning  with  Rank  yesterday 
were  colleagues  who  accompanied 
'jim  ,from  London,  including  John 
Davis  and  Barrington  Gain ;  G.  I. 
Woodham- Smith  had  preceded  them 
from  the  Coast.  All  will  leave  New 
York  for  London  about  Jul}'  16. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox  executives 
gave  Rank  and  his  party  a  luncheon 
yesterday  at  the  St.  Moritz  Hotel. 


Wright,  However,  Plans 
Not  to  Press  for  Ruling 
On  Clearance  Injunction 


The  Department  of  Justice  has 
no  intention  of  dismissing  "the  Lit- 
tle Three,"  Columbia,  United  Art- 
ists and  Universal,  in  its  prima 
facie  documentary  presentation  of 
evidence  in  the  New  York  anti-trust 
case  against  the  five  distributor-de- 
fendants with  affiliated  circuits,  Rob- 
ert L.  Wright,  special  assistant  to 
U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom  Clark, 
told  Motion  Picture  Daily,  here, 
yesterday. 

Wright   indicated   that  "the 
Little  Three"  will  be  linked  to 
the     five     other  defendants 
through  their  licensing  of  fea- 
tures  under   pooling  arrange- 
ments and  franchise  deals  and 
other  selling  practices. 
Counsel  for  the  five  had  sought  to 
learn  from  Wright  what  his  proce- 
dure against  "the  Little  Three"  would 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Columbia  Net 
Is  $1,380,000 


Columbia's  net  profit  for  the  39 
weeks  ended  March  31,  1945,  was 
$1,380,000,  compared  to  $1,490,000  for 
a  similar  period  last  year,  Harry 
Cohn,  president,  reported  yesterday 
in  a  statement  on  the  company's  con- 
solidated earnings.  This  amounts  to 
earnings  of  $3.20  per  share  of  com- 
mon stock  for  the  39-week  period, 
compared  to  $3.65  for  a  similar  period 
last  year. 

Operating    profit    was  $2,885,000, 

(Continued  on  page  6-> 


Griffis  Leaves  RC, 
Mayer  Returning 


Stanton  Griffis,  American  Red  Cross 
Commissioner  for  the  Pacific  area,  has 
resigned,  effective  July  15,  a  spokes- 
man for  Hemphill,  Noyes  and  Co.  in- 
vestment bankers,  in  which  Griffis  is  a 
uartner,  confirmed  here  yesterday. 
Griffis  will  presumably  resume  the 
chairmanship  of  the  Paramount  execu- 
(Cont\nued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  12,  19 


Personal 
Mention 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN* 


Coming 
Events 


CHARLES     D.  PRUTZMAN, 
Universal  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral counsel,  will  return  here  tomor- 
row after  a  short  visit  to  the  Coast. 
• 

Arthur  Rosson,  unit  director  with 
Cecil  B.  De  Mille,  has  left  Holly- 
wood to  do  camera  work  in  Utah, 
Idaho,  New  Mexico,  and  Northern 
California,  accompanied  by  George 
Richardson,  cameraman,  and  Ken- 
neth Deland,  production  manager. 
• 

Larry  Cowen,  upstate  publicity 
director  for  the  Fabian  circuit  and 
manager  of  Proctor's  Theatre,  Troy, 
has  been  called  to  New  York  by  the 
serious  illness  of  his  father. 

• 

J.  Lawrence  Schanberger,  owner 
of  Keith's  Theatre,  Baltimore,  has  re- 
turned there  from  New  York,  where 
he  attended  the  graduation  of  his  son, 
William,  at  Columbia  University. 
• 

F.    J.    A.    McCarthy,  Universal 
Southern   and   Canadian   sales  man- 
ager, is  in  Charlotte  and  is  expected 
in  New  York  at  the  weekend. 
• 

Evelyn  Koleman  of  Republic's 
publicity  department  has  arrived  in 
Hollvwood  from  New  York. 

• 

Ed    Hinchy,    head    of  Warners' 
playdate   department,    left  yesterday 
for  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland  and  will 
return  to  New  York  at  the  weekend. 
• 

Charles  S.  Steinberg,  head  of 
Warners'  educational  and  public  ser- 
vice bureau,  is  in  Washington  for  a 
few  days,  from  New  York. 

• 

Ernest  Turnbull,  managing  direc- 
tor of  Hoyt's  Theatres,  Australia,  left 
•Hollywood  yesterday  for  New  York 
on  the  Superchief. 

• 

David  E.  Rose,  Paramount  man- 
aging director  for  Great  Britain,  left 
Hollywood  yesterday  for  New  York 
on  the  Superchief. 

• 

Betty  Hutton  has  arrived  in  New- 
York  from  Hollywood  and  is  a  guest 
at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel. 


Copeland  Joins  Ross 

Sgt.  Bill  Copeland,  former  Holly- 
wood screen  writer  for  Columbia,  has 
been  assigned  to  work  with  Major 
Lanny  Ross  on  Army  camp  shows  in 
the  Pacific  Theater. 


Nassour  Sues  UA 

Los  Angeles,  July  11. — Edward 
Xassour  filed  suit  in  Federal  District 
Court  here  today  against  United  Art- 
ists Corp.,  demanding  an  accounting 
for  unauthorized  use  of  plastic  figures. 

Ray,  Ohio  Censor,  Quits 

Columbus,  O.,  July  11.— Kenneth  C. 
Ray,  director  of  education  and  chief 
film  tensor  for  Ohio,  will  resign  his 
post  on  Aug.  15  when  his  term  ex- 
pires, to  become  director  of  education 
of  the  Grolier  Society,  Inc. 


APPROXIMATELY  a  year 
ago,  the  MPTOA  relieved 
its  chest  of  a  load  on  the  con- 
sent decree.  What  it  had  to  say 
developed  at  the  conclusion  of  a 
meeting  of  its  committeemen  in 
Washington,  where  they  had 
been  called  into  conclave  with 
sucli  a  purpose  in  mind.  How- 
ever, considerable  care  was  ex- 
ercised in  setting  up  the  pro- 
ceedings. As  an  illustration, 
those  who  represented  producer- 
owned  or  affiliated  circuits  in 
MPTOA  were  carefully  exclud- 
ed for  reasons  which  should  re- 
quire explanation  neither  long 
nor  short. 

Thus,  the  attitudes  and  the  ap- 
proaches which  emerged  ulti- 
mately were  regarded  as  symto- 
matic  of  the  viewpoint  of  the  in- 
dependent  membership  of 
MPTOA  in  deliberate  contra- 
distinction from  its  affiliated 
membership.  The  difficulty 
which  ensued  is  that  not  all 
quarters  sized  up  the  situation 
in  this  light. 

It  is  understood  Warner  took 
umbrage,  apparently  on  the 
ground  its  own  position  might 
be  misinterpreted  what  with  Joe 
Bernhard,  then  an  MPTOA  di- 
rector, and  all  of  its  theatres  in 
the  associate  membership  roster 
of  the  Kuykendall  organization. 

It  was  at  this  point  that  Bern- 
hard  tendered  his  resignation,  a 
move  which  immediately  sur- 
rounded itself  with  considerable 
mystery.  No  other  known  action 
followed  until  Kuykendall  an- 
nounced on  Monday  that  War- 
ner Theatres  had  withdrawn. 

Significance  at  once  attaches 
itself  to  the  timing.  Pulling  out 
of  the  exhibitor  association  fol- 
lows quickly  on  the  heels  of  the 
formal  withdrawal  of  the  parent 
Warner  company  from  the  Hays 
organization.  While  that  which 
follows  is  acknowledged  to  be 
speculation,  it  may  be  Warner  is 
carefully  seeking  to  disassociate 
itself  from  the  other  four  de- 
fendants in  the  Government's 
long-standing  suit  for  purposes 
of  strategy  insofar  as  its  own 
position  in  that  litigation  is  con- 
cerned. 

Whether  accurate  or  not,  the 
resignation  from  the  MPPDA 
could  fit  neatly  into  such  a  plan. 
Retirement  from  the  MPTOA 
in  which  theatres  of  the  other 
four  defendants  similarly  hold 
associate  memberships  could  fit 
in  as  well.  And  as  neatly. 
■  ■ 

Hollywood  people  are  sensi- 
tive people.  Authority?  Ask 
anvone  who  can  lav  reasonable 


claim  to  the  intricacies  and  the 
delicacies  of  the  Hollywood 
scene.  The  answer  will  be  uni- 
form; it  also  will  be  affirmative. 

Aside  from  whatever  other 
calculations  entered  its  original 
decision,  this  was  as  vital  a  fac- 
tor as  any  why  Paramount  took 
over  the  El  Capitan  and  con- 
verted it  into  what  later  became 
the  Hollywood  Paramount  at  the 
well-known  juncture  of  Holly- 
wood Boulevard  and  Highland 
Avenue.  Paramount  already 
had  had  its  namesake  theatre 
downtown  which  means  Los  An- 
geles which  means  another  land 
insofar  as  Hollywood  was  con- 
cerned. The  Downtown  Para- 
mount might  have  been  the  Mu- 
sic Hall,  but  through  production 
eyes  the  impression  was  nil. 
Having  a  showcase  in  Holly- 
wood's heart  was  something  dif- 
ferent. 

The  final  on  this  was  that 
Paramount  established  its  first- 
run  in  a  location  where  its  stu- 
dio people  had  to  be  aware  con- 
stantly of  its  existence.  They 
were  and  thev  are. 

■ 

You  may  scoff,  but  it  can  be 
argued  with  success,  too,  that  a 
producing  company  dealing  day 
by  day  with  all  shades  and  de- 
grees of  personalities  has  to  pay 
full  attention  to  the  niceties.  It 
is  the  fact,  furthermore,  that 
there  does  not  exist  today  the 
studio  which  would  consciously 
ignore  the  importance  of  keeping 
its  product  on  regular  first-run 
display  in  the  Los  Angeles-Hol- 
lywood area,  and  chiefly  the  lat- 
ter. The  revenue  is  important, 
of  course.  But  more  important 
is  the  impact  and  the  impression 
conveyed  to  the  creative  ele- 
ments whose  world  so  frequent- 
ly is  compressed  between  the 
east  and  west  boundaries  of  that 
place  where  they  make  'em. 
■ 

As  with  others,  so  it  is  with 
United  Artists.  The  UA  lineup 
heretofore  has  been  playing  ini- 
tial dates  in  various  Fox  West 
Coast  theatres.  Sometimes,  the 
bookings  are  early ;  sometimes, 
they  are  delayed.  When  early, 
UA  producers  are  pleased. 
When  late,  UA  producers  be- 
come fretful,  and  fretful  produc- 
ers do  not  make  for  happy  asso- 
ciations. 

Behind  the  deal  under  which 
Joe  Blumenfeld,  successful  San 
Francisco  theatre  operator,  en- 
ters the  Los  Angeles-Hollywood 
area  is  this  general  background. 
The  key  run  combination  he  has 
set  up  will  play  UA  single  bills 


Today   through   July  14 — M-G-J 

sales  conference.  Blackstone  H< 

tel,  Chicago. 
Today — NBC  luncheon  for  Lowe 

Thomas,      Ambassador  Hote 

here. 

July  12-19 — RCA  'Service  Co.  cor 

ference   on    electronics,  Seavie^ 

Country  Club,  Absecon,  X.  J. 
July  13 — Television  engineers  meei 

ing  with  Federal  Communicatio 

Commission,  Washington. 
July  13-14 — United  Artists  Wester 

regional     sales     meeting.  Par 

Plaza  Hotel,  St.  Louis. 
July  13 — Educational  Film  Librar 

board  meeting,  Chicago. 
July    14-15 — United    Artists  EasV 

ern  regional  sales  meeting,  Stat 

ler  Hotel,  Boston. 
July     15-17 — Monogram's  We? 

Coast  regional  meeting.  Del  Ma 

Hotel,  Del  Mar.  Cal. 
July   15-16  —  United    Artists  Mic. 

west     regional     sales  meeting 

Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago. 
July    21-22 — Mouogram  regiom 

sales  meeting,  Chicago. 
July  21-22.  —  United  Artists  Easr 

ern  regional  sales  meeting,  Cleve 

land. 

July  28-29  —  United  Artists  East' 
ern  regional  sales  meeting,  Phik 
delphia. 

Aug.  6.  —  American  Federation  c 

Labor's  executive   council  meet' 

in  Chicago. 
Aug.  14 — RKO  regional  meeting  a 

the  Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago. 
Aug.   15 — Distributors-WPB  meet 

ing  in  Washington  on  raw  stoc 

quotas. 

Truman  to  Be  Namei 
Honorary  'Thumper 

Boston,  July  11.  —  The  Thumper 
Association,  launched  here  last  white! 
plans  to  make  President  Truman  a 
honorary  member  upon  his  retur 
from  the  European  conference.  Da 
Hickey,  Hi  Tub  Thumper,  reports  5 
chapters  in  process  of  organizatioi 
with  inquiries  coming  in  daily. 

L.  G.  Wereham  Dies 

Columbus,  Ohio,  July  11. — Lafa\ 
ette  G.  Wereham,  47,  projectionist  ^ 
Loew's  Ohio  Theatre  here  for  1. 
years,  died  at  Mt.  Carmel  Hospits. 
today  after  a  six-months'  illness.  Hil 
widow  and  one  son  survive. 


on  extended  runs  at  top  admis- 
sions effective  August  1.  UA  | 
may  encounter  some  difficulties 
in  establishing  which  of  its  pro- 
ducers get  dates  ahead  of  other 
producers,  but  at  least  its  attrac- 
tions will  go  before  the  public 
in  that  area  on  an  uninterrupted 
basis. 

This  can  make  the  easily  un- 
happy producer  a  contented 1 
man,  for  when  an  attraction 
plays  Los  Angeles  and  Holly- 
wood he  decrees  it  has  played 
America. 


MOTION'  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Ouigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunda 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  -'Quigpubco,  New  York 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane.  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham.  Ne« 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Londt 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Heral 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.    Entered  as  second  class   matter.  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y..  under  the  act  of  Man 

3.  1R79.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


hursday,  July  12,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


-•mi 


25%  of  WB  Workers 
In  Armed  Services 

Since  the  start  of  the  war, 
4,364  Warner  employees  have 
gone  into  the  Armed  Services, 
and  4,045.  or  more  than  25 
per  cent  of  the  company's  en- 
tire personnel,  are  still  on  ac- 
tive duty.  Three  hundred  and 
nineteen  have  been  honorably 
discharged  and  the  majority 
returned  to  work  for  the  com- 
pany. 

Of  the  4,364  entering  serv- 
ice, 784  are  from  the  Burbank 
studio  and  the  remainder 
from  theaters,  exchanges, 
home  office  and  other  depart- 
ments. Sixty-one  have  been 
killed  in  action  and  eight  re- 
ported missing. 


Hollywood,  July  11— Warner 
Bros,  today  announced  that 
its  studio  personnel  is  at  an 
all-time  high,  with  26  stars,  18 
directors,  12  producers  and  34 
writers. 


Paramount  Team 
Is  Cited  by  Zukor 


ilburquerque  Opener 
For  Pyle's  'Joe' 

]nJ  Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  July  11. — In 
ddition  to  state  and  local  government 
officials,  as  well  as  military  men,  a 
■jL  contingent  of  Hollywood  screen  celeb- 
lities    has    arrived    here    to  attend 
:   tie  Pyle  Memorial  Premiere  of  Ernie 
?yle's  "Story  of  G.  I.  Joe"  at  the 
•Cimo  and  Sunshine  Theatres  here  to- 
.  .i  morrow.    Included  in  the  Hollywood 
;roup  are :  Frances  Langford,  Freddie 
::.oteele,  Bill  Cassell.  Paige  Cavanaugh, 
xlJfirector  William  A.  Wellman  and  his 
vife,  and  Bill  Pierce. 
George  J.  Schaefef,  chairman  of  the 
..fir  )>>ard  of  Cowan  Productions,  arrived 
iic(J.1cre  t^ay  from  New- York. 

IcT"  '  '  ~~  

Million  Dollar  House 
To  Metropolitan  Trio 

Los  Angeles,  July  11. — Metropol- 
•  tan  Theatres,  partnership  embracing 
:Oiarles    Skouras,    Mike  Rosenberg 
..and    Sherrill    Corwin,    will  acquire 
Harry  Popkin's  Million  Dollar  The- 
atre here  on  July  25.  / 

In   a   transaction    finalized  today, 
Corwin  personally  acquired  Popkin's 
1  P'an-Pacific  Theatre,  midtown  house. 


Reilly,  55,  a  Loew 
Accountant,  Is  Dead 

==+    William  F.  Reilly,  55  years  of  age. 

;. .  died  Tuesday  after  a  short  illness.  He 
rj  f  was  in  charge  of  all  war  bond  ac- 
•    counting  for  Loew's,  Inc. 

"  Funeral  services  will  be  held  to- 
'"  morrow  at  10  A.M.  at  St.  Ann's 
Church,  Garden  City,  Long  Island. 


Washington,  July  11.  —  Adolph 
Zukor,  Paramount's  board  chairman, 
addressed  Washington  exchange  per- 
sonnel yesterday  in  connection  with 
the  company's  "One  Third  of  a  Cen- 
tury" celebration,  and  commended  both 
production  and  distribution  depart- 
ments on  their  teamwork,  declaring 
that  the  studio  constantly  strives  "to 
provide  exhibitors  with  the  highest 
quality  product"  with  the  distribution 
forces  "backing  up  the  studio's  efforts 
and  giving  it  inspiration  and  courage 
to  make  top  pictures." 

Zukor  also  spoke  of  the  early  days 
of  the  Paramount  organization,  w  hich 
he  founded.  He  then  introduced  Mar- 
garet Hannan,  film  inspectress  em- 
ployed 3D  years  at  the  exchange. 


Donohue,  Clark,  Demarest 
Conduct  Minneapolis  Meet 

Minneapolis,  July  11. — Press  rep- 
resentatives, exhibitors  and  company 
executives  attended  a  reception  in  the 
Radisson  Hotel  here,  climaxing  a  two- 
day  Paramount  'One  Third  of  a 
Century'  meeting  conducted  by  the 
company's  drive  touring  group,  in- 
cluding James  J.  Donohue,  Central  di- 
vision manager;  Duke  Clark,  'Par- 
amount Month'  co-captain,  and  Wil- 
liam Demarest,  Paramount  star. 


Open  Competition 
For  Censor  Post 

Albany,  X.  Y.,  July  11. — An  open 
state-wide  examination  for  the  posi- 
tion of  director  of  the  motion  picture 
division,  State  Education  Department, 
will  be  held  sometime  in  the  Fall,  ac- 
cording to  the  Civil  Service  Commis- 
sion. The  job — the  motion  picture 
division  reviews  and  licenses  all  mo- 
tion pictures,  except  newsreels, 
screened  in  New  York  State  theatres 
— has  been  filled  on  a  a  temporary 
basis  since  March  1  by  Dr.  Irwin 
Conroe,  assistant  commissioner  in  the 
Education  Department. 


RCA  Sets  Grants  for 
Scientific  Students 

A  scholarship  plan  for  the  encour- 
agement of  young  scientific  students 
has  been  adopted  by  RCA,  Brig.  Gen. 
David  Sarnoff,  RCA  president,  has 
announced. 


Cragston  in  New  Post 

Barney-  Cragston,  sales  account  ex- 
ecutive of  American  Broadcasting's  co- 
operative program  department,  has 
been  appointed  sales  manager  of  the 
department. 


Boris  Vermont  Now 
20th  Foreign  Head 

Appointment  of  Boris  Vermont  as 
head  of  the  foreign  versions  depart- 
ment of  20th  Century-Fox,  was  an- 
nounced-yesterday  by  Murray  Silver- 
stone. 

Prior  to  assuming  his  post  with 
20th- FoxJ  Vermont  was  associated 
with  the  Office  of  War  Information. 


$11,523,575  Record 
Skouras  Bond  Sale 


One  of  the  largest  sales  of  War 
Bonds  claimed  for  a  theatre  circuit  for 
the  Seventh  War  Loan  drive  is  Skou- 
ras Theatres'  Metropolitan  New  York 
sale  of  $11,523,575  in  "E"  bonds.  This 
sum  was  collected  by  purchases  made 
by  more  than  125,000  people  who  visit 
Skouras  theatres.  The  Skouras 
Academy  of  Music  Theatre,  here,  tops 
the  circuit's  list  with  $1,248,604  sold 
to  8,330  patrons. 

Loew,    M-G-M  Employees 
Bought  $828,000  Bonds 

Home  office  executives  and  em- 
ployees of  Loew's,  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  and  Loew's  Station  WHN 
doubled  their  'E'  bond  purchases  in 
the  Seventh  Wrar  Loan  drive,  chair- 
man Max  W'olff  announces, 

Home  office  'E'  bond  sales  regis- 
tered a  record  $828,000,  against  $414,- 
524  in  the  Sixth  War  Loan  drive.  In 
addition,  home  office  executives  and 
employees  subscribed  $40,006  on  the 
payroll  deduction  plan  during  the 
Seventh.  Also  reported  was  $413,000 
in  the  sale  of  two  per  cent  and  two 
and  one-half  per  cent  war  loan  cer- 
tificates, making  a  total  of  $1,281,006. 


36  Sell  $9,000,000  Bonds 

Spear-headed  by  the  remarkable 
record  of  the  Elm,  Century's  36  thea- 
tres in  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  sold 
over  $9,000,000  in  bonds  for  the  Sev- 
enth War  Loan  Drive.  • 


Youths  Will  Discuss 
Theatre  Vandalism 

WOR's  "It's  Up  to  Youth,"-in  co- 
operation with  the  motion  picture  sec- 
tion of  the  Metropolitan  Youth  Coun- 
cil and  the  Metropolitan  Motion  Pic- 
ture Council,  will  present  a  special 
pre-broadcast  teen-age  discussion "  on 
"Vandalism  in  the  Theatre,"  on  Sat- 
urday, at  11  A.  M. 


Elmo  Leaves  Today 
For  Central  America 

George  Elmo,  who  was  recently -ap- 
pointed Paramount  manager  for  Pan- 
ama, Central  America  and  Ecuador 
by  Paramount  International  president 
George  Weltner,  will  leave  New  York 
for  his  Panama  headquarters  today. 


Starr  Purchases  24 
For  World  Re-issue 

Alan  E.  Starr,  president  of  Movie- 
pix,  Inc.,  here,  reports  that  the  com- 
pany has  acquired  world  rights,  in 
35mm  and  16mm,  to  the  following 
Pathe  Features  : 

"Big  Money,"  "Captain  Swagger," 
"Mother's  Boy,"  "Officer  O'Brien," 
"Red  Hot  Rhythm,"  "Marked  Money," 
"The  Spieler,"  "Strange  Cargo," 
"Sailors  Holiday,"  "Pardon  My  Gun," 
"Grand  Parade,"  "Flying  Fool,"  "Big 
News,"  "Lucky  in  Love,"  "Night 
Work,"  "Oh  Yeah!",  "Rich  People," 
"Swing  High,"  "Sophomore,"  "Rack- 
eteer," "Square  Shoulders,"  "High 
Voltage,"  "His  First  Command," 
"Her  Private  Affair." 


California  Committee 
Joins  Rankin  Probe 

Los  Angeles,  July  11. — State  As- 
semblyman Jack  B.'  Tenny,  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Un-American 
Activities,  announced  today  that  his 
group  will  join  forces  with  U.  S. 
Representative  Rankin  in  the  latter's 
investigation  of  an  alleged  Hollywood 
plot   to   overthrow   the  Government. 


Warner  and  Buchman 
Back  from  the  Front 


3  More  Companies 
Buy  W NEW  Air  Time 

Warner  Bros.,  Loew's  and  20th 
Century-Fox  are  new  buyers  of  air 
time  on  station  WNEW,  New  York, 
to  promote  new  films  on'  spot;  an- 
nouncements. 


Simon  Leaves  Universal 

Cleveland,  July  11. — Fy  Arthur  Si- 
mon, prominent  in  local  pfcture  circles 
for  the  past  15v  years,  has  resigned 
as  Universal  city  salesman  to  go  into 
business  for  himself  as  one  of  the 
partners  in  Universal  Chemical  Co. 


Exclusive  Motion  Picture  Daily  Photo 

Col.  Jack  L.  Warner  (left), 
vice-president  in  charge  of  pro- 
duction for  Warner  Brothers, 
and  Sidney  Buchman,  production 
executive  of  Columbia  Pictures, 
on  their  arrival,  midnight,  Tues- 
day, at  LaGuardia  Airport,  Long 
Island,  from  a  tour  of  European 
battlefields  which  they  made 
with  10  other  industry  leaders, 
at  the  invitation  of  General  Eis- 
enhower and  SHAEF.  Harry 
Cohn,  Columbia  president,  also 
returned. 


WPB  Eases  Sales  of 
Electronics  Items 

Washington,  July  11.— The  War 
Production  Bclard  today  eased  the  re- 
strictions on  special  sales  of  anti-fric- 
tion bearings  and  a  few  electronic 
items,  which  may  result  in  some  sup- 
plies reaching  manufacturers  of  civil- 
ian equipment.  Specials  are  defined  as 
sales  of  material  or  product  by  any 
person  or  agency  who  acquired  or 
made  it  for  use  and  not  for  sale. 

It  was  also  reported  that  the  Board 
is  considering  lifting  all  restrictions 
on  metals  on  Oct.  1,  three  months 
earlier  than  originally  contemplated, 
as  a  result  of  improvements  in  the 
steel  supply. 


Gillham  Considering 
Thompson  Position 

Hollywood,  July  11. — Queried  on 
reports  that  he  would  resign  as  Par- 
amount advertising-publicity  director 
to  accept  the  vice-presidency  of  the 
J.  Walter  Thompson  advertising 
agency,  Robert  Gillham  today  said  he 
had  been  offered  the  position  but  will 
make  no  decision  for  some  time.  He 
will  leave  Saturday  .for  New  York 


FCC  in  FM  Hearing 
July  23  at  Capital 

Washington,  July  11. — The  first 
public  hearing"  to  discuss  regulations 
and  engineering  standards  to  govern 
FM  broadcasting  has  been  called  by 
the  Federal  Communications  Commis- 
sion for  July  23. 


IN  THE 


( Go**  /Wo  WEEK  Afo,  £ 


ALEXIS  SMITH  *  SYDNEY^GREENSTREE 

Screen  Play  by  Arthur  T.  Horman  and  Dwight  Taylor 

Based  on  Original  Story  by  Robert  Siodmak  and  Alfred  Neumann 
Directed  by   '  Produced  by 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  12,  1945 


Murray  Case  Re-trial 
Date  Set  for  Oct.  23 


U.  S.  to  Link  'Little  3 9  in 
Prima  Facie  Decree  Case 


Chicago,  July  11. — The  new  trial 
granted  by  Judge  William  H.  Holly 
to  the  remaining"  defendants  in  the 
Thomas  A.  Murray  $1,000,000  con- 
spiracy case  will  open  in  Federal 
Court  here  on  Oct.  23.  A  new  judge, 
William  H.  Campbell,  will  preside. 
Defendants  are :  Henri  Elman,  inde- 
pendent distributor  ;  Capitol  Film  Ex- 
change, Milo  Theatre  Corp.,  Van 
Nomikos,  Milo  Booker,  and  John  L. 
Manta,  owner  of  the  Milo. 

In  April,  Judge  Holly  reversed  a 
jury's  verdict  which  granted  plain- 
tiff Murray  $105,000  damages  and 
dismissed  the  major  distributors  as  de- 
fendants. Lester  Murray,  attorney 
and  son  of  the  plaintiff,  said  he  will 
hold  back  his  notice  of  appeal  to  the 
U.  S.  -District  Court  of  Appeals 
here  until  after  the  new  trial. 

Murray,  former  operator  of  the 
Thalia  Theatre,  claims  that  he  was 
forced  out  of  business  by  conspiracy 
on  the  part  of  the  operators  of  the 
Milo,  a  competitive  house,  and  by 
distributors  and  others,  depriving  him 
of  playable  product.  In  1941,  Mur- 
ray sold  the  Thalia  which  he  had 
operated  for  35  years. 

Wright  Will  Witness 
Griffith  Depositions 

Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  Assistant 
to  U.  S.  Attorney-General  Tom  Clark, 
will  be  present  when  Henry  Griffing, 
chief  counsel  for  the  Griffith  Amuse- 
ment Co.  starts  taking  oral  depositions 
from  film  company  sales  heads,  here, 
starting  Monday,  in  the  Griffith  anti- 
trust case  of  the  Department  of  Justice. 

The  depositions  will  be  used  by  the 
defense  when  trial  resumes  in  Okla- 
homa City  on  Sept.  10.  Although  they 
might  not  all  be  called,  the  following- 
sales  executives  have  been  put  on  no- 
tice to  give  depositions :  Hugh  Owen. 
Neil  Agnew  and  Oscar  Morgan,  Para- 
mount ;  William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M ; 
T.  J.  Connors  and  W.  J.  Kupper,  20th 
Century-Fox ;  Gradwell  L.  Sears  and 
Carl  Leserman,  United  Artists  ;  F  .  J. 
A.  McCarthy,  Universal ;  James  R. 
Grainge'r,  Republic  ;  Harry  Gold,  UA  ; 
Andrew  Smith,  20th-Fox ;  Rube  Jack- 
ter  and  Abe  Montague,  Columbia. 

It  is  expected  that  about  a  week  will 
be  consumed  in  taking  the  depositions 
at  the  New  York  Bar  Association. 

Lindau's  Arbitration 
Case  Is  Postponed 

Chicago,  July  11.— Decision  in  the 
Chicago  tribunal's  arbitration  com- 
plaint filed  by  Charles  Lindau,  owner 
of  the  Kedzie  Annex  Theatre,  against 
distributors  for  in  ability  to  secure 
enough  product,  has  been  postponed 
one  month  to  permit  arbitrator  Albert 
McCaleb  to  inspect  competitive  thea- 
tres. They  are  the  Balaban  and  Katz 
Senate  and  Essaness  Crawford. 


"vital" 


3SE-  UNICON 

;  L  o       MOTION  PICTURE-THEATRE 

'ssnssFsz  CASH  CONTROL 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

be  in  view  of  his  intention  to  present 
a  prima  facie  documentary  case 
against  the  five,  and  were  told  that 
the  three  also  will  be  defendants  in 
the  trial,  scheduled  to  start  in  Federal 
District  Court  here  on  Oct.  8. 

Company  counsel  met  with  Wright 
and  Department  of  Justice  representa- 
tives Harold  Lasser  and  John  R.  Neis- ' 
ley  Tuesday  afternoon  and  yesterday 
morning  in  an  attempt  to  clarify  the 
issues  in  the  trial  and  arrange  for  the 
interchange  of  information.  Progress 
was  reported. 

Wright  further  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  he  has  no  immediate 
plans  to  press  for  a  ruling  on  his  mo- 
tion for  a  temporary  injunction  which 
would-  prevent  the  distributor  defend- 
ants from  continuing  to  grant  alleged 
unreasonable  clearance.  He  pointed 
out  that  a  permanent  injunction 
against  this  practice  is  one  of  the  ob- 
jectives in  the  case. 

Meeting  This  Morning 

Company  counsel  will  meet  here  this 
morning  to  map  new  strategy  in  their 
trial  preparations  in  view  of  the  latest 
move  by  the  Department  in  basing  its 
case  on  documents  and  not  on  wit- 
nesses. It  was  suggested  yesterday 
that  the  previously  indicated  plan  of 
sending  investigators  into  the  field  to 
interview  some  of  the  850  complain- 
ants listed  by  the  Department  might 
be  dropped. 

During  the  course  of  the  two  meet- 
ings with  company  counsel,  Wright 
outlined  in  a  general  manner  the  type 
of  case  he  will  present  and  the  meth- 
ods he  will  pursue.  He  will  provide 
the  defendants  by  Sept.  15  with  the 
specific  documents  he  will  use.  Some 
of  the  information  desired  by  com- 
pany counsel  will  be  presented  in  the 
form  of  a  letter  which  he  will  shortly 
send  to  them. 

Says  Local  1421  Was 
Surprise  to  Studios 

Los  Angeles,  July  11. — Pat  Casey, 
producers'  labor  contact,  testifying 
today  before  a  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  hearing  on  the  eligibil- 
ity of  voters  in,-.,the  recent  set  deco- 
rators' election,  said  the  producers 
had  not  been  properly  notified  of  the 
decorators'  adoption  of  Local  1421  as 
the  successor  to  their  original  organ- 
ization and  that,  therefore,  it  could 
not  be  recognized  as -their  bargaining 
agency.  Frank  Pestana,  Conference 
of  Studio  Unions  attorney,  said  the 
producers  were  notified  well  in  ad- 
vance of  the  dispute  which  led  to  the 
strike  in  Hollywood. 

SOPEG Membership 
Ratifies  War  Pacts 

(ContitiSied  from  page  1) 

minimums  of  $2  per  week  above  stand- 
ard minimums  of  the  War  Labor 
Board  in  this  area  for  workers  /in  the 
lowest  classifications,  $3  a  week  in 
middle  classifications  and  $4  a  week  in 
higher  classifications. 

A  65  per  cent  maintenance  of  mem- 
bership is  provided  for,  grievance, 
machinery  and  arbitration  is  set,  rights 
of  returning  servicemen  are  protected, 
and  severance  pay  provisions  of  up  to 
12  weeks  are  continued. 


Information  desired  'by  Wright  in- 
cludes data  on  all  franchise  and  pool- 
ing arrangements  as  far  back  as  1930. 

Some  attorneys  for  the  distributor 
defendants  admit  there  was  alt  element 
of  surprise  in  the  Department'of  Jus- 
tice's disclosure  on  Tuesday  that  it  in- 
tends to  make  its  case  a  prima  facie 
documentary  one  and  point  out  that 
it  will  undoubtedly  result  in  the  trial 
consuming  much  less  time  than  had 
originally  been  anticipated. 

Department  of  Justice  representa- 
tives point  out  that  Judge  Augustus 
N.  Hand,  who  was  a  participant  in 
the  well  known  "Aluminum  case"  and 
is  now  presiding  justice  in  the  film 
case,  restricted  the  time  for  the  presenj  ■ 
tation  of  the  former  case  and  curtailed 
some  of  the  voluminous  evidence.  < 

'Preferential  Privileges' 

While  outlining  the  nature  of  his 
presentation  of  the  Government's  case 
to  counsel  for  the  distributor  defend- 
ants, Wright  is  said  to  have  indicated 
that  he  believes  the  defendants  extend 
preferential  privileges  to  each  other 
and  that  he  expects  the  documents 
which  he  has  requested  from  the  com- 
panies to  show  this.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  distributor  defendants  main- 
tain they  do  not  act  in  combination. 

Indications  on  both  fronts  yesterday 
were  that  both  parties  will  heed  the 
dictum  of  the  Court  in  getting  togeth- 
er in  order  to  speed  up  trial  prepara- 
tions. It  was  suggested  that  a  new 
spirit  of  cooperation  had  resulted,  as 
demanded  by  Judge  Hand. 

Meetings  between  the  two  parties 
to  work  out  preparations  and  inter- 
change of  requested  information  were 
suggested  by  the  Court.  Further  meet- 
ings are  planned. 

Adolph  Schimel,  attorney  for  Uni- 
versal, one  of  "the  Little  Three."  at- 
tended the  meetings  with  Wright  as  a 
representative  of  his  company. 

Griffis  Leaves  RC, 
Mayer  Returning 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
tive  committee  and  his  other  corporate 
affiliations. 

Meanwhile,  Arthur  Mayer,  assistant 
to  Basil  O'Connor,  national  chairman 
of  the  Red  Cross,  is  scheduled  to  re- 
turn to  the  U.  S.  from  Europe  within 
the  next  several  weeks  to  report  ov 
the  needs  of  American  troops  of  occu- 
pation, it  was  learned  here  yesterday. 
Mayer  has  been  surveying  the  Euro- 
pean theatre  for  the  past  five  months. 

Griffis  will  terminate  three-and-one- 
half  years  of  war  work,  having  com- 
pleted his  assignment  of  reorganizing 
the  Reef*  Cross  in  the  Pacific. 


Columbia  Earnings 
Are  $1,380,000 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

compared  to  $4,685,000.  Estimated 
provision  for  Federal  vtaxes,  includ- 
ing excess'*profit  tax,  is  $1,505,000  for 
the  39-week  period,  as  compared  to 
$3,195,000  in  the  preceding  period. 

The  estimated  provision  for  Federal 
taxes  for  the  period  ending  March  31, 
1945*!.  includes  income  taxes  of  Colum* 
bra  International  Corp.,  which  distrib- 
utes to  all  foreign  countries,  except 
Canada. 


Production  Halt  in 
Spain  Hits  US  Films 


(Continued  from-  page  1) 

terview  here  yesterday.  Alexander 
was  accompanied  by  Peter  Couret  of 
Paramount-Mercurio  Films,  S.  A., 
distributor  for  Paramount  in  Spain. 

Last  year  150  U.  S.  pictures  were 
imported  into  Spain,  Alexander  said, 
and  this  year,  to  date,  85  have  been 
imported,  with  another  90  waiting  to 
go  -through  the  free  port  of  Bilbao. 
During  most  of  the  war,  he  stated,  40 
per  cent  of  the  Spanish  industry's 
raw  stock  was  obtained  from  Ger- 
many, with  the  rest  being  imported 
from  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain. 
Last  year,  only  half  of  this  amount 
was  forthcoming,  and  now  it  has 
stopped  entirely.  - 

The  cessation  of  production  adverse- 
ly affects  importation  of  American 
product  in,  Spain,  Alexander  explained, 
because  producers  of  Spanish  features 
are  the  only  individuals  who  can  ob- 
tain legal  import  permits,  and  Amer- 
ican companies  are  unable'  to  buy  per- 
mits from  producers  *ho  are  not 
producing.  The  sale  of  import  per- 
mits is  legal,  Alexander  said,  but  the 
buyer  is  required  to  obtain  the  sig- 
nature of  the  Minister  of:  Industry 
and  Commerce  before  importation 
based  on  ownership  of  the  permit  is 
allowable. 

Alexander  estimated  that  about' 
$3,000,000  of  U.  S.  film  balances  are 
still  'frozen'  in  Spain  because  of  that 
country's  lack  of  dollar  exchange, 
although  some  money  is  trickling  out. 


Kodak  to  Make  New 
16mm  Equipment 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

35  mm  equipment,  the  demand  for  16 
mm  equipment  by  the  Armed  Services 
is  said  to  be  continuing. 

It  is  anticipated  that  there  will  be 
a  demand  for  16  mm  sound  projectors 
and  cameras  in  the  post  war  by  pro- 
fessional interests,  including  the  ex- 
panding television  industry.  Columbia 
Broadcasting  recently  used  16  mm 
cameras  to  record  the  New  York  cele- 
bration of  the  arrival  of  General  of 
the  Army  D wight  D.  Eisenhower  for 
its  New  York  television  station 
WCBW.  There  are  also  many  pro- 
posals to  use  16mm  film  instead  of 
35  mm  to  make  films  for  television, 
since  films  can  be  produced  more  in- 
expensively in  this  manner.  Television 
stations  using  16  mm  subjects  for  film 
programs  would  also  require  the 
sound  projectors,  it  is  said. 

Manufacturers  do  not  anticipate  any 
competition  from  the  sale  of  used  16 
mm  projectors  which  have  been  in 
service  of  the  Armed  Forces,  since 
tliey  believe  that  this  equipment  will 
probably  be  almost  completely  unserv- 
iceable by  the  time  it  is  released  by 
the  Armed  Services. 


Katzoff  Transfers  Here 

'Baltimore,  July  11. — Joe  Katzoff, 
Baltimore  representative  for  National 
Screen  Service,  is  be'ing  transferred 
to  New  York.  The  Variety  Club, 
Baltimore  Tent,  honored  him  with  a 
special  'Joe  Katzoff.  Night'  yester- 
day and  a  group  of  friends  are  com- 
pleting arrangements  for  a  testimonial 
dinner  before  his  departure. 


rft  LEA  PS 


and  80 


\ 


Day  by  day  the  reports  on  M-G-M's  "SON  OF  LASSIE" 
establish  it  as  an  audience  attraction  of  sensational  power! 

This  Technicolor  sequel  of  famed  "Lassie  Come  Home" 
builds  into  grosses  that  in  many  situations  exceed  the  top 
M-G-Mhits! 

We  sincerely  urge  our  customers  to  properly  appraise  the 
box-office  potentialities  of  "SON  OF  LASSIE"  in  their 
choice  of  playing  time  and  in  its  promotion.  It  pays  off! 


THE 


SON  O 


SSIE 


IN  TECHNICOLOR 


*  * 


Peter  LAWFORD  •  Donald  CRISP 

WITH 

JUNE  LOCKHART  •  NIGEL  BRUCE 

WILLIAM  "BILLY"  SEVERN  •  LEON  AMES  •  DONALD  CURTIS  •  NILS  ASTHER  •  ROBERT  LEWIS 

LASSIE  and  LADDIE 

Story  and  Screen  Play  by  Jeanne  Barrier!  •  Based  on  some  Characters  from  the  book  "Lassie 
Come  Home"  by  Eric  Knight  •  Directed  by  S.  SYLVAN  SIMON  ■  Produced  by  SAMUEL  MARX 


*  * 


09 

w 
< 


S  2. 
ffi  Q 


1-1  in 

_  '?  a  .5  "f 

Oh  eJc^ 
X 

H  I 
 Q 


ZH-*  So 
™p 

soas  fi.a 

5z|gc2 
35°  So-p 


urn 


< 

K 
W 
> 

2 
5 


3oo<  £-H*5  6 Si 


w 


&- 

Zoo  2tj  =  0 

1-3  <  3>  G  > 

00  X  H  0  °0  H 


W  o 
O-*  00 

h£  »£e  • 

Z  *  'o  ^  S 
0.  I- 


2  09  **5 

°«1<M-^ 


ba  S 

4) 

S  S 
S  o 
O  «S 


H  ? 

I"; 

<a<a 

W2 
ffi 

H  < 


a 

■E  cm 

o  S  ^ 
».E  ^ 

2E> 


Ki5« 


•x 

Wq  <„  „•£ 

h"o£- 

ZW  g  !  I 

o>-<->£ 
w 


"  •■^'->S 
D    5  .J 

rz    «  v- 

h  s      q>  » 

HiiiO"  a 

m  a  w  0 
ffi     o  0  >° 

m  mZ  1 

o 


Z  « 

<z  o  8  »: 

gHi  3  S 

£o^"r 
w^l 

H 


20 


oh  s  sa 


<  IS  8  E 
OhQ(B  « 

QH  c'5-g. 

<  sa- 

J      Q  K 


< 


OM  »«5"t 
OESp  I  t 


OK 


o  n 
ZcjO« 


5  c; 


O  0  S  E~ 

0^5  £7  > 

HO  8 m 1  " 

g5  =  QU 

G 


h£  %  ™£os  >• 

OC.N 
00 


Q 

2  e 
< 


X 
O 
to 

K 

H 

o 

CM 


>>  w 

S  Ox 

t  o_ 
«  s 
„  wo 

a  «« 
a  Wd, 

3«0 

^o 


u  t-  n  v 

a  si 


■law 

u 


J  S5 


25^5=5  £ 


a  5 

O  Jl 


►=,Z  O 


w 

00     3  c 

.  Z<  2  I  . 
«j  X>  E  CO  « 
*  H  £ 


O  ^ 


•^^oeI  t 

£aa v e  c  • 
<  <  ^ 


o 

B  3^* 

Z  -^M  J 

M  u  u  .ESS 

5  2.g^K 
<o  1  ^ 
P 


"SCO" 

so|^ 

P  M       1  S 

a.  u 


<Q  « 
fe<  e 

H  f£ 


Z 

."HE1? 
«S  £ 


P 
< 
K 

O 


I— I 

_) 

03 
D 

w 


P9 


3  Z  _  o  H  . 

§  X3  s£,S 

-  Q 


>.  Q 


S    W-3  . 

lfc3fe| 

^  — J     £  O 

.5  o*1- 


*  00  # 


CO  10 

b 


6  > 


•  2 
01  < 

J)  ^ 


«  «  ?  o  *  g  SJ. 
.2  DoU  a  E  E  . 

gzO-S'S,  ? 
5-  O" 


3  M  V 


« S  13  «  S w^ 
Oze  «'E^ 


E-? 


Op    «  E 


z 

o«  ? 
|^w  S  si 

OO  3^ 

«5  - 

ffiw 
H 


41  Ci 


a 


f-<i?o> 

<  2  X  - 


5  E 


W  p  ? 
ffi     5  o<si, 

H      J=  ™  *~  * 

ooilffi  .- 

OuS  ™-Sv 

H  „  rt  E 
Hft,  fe-Su, 


O 


oM  I  S 
O 


O 

o  ^ 

ESl 

o«^. 

> 

x  £ 

H 


z 

1-.00 
W 
W«^ 

HOT 

OK; 

0.H 


SH  "oJi 

S  e 
«<  «'p 

Oh  s|.o 
0?QSoor: 


Z  5 
Cl  S  * 

Ooo 
« 

«U  £ 

KH-o 

O 


N  _ 


<  e  u-r  Wm 

O  n  W  ly*  ffi 

qhp^.s  o«.sgg;. 

O  3g2o£E 
W  00  "  7  T  _ 
CtJ    °"  I  ^-o 

O       O  H' 


>-,-,■  -oo. 
<f  <  « 

J-g  3  = 

K 


►J  BW"i 
U! 

^  I  ffi, 
CH" 


5  *&  - 

">.ffi5g? 
gw  -OS- 

Woo  S«uK 

S  40  - 

W 


"S^ffi.s 


u 


00W  oo,-^ 
OQ  S3  > 


ffi 


36" 


w  S-s|g; 

X  ^^ScK 
H    b(gO  ~ 


w 
ffi 

W-C  fe  B 
Z»JP3  gp 

ffi 

H 


OK 


OP  S  3 

<0 
H  M 


H  d.  p  o     a  \ 

=  ww  S 82 5 

ffiO,°,0-K 


K'w3Ji3? 

Q<  ug  2^- 
^00  «"*  BtT 

pwS  ge  >• 

SX-g^-K 
W  I 

 u 


Hi 

00  d  >  .no" 

W-3  a  H  > 
<■«-,<  £K 

s  r 

00  Q 


JZ  I  5*^! 

-8JIJB 


^^w  2^3* 
wQZ^ffi^.S> 

Sum  "15  S  —  S 
£z  «£7£ 


CO  NO 

C  Wit  ^ 

xX 

BffiKM  2.5^ 

£°S«se > 

Ph  >  ^0  1-  vo 

0  s 


.9 


CM 


M  S 

ffiZ  h  Sf^* 
M3(3  >  ^00 
gOO.S^o 
Q  5  a  a  E  ^ 
ggg<3K 

>  I 
Q 


;w 

3iffi 
>H 
K  K 

z 


Q  J3 

WW  gwacv, 


»Kg 0^0  P2  I  rt 


_o  o 

S  o 


x: 

I  £  00  « 
H 


o 

O 
2 


Woo  s  a* 

CQWS  °  g 
pooo^.S 

°5^B  S 

(Uffis  E cm 
00  I 

o 


CM 


>■ 

K  S  S  »  - 

^H-Jta  »2 

3  8  p" 
M  e  3  iu  e  . 


oo2 

o323« 
oS«  ^ 

«  2S? 

w  ^  6  > 

gQrISK 
^K     I  W 

o 


W 
►4 

00  >  10 
S  ^ffiQK 

ffi 


w  { 


K<  2;*S 

wO  e^K 
«■§  I- 


I 

O 


O  O  pjjv  ^ 

SOO^|^ 

B  s.  u  ^' 
J  ait  > 
>  ffi^-°o  «J 


w'vo 
B  CM 


"S>< 

p°S  Sk 

U<  „gEN 

fcK55|2| 
SOffi^^iTS 

Q 


W 

00   -o  *; 

o  « v 


z 
o 

00 


E* 

^  ?: 
2k 


X  2  'e  • 0 

U£5  B^ 

".a  •  E 

g  I  S 
ffiQ 


w  w 

J<o 

50w 
2k 
ffi 
H 


a  Et 
o  w 


>  s 
w 


Q 

00  m  V 

Wo 


"w  N^ 

00«>  V 


BLONDE  FROM 
BROOKLYN 
Robert  Stanton 
Lynn  Merrick 
M — 65  mins. 

BOSTON 
BLACKIE'S 
RENDEZVOUS 
Chester  Morris 
Nina  Foch 
D — 64  mins. 

YOU  CAN'T  DO 
WITHOUT  LOVE 
Vera  Lynn 
Donald  Stewart 

D — 74  mins. 

THE  GAY 
SENORITA 
Jinx  Falkenburg 
Jim  Bannon 
Steve  Cochran 
M 

RUSTLERS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Charles  Starrett 
Dub  Taylor 

O 

OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 

C 

>-» 

e  n 
>-» 

CO 

IN 

fee 

< 

1  ^ 

bi 

<  M 

1  N 

PQ 
O 

u 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  12,  194! 


Campaign  on 
12  for  M-G-M 


(Continued  from  payc  1) 

York  tomorrow  in  addition  to  Hen- 
derson M.  Richey,  director  of  exhibi- 
tor relations ;  Robert  Lynch,  Philadel- 
phia district  manager ;  M.  N.  Wolf, 
Boston  district  manager,  and  Herman 
Ripps,  district  manager  at  Albany. 
Three  sales  managers  arrived  today 
for*  an  advance  meeting  with  Rodgers 
to  map  out  the  program,  including 
Rudy  Berger,  Southern  sales  man- 
ager ;  E.  K.  O'Shea,  Eastern,  and 
John  J.  Maloney,  Central. 

Alan  F.  Cummings,  in  charge  of  ex- 
change operations  and  maintenance, 
will  discuss  the  current  and  future 
situation  as  it  applies  to  his  depart- 
ments. 

Richey  is  expected  to  take  up  the 
further  cementing  of  exhibitor  rela- 
tions. 

Some  of  the  pictures  which  will 
come  from  M-G-M  and  which  will  be 
given  special  marketing  and  merchan- 
dising campaigns  include :  "Week-End 
at  the  Waldorf,"  "Her  Highness  and 
the  Bellboy,"  "Our  Vines  Have  Ten- 
der Grapes,"  "The  Harvey  Girls"  in 
Technicolor,  "Hold  High  the  Torch" 
in  Technicolor,  "The  Sailor  Takes  a 
Wife,"  "Perfect  Strangers,"  produced 
in  England  by  Sir  Alexander  Korda, 
"They  Were  Expendable,"  "Yolanda 
and  the  Thief,"  in  Technicolor,  "Zieg- 
feld  Follies,"  Technicolor,  "Anchors 
Aweigh,"  Technicolor,  and  "Early  to 
Wed." 

In  addition  to  these  the  studio  now 
has  in  work  four  more,  namely,  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice," 
"Strange  Adventure,"  "The  Yearling" 
and  "Two  Sisters  from  Boston."  "The 
Yearling"  is  in  Technicolor. 


M-G-M's    Wm.  Rodgers 
Host  to  Trade  Press 

Chicago,  July  11. — William  F. 
Rodgers,  M-G-M  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager,  will  meet 
with  the  trade  press  here  at  luncheon 
Friday  during  M-G-M's  three-day 
sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel, 
ending  Saturday. 


Review 


Legion  Classifies  7 
Additional  Pictures 

The  Legion  of  Decency  this  week 
lists  seven  more  films.  In  Class  A-l 
are :  "Nob  Hill,"  20th  Century-Fox ; 
"Rustlers  of  the  Badlands"  and  "A 
Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  Colum- 
bia ;  You  Came  Along,"  Paramount 
and  "White  Pongo,"  PRC. 

In  Class  A-II  are:  "A  Bell  for 
Adano,"  20th  Century-Fox,  and  "The 
Great  John  L,"  United  Artists. 


Star  Film  Incorporates 

New  Haven,  July  11. — Incorpora- 
tion of  a  new  company  here  known 
as  Star  Film  Distributors  Corp.,  is 
disclosed  by  the  office  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State.  Incorporators  are : 
Lewish  Ginsberg  and  Bernard  W. 
Levy,  New  Haven,  and  Gloria  Carli, 
Amston,  Conn. 


St.  Louis  House  Burns 

St.  Louis,  July  11. — Fire,  caused  by 
the  ignition  of  excelsior  taken  from  a 
shipment  of  dishes  received  by  the  40th 
Street  Theatre  in  East  St.  Louis,  111., 
for  distribution  as  prizes,  caused  dam- 
age, estimated  at  $7,000  to  the  theatre. 


"Road  to  Alcatraz" 

(Republic) 

iiY)  OAD  TO  ALCATRAZ"  is  a  murder-mystery  of  modest  proportions  that 
achieves  its  basic  purpose :  creating  entertainment  for  60  minutes. 
From  Francis  K.  Allen's  original,  Dwight  V.  Babcock  and  Jerry  Sackheim 
have  fashioned  the  story  of  Robert  Lowery,  a  young  lawyer  and  occasional 
sleepwalker,  who  fears  that  he  has  murdered  his  partner,  William  Forrest, 
while  on  one  of  his  nocturnal  walks.  Possible  motive,  he  reasons,  may  have 
been  his  jealousy  of  Forrest,  who  stands  to  benefit  to  a  much  greater  extent 
by  an  investment  which  they  have  jointly  made  with  Clarence  Kolb,  a  finan- 
cier, and  Charles  Gordon,  a  metallurgist.  By  the  terms  of  the  contract,  the 
death  of  one  of  the  four  increases  the  financial  rewards  for  the  others. 

Gordon  reveals  that  he  suspects  Kolb  and  a  series  of  incriminating  clues 
tightens  this  suspicion.  Meanwhile,  the  police,  following  their  own  line  of 
investigation,  have  decided  that  Lowery  is  guilty.  He  eludes  them  and  hurries 
to  confer  with  Gordon,  his  friend  and  fraternity  brother,  who  proves  to  be 
the  murderer  and  has  planted  evidence  against  Lowery. 

Lowery,  together  with  June  Storey,  make  an  attractive  screen  couple.  Ade- 
quate performances  are  registered  by  the  others,  including  Iris  Adrian  and 
Grant  Withers.  Nicke  Grinde's  direction  keeps  things  moving ;  Sidney  Picker 
is  credited  with  the  production. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  July  10. 

Charles  Ryweck 


Columbia  Service 
Book  Contest  Set 


A  "United  Service  Book  Contest," 
open  to  all  past  and  present  members 
of  the  Armed  Forces  of  all  of  the 
United  Nations,  and  offering  in  excess 
of  $66,000  to  the  winner,  has  been  ar- 
ranged jointly  by  Thomas  Y.  Crowell 
Co.,  American  book  publishers ; 
George  G.  Harrap  and  Co.,  British 
book  publishers,  and  Columbia  Pic- 
tures. 

The  prize,  an  outright  sum  of  $6,000 
( plus  usual  book  royalties  on  Ameri- 
can and  British  editions)  and  film 
rights  which  could  total  $60,000,  will 
be  awarded  to  the  most  suitable  book- 
length  manuscript  on  any  subject, 
either  fiction  or  non-fiction,  received 
on  or  before  June  30,  1946.  Arrange- 
ments already  have  been  made  for  edi- 
tions of  the  prize-winning  book  to  be 
published  in  six  foreign  languages. 

Purpose  of  the  contest,  which  will 
run  for  at  least  two  annual  periods,  is 
to  discover  literary  talent  from  among 
the  Armed  Forces,  but  if  the  judges 
fail  to  find  a  writer  worthy  of  the 
award,  the  outright 'prize  money  will 
be  divided  into  six  "United  Forces 
Book  Fellowships"  of  $1,000  each  and 
will  be  awarded  to  the  most  deserving 
contestants. 


'Rhapsody'  Booklet  Out 

First  brochure  devoted  entirely  to  a 
picture  ever  put  out  by  Columbia 
Recording  Corp.  has  been  issued  on 
George  Gershwin  and  Warners'  pro- 
duction based  on  his  life  and  music, 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue."  It  is  a  24-page 
booklet  dealing  with  various  aspect'' 
of  the  American  composer's  works 
the  musical  artists  in  the  picture,  and 
fhe  picture  itself.  The  brochure  is  just 
one  item  of  a  nationwide  promotion 
campaign  being  carried  out. 


Boston  Legitimates  Stay 

Boston,  July  11. — Three  legitimate 
theatres,  the  Colonial,  Plymouth  and 
Shubert,  are  remaining  open  here  and 
are  reported  playing  to  capacity.  In 
addition  the  Brattle  Street  Theatre, 
Cambridge,  continues  to  operate  with 
visiting  stars,  likewise  the  New  Eng- 
land Mutual  Theatre  where  a  per- 
manent stock  company  presents  plays 
on  weekends. 


More  Competition  for 
Rank's  Odeon  Club 

Toronto,  July  11. — More  competition 
has  developed  for  the  "Odeon  Movie 
Club",  inaugurated  in  Canada  for  Sat- 
urday juvenile  patrons  at  the  Colony 
Theatre,  here,  by  J.  Arthur  Rank  of 
England  during  his  visit  here.  A 
number  of  Famous  Players'  managers 
have  developed  the  idea  along  similar 
lines,  the  latest  being  Les  Mitchell 
of  the  Regent  Theatre,  Brockville, 
Ont,  who  has  formed  the  "Regent 
Saturday  Morning  Club".  A  special 
screen  and  stage  program  is  conducted 
weekly  for  the  club  meetings. 


UA  to  Hold  3 
More  Meetings 

(Continued  from  paae  I) 
meeting  is  scheduled  for  July  21-22. 
In  attendance,  in  addition  to  Gold  and 
district  manager  Jack  D.  Goldhar. 
will  be  branch  managers  and  sales- 
men from  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  De-  1 
troit  and  Pittsburgh.  Last  of  the 
Eastern  meetings  will  take  place  in 
Philadelphia,  July  28-29.  This  session 
will  be  presided  over  by  Gold  and  dis- 
trict manager  Sam  Lefkowitz,  who 
will  also  attend  the  Boston  meeting. 
In  attendance  at  Philadelphia  will  be 
sales  staffs  from  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia and  Washington. 

First  meetings  will  get  underway 
on  July  13-14  at  the  Park  Plaza  Ho- 
tel, St.  Louis,  with  branch  managers 
and  salesmen  from  Omaha,  St.  Louis 
and  Kansas  City  in  attendance. 

Second  meeting,  scheduled  for  the 
Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago,  on  July 
15-16,  will  be  attended  by  branch  man- 
agers and  salesmen  from  Indianapolis, 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  Minneapolis. 

J.  J.  Unger,  Western  sales  man- 
ager, now  is  visiting  the  various  ex- 
changes and  will  preside  at  both  meet- 
ings, assisted  by  district  manager  Rud 
Lohrenz. 

Highlight  of  the  meetings  will  be 
a  complete  sales  analysis  on  current 
nroduct  and  a  resume  of  new  product. 


Columbia  Signs  Jacobs 

Hollywood,  July  11.  —  Columbia 
has  signed  Lewis  Jacobs,  author  of 
"The  Rise  of  the  American  Film,"  to 
conduct  a  training  school  for  writers 
recruited  from  colleges  and  elsewhere. 


cXftOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


OL.  58.   NO.  9 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JULY  13,  1945 


i  HN  CENTS 


law  Film  Cut 
Withdrawn  by 
British  Board 


Misunderstanding  of  US 
illocations  Cleared  Up 


Washington,  July  12. — A  satis- 
*ctory  culmination  of  the  negotia- 
tes over  the  British  raw  stock  sit- 
ation.  resulting  in  the  withdrawal 
i  the  Board  of  Trade  order  cutting 
llocations  to  American  companies, 
•as  reported  to  the  State  Department 
iday  by  the  Embassy  in  London. 

The  report  to  the  Department  is  un- 
*rstood  to  have  disclosed  that  the 
ituation  was  due  to  a  misunderstand- 
ig  in  London  as  to  the  operation  of 
ic  raw  stock  allocation  system  in  this 

untry.  which  was  largely  cleared  up 
the  recent  conversations  between 
Arthur  Rank  and  Stanley  B. 
\dams,  director  of  the  "War  Produc- 
on  Board  Consumers'  Durable  Goods 
livision.     The  negotiations  between 

mbassy  and  Board  of  Trade  repre- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


i-G-M  Drops 
'eissue  Plan 


Chicago,  July  12.— M-G-M  has  no 
olans  to  sell  reissues  in  conjunction 
Aith  its  new  season  product,  it  was 
itated  by  William  F.  Rodgers,  vice- 
iresident  and  general  sales  manager, 
who  opened  a  special  three-day  mid- 
ieason  sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  here  today.  He  pointed  out  that 
hhe  company  tried  out  two  reissues 
„ast  year,  and  while  they  were  not 
entirely  disappointing  from  the  stand- 
point of  sales,  they  conflicted  with  new 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Navy  Will  Show  Jap 
Kamikazas  to  Public 


First  official  film  of  the  Navy's  fight 
against  Japanese  suicide  planes  will  be 
released  to  the  public  on  July  26  by 
the  War  Activities  Committee.  The 
21-minute  film,  titled  "The  Fleet  That 
Came  to  Stay,"  will  be  shown  in  the 
nation's  theatres  less  than  a  month 
after  Okinawa  was  secured.  Para- 
mount will  distribute  for  the  Office  of 
War  Information  and  the  WAC. 

"  'The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay,' 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


281  Local  Houses  Sell 
$52,432,400  in  Bonds 

Five  New  York  circuits, 
I.oew's,  RKO,  Skouras.  Cen- 
tury, and  Randforce,  repre- 
senting 265  theatres,  sold  $42,- 
018,225  in  Seventh  War  Loan 
bonds,  reports  Irving  Lesser, 
general  chairman  of  the  New 
York  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee. 

Adding  $10,414,175  sold  by  16 
downtown  first  run  theatres, 
a  total  of  $52,432,400  was  sold 
by  only  281  theatres  here. 


Kelly  Resigns  as 
Eagle-Lion  Head 


Arthur  W.  Kelly  has  resigned  as 
president  of  Eagle  Lion  Films,  Ameri- 
can distribution  affiliate  of  the  J.  Ar- 
thur Rank  London  producing  compa- 
nies, and  will 
retire  from  that 
office  today,  ac- 
cording to  an- 
nouncement re- 
leased yester- 
day on  behalf 
of  both  Kelly 
and  Rank. 

It  was  stated 
that  an  amica- 
ble settlement 
of  Kelly's  con- 
tract had  been 
agreed  upon. 
Kelly  told  Mo- 
tion Picture 
Daily  that  he 
will  leave  for  California  next  week  on 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


VI1>>M  AY  iihijjv 


Senate  Sets 
Tax  Relief 


Washington,  July  12. — Paving  the 
way  for  quick  enactment  of  tax  relief 
for  corporations,  the  Senate  Finance 
Committee  today  approved  legislation, 
already  passed  by  the  House,  increas- 
ing from  $10,000  to  $25,000  the  spe- 
cific exemption  from  the  excess  prof- 
ts  tax  and  providing  for  immediate 
application  of  post-war  credits. 

It  is  planned  to  run  the  bill  throug' 
the  Senate  quickly  so  that  the  Internal 
Revenue  Bureau  can  write  its  regula- 
tions in  time  to  permit  corporations  to 
take  advantage  of  their  excess  profits 
tax  credits  to  cut  their  Sept.  15  install- 
ment on  1944  taxes.  The  measure 
provides  that  t'  e  post-war  credit  of  10 
ner  cent  shall  be  deducted  in  comput- 
ing the  t  'x  currently  payable  on  1944 
and  subsequent  vears. 


AFL  Conclave  Off; 
Blocks  Walsh  Step 


W  ashington,  July  12.  —  American 
Federation  of  Labor,  acting  on  orders 
from  the  Office  of  Defense  Transpor- 
tation, today  called  off  its  annual  con- 
vention, scheduled  for  Chicago  in  Oc- 
tober, and  thus  made  it  unlikely  tha' 
anv  near-future  action  can  be  taken 
against  Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE 
president,  who  recently  defied  the 
AFL  executive  council's  order  that 
several  newly-chartered  'IA'  locals  in 
Hollywood  be  dissolved. 

Walsh,  who  formed  the  Coast  or- 
ganizations to  help  keep  productior 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Grosses  Continue  Big  at 
First-Runs  in  15  Cities 


P-  "TLTON  LIVINGSTON 


"Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "Nob  Hill," 
"The  Valley  of  Decision,"  "The  Corn 
Is  Green"  and  "Those  Endearing 
Young  Charms"  scored  outstandingly 
in  first-run  theatres  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  reports  from  correspon- 
dents in  15  key  cities  for  the  week 
ended  yesterday. 

Five  other  films  scored  above  aver- 
age in  reports  from  the  15  cities,  in- 
cluding "Dillinger,"  "The  Clock," 
"Blood  on  the  Sun,"  "Call  of  the 
Wild"  and  "Conflict." 

Circuit  executives  here  report  that 
10  films  did  big  business  in  their  thea- 
t  es  during  the  past  week,  with  "The 
Corn  Is  Green,"  "Nob  Hill,"  and 
"The  Valley  of  Decision"  the  leaders ; 


others  were:  "Thrill  of  a  Romance," 
"Conflict,"  "Junior  Miss,"  "Son  of 
Lassie."  "Call  of  the  Wild,"  "Those 
Endearing  Young  Charms,"  and 
"Along  Came  Jones." 

In  the  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  correspondents,  "Thrill  of 
a  Romance"  brought  a  big  $137,000  in 
six  theatres  in  four  cities,  where  par 
is  $89,800. 

"Nob  Hill"  rolled  up  a  heavy  $175.- 
550  in  13  engagements  in  nine  key 
cities  for  first  and  second  weeks,  where 
average  is  $142,050. 

"Conflict"  brought  a  heavy  $124,- 
250  in  reports  on  nine  engagements 
in  seven  cities,  with  holdovers  pre- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Johnston  in 
Survey  of 
MPPDA  Post 


Wants  United  Industry; 
Autumn  Decision  Hinted 


By  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Los  Angeles,  July  12. — "I  am  not 
interested  in  a  job.  I  have  too  many, 
and  would  like  to  get  rid  of  a  few. 
But  no  industry  lias  more  influence 
than  the  motion 
picture,  and  if 
I  can  be  of  ser- 
v  i  c  e  to  the 
American  peo- 
p  1  e  and  t  h 
world  I  want  to 
do  so,"  Eric  A. 
Johnston  told 
the  press  at 
the  Ambassador 
Hotel  here  this 
afternoon,  ad- 
ding "I  am  go- 
ing to  talk  to  a 
lot  of  people 
in  the  next  10 
days — not  only 

producers,  but  the  actors',  directors' 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Eric  A.  Johnston 


Selzn  ick,RKO 
In  Film  Deal 


Hollywood,  July  12. — In  an  an- 
nouncement which  had  Hollywood 
speculating  tonight  on  its  possible 
implications,  Vanguard  announced 
the  completion  of  negotiations  with 
Charles  W.  Koerner  whereby  RKO 
Radio  will  take  over  three  properties 
originally  scheduled  for  Vanguard 
production    and    United    Artists  re- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


War  Agency  Funds 
Will  Be  Restored 


Washington,  July  12.— Fears  of 
the  Office  of  War  Information,  WPB 
and  eight  other  agencies  that  their 
appropriations  for  the  current  fiscal 
year  would  be  endangered  by  the  fight 
over  continuance  of  the  Fair  Em- 
ployment   Practice    Committee  were 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  13, 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  SCULLY,  John 
Murphy,  John  Nolan,  Ted 
Gamble,  E:  T.  (Peck)  Sommersall, 
A.  J.  O'Keefe  and  William  Hein- 
ma-n  -left  -  here  last  night  for  their 
annual  fishing  trip  at  Cape  Vincent 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  River. 
• 

Tom  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Wil- 
liam C.  Gehring,  Western  sales 
manager,  left  here  yesterday  for 
studio  conferences  on  the  Coast. 
• 

Phil  Dow,  assistant  to  Harry  L. 
Gold,  United  Artists  Eastern  sales 
manager,  will  leave  today  for  the 
company's  Saturday- Sunday  sales 
meeting  in  Boston. 

• 

Ted  Tod,  Warner  representative  in 
Washington,  will  return  there  today 
after  several  days  of  home  office  con- 
ferences with  Mort  Blumenstock. 
• 

Col.  Jack  L.  Warner,  who  re- 
turned this  week  from  a  tour  of  the 
European  battle  area,  will  be  in  New 
York  about  two  weeks. 

• 

John  Miljan,  RKO  Radio  actor, 
is  en  route  to  Hollywood  from  New 
York  after  a  seven-month  USO  tour 
in  the  Mediterranean. 

• 

Dave  Bader,  20th  Century-Fox 
trade  press  contact,  will  leave  to- 
morrow for  a  two-week  vacation  at 
Cape  Ann,  Mass. 

• 

George  J.  Schaefer,  chairman  of 
the  board  of  Lester  Cowan  Prod.,  will 
return  here  from  Alberquerque  at  the 
weekend. 

• 

Cecil  B.  De  Mille  is  scheduled  to 
visit  Salt  Lake  City  Sunday  in  con- 
nection with  Paramount's  30th  anni- 
versary. 

• 

William  Gordon,  Warner  Salt 
Lake  City  manager,  has  returned  there 
after  several  days  in  Idaho. 

• 

Harry  Cohn,  Columbia  president, 
left  New  York  for  Hollywood  last 
night.    Mrs.  Cohn  will  leave  today. 
• 

Richard    Morgan    of    the  Par- 
amount legal   staff,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  a  brief  vacation. 
• 

Nate  B.  Spingold,  Columbia  ex- 
ecutive, will  leave  here  for  Holly- 
wood today. 


Gillham  Is  Elected 
Committee  Chairman 

Robert  Gillham,  Paramount  adver- 
tising-publicity director,  was  elected 
chairman  of'  the  Eastern  Public  Infor- 
mation Committee  yesterday. 


25$  Technicolor  Dividend 

Dr.  Herbert  T.  Kalmus,  president 
and  general  manager  of  Technicolor, 
Inc.,  announces  that  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  Technicolor  have  declared  a 
dividend  of  25  cents  a  share. 


UA9  Republic,  Monogram  in 
Limited  Sales  Meetings 


With  staffs  in  attendance  limited  by 
the  wartime  travel  ban,  three  com- 
panies are  about  to  open  regional 
sales  meetings :  United  Artists  in  St. 
Louis,  Republic  in  Chicago  and 
Monogram  here  and  in  Del  Mar,  Cal. 


Unger  Opens  First 
UA  Meeting  Today 

St.  Louis,  July  12. — First  of  two 
United  Artists  Western  regional  sales 
meetings  will  get  underway  here  to- 
morrow at  the  Park  Plaza  Hotel,  with 
Western  sales  manager  J.  J.  Unger 
presiding,  assisted  by  district  man- 
ager Rud  Lohrenz. 

Among  branch  managers  and  sales- 
men from  the  St.  Louis,  Omaha  and 
Kansas  City  exchanges  here  for  the 
two-day  session  are  the  following : 
From  St.  Louis,  manager  B.  McCar- 
thy and  salesmen  William  Sharpe,  Al- 
len Kane,  Harold  Cass  and  Ronnie 
Hammond ;  from  Omaha,  manager  D. 
V.  McLucas  and  salesmen  Harry 
Barker,  Albert  Mendenhall,  Carl 
Reese  and  Edward  Rostermundt ; 
from  Kansas  City,  manager  W.  E. 
Turog  and  salesmen  Guy  Bradford, 
Paul  Hannon,  Joe  Manfre  and  Mor- 
ton Truog. 

Following  this  meeting  both  Unger 
and  Lohrenz  will  leave  for  Chicago 
to  attend  the  second  regional  meeting. 


Republic's  Product 
Meets  Begin  July  17 

A  policy  of  small  sales  meetings  to 
be  attended  by  Republic  district  sales 
and  branch  managers  from  within  a 
local  radius  is  being  inaugurated  by 
James  R.  Grainger,  president  and  gen- 


eral sales  manager  of  Republic  Pic- 
tures, with  a  meeting  scheduled  to  be 
held  next  Tuesday  and  Wednesday 
at  the  Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Edward  L.  Walton,  executive  assist- 
ant to  Grainger  and  assistant  general 
sales  manager,  will  accompany  Grain- 
ger to  Chicago;  where  they  will  be 
joined  by  Midwestern  district  sales 
manager  Will  Baker,  Prairie  district 
sales  manager  Nat  E.  Steinberg,  and 
Central  district  manager  Sam  Seplo- 
win,  as  well  as  branch  managers  E. 
H.  Brauer,  Indianapolis;  Jack  Frack- 
man,  Milwaukee ;  William  M.  Grant, 
Minneapolis  ;  Harry  Lefholtz,  Omaha  ; 
Dave  Nelson,  Des  Moines ;  Robert 
Withers,  Kansas  City,  and  Chicago 
branch  manager  William  Feld. 


Broidy,  Morey  Head 
Monogram  Meetings 

While  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  sales,  is  con- 
ducting the  company's  West  Coast  re- 
gional meeting  at  Del  Mar,  Cal.,  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday,  the  Eastern  region- 
al meeting  will  be  held  at  the  War- 
wick Hotel,  New  York,  at  the  same 
time,  presided  over  by  Ed  Morey, 
Monogram  home  office  executive,  and 
Morey  Goldstein,  Monogram's  East- 
ern division  manager,  after  which  they 
leave  for  Chicago  for  a  Mid-Western 
regional,  to  be  held  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel,  July  21-22.  Arthur  Greenblatt, 
Monogram  Central  District  Manager, 
will  attend  both  the  New  York  and 
Chicago  meetings,  and  Sol  Francis, 
Monogram's  Midwest  district  man- 
ager, will  be  present  at  the  Chicago 
meeting. 


U.  S.  -  Italian  Film 
Accord  Approaches 

Washington,  July  12.  —  New 
regulations  to  govern  post-war  motion 
picture  trade  in  Italy,  now  in  final 
draft  form'  and  expected  to  be  adopted 
in  the  near  future,  have  been  written 
in  100  per  cent  accord  with  United 
States  concepts  of  free  competitive 
enterprise,  it  was  learned  here  today. 

The  Italian  agreement  is  seen  as 
a  possible  springboard  for  negotia- 
tions for  similar  agreements  with 
other  countries.  While  there  is  no 
reason  to  believe  that  any  other 
European  governments  may  be  willing 
to  accept  the  Italian  regulations  in 
toto,  the  concord  reached  with  that 
country  may  exert  some  influence  in 
the  elimination  of  barriers  now  ap- 
plied against  our  pictures. 


M-G-M  Sets  Tradeshows 

M-G-M  will  hold  trade  showings  in 
New  York  only,  at  its  local  exchange, 
on  "Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes," 
Wednesday,  July  18,  and  "Week-End 
At  The  Waldorf,"  on  July  19. 


Club  Re-elects  Neilson 

Rutgers  Neilson,  RKO  Radio  pub- 
licity manager,  here,  has  been  re- 
elected a  member  of  the  board  of 
governors  of  the  Circus  Saints  and 
Sinners  Club. 


Zukor  at  Paramount 
Philadelphia  Fete 

Philadelphia,  July  12. — With 
Adolph  Zukor,  Paramount  chairman 
of  the  board,  as  a  guest  speaker,  Para- 
mount's "One  Third  of  a  Century" 
celebration  meeting  and  reception  here 
today  honored  veteran  employes  and 
exhibitors  in  this  territory. 


McBride  Host  at  Paramount 
Omaha  Anniversary  Lunch 

Omaha,  July  12. — Jess  McBride, 
Paramount  branch  manager  here,  will 
be  host  at  a  Paramount  anniversary 
luncheon  at  the  Fontenelle  Hotel,  here, 
on  Monday. 


Warner  Decca  Shares 
Sold  to  Kuhn,  Loeb 

Warner  Bros,  announced  here  yes- 
terday that  it  has  sold  its  entire  hold- 
ings of  43,759  shares  in  Decca  Rec- 
ords, Inc.,  to  Kuhn,  Loeb  and  Co., 
and  associates,  for  a  sum  in  excess 
of  $1,800,000. 


Williams  of  MOT  on  Air 

Marjorie  Mills,  whose  noontime 
program  of  daily  comment  goes  ov,er 
WBZ-WBZA,  will  salute  the  March 
of  Time's  10th  anniversary  today. 
Appearing  as  guest  will  be  MOT 
advertising  director  Phil  Williams. 


Rank  to  Meet  Pres 
On  Eve  of  Departun 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  British  film  lead' 
w  ill  meet  the  press  at  noon  Monday 
the  Sherry  Netherlands,  here. 

Rank's  visit  to  the  U.  S.  will  e 
Tuesday  when  he  is  scheduled  to  boa 
the  5".  S.  Queen  Mary  to  return 
England.  Accompanying  him  will 
his  associates,  G.  I.  \Voodham-Smii 
Barrington  Gain  and  John  Davis  a 
Capt.  Harold  Auten  and  Bob  Moi 
gomery,  the  latter  of  the  Jock  La^ 
rence  publicity  organization. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRE 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Centei 

"A  Bell  For  Adano' 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAr 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Van  JOHNSON 
Esther  WILLIAMS 

in  M-G-M's 

'THRILL  OF 
A  ROMANCE' 

IN  COLOR! 


IN  PERSON 

ETHEL 

WATERS 

Star  of  Stage  &  Screen 

Fred  LOWERY 
LENNY  KENT 


[4 


Century-Fox  Picture 


RIVOLI 

B'way   &'  49th  St. 


Doors  Ope 
J  9:30  A.h 


Robert  Lizabeth  Don 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In  HAL  WALLIS  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 

A  Paramount  Picture 
In  Person     STAN  KENTON  nostra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St 

CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  I 
47th  St 


Robert  Young  -  Laraine  Day 

"THOSE  ENDEARING 
YOUNG  CHARMS" 

An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


George       Joan  Vivian      Peggy  Ann 

RAFT   BENNETT       BLAINE  GARNER 


11 


It 


NOB  HILL 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolo 


pstagen  ABBOTT  and  COSTELLO 

BUY  MORE 
BONDS 


,E    DrtYY      7th  Ave.  i 
I*  W  ^  I  50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sund. 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  Yorl  j 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  Ne 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  Lond , 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Hera 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  Mai  | 
3,  1879.   Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


THE  FIRST 
THIRTY 
YEARS 


QU1GI£Y  PUBLIC  A  TIONS 

MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 
MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 
BETTER  THEATRES  m  m 
MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC 

fame mmm  m  m  m 


HP 


Martin 
Quicjley 


Ho*.*** 

M  i  «t  a  a 


HIS  IS  the  greatest  year  in  the  career  of  the  motion 
picture/  greatest  in  the  achievements  down  the 
vista  of  its  half  century  of  increasing  attainment, 
greatest  in  its  ever  beckoning  anticipations  and 
promises  for  the  tomorrow. 


T 

We  have  come  a  long  way  together,  for  this  is 

  the  year,  and  month,  too,  of  the  thirtieth  annU 

versary  of  the  advent  of  Quigley  Publications  in  the  world  of  the  screen. 
The  motion  picture  had  hut  newly  found  itself  and  set  a  course  of 
destiny  when  in  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Fifteen  Martin  Quigley  launched 
the  Herald.  It  was  a  thin,  ardent  little  hook,  instinct  with  the  vigour 
of  the  burgeoning  industry  with  which  it  had  cast  its  fortunes. 

That  was  a  great  year,  too.  The  camera  and  screen  had  just  joined  in 
the  causes  of  the  World  War,  prelude  to  the  war  continuing  now,  by 
which  the  world  seeks  redemption  by  ordeal. 


Opportunity  was  calling  the  American  motion  picture  to  the  stage  of 
world  performance/  and  in  its  service  the  young  Herald  hopefully 
went  along. 

"The  Birth  of  a  Nation"  was  four  months  into  its  first  metropolitan 
first  run  at  the  Liberty  in  New  York  and  sweeping  the  screens  in  its 
triumphs  as  the  lights  of  the  Old  World  dimmed  in  the  debacle 
of  war.  The  feature  era  was  established.  The  screen  had  become  a 
major  medium. 

Exhibition  with  its  new  enrichment  of  commanding  material  was  grows 
ing  with  a  widening  screen.  Eighteen  thousand  theatres/  mostly  little 
ones/  were  in  eager  need  of  information  of  Production/  of  Distribution/ 
and  of  each  other.  The  whole  industry  was  learning  a  business  and  an 
art  which  were  in  process  of  creation.  The  re  was  Martin  Quigley 's 
task/  his  opportunity  and  his  career.  He  brought  to  it  the  zeal  of  his 
youth  and  the  equipment  of  strenuous  experience  in  daily  journalism  of 
the  lay  press,  from  country  town  to  dynamic  Chicago,  then  the  pro* 
fessionally  fastest  and  most  demanding  newspaper  center  in  the  world. 

Many  of  the  readers  of  this  page  will  be  personally  remembering  the 
years  and  events  from  then  till  now.  Thousands  of  you  are  readers 
and  subscribers  who  began  away  back  then.  You  will  be  remembering 
how  then  as  now  the  Quigley  pages  were  pages  in  which  to  have  your 
say,  to  record  your  problems/  to  present  your  causes/  to  record  pro* 
gress — flowing  pages/  interpreting  between  Production/  Distribution 
and  Exhibition. 

You  will  be  remembering/  too,  that  every  product  of  the  screen/  great 
and  small/  has  had  its  announcement  and  introduction  to  the  theatre 
in  the  pages  of  the  Quigley  journals/  going  around  the  world  ahead  of 
the  pictures.  It  has  come  that  these  papers  and  their  annuals  have  all 
the  years  been  living  catalogues  and  heralds  of  the  vital  merchandise 
of  fact  and  fancy  by  which  we  all,  from  stage  to  box-office,  live  and 
prosper.  Files  of  Quigley  Publications  stand,  and  go  day  by  day  and 
week  by  week,  wherever  pictures  are  shown.  There  are  files  and  sub» 
scribers  in  the  outposts  of  Asia,  in  India/  in  Africa/  in  Oceania/  in  all 


the  Americas  and  every  capital  of  Europe  where  mail  may  reach/  and 
some  places  where  it  may  not.  Today  QP  journals  of  service  are  going 
also  everywhere  the  American  soldier  goes,  carried  by  bomber  dispatch 
along  with  the  films. 

This  honouring  function/  with  its  responsibility/  has  developed  with 
years  of  publication  in  that  singleness  of  purpose  in  journalistic  service 
with  which  these  papers  were  founded  those  thirty  years  ago.  That 
purpose  was  then  and  has  ever  since  been  the  promotion  of  the  total 
interest  of  the  art  and  the  industry  of  the  screen  and  every  fair  cause 
within  the  institution. 

Incidental  to  this  labour  of  service  with  type  on  paper/  Martin  Quigley 
has  contributed  in  functions  of  public  relations  empowered  out  of  the 
fullness  of  experience  and  abiding  interest.  Notable  among  those  con* 
tributions  has  been  his  conception  of  the  Production  Code/  that  docu« 
ment  of  selUregulation  by  which  the  industry  has  charted  its  course 
through  many  difficulties  and  past  many  hazards,  external  and  internal. 
In  academic  recognition  of  these  efforts  American  universities  have 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degrees  of  Doctor  of  Literature  and 
Doctor  of  Laws. 

All  that  has  come  out  of  years  of  intimate  association  and  cooperative 
relation/  extending/  both  institutionally  and  personally/  into  Production/ 
Distribution  and  Exhibition.  This  industry  and  Quigley  Publications 
have  grown  up  together. 

Our  motion  picture  has  come  into  high  estate  in  the  complex  affairs 
of  the  world — a  world  beset  with  the  gravest  problems  and  the  highest 
hopes  in  all  history.  It  was  a  great  year  of  great  opportunity  when  this 
institution  enlisted  with  the  screen.  Each  year  since  has  been  in  turn 
the  greatest  year  of  the  industry/  and  of  Quigley  Publications.  From 
this  thirtieth  milestone  the  road  ahead  leads  on.  — T.  R. 


July  12,  1945 


"JOHN  HERSEY'S 


9L 


IS  ONE  OF  THE 
SEASON'S  BIGGEST 
ATTRACTIONS!" 

-says  RED  KANN  in  Motion  Picture  Daily 


This  year's  Pulitzer  Prize  novel 


Century-Fox 


8 


motion  Picture  Dai^y 


Friday,  July  13,  1945 


Johnston  in  Coast  Survey 
On  MPPDA  Post  Offer 


MGM  Drops  Reissue 
Plan;  Hit  New  Stars 


Raw  Film  Cut 
Withdrawn  by 
British  Board 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

seiitatives  were  stalemated  for  some 
weeks  because  of  this  misunderstand- 
ing. Once  the  situation  was  seen  more 
clearly  by  the  British  authorities, 
quick  action  followed. 

Under  the  Board  of  Trade  orders, 
the  exportation  of  motion  pictures 
from  England  was  made  subject  to 
permit  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  cut  of 
15  per  cent  was  made  in  the  alloca- 
tions to  foreign  companies  for  the 
making  of  prints  from  negatives  im- 
ported into  England,  for  use  in  other 
European  markets.  The  film  so  saved 
was  to  be  used  to  provide  Rank  with 
stock  for  pictures  he  desired  to  show 
in  the  United  States. 

Under  the  agreement  which  is  re- 
ported to  have  been  reached,  all  re- 
strictions on  the  American,  companies 
have  been  lifted  and  assurance  has 
been  given  that  if  any  cuts  in  raw 
stock  allocations  are  required  in  the 
future  they  will  be  imposed  equally 
upon  British  and  American  companies. 

AFL  Conclave  Off; 
Blocks  Walsh  Step 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

going  during  the  current  strike  spon- 
sored by  the  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions,  has  pointed  out  that  the  coun- 
cil's action  is  subject  to  approval  at 
the  general  convention. 


Decorators  Withdraw 
From  NLRB  Hearing 

Los  Angeles,  July  12. — Set  Deco- 
rators Local  1421,  key  unit  in  the 
Hollywood  studio  strike,  withdrew 
today  from  a  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  hearing  on  the  eligibility 
of  voters  in  the  recent  decorators' 
election.  The  action  followed  trial 
examiner  Robert  Denham's  admon- 
ishment of  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  attorney  Frank  Pestana  for 
insisting  on  introducing  evidence 
which  the  former  had  ruled  irrelevant. 

Denham  recessed  the  hearing  until 
Friday  morning  and  announced  that 
it  would  continue  without  1421's  rep- 
resentatives if  they  were  not  present 
then. 

Kelly  Quits  as  Head 
Of  Eagle-Lion  Films 

(Continued  from   page  1) 
a     production-distribution     plan  in 
which  he  is  interested.  -He  will  have 
New  York  headquarters. 

Prior  to  his  affiliation  with  Eagle 
Lion,  early  in  1944,  Kelly  was  associ- 
ated with  United  Artists. 

Wood  Replaces  Hart 
As  Committee  Head 

Washington,  July  12. — Rep.  John 
S.  Wood  of  Georgia  was  named  today 
to  head  the  House  Committee  on  Un- 
American  Affairs,  succeeding  Rep. 
Edward  J.  Hart  of  New  Jersey,  who 
recently  resigned. 

His  appointment  was  declared  sat- 
isfactory by  Rep.  John  E.  Rankin, 
Mississippi,  sponsor  of  the  investiga- 
tion of  alleged  subversive  activities  in 
Hollywood. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

and  writers'  guilds,  and  if  I  believe, 
after  that,  there's  a  job  to  be  done 
that  I  can  do,  I'll  undertake  it". 

He  said  he  would  not  decide  to  ac- 
cept or  reject  the  MPPDA  post 
offered  him  until  after  he  has  com- 
pleted his  10-day  stay,  and  probably 
not  before  Autumn.  Frequent  refer- 
ences to  October  suggested  he  in- 
tended holding  the  matter  in  abeyance 
until  then. 

"The  industry  has  a  great  foreign 
market  to  cultivate,  but  there  are  seri- 
ous obstacles  there  to  be  overcome, 
and  I  think  it  requires  a  united  indus- 
try to  overcome  them  ',  Johnston  said. 
Asked  if  he  meant  he  would  attempt 
to  combine  MPPDA,  SIMPP  and 
the  Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers Association,  he  said,  "One 
over-all  organization  may  be  neces- 

Grosses  Continue  Big 
In  Key  First-Runs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

dominating.  Initial  week's  receipts  in 
Pittsburgh  were  strong  and  it  was  big 
in  a  moveover  as  a  dual  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

"The  Valley  of  Decision"  scored 
$115,700  for  first,  second  or  third 
weeks  in  five  theatres  in  five  cities, 
where  par  is  $94,300. 

"Those  Endearing  Young  Charms" 
brought  a  sturdy  $97,500  in  reports 
from  San  Francisco,  Chicago,  St. 
Louis  and  Baltimore. 

"Back  to  Bataan"  was  strong  in  an 
initial  week  in  Cincinnati ;  "A  Thou- 
sand and  One  Nights"  scored  heavily 
in  initial  weeks  in  two  Los  Angeles 
theatres ;  "Along  Came  Jones"  was 
big  in  initial  weeks  in  Kansas  City 
and  Omaha ;  the  Universal  double-bill 
reissue  of  "Imitation  of  Life"  and 
"East  Side  of  Heaven"  was  big  in  an 
initial  week  in  Milwaukee  and  in  a 
second  week  in  Pittsburgh ;  "Wonder 
Man"  was  outstanding  in  a  third  week 
in  Chicago ;  "A  Song  to  Remember" 
continued  strong  in  a  13th  week  in 
Chicago. 

Selznick  and  RKO  in 
Three-Film  Deal 

(Continued   from    page  1) 

lease,  together  with  the  personalities 
connected  with  them.  They  are : 
"Some  Must  Watch,"  "They  Dream 
of  Home"  and  "Notorious."  with 
Alfred  Hitchcock  producing  and  di- 
recting the  latter  and  Dore  Schary 
producing  the  other  two. 

Also  in  the  deal,  although  this  was 
withheld  from  today's  announcement, 
are  the  Selznick  players  previously 
scheduled  to  appear  in  these  films.  It 
is  learned  that  RKO  acquires  proper- 
ties by  "purchase." 


'Trail'  Set  for  Aug.  1 

"Northwest  Trail,"  second  in  the 
series  of  Action  Pictures,  color  out- 
door releases,  will  be  released  Aug. 
1  by  Screen  Guild  Productions.  Based 
on  the  James  Oliver  Curwood  story, 
the  film  features  Bob  Steele  and  Ray- 
mond Hatton.  Prints  will  be  in  all 
Screen  Guild  franchise  offices  by 
Aug.  1. 


sary,  or  may  not.  I  don't  know  yet. 
But  all  have  common  objectives  which 
I  think  can  be  achieved  by  working 
in  common  interest.  He  enumerated 
as  "common  interests"  taxes,  foreign 
business,  and  public  relations.  Asked 
whether  he  would  try  to  bring  in 
SIMPP,  He  said,  "Donald  Nelson 
and  I  are  old  friends.  I'm  sure  we 
would  get  together  on  anything  that 
served  the  common  interest". 

In  reply  to  a  query,  he  said  it  was 
the  presidency  of  MPPDA  which  had 
been  offered  him,  and  that  in  case  he 
took  it  Will  H.  Hays  would  take  an- 
other in  the  organization.  But  he  under- 
scored the  assertion  that  "it  would  be 
an  entirely  new  job  that  I  would  un- 
dertake". Acceptance  of  MPPDA's 
offer  would  not  interfere  with  his 
presidency  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  which  runs  until  next 
May,  he  said. 

Navy  Will  Show  Jap 
Kamikazas  to  Public 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

which  reveals  for  the  first  time  the 
new  pattern  of  Pacific  warfare  that 
will  become  more  intense  as  we  strike 
closer  to  Japan,  was  produced  by 
Navy  Photographic  Services,  headed 
by  Capt.  Gene  Markey,  USNR,"  ac- 
cording to  the  WAC.  The  footage 
was  taken  by  103  fleet  photographers. 
Most  of  the  scenes  were  filmed  under 
direct  fire  of  the  Kamikazas  as  they 
blazed  in  for  the  kill. 

F.  F.  Sylvester  Joins 
Reeves  Laboratory 

Hazard  E.  Reeves,  president  of 
Reeves-Ely  Laboratories,  Inc.,  New 
York,  announces  the  appointment  of 
F.  F.  Sylvester  as  technical  director  in 
charge  of  research  and  engineering  for 
the  parent  organization  and  affiliated 
companies. 


(Continued  from   page  ]) 

releases  and  interfered  with  the  com- 
pany's star-grooming  policy. 

In  specific  locations  where  a  product 
shortage  exists  in  subsequent  runs, 
current  M-G-M  product  will  be  made 
available  for  a  longer  period.  In  the 
Chicago  area,  according  to  John  E. 
Flynn,  Western  sales  manager,  newj 
M-G-M  features  are  given  a  "life  ex- 
tension" of  six  months  at  the  request 
of  exhibitors  at  the  end  of  the  general 
release  line  who  are  in  need  of  prod- 
uct. 

George  A.  Hickey,  M-G-M  West 
Coast  district  manager,  today  was 
promoted  to  West  Coast  sales  man- 
ager, William  F.  Rodgers,  vice  pres- 
ident and  general  sales  manager,  an- 
nounced. Hickey's  headquarters  will 
remain  in  Los  Angeles,  and  under  his 
jurisdiction  will  fall  San  Francisco, 
Seattle,  Portland  and  Los  Angeles. 

His  promotion  gives  M-G-M's  sales 
cabinet  a  fifth  division  manager,  in 
addition  to  Rodgers.  The  others  are 
John  E.  Flynn,  W  estern ;  Rudolph 
Berger,  Southern ;  John  J.  Malonev, 
Central,  and  E.  K.  (Ted)  O'Shea, 
Eastern. 

Surprise   visitors    to   the  M-G-M 
convention  today  were  Ben  Kalmen-jj 
son,  Warners'  general  sales  manager, 
and  Harry  Kalmine,  assistant  general 
manager  of  Warner  Theatres.  The 
call  was  strictly  social,  to  Mook-up  old  ■ 
friends'  on  their  way  back  to  New  j 
York. 


War  Agency  Funds 
Will  Be  Restored 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
allayed  today  when  the  House  ap- 
proved a  fund  for  the  FEPC  and  re- 
stored to  good  standing  the  offices 
which  were  knocked  out  of  the  War 
Agencies  Appropriation  Bill  last  week. 

The  10  agencies  were  the  innocent 
victims  of  a  political  fight  over  the 
FEPC,  whose  supporters  last  week 
succeeded  in  eliminating  them. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOW 

WEDNESDAY,  JULY  18th 

OUR  VINES  HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES 

New  York-New  Jersey  Territory  Only 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM-630  NINTH  AVENUE 

at  1:30  P.M. 


THURSDAY,  JULY  19th 

WEEKEND  AT  THE  WALDORF 

New  York-New  Jersey  Territory  Only 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM-930  NINTH  AVENUE 

at  1:30  P.M. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteUigei 

jdole 

i.L. 

to  the  ^ 

gtion 

Picture 

Industry 

OL.  58.  NO.  10 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  JULY  16,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


rth  Loan  Was 
luge  Success, 
•Says  Pinanski 

}rive  Chairman  Praises 
ndustry  for  Efforts 


The  Seventh  War  Loan  Campaign 
:_nstripped  results  achieved  "in  all 
ast  similar  drives,"  Sam  Pinanski, 
Htional  industry  drive  chairman, 
declared  in  a  re- 
port to  the  in- 
dustry over  the 
weekend. 

In  rendering 
an  accounting 
of  his  stew- 
ardship, he 
stressed  the 
"tremendou  s 
cooperation  of 
all  elements  in 
the  industry :  ex- 
hibitors, distri- 
butors, adver- 
tising and  pub- 
licity, home 
office  and,  par- 
rularly,  the  trade  press. 
"The  entire  industry  worked  as  a 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Sam  Pinanski 


=  kittle  Chance  Seen 
or  N.Y.  Trade  Bill 


Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  15.— The  bill 
hich  the  Independent  Theatre  Own- 

s  Association  of  New  York  had 
lr.ounced  would  be  presented  to  set 
)  a  code  for  the  regulation  of  trade 

actices  in  the  motion  picture  indus- 
y  was  not  introduced  at  the  1945 

ssion  of  the  State  Legislature,  it  is 
mv  learned,  from  records  just  made 

ailable. 

Despite  the  stand  of  the  ITOA  in 
'.vor  of  such  legislation,  the  general 
gislative   opinion    here    is    that  it 
ould  have  a  poor  chance  of  being 
pacted. 


Joseph  Realigns  *U' 
Publicity  Staff 

John  Joseph,  Universal's  national 
irector  of  advertising-publicity,  be- 
)re  departing  from  New  York  for 
is  Coast  headquarters,  over  the  week 
id,  disclosed  that  Charles  Simonelli 
as  been  appointed  radio  contact  man 
i  the  Universal  home  office  publicity 
apartment,  and  that  Harry  Keller 
as  been  made  field  contact  man,  and 
(.Continued  on  page  10) 


GambleAcknowledges 
Industry  Job  in  7th 

Official  commendation  of 
the  industry's  effort  in  the 
Seventh  War  Loan  Drive  is 
expressed  by  Ted  R.  Gamble, 
national  director  of  the  War 
Finance  Division,  in  a  letter 
to  Sam  Pinanski,  national  in- 
dustry drive  chairman. 

"To  paraphrase  the  remarks 
of  a  war  hero,  let  me  say  that 
'the  motion  picture  industry 
saw  the  problem,  solved  same.' 

"I  am  proud  to  be  a  member 
of  the  industry  and  proud  of 
the  fine  national  committee 
that  was  able  to  inspire  every 
man  and  woman  in  exhibition, 
distribution,  production,  ad- 
vertising, the  newsreels  and 
the  trade  press,"  he  wrote. 


Congress  Approves 
War  Agency  Funds 


Washington,  July  15. — Congress 
has  finally  disposed  of  the  highly  con- 
troversial War  Agencies  Appropria- 
tion Bill,  held  up  for  two  weeks  by 
a  political  battle  over  continuance  of 
the  Fair  Employment  Practice  Com- 
mittee. 

As  finally  sent  to  the  White  House, 
the  measure  provided  $35,000,000  for 
the  Office  of  War  Information,  which 
the  House  originally  had  cut  to  $18,- 
000,000. 


Undecided  on 
Defense  Line 


Counsel  for  distributor-defendants  in 
the  Government's  New  York  film  anti- 
trust case  met  here  late  last  week  to 
map  future  strategy,  prepare  for  trial 
and  determine  the  nature  of  their  de- 
fense, following  the  disclosure  last 
Tuesday  by  Robert  L.  Wright,  special 
assistant  to  U.  S.  Attorney  General 
Tom  Clark,  that  the  Department  of 
Justice  intends  to  present  a  prima 
facie  documentary  Case  and  might  not 
call  a  single  witness  when  the  trial 
starts  on  Oct.  8. 

Film  company  attorneys  were  un- 
able to  decide  whether  or  not  they 
will  drop  their  plan  of  sending  inves- 
tigators into  the  field  to  interview  all 
or  some  of  the  850  exhibitor  complain- 
ants previously  listed  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice.  Several  suggestions 
were  advanced  as  to  how  the  defense 
should  be  presented. 

Field  Investigators 

Meanwhile,  the  film  attorneys  have 
started  to  assemble  information  on 
their  franchise  agreements  and  pooling 
deals  going  back  to  1930,  and  other 
information  desired  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice,  which  they  have  been 
directed  to  deliver  by  Aug.  1. 

Paramount  supplied  the  Department 
of  Justice  with  information  on  its 
1943-44  releases  Friday,  giving  the 
names  of  features,  domestic  billings, 
total  film  rentals,  broken  down  into 
exchange  territories ;  amounts  re- 
ceived from  affiliated  circuits,  and  the 
next  largest  circuits. 


Capital  Weighs  Economic 
Setups  for  World  Trade 


Washington,  July  15. — Broad  in- 
ternational economic  proposals  which 
have  been  developed  with  a  view  to 
building  a  sound  and  workable  peace 
were  reviewed  Friday  by  the  For- 
eign Economic  Administration  to 
show  how  the  various  parts  of  the 
program  mesh  together,  the  world 
economy  being  likened  to  a  great 
wheel,  with  the  proposed  World  Eco- 
nomic and  Social  Council  as  the  hub 
and  the  various  international  economic 
organizations  as  the  spokes. 

The  'hub'  of  the  international  eco- 
nomic wheel  will  be  the  Economic 
and  Social  Council  set  up  in  the  San 
Francisco  agreement  now  before  the 
Senate  for  ratification.  Some  of  the 
'spokes'  already  fashioned  are  the  In- 
ternational Labor  Organization,  cre- 
ated in  1919  to  raise  the  standard  of 
living  in  sub-standard  countries  and 


thereby  expand  world  markets ;  the 
United  Nations  Relief  and  Rehabili- 
tation Administration,  which  will  aid 
in  the  rehabilitation  of  war-ravaged 
countries ;  the  United  Nations  Food 
and  Agriculture  organization ;  the  In- 
ternational Monetary  Fund  and  In- 
ternational Bank  for  Reconstruction 
and  Development,  set  up  at  Bretton 
Woods,  and  the  International  Avia- 
tion Organization. 

One  of  the  most  important  'spokes' 
will  be  a  permanent  international 
trade  organization  to  recommend  so- 
lutions to  various  problems,  includ- 
ing trade  barriers,  cartels,  commodity 
surpluses,  etc.,  not  yet  set  up  but 
expected  to  be  established  within  a 
year.  This  organization  is  seen  as 
the  likely  agency  for  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  international  differences  in- 
volved in  the  world  film  trade. 


RKO  and  Rank 
In  U.S.  and 
British  Deal 


Production,  Distribution 
Set-up  for  Top  Pictures 


RKO  Radio  has  entered  into  a 
joint  production  and  distribution 
deal,  involving  a  number  of  top- 
bracket  pictures,  with  J.  Arthur 
Rank  and  the  Rank  "group"  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  according  to  a  state- 
ment issued  at  the  weekend  for  N. 
Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  chairman  of 
the  board,  who  has  been  touring  the 
European  theatre  of  war  as  a  guest 
of  the  Army. 

Announcement  of  the  deal  fol- 
lows reports  heard  over  a 
period  of  many  months  that 
Rank  was  considering  the  pur- 
chase of  the  whole,  or  part,  of 
RKO. 

This  world-wide  deal  is  a  result  of 
a  series  of  conferences  initiated  by 
Phil      Reisman,     vice-president  in 
(Continued  on  page  IS) 


MGM  Defers  Setting 
Advance  Film  Dates 


Chicago,  July  15. — No  definite  re- 
lease dates  of  any  M-G-M  product 
beyond  the  12th  block  will  be  an- 
nounced at  any  of  the  company's  di- 
visional meetings,  William  F.  Rodg- 
ers,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager,  revealed  at  the  sales  session 
which  closed  a  three-day  meeting  at 
the  Blackstone  Hotel  here  yesterday. 
He  indicated  that  it  is  intended  to 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


'U'  Buys  MGM  Rights 
To  Abbott-Costello 

Abbott  and  Costello  pictures  in  the 
future  will  be  produced  and  released 
by  Universal,  it  was  announced  at  the 
weekend  following  completion  of  nego- 
tiations with  M-G-M  whereby  the 
latter  studio  released  the  team  from 
future  commitments. 

The   negotiations,    involving  more 

(Continued  on  page  15) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Caribbean  Mys- 
tery" appears  on  page  11; 
"Stagecoach  Outlaw,"  page  14. 


i 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  16,  194? 


Personal 
Mention 


ROY  HAINES,  Warner  Western 
and  Southern  sales  manager,  was 
in  Chicago  at  the  weekend  en  route 
to  Kansas  City. 

\dolph  Zukor,  Paramount  board 
chairman,  and  Claude  F.  Lee,  public 
relations  director,  have  returned  here 
after  attending  the  company's  'One 
Third  of  a  Century'  meetings  in 
Washington  and  Philadelphia. 

• 

M  D.  Cohn,  managing  director  of 
the  Newman  Theatre,  Kansas  City, 
arrived  in  New  York  over  the  week- 
end for  conferences  with  Leonard  H. 
Golden  son,  Paramount  theatre-oper- 
ations vice-president. 

Edward  Schnitzer,  United  Art- 
ists home  office  exeautive,  has  re- 
turned here  from  the  company's  South- 
ern sales  meeting  at  Port  Aransas, 
Tex. 

• 

Cliff  Almy,  Warner  manager  in 
the  Philippines,  who  was  rescued 
from  a  Jap  prison  camp,  will  arrive 
here  today  for  home  office  confer- 
ences. 

• 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  general 
sales  manager,  will  return  to  New 
York  today  from  an  extended  tour 
of  the  South  and  Midwest. 

• 

Gary  Cooper  will  arrive  here  this 
morning  for  a  vacation  following  an 
appearance  tour  in  Texas  and  Okla- 
homa. 

Jay  Gove,  head  of  sales  develop- 
ment and  research  for  M-G-M,  has 
entered   the   United   Hospital,  Polrt 
Chester,  N.  Y.,  for  two  week's  rest. 
• 

Jack  Goldstein,  Selznick  Eastern 
publicity-exploitation  director,  _  left 
here  Friday  for  a  week's  vacation  at 
Cape  Cod. 

• 

Arthur  Willi,  head  of  RKO 
Radio's  Eastern  talent  department, 
will  return  to  New  York  today  after 
a  tour  of  Summer  theatres. 

William  Gleicher  of  the  M-G-M 
sales  department  left  New  York  for 
Buffalo  over  the  weekend. 

Sam  Gorelick,  RKO  Chicago  ex- 
change  manager,    will    return  today 
from  a  vacation  at  Colorado  Springs. 
• 

Ben  Bartlestein,  Chicago  circuit 
operator,  has  left  a  hospital  there 
and  is  recuperating  at  home. 

Lizabeth  Scott,  actress,  will  leave 
today  for  Hollywood,  after  several 
weeks  in  New  York. 

Wolfe    Cohen,    Warner  Interna- 
tional  vice-president,   will   return  to 
New  York  from  Canada  today. 
• 

Daniel  T.  O'Shea,  Vanguard  pres- 
ident, is  mourning  the  loss  of  his 
mother. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


THE  story  behind  the  per- 
functory announcement  that 
Vanguard  Films — another  way 
of  spelling  David  O.  Selznick — 
may  be  expected  to  turn  over 
three  of  its  top  properties  to 
RKO  Radio  is  interesting.  It 
is  also  the  kind  of  yarn  which 
can  prompt  wide  and  handsome 
leaps  into  the  vapor-thin  regions 
of  speculation  if  one  is  not 
careful. 

Prior  to  his  own  leap  into  the 
anticipated  pleasantries  of  a 
short  holiday,  your  column  con- 
ductor dug  around  over  the 
weekend  and  came  up  with  the 
following  assortment  of  facts, 
conditions  and  codicils. 

■ 

Firstly,  the  wired  report  out 
of  Hollywood  late  Thursday 
evening  was  on  the  premature 
side.  The  deal  is  well  along,  but 
at  that  point  and  despite  the 
formalities  of  the  press  release  it 
had  not  been  signed.  Designed 
to  include  "Notorious,"  "They 
Dream  of  Home"  and  "Some 
Must  Watch,"  only  a  last  min- 
ute complication  can  gum  the 
works.  This  is  not  expected,  al- 
though it  is  possible  RKO  will 
end  up  with  two,  not  three, 
while  the  third  goes  to  an  en- 
tirely different  source. 

■ 

Now,  normally  a  manouevre 
whereby  a  producer  abandons 
three  projects,  long  worked  over 
as  these  have  been,  by  disposal 
elsewhere  would  not  cut  much 
ice.  There  would  be  a  passing 
interest  in  it,  but  not  necessarily 
significance.  However,  the  vola- 
tile Selznick  has  been  cutting  a 
pretty  wide  figure  in  the  news  of 
late,  and  much  of  the  lowdown 
has  been  running  in  this  very 
space  if  no  one  objects  to  the  re- 
minder. 

He  was  the  factor  behind  the 
move  which  brought  Donald  M. 
Nelson  into  the  SIMPP  presi- 
dency. He  has  been  dabbling 
with  Harry  Ross  on  a  possible 
new  national  sales  organization, 
employing  the  Ross  Federal  of- 
fices as  the  framework.  His  re- 
lationship with  United  Artists 
has  been  subject  of  considerable 
interest. 

■ 

His  UA  deal,  as  noted  on 
various  occasions,  provides  him 
with  an  escape  after  delivering 
five  pictures.  This  fixed  com- 
mittment has  two  to  go  now  that 
"Since  You  Went  Away,"  "I'll 
Be  Seeing  You"  and  "Spell- 
bound" have  been  turned  over. 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  is  the  fourth. 


The  fifth  ?  No  one  knows  what 
or  when. 

Regardless  of  what  may  make 
the  rounds,  Selznick's  surprise 
move  with  RKO  does  not  bear 
on  his  relationship  with  UA. 
His  arrangement  there  always 
has  provided  for  what  may  be 
described  as  a  period  of  pause  in 
between  pictures.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  nothing  contractual- 
ly stipulated  which  can  prevent 
him  from  taking  the  very  step 
he  is  about  to  take  with  Charlie 
Koerner. 

Moreover,  retentive  memories 
will  recall  there  is  precedent  for 
this  action  —  from  Selznick's 
viewpoint,  at  least — in  the  sev- 
eral years'  old  deal  whereby  he 
turned  over  "The  Keys  of  the 
Kingdom"  and  "Jane  Eyre"  to 
20th  Century-Fox  for  produc- 
tion. If  they  are  retentive, 
memories  must  also  recall  it 
brought  Selznick  a  suit  from  his 
partner,  Charlie  Chaplin. 
■ 

Selznick  is  preoccupied  with 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  which  may 
run  to  a  breathtaking  $4,000,000 
cost.  This  is  the  attraction  once 
launched,  then  halted  because  of 
the  Hollywood  strike.  To  ac- 
commodate this  and  other 
planned  attractions,  Vanguard 
had  leased  space  at  the  PRC 
and  California  studios  months 
ago,  which  cannot  be  used  now 
because  of  the  strike  situation 
with  its  involvment  of  "clean" 
and  "unclean"  studios.  Selznick 
is  trailing  along  with  the  major 
companies  which  puts  him  on 
the  side  of  Richard  Walsh  and 
the  IATSE  in  the  fracas.  PRC 
and  California  are  on  the 
"clean"  list  in  the  eyes  of  the 
striking  unionists.  Since  Van- 
guard is  not,  the  space  it  had 
contracted  is  not  now  available. 

At  RKO  Pathe,  Vanguard's 
home  lot,  Eddie  Small  and  Sol 
Lesser  are  tenants  who  have 
shooting  schedules  of  their  own 
to  accommodate.  Because  of 
this  and  the  limited  physical  po- 
tential of  the  home  studio,  finally 
Vanguard  finds  itself  stymied. 


"Notorious"  was  slated  for  an 
April  start,  and  "They  Dream 
of  Home"  for  June.  Both  have 
topical  themes  and  evidently  can- 
not be  kept  reposing  on  ice  in- 
definitely. The  first  also  involves 
Alfred  Hitchcock,  the  director, 
a  mounting  sum  in  preparation 
and  salaries,  and  Ingrid  Berg- 
man as  its  proposed  star.  The 
second  involves  Dore  Schary, 
producer  at  four  stalwart  figures 


Army  Film  Travelers 
Are  Due  from  Italy 

The  group  of  industry  film 
leaders  who  have  been  travel- 
ing over  the  European  Thea- 
tres of  World  War  II  are  due 
to  return  to  New  York  today 
or  tomorrow. 


per  every  week,  and  accumulat- 
ed costs.  Third  is  "Some  Must 
Watch,"  for  which  Ethel  Barry- 
more  has  an  August  15  starting 
date  on  a  contract  which  will 
pay  her  $100,000. 

Thus,  Selznick  finds  himself 
in  the  position  of  mounting 
costs  and  threatened  property 
values.  In  the  interest  of  "tidy 
bookkeeping,"  as  it  has  been  put, 
he  determined  upon  a  deal  else- 
where. It  works  out  to  be  with 
RKO.  It  also  works  out  as  a 
joint  venture  with  that  company, 
not  an  outright  sale. 

■ 

You  may  expect  to  hear,  and 
probably  you  will  read,  various 
guesses  of  what  'this  may  por- 
tend for  the  future.  Selznick 
ultimately  tied  to  RKO,  for  one? 
Revival  of  that  oldie  about  Selz- 
nick and  International  Pictures 
in  a  combination  to  acquire 
RKO,  for  another?- 

The  cautious  will  remain  cau- 
tious. Otherwise,  they  would  be 
dabbling  in  futures  of  which  no 
one  can  deliver  the  answer. 

■  ■ 

A  Warner  spokesman  con- 
cedes the  interpretation  placed 
on  reasons  why  Warner  Thea- 
tres cancelled  out  their  associ- 
ate membership  in  MPTOA  is 
credible.  It  was  offered  as  spec- 
ulation —  clearly  designated  — 
that  the  withdrawal  may  fit  into 
a  Warner  pattern  of  disassocia- 
tion  from  others  of  the  defend- 
ants in  the  Government's  anti- 
trust suit.  "Credible,  only  not 
so,"  observes  the  spokesman. 

These  days,  the  Warners  talk 
more  or  less  privately  about 
their  determination  to  go  it 
alone.  They  maintain  they  do 
not  want  to  be  "members  of  any 
club";  that  they  entertain  ideas 
of  industry  and  public  relations 
which  can  best  be  advanced  by 
acting  in  solitary  and  not  hand 
in  hand  with  other  groups.  They 
indicate  this  is  why  they  have 
left  the  Hays  association,  the 
Central  Casting  Bureau  and 
now  the  MPTOA. 

■  ■ 

To  Jack  Warner :  "Now  that 
you've  been  to  Europe  and  back 
as  guest  of  the  Army,  do  you 
intend  instituting  military  train- 
ing at  Burbank?" 

Answer :  "No  more  than  we've 
been  having-." 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday, 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Ouigpubco,  New  York." 
Martin  Quigley,"  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London 
Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald, 
Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


THE  BEST  NOVEL 
OF  1944 
BECOMES  THE 


GREATEST 
PICTURE 


OF  1945 . . . 


Century-Fox 


The  company  that  makes  best -selling 
books  into  top-grossing  pictures! 


John  Hersey's  "A  BELL  FOR  ADANO"  Starring  GENE  TIERNEY 
JOHN  HODIAK  •  WILLIAM  BENDIX  with  Glenn  Langan 
Richard  Conte  •  Stanley  Prager  •  Henry  Morgan  •  Montague 
Banks  •  Reed  Hadley  •  Roy  Roberts  •  Hugo  Haas  •  Marcel 
Dalio  •  Fortunio  Bononova  •  Henry  Armetta  •  Roman  Bohnen 
Luis  Alberni  •  Eduardo  Ciannelli  •  Directed  by  HENRY  KING 
Produced  by  LOUIS  D.  LIGHTON  and  LAMAR  TROTTI 
Screen  Play  by  Lamar  Trotti  and  Norman  Reilly  Raine 


Produced  by 

LOUIS  D. 


No  other  company 


bell  like 


KEEP 
SELLING 
BONDS! 


Monday,  July  16,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Zukor  Plans  Boston  Trip, 
2  Anniversary  Meets  Held 


Morev  Presides  at 
Monogram  Meeting 


Monogram's      two-day  Eastern 
-tgional   meeting,   presided   over  by 
[.   Edward    Morey,   assistant  sales 
anager,  and  Morey  Goldstein.  East- 
rn  sales  manager,  was  concluded  yes- 
terday at  the  Warwick  Hotel.  Sat- 
jrday's  session  concerned  the  product 
find  policy  for  1945-1946,  in  addition 
to  the  balance  of  the  current  line-up, 
vhile  yesterday  was  given  to  indi- 
-i  lual  meetings  of  branch  managers. 

Morey  addressed  the  meeting  con- 
jrnring  the  new  line-uo ;  Goldstein 
iiscussed  sales  policy;  Arthur  Green- 
land Central  district  manager  took 
:he  selling  of  remaining  1944-45 
iroduct. 

Sitting   in   at   the   sessions   were : 
'at  Furst,  Jack  Farkas,  J.  Pavone, 
eyer     Solomon,     N.  Tabackman, 
tta  Segall  and  Dave  Bass,  all  from 
e  New  York  branch ;  Herman  Rif- 
n,    Ben    Abrams,    George  Rabb. 
arry  La  Vine,  Frank  Dervin.  Nate 
Levin,  Al  Poulton,  Jack  Israelson  and 
Dick  Cohen,  from  Boston. 
Also,  H.  L.  Berkson  and  H.  W. 
cPherson,  Buffalo;  E.  E.  Lowe  and 
v>bert    Adler,    Albany ;    Al  Davis, 
illiam    Schwartz,   Harry  Dressier, 
Sam  Palan  and  R.  M.  Katz,  Phila- 
delphia; Jack  Safer,  Barry  Goldman, 
Jly  Bettinger  and   Robert  Gearing, 
Washington;    Sam    Fineberg,  Pitts- 
burgh; William  Onie,  Milton  Gurian, 
*~zra    Skirboll    and    Frank  Decker, 
Cincinnati ;  Nat  Schultz,  Sam  Schultz, 
Nate  Gerson  and  Carl  Schenck,  Cleve- 
land. 

Morey,  Greenblatt  and  Goldstein 
leave  Thursday  to  attend  a  meeting 
in  Chicago,  July  21-22 


MGM  Defers  Setting 
4dvance  Film  Dates 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

do  a  thorough  selling  job  on  each 
Bode,  before  the  next  one  will  be  an- 
nounced. 

Rodgers  also  said  that  no  other  tvvo- 
i-day  road  show  dates  will  be  set  for 
'Ziegfeld  Follies"  for  the  time  be- 
■ng.  with  the  exception  of  the  previ- 
ously announced  two-week  engage- 
ments in  Boston  and  Pittsburgh,  next 

onth.  "Weekend  at  the  Waldorf" 
and  probably  "Anchors  Aweigh"  will 
oe  sold  as  specials. 

Apointment  Due 

A  new  West  Coast  district  man- 
ager will  be  appointed  by  George  A. 
Hickey,  newly  appointed  West  Coast 
division  manager,  upon  his  return  to 
Los  Angeles. 

On  Friday,  Rodgers  and  his  staff 
were  hosts  to  some  25  exhibitors  and 
the  trade  press. 

Most  of  the  M-G-M  sales  man- 
agers returned  to  their  respective 
headquarters  today.  William  Orn- 
stein,  trade  press  contact,  will  arrive 
in  New  York  Wednesday,  following  a 
trip  to  Minneapolis. 

Because  attendance  at  the  meeting 
here  was  limited  to  division  and  dis- 
trict managers,  five  two-day  division 
meetings  will  be  held  within  the  next 
two  weeks.  The  Western  division  will 
meet  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here 
July  17-18;  Central  division  in  the 
Statler,  Cleveland,  July  18-19;  East- 
ern division.  Astor,  New  York,  July 
19-20.  The  West  Coast  division  will 
meet  within  10  davs. 


Boston,  July  15. — Paramount  ex- 
change men  and  exhibitors  from  New 
England  will  gather  in  Boston  for  two 
days,  July  30-31,  when  Adolph  Zukor, 
Allan  Usher  and  William  S.  Erbb  will 
be  honor  guests  at  a  reception  and 
meeting  to  be  held  at  the  offices  of 
Paramount  here  and  in  the  Copley 
Plaza  Hotel. 

Zukor  and  others  will  be  speakers 
at  the  meetings,  which  will  celebrate 
the  'Third  of  a  Century'  of  Paramount. 
This  will  be  the  first  visit  of  Zukor  to 
Boston  in  several  years. 

The  cocktail  party  at  the  Copley 
Plaza  will  also  be  for  the  press  and 
Zukor  will  hold  a  press  conference  at 
that  time.  Arnold  Van  Leer,  in 
charge  of  New  England  publicity  for 
Paramount,  will  be  in  charge  of  this. 


15  Pittsburgh  Exhibitors 
With  Paramount  30  Years 

Pittsburgh,  July  15. — Including  15 
exhibitors  of  Paramount  pictures  for 
30  years  or  more,  60  persons  attended 
Paramount's  'One  Third  of  a  Century' 
reception  at  the  William  Penn  Hotel 
here  Friday. 

The  showmen  honored  were :  Harry 
Finkel,  William  Wheat,  Ed  and  Fred 
Beedle,  Mrs.  John  P.  Harris,  widow 
of  the  first  Pittsburgh  exhibitor, 
Michael  Manos,  Theodore  Miko- 
lowsky,  Lou  Hepinger,  Mike  Thomas, 
George  Sallows,  Sam  Gould,  Mrs. 
Louise  Muir,  James  Balmer,  and 
Robert  S.  Coyle.  Charleroi,  Pa.,  oldest 
Paramount  exhibitor  in  this  territory. 

Also  attending  were  M.  A.  Silver, 
Warner  Bros,  zone  manager ;  Harry 
Feinstein,  John  F.  McGreevey  and 
other  theatre  men. 

The  Paramount  touring  drive  group, 
which  previously  conducted  a  meeting 


Washington  H  alt  s 
NLRB  Vote  Hearing 

Hollywood,  July  15.  —  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  hearings  on 
the  eligibility  of  voters  in  the  recent 
set  directors'  election  struck  another 
snag  Friday  when  trial  examiner  Rob- 
ert Denham  received  a  telegram  from 
his  Washington  headquarters  instruct- 
ing him  to  recess  the  hearings  until 
tomorrow  afternoon  pending  receipt 
of  further  advices.  The  Washington 
action  is  the  result  of  an  appeal  tele- 
graphed Thursday  night  by  Local 
1421,  which  withdrew  from  that  day's 
session  and  requested  the  NLRB  to 
replace  Denham  as  examiner. 

Local  1421  was  back  in  attendance 
at  today's  session,  which  proceeded 
only  a  short  time  before  receiving  the 
instruction  to  recess. 


Shelpark  Joins  Wallis 

Bill  Shelpark  has  become  connected 
with  Hal  Wallis  Productions,  Inc., 
working  in  the  business  department 
with  Joseph  H.  Hazen,  president  of 
the  company,  at  its  main  offices  in 
New  York. 


Sweden  Studies  Color 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  15. — O.  H. 
Nordemar,  director  of  photography 
for  Europea  Film  Co.,  Stockholm,  is 
in  Salt  Lake,  sent  to  the  U.  S.  by  the 
Swedish  government  to  study  color 
films,  which  are  new  to  Sweden. 


at  the  exchange,  attended  the  reception, 
including  William  Erbb,  Eastern 
division  manager  ;  Allen  Usher,  'Para- 
mount Month'  co-captain ;  Earle  W. 
Sweigert,  district  manager,  and 
Sonny  Tufts,  Paramount  star. 

Dave  Kimelman,  branch  manager, 
was  host.  Oldest  Pittsburgh  employe 
in  service  honored  was  Edward  M. 
Stuve,  city  salesman,  with  Paramount 
28  years.  Also  present  were  Lou 
Averbach,  Charles  Mergen,  Robert  E. 
Caskey,  Guy  H.  Peterson  and  W.  H. 
Brooks,  all  of  the  exchange,  and  press 
and  radio  people. 


Cole  Cited  by  Duke  Clark 
At  Paramount  Meeting 

Kansas  City,  July  15.— Arthur  H. 
Cole,  Paramount  office  manager  here, 
was  cited  here  Friday  by  Duke  Clark, 
Dallas  district  manager  and  'Para- 
mount Month'  co-captain,  at  the  Para- 
mount 'One  Third  of  a  Century'  cele- 
bration meeting  at  the  exchange. 

Cole,  one  of  the  oldest  employes  in 
service  in  the  entire  Paramount  or- 
ganization, has  been  with  the  company 
since  it  established  a  branch  office  here 
in  1914. 

Clark  also  lauded  Jim  States,  book- 
ing manager,  employed  at  the  ex- 
change 29  years  ;  Bill  Bruegging,  head 
shipper,  27  years  ;  Floyd  Goode,  ship- 
per, 27  years  ;  Miss  Billy  Mistele,  26 
years,  and  Helen  Wolfe,  25  years. 

A  reception  honoring  exhibitors 
who  have  been  Paramount  customers 
30  years  or  more  followed  the  ex- 
change meeting.  The  reception,  held 
at  the  Muehlebach  Hotel,  was  attend- 
ed by  A.  F.  Baker,  E.  Van  Hyning, 
Fred  Meyn,  R.  R.  Biechele,  Frank 
Weary,  jack  Truitt,  Charles  Fisk, 
A.  E.  Jarboe,  Harry  Till  and  others. 


U.A,  Sales  Staffs 
In  Boston  Confab 

Boston,  July  15.  —  United  Artists 
executives  of  this  area  held  a  three- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Hotel  Stat- 
ler, ending  yesterday.  The  sales  force 
and  bookers  of  Boston,  New  Haven 
and  Buffalo  attended,  as  well  as  Matt 
Sullivan,  Buffalo  branch  manager  ; 
Ray  Wylie,  New  Haven  manager,  and 
John  Dervin,  Boston.  Publicist  Phil 
Engel  also  was  present. 

From  the  New  York  offices  came 
Harry  L.  Gold,  Eastern  division  sales 
manager ;  Phil  Dow  of  the  contract 
department ;  Samuel  Lefkowitz,  New 
York  district  manager ;  Jack  Goldhar, 
Midwestern  district  manager,  and 
others. 

To  open  the  conference  "Captain 
Kidd"  and  "Paris  Underground"  were 
shown. 


UA  Postpones  Sales 
Meets  in  2  Cities 

Chicago,  July  15. — Because  plans 
for  salesmen  worked  out  by  United 
Artists  are  not  quite  ready  for  formal 
presentation,  the  sales  meeting  in  St. 
Louis  scheduled  for  Friday  and  Satur- 
day and  in  Chicago  today  and  tomor- 
row, were  postponed  until  later  this 
month. 

J.  J.  Unger,  Western  sales  manager, 
and  Rud  Lohrenz,  Midwest  manager, 
returned  to  New  York  for  conferences 
with  Carl  Leserman,  general  sales 
manager. 


Honor  Emblem  for 
Service  to  U.  S. 


The  Army,  Navy  and  the 
Rehabilitation  and  Reemploy- 
ment Administration  declare 
that,  "it  is  highly  important 
that  all  people  become  fa- 
miliar with  the  honorable  dis- 
charge emblem  awarded  to 
veterans  of  the  present  war," 
and  they  are  jointly  calling 
for  the  prominent  display  of 
the  emblem  with  the  state- 
ment: "This  Stands  for  Hon- 
orable Service  to  Our  Coun- 
try."   >  l  <| 

Seeking  this  wide  display  in 
magazines  and  newspapers 
and  by  advertisers,  the  War 
Advertising  Council  advises 
publishers:  "To  you,  the  in- 
signia may  be  instantly  recog- 
nizable as  the  Honorable  Serv- 
ice Emblem  awarded  to  vet- 
erans of  the  present  war.  But 
to  millions  of  Americans,  it 
means  nothing.  A  man  may 
have  sacrificed  an  arm  or  a 
leg  for  the  privilege  of  wear- 
ing the  Emblem  ...  yet  many 
civilians  will  not  even  notice 
it  in  his  lapel.  Or  they  may 
mistake  it  for  the  badge  of  a 
social  organization  or  a  sports 
club.  If  these  veterans  are  to 
have  the  respect  and  the  con- 
sideration they  so  richly  de- 
serve, that  Emblem  should  be 
as  readily  recognizable  as  the 
uniform  they  once  wore." 


Hollywood  to  Be  Host 
To  Marshall  Field 

Hollywood,  July  15.— The  film  in- 
dustry here  will  be  host  at  a  dinner 
on  Wednesday,  at  the  Beverly  Hills 
Hotel,  to  Marshall  Field,  III,  pub- 
lisher of  PM  and  the  Chicago  Sun, 
who  will  arrive  tomorrow  on  com- 
pletion of  a  tour  of  Western  cities  as 
director  of  the  American  Council  on 
Race  Relations. 

The  dinner  is  being  sponsored  bv 
the  Association  of  Motion  Picture 
Inducers,  the  Society  of  Independent 
Motion  Picture  Producers,  the  Screen 
Actors  Guild,  Screen  Writers  Guild 
and  the  Screen  Directors  Guild. 


Albany  Canteen  Reopens 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  15.— The  serv- 
ice canteen  in  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus Building,  closed  on  July  1  by  the 
USO  and  the  Albany  Variety  Club, 
has  been  reopened  by  the  Albany  unit 
of  the  American  Women's  Volun- 
teer Service  and  the  K.  of  C. 


Stepner  Joins  Pix  Firm 

Chicago.  July  15.— Lester  Stepner, 
manager  of  the  La  Salle  Theatre  here, 
has  become  a  business  associate  of 
Glamour  Pix  Studios  which  repro- 
duces film  star  pictures. 


A  BING  CROSBY  PRODUCTION 

starring 

LINDA  DARNELL • BARBARA  BRITTON 

and  introducing  GREG   McCLURE   as  "John  L.  Sullivan" 
OTTO  KRUGER* WALLACE  FORD-GEORGE  MATHEWS • ROBERT  BARRAT 
LEE  SULLIVAN  as  "Mickey" 


Original  Screen  Play  by  James  Edward  Grant  •  Produced  by  frank  R.  mastroiy  and  James  EDWARD  GRANT  •  Directed  by 


reports  or.  the  *<""*> 
,ess,  in  Son  Francisco, 


Variety 

,  business""  San  rro   

to  SufYofe  0  0  accMn.eC** 
W  o  SrAlM*r  GROSS**'.'  Fran, 
York,  Charieston,  Boston 
Pitts f/e/d 'come  enthusiastic  ret 
ho/dovers  and  fop  boxoff ice  grosses 


proving  that 
b  GREAT  far 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Production  in 
Coast  Spurt 


Drive  Chairman  Praises 
Industry  for  Efforts 


As  8  More  Start 


Hollywood,  July  15. — Production 
has  increased,  with  eight  features 
brought  before  cameras  and  three 
sent  to  cutting  rooms.  At  the  week- 
end, there  were  38  pictures  in  work, 
compared  to  30  in  the  preceding  week. 
•The  production  scene  follows : 

Columbia 

Shooting :  "Song  of  the  Prairie," 
"She  Wouldn't  Say  Yes,"  "Rene- 
gades." 

M-G-M 

Shooting:  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
"Two  Sisters  from  Boston,"  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice,"  "A 
Letter  for  Evie,"  "This  Strange  Ad- 
venture." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "The  Lost  Trail." 

Started:  "Suspense,"  with  Warren 
William,  Peter  Cookson,  James  Card- 
well,  Lee  (Lasses)  White;  "The  Last 
Outpost,"  with  Johnny  Mack  Brown, 
Raymond  Hatton,  Dennis  Moore. 

Paramount 

Shooting :  "Calcutta,"  "To  Each 
His  Own,"  "The  Trouble  with 
Women." 

Republic 

Finished:  "The  Cherokee  Flash," 
"Mexicana." 

Started:  "Sheriff  of  Redwood  Val- 
ley," with  Bill  Elliott,  Bobby  Blake, 
Alice  Fleming ;  "Don't  Fence  Me  In," 
with  Roy  Rogers,  Dale  Evans,  George 
(Gabby)  Hayes,  Sons  of  the  Pio- 
neers. 

RKO  Radio 

Started:  "The  Lie  Detector,"  with 
Bonita  Granville,  Morgan  Conway, 
Rita  Corday,  Michael  St.  Angel. 

Shooting :  "Riverboat  Rhythm," 
"Cornered,"  "The  Kid  from  Brook- 
lyn" (Goldwyn). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Shooting :  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven," 
"The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Started:  "Diary  of  a  Chambermaid" 
(Bogeaus),  with  Paulette  Goddard, 
Burgess  Meredith,  Judith  Anderson, 
Hurd  Hatfield,  Francis  Lederer,  Regi- 
nald Owen,  Irene  Ryan ;  "Abilene" 
(Levey),  with  Randolph  Scott,  Ann 
Dvorak,  Edgar  Buchanan,  Rhonda 
Fleming,  Lloyd  Bridges. 

Shooting:  "Whistle  Stop"  (Nero); 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  (Selznick)  ;  "Get- 
ting Gertie's  Garter"  (Small). 

Universal 

Started :  "Law  for  Pecos,"  with 
Kirby  Grant,  Fuzzy  Knight,  Poni 
Adams. 

Slvooting :  "As  It  Was  Before,'' 
"Once  Upon  a  Dream,"  "Frontier 
Gal,"  "Shady  Lady." 

Warners 

Shooting :  "Confidential  Agent," 
"Night  and  Day,"  "Stolen  Life." 

Fox  Midwest  Adds  One 

Excelsior  Springs,  Mo.,  July  15. — 
The  Siloam,  the  former  Wood,  re- 
cently redecorated,  has  been  opened 
by  Fox  Midwest. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

team  and  I  am  grateful  to  every  man 
and  woman  in  the  business  for  their 
loyal  and  inspiring  efforts,"  he  stated. 
"I  am  convinced  the  results  are  a 
tribute  to  the  fundamental  scheme  and 
idea  of  handling  such  a  campaign  on 
a  'grass  roots'  basis." 

Here  are  the  highlights  of  Pinan- 
ski's  report : 

"For  the  first  time,  the  posters,  the 
40x60's  and  the  trailers  were  practi- 
cal and  really  utilized.  This  material 
was  adaptable  for  use  in  the  making 
of  bond  booths  and  for  other  display 
purposes." 

Short  Subject  Praised 

"There  was  unanimous  praise  and 
enthusiasm  for  the  'Buy  Bond'  short. 
I  know  of  no  case  where  it  was  not 
run  in  the  theatres  in  which  it  was 
booked,  and  in  many  instances  it  was 
used  for  direct  and  immediate  bond 
sale  promotions. 

"As  magnificent  as  have  been  the 
results  obtained,  they  could  not  have 
been  accomplished  without  the  won- 
derful cooperation  of  the  trade  press— 
the  backbone  of  the  campaign. 

"There  were  5,159  'Bond  Premieres' 
held  throughout  the  country,  with  the 
expenses  of  film  distribution  involved 
in  providing  new  pictures  for  these 
premieres  being  absorbed  by  the  film 
companies.  This  is  a  new  all-time 
high  for  bond  premieres. 

"A  new  record  was  also  established 
in  the  number  of  'Children's  Shows' 
held,  1,888,  'Free  Movie  Days'  like- 
FCC  Expanding  FM 
Educational  Stations 

Columbus,  O.,  July  15. — "An  op- 
portunity is  being  provided  for  rein- 
statement of  non-commercial  educa- 
tional broadcasting  stations,  many  of 
which  were  forced  off  the  air  by  com- 
mercial stations  and  competition  for 
frequencies  in  pioneer  days  of  the 
industry,"  Paul  A.  Walker,  member 
of  the  Federal  Communications  Com- 
mission said  in  an  address  before  the 
first  F-M  station  workshop  at  the 
Ohio  State  University  here. 

"There  are  only  22  non-commer- 
cial units  out  of  more  than  900  sta- 
tions now  operating,  but  the  FCC 
has  inaugurated  a  new  realm  in  the 
educational  broadcasting  field  by  as- 
signing 20  channels  adjacent  to  the 
regular  F-M  band  now  available  for 
commercial  airings,"  he  continued, 
adding  that  approximately  30  states 
are  developing  plans  for  F-M  educa- 
tional networks  for  statewide  opera- 
tion. 


SPU  Rejects  Contract 

Hollywood,  July  15. — The  Screen 
Players  Union  officially  notified  the 
producers  at  the  weekend  that  their 
contract  proposals  had  been  re- 
jected. A  meeting  at  an  early  date  to 
explore  the  possibility  of  compromise 
terms  was  requested. 


New  House  for  Blakkalb 

Bonesteele,  S.  D.,  July  15.  —  Al 
BLkkalb,  owner  of  the  Bonesteele 
Theatre  here,  is  building  a  new  450- 
seat  house  with  the  opening  scheduled 
for  mid-August.  The  old  theatre  will 
be  converted  into  a  store. 


wise  established  a  new  record,  with 
10,933,  in  which  the  distributors 
waived  their  share  of  admissions, 
made  for  bond  purchase,  and  which 
otherwise,  normally,  they  might  have 
had. 

"In  point  of  comparison  to  the  Sixth 
War  Loan  Campaign,  the  Seventh 
War  Loan  Drive  exceeded  by  20.42 
per  cent  in  'Bond  Premieres,'  114.78 
per  cent  in  'Children's  Shows,'  and 
42.50  per  cent  in  'Free  Movie  Days.' 

"One  of  the  great  features  of  -the 
drive  was  the  All-Star  Bond  Rally' 
subject  which  was  produced  by  20th 
Century-Fox  and  in  an  eight-week 
period  preceding  July  1,  played  in  ap- 
proximately 14,600  theatres,  with  1,- 
123  bookings  added  in  July.  These 
figures  do  not  represent  any  repeat 
bookings,  of  which  there  were  several 
hundred,  nor  do  they  include  the 
16mm.  showings  of  this  subject.  There 
were  300  16mm.  prints  of  the  subject 
distributed  throughout  the  country,  in 
defense  plants,  schools,  and  community 
centers.  The  film  was  also  televised 
on  virtually  all  television  outlets  in 
the  country." 


So.    California  Houses 
Sold  1,468,132  Bonds 

Los  Angeles,  July  15. — Gus  Metz- 
ger,  California  exhibitor  chairman  of 
the  Seventh  War  Loan  campaign,  has 
announced  a  final  total  of  1,468,132 
bonds  sold  by  650  Southern  California 
theatres.  This  compares  with  528,630 
bonds  sold  by  the  same  theatres  dur- 
ing the  Sixth  War  Loan. 


Alia  Nazimova  Dies 
Of  Heart  Attack  at  66 

Los  Angeles,  July  15.  —  Alia 
Nazimova,  66,  character  actress  of 
screen  and  stage,  died  Fridav  at  the 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital  here  fol- 
lowing a  heart  attack  earlier  in  the 
day. 

A  native  of  Russia,  she  made  her 
U.  S.  stage  debut  in  1905  and  built 
a  career  that  reached  its  height  with 
"Mourning  Becomes  Electra."  Her 
first  screen  role  was  in  "War  Brides" 
in  1916,  and  her  other  silent  films  in- 
cluded :  "Revelation,"  "An  Eye  for 
an  Eye,"  "The  Redeeming  Sin,"  "The 
Heart  of  a  Child,"  "The  Madonna  of 
the  Streets,"  "The  Brat,"  "Camille" 
and  "My  Son."  During  the  sound 
era  she  has  appeared  in  "Escape," 
"Blood  and  Sand,"  "The  Bridge  of 
San  Luis  Rey,"  "In  Our  Time"  and 
"Since  You  Went  Away." 


Boyd  of  NBC  Killed 

Chicago,  July  15. — Major  Maurice 
M.  Boyd,  former  manager  of  NBC's 
Central  division  national  <--^ot  sales 
department,  on  leave  with  the  Army 
Air  Forces,  was  recently  killed  on  a 
routine  flight  from  Washington  to 
Asheville,  N.  C,  according  to  infor- 
mation received  here  by  his  family. 


Eustis  King  Dies 

New  Orleans,  July  15. — News  has 
been  received  here  of  the  death  of 
Eustis  King,  at  Mobile,  Ala.  King 
was  one  of  the  oldest  exhibitors  in  the 
South.  He  was  the  original  owner 
of  the  Crown  Theatre,  Mobile,  and 
was  associated  with  his  brothers  in 
numerous  other  film  enterprises. 


Monday,  July  16,  1945  ] 


System  Too  Cooling, 
Boy  Starts  a  Fire 

Chicago.  July  15.  —  When  a 
teen-age  patron,  attending  the 
Elm  Theatre  in  Elm  Park,  111., 
the  other  day  decided  the  air- 
conditioning  system  was  too 
cold  for  his  comfort,  he  built 
himself  a  fire  just  off  the 
screen  to  keep  warm.  Until 
the  usher  caught  up  with  him, 
he  used  up  a  couple  of  dozen 
pop-corn  cartons  and  all  the 
candy  wrappers  he  could  find. 

Joseph  Realigns  4U* 
Publicity  Staff 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Robert  Ungerfeld  has  been  transferre* 
from  the  Cincinnati  exploitation  offio' 
to  the  Boston  territory.  Joseph  hel< 
a  week  of  conferences  on  advertising 
budgets  and  exploitation  plans  fo 
"Uncle  Harry,"  "Lady  on  a  Train 
and  "Night  in  Paradise." 

Joseph  stated  that  in  both  the  horn 
office  and  the  studio  publicity  office 
young  people  recently  graduated  fron 
college  will  be  given  a  chance  to  serv  \ 
as  apprentices  in  an  effort  to  develo  ; 
new  talent. 

First  step  in  this  direction  is  th 
employment  of  Jerome  Evans,  recentl. 
graduated  from  New  York  Universit} ! 
who  will  contact  collegiate  paper  j 
throughout  the  country,  and  of  Rit 
Kalcheim,  recently  graduated  from  th! 
University  of  Syracuse,  who  will  joii 
the  department  August  11. 

Plans  were  also  made  during  th 
conferences  with  relation  to  new  sea 
son's  product.  Extra  appropriation) 
will  be  allotted  for  all  promotiona 
media,  including  an  augmented  budge 
for  trade  press  advertising.  If  trans 
portation  permits,  special  sections 
previews  for  newspaper  critics  will  b 
held  on  behalf  of  "Uncle  Harry." 

Rename  Square  for 
'Eddie*  Premiere 

Columbusv,  O.,  July  15. — Capitc 
Square,  in  the  heart  of  the  downtow 
business  sector,  will  be  rename 
'Rickenbacker  Square'  for  the  premie  i 
of  "Captain  Eddie,"  to  be  held  3r 
Loew's  Ohio  Theatre,  Aug.  1.  Whe 
a  parade,  in  which  military  detach, 
ments  from  the  local  Lockbourne  Ai 
Base  and  nearby  Fort  Hayes  will  pan 
ticipate,  reaches  the  State  House,  Gov 
Frank  J.  Lausche  will  present  Rick 
enbacker  with  the  keys  to  Ohio,  a 
well  as  the  key  to  the  city. 

The  State  House  grounds  will  con 
tain  a  display  of  ancient  automobile; 


2nd  'Rhapsody*  Showing 

First  out-of-town  engagement  fo 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue,"  which  will  hav 
its  world  premiere  at  the  Hollywooi 
Theatre,  New  York,  has  been  set  fo 
the  Warner  Theatre,  Atlantic  Cit\ 
starting  August  3.  Picture  will  b 
given  an  indefinite  run  there,  extend 
ing  through  the  Labor  Day  holidav 
General  release  is  not  slated  unti[ 
Sept.  29. 


$100,000  House  Underwai 

Birmingham,  Ala..  July  15. — Con 
struction  of  a  new  $100,000  downtow 
theatre  has  begun  here,  Frank  Merritt 
manager  of  Acme  Theatres  Co.  re 
ports. 


Monday.  July  16,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


11 


Further  Travel  Ban 
As  Troops  Move 


Washington,  July  IS.  —  Motion 
picture  industry  travellers  and  all 
other  civilians  will  be  further  affected 
by  more  stringent  travel  restrictions 
which  J.  Monroe  Johnson.  Office  of 
Defense  Transportation  director,  has 
indicated  are  forthcoming  "in  all  cate- 
gories' as  the  ODT  prepares  further 
steps  to  expedite  shipment  of  troops 
to  the  Pacific  Coast. 

According  to  the  ODT,  additional 
day  coaches  are  likely  to  be  shifted  to 
the  military  pool  to  meet  the  mount- 
ing demand  for  accommodations  to 
redeploy  troops.  Meanwhile,  the  New- 
York  Central  System  announced  that 
in  compliance  with  the  ODT  order 
banning  sleeping  car  service  between 
points  450  miles  or  less  apart,  it  has 
withdrawn  159  cars  from  regular  ser- 
vice. This  will  also  result  in  with- 
drawal of  sleepers  between  New  York 
and  Albany,  Rochester,  Buffalo,  and 
Boston ;  and  from  New  York  to 
Utica,  Syracuse,  Lake  Placid,  Masena. 
Ogdensburg,  Montreal,  Oswego,  Bur- 
lington, Yt.,  Malone,  Watertown  and 
Worcester,  Mass. 

The  Pullman  Co.  turned  over  to  ex- 
clusive military  use  at  noon  yes- 
terday 20.000  sleeping  accommoda- 
tions which  had  been  available  night- 
ly to  civilians,  making  available  for 
military  travel  more  than  two-thirds 
of  all  Pullmans. 


Review 


Albany  Hotel  Bought 
By  Schine  Interests 

Albany,  July  15. — Schine  interests 
of  Gloversville  will  assume  full  owner- 
ship and  operation  of  the  Ten  Eyck 
Hotel  here  on  July  21,  according  to 
George  J.  Hatt,  attorney-trustee  for 
the  hotel.  The  deal  was  approved  by 
Federal  Judge  Stephen  W.  Brennan. 
and  involves  payment  by  Schine  of 
varying  amounts  on  the  dollar  on  three 
mortgage  bond  issues.  The  Schines 
will  invest  more  than  $150,000  in  mod- 
ernizing and  redecorating  the  hotel. 

The  name  Schine  Ten  Eyck  Corp. 
has  been  recorded  with  the  Secretary 
of  State.  All  assets  of-  the  Albany 
Hotel  Corp.,  present  owners  for  whom 
trustees  were  appointed  in  a  long- 
standing reorganization  and  refinanc- 
ing litigation,  will  go  to  Schine. 

The  Ten  Eyck  is  headquarters  for 
the  Albany  Yariety  Club. 


Irene  Kuhn  to  China 

Irene  Kuhn,  assistant  director  of 
XBCs  information  department,  here, 
will  leave  soon  for  an  overseas  as- 
signment with  NBC  in  China.  Miss 
Kuhn,  an  author,  was  at  one  time  on 
the  editorial  staff  of  Motion  Picture 
Daily. 


68c  Columbia  Dividend 

Columbia  Pictures'  board  of  direc- 
tors has  declared  a  quarterly  dividend 
of  68^4  cents  per  share  on  the  $2.75 
convertible  preferred  stock  of  the 
company,  payable  Aug.  15  to  stock- 
holders of  record.  Aug.  1.  1945. 


'Jones'  Premiere  Set 

"Along  Came  Jones,"  first  Gary 
Cooper  production  for  International 
Pictures,  which  RKO  Radio  is  re- 
leasing, will  have  its  Broadway  pre- 
miere at  the  RKO  Palace  Theatre  on 
Wednesday. 


The  Caribbean  Mystery" 


(20th  Century-Fox) 

ON  the  heels  of  his  role  in  "A  Tree  Grows  in  Brooklyn,"  James  Dunn 
returns,  in  "The  Caribbean  Mystery,"  as  a  native  of  Flatbush,  but  this 
time  with  chores  bearing  not  the  slightest  resemblance  to  his  previous  assign- 
ment. However,  in  this  exciting  \Y.  Scott  Darling  adaptation  from  a  novel 
by  John  W.  Yandercook,  producer  William  Girard  seems  bent  on  reminding 
audiences  of  Dunn's  "Johnny"  role,  by  virtue  of  repeated  eulogistic  references 
to  Brooklyn,  as  made  by  Dunn,  who  plays  an  oil  company  detective.  Robert 
Webb  directed,  with  interest ;  with  the  screen  play  credited  to  Jack  Andrews 
and  Leonard  Praskins. 

Dunn  turns  in  a  good  performance.  He  is  sent  to  a  tiny  Caribbean  island 
to  solve  the  disappearance  of  eight  oil  company  emplo}-ees,  who,  local  police 
authorities  believe,  were  swallowed  by  quicksand  or  became  victims  of  alli- 
gators. Upon  arriving,  Dunn  finds  his  assistant  murdered  in  his  hotel  room, 
and  shortly  thereafter  occurs  the  murder  of  Shelia  Ryan,  hotel  hostess,  who 
tried  to  aid  Dunn.  The  disappearance  of  the  island's  police  chief  and  his 
daughter  set  Dunn  and  Edward  Ryan,  who  plays  the  son  of  the  island's  gov- 
ernor, on  a  hunt  in  the  jungle  swamp.  Their  search  is  consummated  with  the 
discovery  of  a  little  community  deep  in  the  jungle,  where  a  band,  led  by  Roy 
Roberts,  has  dug  up  pirate  treasure  and  are  about  to  make  off  with  it.  There 
Dunn  and  Ryan  find  the  missing  police  chief  and  his  daughter,  whom  they 
rescue  after  capturing  Roberts,  who  is  revealed  as  the  murderer  of  the  oil 
company  employees  who  had  discovered  the  treasure  site  in  their  search  for  oil. 

Supporting  roles  are  uniformly  good.  The  story's  action  holds  well  through- 
out. Although  it  resorts  to  familiar  suspense  patterns,  "The  Caribbean  Mys- 
tery" will  provide  audiences  with  a  satisfying  vicarious  adventure. 
Running  time,  65  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


RKO  Sets  Screenings 
Of  Five  New  Pictures 

RKO  Radio  announces  trade  show- 
ings on  its  new  block  of  pictures  as 
follows :  "Mama  Loves  Papa"  and 
"George  White's  Scandals"  Monday. 
July  30 ;  "The  Falcon  in  San  Fran- 
cisco" and  "Johnny  Angel"  Tues- 
day, July  31,  and  "First  Yank  Into 
Tokyo"  Wednesday,  Aug.  1. 

Exceptions  will  be  in  St.  Louis, 
where  "Mamma  Loves  Papa"  and 
"George  White's  Scandals"  will  be 
shown  July  31  with  "Falcon  in  San 
Francisco"  and  "Johnny  Angel" 
shown  on  Aug.  1,  and  "First  Yank 
Into  Tokyo,"  Aug.  2. 


Grainger  Sets  First 
New  Season's  Deal 

James  R.  Grainger,  president  and 
general  sales  manager  of  Republic 
Pictures  Corp.,  announces  the  closing 
of  the  company's  first  major  circuit 
deal  for  its  1945-46  product,  with  M. 
and  P.  Theatres  in  New  England. 

Chester  Stoddard,  chief  film  buyer, 
represented  the  circuit,  while  Grain- 
ger was  accompanied  by  New  England 
district  sales  manager  Jack  Davis. 


Blair  Ampa  Press  Chief 

Dave  Bader,  president  of  the  As- 
sociated Motion  Picture  Advertisers, 
has  appointed  Harry  N.  Blair  chair- 
man of  the  publicity  committee  for 
the  ensuing  year  with  the  following 
members  comprising  the  committee : 
Blanche  Livingston,  Sam  Zimbalist, 
Sail}'  Perle  and  Jerry  Pickman. 


Hukill  Rejoins  DuPont 

Wilmington,  July  15. — J.  Spencer 
Hukill,  member  of  the  DuPont  adver- 
tising department  prior  to  entering  the 
Navy,  is  now  advertising  manager  of 
the  photo  products  department. 


Special  'Joe'  Program  * 

Noel  Meadow  has  published  a  20- 
page  souvenir  program  of  Ernie  Pyle's 
"Story  of  G.  I.  Joe,"  by  arrangement 
with  Lester  Cowan  Productions. 


O'Gara  to  Republic 
Home  Office  Staff 

James  Vincent  O'Gara  has  joined 
the  home  office  staff  of  Republic  Pic- 
tures International  Corp.  His  duties, 
in  sales,  are  to  be  defined  later. 

O'Gara  has  been  in  the  foreign 
field  for  seven  years,  and  was  for- 
merly associated  with  20th- Fox. 


Wider  School  Role 
For  Films,  Says  May 


A  new,  more  vital  role  in-  education 
is  in  store  for  motion  pictures  after 
the  war,  according  to  Prof.  Mark  A. 
May  of  Yale  University,  who  is  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  The  Use 
of  Motion  Pictures  in  Education,  ad- 
visory boai*d  to  Teaching  Films  Cus- 
todian, Inc.,  which  is  the  MPPDA 
distribution  mechanism  on  16mm  the- 
atrical short  subjects. 

May  declares  that  pictures  can  be 
geared  to  school  programs  along  the 
same  lines  in  which  they  were  used 
by  the  Armed  Forces  and  Govern- 
mental agencies  in  speeding  up  train- 
ing and  indoctrination  programs  in  the 
war. 

Soldiers  Will  Urge  It 

"Returning  servicemen  who  have 
been  trained  with  motion  pictures," 
he  said,  "will  be  ready  to  urge  their 
more  extensive  use  in  schools,  fac- 
tories, public  discussion  forums  and 
lecture  halls."  Asserting  that  there 
are  marked  inadequacies  in  many 
school  courses  that  can  be  corrected 
by  employing  educational  pictures. 
Prof.  May  added  that  rather  than  tend 
to  eliminate  the  use  of  books  in 
schools,  however,  classroom  films 
will  increase  their  use.  In  this  con- 
nection he  cited  a  recent  experiment 
which  showed  that  school  children 
who  have  seen  educational  films  on  a 
subject  read  more  books  about  the 
subject  than  children  of  the  same  age 
and  grade  who  are  not  taught  by  pic- 
tures. 

May  said  he  believes  the  time  is  at 
hand  "when  every  schoolhouse  will 
have  its  own  motion  picture  projector 
and  its  own  film  library." 


■ 


cy^ysoPY  s 


Exhibitors  all  over  the  country 
are  booking  the  picture  with 
the  million-dollar  campaign 
behind  it .  .  .  and  they're 
booking  it  while  it's  hot! 

Based  on  the  Blue  Net- 
work  Radio  Program  of 
the  same  name,  "On 
Stage  Everybody"  is 
a  natural  — an  ex- 
ploitation natural., 
an  entertainment 
natural... a  box- 
office  natural. 


^  l^-1  *S°U 


V 


ONE  OF  THE  BEST 


EXPLOITATION  PICTURES  IN  YEARS! 


1S 


135  Blue  Network  stations  broadcast 
the  "On  Stage  Everybody"  coast-to- 
coast  radio  program  for  60  weeks— a 
program  devoted  to  new  talent,  with 
a  listening  audience  of  millions. 

For  26  solid  weeks  the  air  show  con- 
cerned itself  exclusively  with  a  contest 
sponsored  by  Universal  Pictures  for 
talent  to  appear  in  its  motion  picture, 
"On  Stage  Everybody." 

Over  $500,000.00  worth  of  actual 
radio  time  was  spent  in  punching 
across  the  title  and  screen  show. 

Over  5,000,000  newspaper  readers 
have  been  pre-sold  on  the  picture  by 
Danton  Walker,  nationally  known  col- 
umnist, who  was  master  of  ceremonies. 


BASED  ON  THE  FAMOUS 


BLUE  NETWORK  PROGRAM 


stamg  JACK  OAKIE  .  PEGGY  RYAN  •  JOHNNY  COY 

with  OTTO  KRUGER-JULIE  LONDON  •  ESTHER  DALE-WALLACE  FORD-MILBURN  STONEi 
THE  KING  SISTERS  and  the  Ten  Winners  of  the  Radio  Show  Contest  • 

Original  Screenplay  by  Warren  Wilson  and  Oscar  Brodney  •  Directed  by  Jean  Yarbrough 
Associate  Producer:  Lou  Goldberg  •  Produced  by  Warren  Wilson 
JV_UNIVERSAU,PICTURE/ 


14 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  16,  1945 


Unions'  Raw  Stock 
Dispute  Continues 


Mexico  City,  July  15. — The  grant- 
ing of  raw  stock  to  the  National  Cine- 
matographic Industry  Workers  Union, 
Mexican  film  labor  organization,  for 
its  production  program  of  20,  is  still 
being  fought  by  the  Motion  Picture 
Production  Workers  Union,  recently 
formed  with  six  sections,  headed  by 
players,  which  quit  National,  and  by 
the  Association  of  Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors of  Mexican  Motion  Pictures. 

Both  have  asked  the  first  district 
court  here  for  an  injunction  restrain- 
ing the  National  Commission  on  Cine- 
matographic Matters  from  carrying 
out  its  approval  for  raw  film  for  Na- 
tional, contending  that  this  approval  is 
partial,  in  that,  allegedly,  the  Commis- 
sion systematically  refuses  Association 
members  and  the  Production  Union 
raw  stock,  and  that  unless  there  is  an 
unbiased  distribution  of  the  material, 
the  approval  to  the  National  should 
be  voided. 


Mexican  Labor  Gains 

Mexico  City,  July  15. — Five  local 
theatres,  Cines  Principal,  Hipodromo. 
Estrella,  Roxy  and  Alarcon,  have 
granted  employes  15  per  cent  wage  in- 
creases, bringing  salaries  to  three  to 
four  dollars '  a  day.  Cine  Tacuba  has 
granted  its  workers'  claims  for  $3,500 
in  overtime  and  other  extra  service. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 

SON© VOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  -Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Review 


"Stagecoach  Outlaws" 

(PRC) 

Hollywood,  July  15 

IN  two  minutes  less  than  an  hour,  Buster  Crabbe,  Al  St.  John  and  their  as- 
sociates tell  a  tale  about  the  foiling  of  outlaws  intent  upon  stealing  a  stage 
line,  and  tell  it  in  terms  of  smiles  and  action.  It  is  brisker  and  better  than 
most  in  its  category. 

Fred  My  ton  wrote  the  original  screenplay,  giving  more  attention  to  dialogue 
than  is  par  for  Western  scripts,  and  it  calls  for  St.  John  to  do  the  masquerad- 
ing, this  time,  as  an  outlaw  who  gets  in  with  the  genuine  brigands  and  learns 
their  plans.  Crabbe  attends  to  the  sturdier  business  of  doing  in  the  despera- 
does when  the  time  comes  for  that.  Ed  Cassidy,  Frances  Gladwin,  Kermit 
Maynard  and  Sanford  Jolley  are  others  in  the  cast.  Sigmund  Neufeld  pro- 
duced and  Sam  Newfield  directed  with  vim  and  vigor. 

Running  time,  58  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  William  R.  Weavep 


Protest  Del  Carril's 
Ban  in  Monterrey 


Mexico  City,  July  15.  —  Mexican 
film,  stage,  radio  and  other  players 
have  protested  to  the  police  of  Mon- 
terrey, Northeastern  industrial  cen- 
ter, scene  of  the  Roosevelt-Avila  Ca- 
macho  meeting  in  April,  1943,  against 
a  boycott,  allegedly  engineered  by  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union,  because  he  played  in 
some  Mexican  pictures  with  leaders 
of  the  new  film  labor  union,  that  kept 
Hugo  del  Carril,  Argentinian  actor- 
singer,  from  performing  anywhere  in 
Monterrey. 

The  Mexicans,  demanding  that  in- 
stigators of  the  boycott  be  prosecuted, 
deplored  this  as  a  discourtesy  to  a 
foreigner,  asserting  that  it  harms 
Mexico's  reputation  for  hospitality  to 
aliens.  Del  Carril  is  the  first  foreign 
artist  to  be  affected  by  the  quarrel 
between  the  two  rival  workers  organi- 
zations. 


Commerce  Group  Hits 
Mexican  Film  Scenes 

Mexico  City,  July  15.  —  Mexican 
scenes  and  songs,  which  are  frequently 
used  in  films  and  on  radio,  are  criti- 
cized by  the  Confederation  of  Cham- 
bers of  Commerce,  an  organization 
that  frequently  lashes  out  against  what 
it  considers  to  be  wrong  with  Mexi- 
co. It  declared  that  it  regrets  that  it 
had  had  to  abandon  the  hope  it  had 
entertained  that  Mexico  was  the  lead- 
er among  the  20  Latin  American  re- 
publics in  quantity  and  quality  picture 
production. 


Trent  Carr  Buys  Hotel 

Hollywood,  July  15.  —  The  Holly- 
wood Hotel,  a  landmark  at  Hollywood 
Boulevard  and  Highland  Avenue, 
which  was  the  social  center  of  the  film 
colony  in  the  early  days  of  the  silent 
screen,  has  been  bought  by  Trem  Carr, 
executive  director  of  Monogram  Pic- 
tures, and  the  C.  E.  Toberman  Co. 
The  hostelry  will  be  continued  until 
the  end  of  the  war. 


Directors'  Union  Scored 

Mexico  City,  July  15. — The  direc- 
tors union,  which  claims  a  member- 
ship of  53,  is  being  criticized  by  the 
local  press  for  voting  to  prevent 
Pierre  Chanel,  noted  French  director, 
from  doing  any  work  in  Mexico,  and 
for  granting  work  approval  in  this 
country  to  A.'  Ratti,  Argentinian  di- 
rector, who  has  made  12  pictures  in 
his  homeland. 


Mexican  Films  Have 
New  Strike  Threat 


Mexico  City,  July  15. — The  indus- 
try has  new  labor  trouble.  The  National 
Cinematographic  Industry  Workers 
Union,  now  strongly  controlling  studio 
and  theatre  workers,  has  informed 
Mexico's  two  largest  studios,  Clasa 
and  Azteca,  both  of  which  are  here, 
that  it  will  call  a  strike  that  will  close 
all  their  services,  if  by  today  they  have 
still  not  agreed  to  revise  work  con- 
tracts. This  revision  features  a  wage 
increase  and  some  other  money  advan- 
tages, which  the  studios  declare  they 
cannot  afford  to  meet,  but  which  the 
union  avers  are  reasonable,  because  of 
higher  living  costs  in  this  city. 

The  union  has  also  informed  the 
theatre  circuit  here,  headed  by  the 
Cine  Palacio,  first  run,  and  its  14  sec- 
ond and  subsequent  run  associates,  that 
unless  by  today  it  does  not  grant 
pay  hikes  averaging  15  per  cent,  it  will 
call  a  strike.  The  exhibitors  contend 
the  demanded  wage  increases  are  ex- 
orbitant. 

The  Federal  Board  of  Conciliation 
and  Arbitration  is  striving  to  avert 
both  strikes. 


Plan  Government  Aid 
To  Mexico  Producers 

Mexico  City,  July  15. — Further  fed- 
eral government  aid  for  film  producers 
is  planned  by  the  Ministry  of  Finance, 
which  has  assigned  the  chief  of  its 
economic  studies  division,  Prof.  J.  S. 
Herzog,  prominent  economist,  to  ex- 
amine the  feasibility  of  exempting 
them  from  income  taxes  on  profits. 

This  proposed  exemption  would 
carry  the  stipulation  that  the  produc- 
ers must  invest  profits  in  other  pro- 
ductions. The  plan  is  expected  to 
enable  Mexican  producers  to  meet 
competition  from  abroad,  which  is 
counted  upon  to  increase  as  final  peace 
approaches. 


New  HVC  Record  in  June 

Hollywood,  July  15.  —  During  the 
month  of  June  the  Hollywood  Victory 
Committee  supplied  383  personalities 
for  camp  shows.  They  made  1,704  ap- 
pearances in  188  events,  to'  top  all  pre- 
vious accomplishments. 


'Marines'  Shown  Aug.  6 

"Pride  of  the  Marines"  will  be  na- 
tionally tradeshown  by  Warner  Bros, 
on  Monday,  Aug.  6.  The  picture  will 
be  the  company's  first  release  for 
1945-46,  with  a  special  world  premiere 
in  Philadelphia  on  Aug.  10. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  15 

UNIVERSAL  has  lifted  the  option 
of  writer-producers  Michael  Fes- 
sier  and  Ernest  Pagano  for  another 
year.  .  .  .  Ray  Enright  has  been  signed 
by  Columbia  to  direct  "Hail  to  the 
Chief,"  in  which  Anita  Louise  and 
Janis  Carter  have  been  assigned  the 
top  feminine  roles  opposite  Dennis 
O'Keefe.  .  .  .  Phil  Karlson  has  been 
signed  to  direct  "Swing  Parade"  for 
Monogram. 

• 

Margaret  O'Brien  will  star  in 
"Tenth  Avenue  Angel,"  Ralph 
Wheelwright's  first  assignment  as  an 
M-G-M  producer.  .  .  .  Jules  Levey  has 
borrowed  Rhonda  Fleming  from  Da- 
vid O.  Selsnick  for  a  top  role  in  his 
production,  "Trail  Town."  .  .  .  John 
Houseman  has  signed  an  agreement 
with  RKO  Radio,  under  the  terms  of 
which  he  will  produce  one  picture  a 
year  for  that  studio. 

• 

Judith  Anderson  has  been  en- 
gaged by  Benedict  Bogeaus  for  a 
featured  role  in  support  of  Paulette 
Goddard  and  Burgess  Meredith  in 
"The  Diary  of  a  Chambermaid".  .  . 
Joseph  H.  Lewis  has  been  signed 
by  Columbia  to  direct  "The  Woman 
in  Red." 

• 

John  Farrow  is  set  to  direct  Para- 
mount's  "California,"  which  will  star 
Alan  Ladd  and  Betty  Hutton.  .  .  . 
20th  Century-Fox  has  purchased 
"Honeyfogling  Time,"  a  novel  by  Vir- 
ginia Dale,  and  assigned  it  to  Fred 
Kohlmar  for  production.  .  .  .  Warren 
William  and  Peter  Cookson  have  been 
signed  for  the  male  starring  roles  in 
"Suspense,"  psychological  melodrama 
which  Lindsley  Parsons  will  produce 
and  Alfred  Zeisler  direct  for  Mono- 
gram. 

• 

Republic  has  signed  Tony  Gaudio  as 
cameraman  on  Frank  Borzage's  fortlv- 
coming  "Concerto,"  the  studio's  first 
Technicolor  venture.  .  .  .  June  Clay- 
zvorth  has  been  engaged  by  RKO  for 
one  of  the  major  roles  in  "The  Lie 
Detector,"  which  Lew  Landers  will 
direct.  .  .  .  20th  Century-Fox  has  as- 
signed William  Eythe  the  romantic 
male  lead  opposite  Vivian  Blaine  in 
"Doll  Face." 

• 

Peggy  Knudsen  has  been  assigned 
an  important  role  in  "Don't  Ever 
Leave  Me,"  which  William  Jacobs 
will  produce  for  Warners  .  .  .  Mar- 
jorie  Davies  has  been  added  to  the 
cast  of  M-G-M's  "Two  Sisters  from 
Boston".  .  .  Universal  has  exercised 
its  option  on  the  services  of  Rondo 
Hatton,  who  will  star  in  a  new  ser- 
ies of  horror  pictures  to  be  known 
as  "The  Bruteman." 


Chantry  Circuit  House 

Fairmont,  Neb..  July  15.  —  A.  J. 
Chantry,  who  owns  theatres  at  Osce- 
ola and  several  other  Nebraska  spots, 
has  opened  the  Fairmont  Theatre  here. 


titanic 


says  s  _s  S- 


UNICOM 
CASH  CONTROL 

SYSTEMS  LTD 

1501  BROADWAY 


MOTION -  PICTURE-THEATRE 

H  CONTROL 


Monday,  July  16,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


15 


U.  S.  Aid  to  Golden 
Commerce  Division 


Washington,  July  15. — Reorgani- 
j  zation  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
I  merce  to  whip  it  into  shape  for  the 
increased  responsibilities  it  will  carry 
i  after  the  war,  foreshadowing  a  pos- 
Mble  expansion  of  the  motion  picture 
unit  under  Nathan  D.  Golden,  is  being 
studied,  it  was  learned  here  at  the 
!  w  eekend. 

The  activities  of  all  department 
.  agencies,  and  particularly  those  of 
,  the  commodity  units  of  the  Bureau  of 
Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  are 
being  examined  with  a  view  to  deter- 
mining where  they  will  fit  into  the 
postwar  program  which  Secretary 
Wallace  is  developing. 

Nothing  on  Paper 

Department  officials  refused  to  dis- 
close what  they  may  have  in  mind 

j  as  the  framework  of  a  more  aggres- 

:  sive  organization,  saying  that  so  far 
nothing  has  been  committed  to  paper, 
but  admitted  that  it  is  planned  to 
bring   the    Department    much  closer 

'  to  the  business  and  industrial  inter- 
ests it  was  created  to  serve. 
Like   many   other   units,  Golden's 

:  branch  has  been  short  on  help  dur- 
ing the  war  emergency  and  has  been 
unable  to  accomplish  all  the  things 
he  has  desired  to  do.  Wallace  is  said 
to  have  been  dumbfounded  at  the  great 
amount  of  valuable  information  gath- 

,  cred  by  the  Department  which  never 
reaches  the  businessmen  whom  it 
would  aid  and  already  has  taken  steps 

i  to  correct  that  situation  by  reorgan- 
izing and  expanding  his  public  re- 
lations division,  now  headed  by  Bruce 
Catton,  formerly  chief  of  publicity  for 
the  War  Production  Board  under  the 
chairmanship  of  Donald'  Nelson. 


'U'Buys  MGM  Rights 
To  Abbott-Cost ello 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

than  $1,000,000,  have  been  in  progress 
tor  several  months.  By  terms  of  the 
>ettlement,  the  team  is  released  from  a 
contract  which  called  for  one  picture 
a  year  at  M-G-M  for  the  next  four 
years.  The  recently  completed,  but 
unreleased,  "Abbott  and-  Costello  in 
Hollywood"  will  be  their  last  at 
M-G-M. 

A  full  program  of  properties  has 
been  lined  up  for  the  pair  at  Universal, 
their  first,  "The  Noose  Hangs  High," 
I  being  scheduled  to  go  into  production 
as  soon  as  they  return  from  their  per- 
sonal appearance  tour  in  the  East. 


Waller  on  Planet  Deal 

New  Orleans,  July  15. — W.  O. 
Waller,  Planet  Pictures  executive  of 
Hollywood,  has  left  here  for  New 
York  to  complete  negotiations  with 
R.  N.  Savini,  president  of  Astor  Pic- 
tures, for  distribution  of  Planet  pro- 
ductions. Waller  conferred  here  for 
>everal  days  with  Jack  Auslet  of 
Dixie  Films,  Astor  representative  in 
this  area. 


$60,000  for  'Dillinger' 

Los  Angeles,  July  15. — Opening 
week's  business  of  $60,000  on  King 
Bros.'  "Dillinger,"  at  the  Orpheum 
and  Vogue  theatres,  here  is  antici- 
pated by  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 
vice-president  in  charge  of  operations. 
Opening  day  set  a  mark  of  $15,400. 


RKO  and  J.  Arthur  Rank 
In  U.  S. -British  Deal 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
charge  of  foreign  distribution,  and 
Robert  Wolff,  RKO  managing  di- 
rector in  London,  with  final  details 
consummated  by  Rank,  in  early  con- 
ferences with  Rathvon  and  Ned  E. 
Depinet,  president  of  RKO  Radio. 

Wolff  will  be  liaison  between  the 
American  and  British  studios  in 
England. 

Besides  being  the  first  announce- 
ment of  any  deal  concluded  by  Rank 
during  his  current  American  visit,  the 
joint  deal  is  said  to  have  "far  reaching 
effect  on  world-wide  production  and 
distribution  of  motion  pictures." 

Pictures  covered  under  the  arrange- 
ment will  be  produced  in  the  United 
Kingdom  with  RKO  Radio  handling 
ill  distribution  in  the  United  States, 
L'nited  Kingdom,  Central  and  South 
America  and  "other  countries  to  be 
Jetermined."  The  Rank  'group,' 
through  its  own  sales  organizations, 
will  function  as  distributor  through- 
out Europe,  Australia,  Canada  and 
"other  countries  to  be  determined." 

"The  jointly-produted  features 
will  be  high-budget  productions  and 
in  no  sense  the  usual  quota  pictures, 
but  will  be  attractions  aimed  pri- 
marily at  American  and  world  mar- 
kets," the  announcement  said.  They 


will  be  representative  "in  every  way 
of  the  top  standards  which  RKO 
Radio  intends  to  establish  with  all 
pictures  made  in  Great  Britain  in 
close  association  with  the  Rank 
'group.'  The  fact  that  the  productions 
will  be  jointly  financed  emphasizes  the 
fact  that  this  is  in  every  sense  a  part- 
nership between  RKO  Radio  and  the 
Rank  interests,"  it  was  declared. 

Rank  recently  met  at  RKO  Radio's 
studio  in  Hollywood  with;  Charles 
W.  Koerner,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  production,  and  discussed  pro- 
duction plans.  Various  story  proper- 
ties are  now  under  consideration  and 
a  forthcoming  announcement  will 
name  the  first  production.  Casts  will 
include  both  Hollywood  and  British 
stars. 

A  Hollywood  producer,  chosen  by 
Koerner  and  Rank  in  consultation, 
will  go  to  London  to  produce  the 
films.  A  director  is  also  to  be  joint- 
ly chosen.  The  first  picture  will  be 
made  at  the  Denham  Studios,  Eng- 
land, for  1946  release. 

Not  believed  involved  is  the  group 
of  seven  Rank  films  previously 
pledged  to  United  Artists  for  distribu- 
tion by  the  latter  organization  in  the 
Western  Hemisphere. 


Ugast  Goes  to  Mexico 
For  Selznick-UA 

Edward  Ugast,  home  office  foreign 
representative  and  publicist  for  United 
Artists,  left  New  York  yesterday  for 
Mexico  City  on  the  first  step  of  an 
over-all  promotional  tour  of  Latin- 
American  capitals  to  ballyhoo  Selznick 
International's  "I'll  Be  Seeing  You." 
The  trip  is  a  follow-up  to  the  ex- 
ploitation expedition  that  Selznick- 
UA  sent  to  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica last  year  to  spearhead  a  drive  for 
"Since  You  Went  Away." 

Ugast  will  spend  time  in  each  key 
city,  working  out  details  of  the  pro- 
motion with  the  local  UA  manager 
and  his  publicity  staff,  and  starting 
the  exploitation  rolling  before  mov- 
ing to  the  next  spot. 


Veterans  Run  Theatres 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  15. — Two  dis- 
charged veterans  are  operating  the- 
atres in  the  Albany  territory,  while 
a  third  is  leasing  to  others  houses  that 
he  operated  before  going  into  service. 
David  Snyder  went  back  to  the  Opera 
House  in  Downsville.  The  son  of 
Mrs.  Joseph  Becker,  for  sometime 
owner  of  the  Strand  in  Long  Lake, 
has  taken  over  the  Wheel  there.  Phil 
Baroudi,  who  owns  the  Adirondack, 
North  Creek,  and  the  Lake,  Indian 
Lake,  received  his  discharge,  but  ap- 
parently is  not  returning  to  the  film 
business  for  the  time  being. 


Cool  Wave  Aids  Grosses 

Boston,  July  15. — The  cool  wave 
which  struck  Boston  the  middle  of 
last  week  brought  added  theatre  busi- 
ness and  was  welcomed  in  all  quar- 
ters. Downtown  houses  profited  less 
than  neighborhood  theatres,  which  did 
a  tremendous  business  over  the  week- 
end. Seashore  resorts  near  Boston 
all  have  their  own  theatres  and  all  re- 
ported capacity  for  the  weekend. 


Kalmenson  Promotes 
2  on  Canadian  Staff 

Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  man- 
ager for  Warners,  has  made  two 
branch  promotions  in  the  Canadian 
territory,  following  the  recent  appoint- 
ment of  Haskell  M.  Masters  as  dis- 
trict manager  for  the  Dominion. 

Sam  Pearlman,  formerly  manager  in 
Calgary,  has  been  moved  up  to  branch 
manager  in  Toronto,  succeeding  Jos- 
eph Plottel,  resigned.  Morris  Saifer, 
salesman  in  the  Calgary  office,  is  pro- 
moted to  branch  manager  there.  Both 
changes  are  effective  today. 


Chile's  Film  Needs 
Cited  for  Postwar 


Washington,  July  15.  —  Excellent 
postwar  potentialities  for  the  sale  of 
booth  equipment,  air  conditioners  and 
16mm.  apparatus  in  Chile  were  dis- 
closed here  by  Nathan  D.  Golden, 
head  of  the  motion  picture  unit  of  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic 
Commerce. 

Cut  -off  from  replacements  for  a 
number  of  years,  the  theatres  now  are 
using  equipment  from  five  to  10  years 
old,  it  was  reported  in  a  survey  of 
Chile.  Golden  renorted  that  there 
also  is  considerable  theatre  construc- 
tion under  way  or  projected  in  Chile, 
citing  the  Santiago  consular  district 
in  which  six  houses  are  building. 

Prospects  for  air  conditioning  sales 
also  are  good,  few  Chilean  theatres 
now  having  any  cooling  systems.  In 
the  field  of  accessories,  demand  is  seen 
for  screens,  rewinds  and  reels  and 
for  orojector  spare  parts,  but  little 
for  other  equipment,  which  either  is 
not  used  or  is  manufactured  in  Chile. 


RKO  Begins  Sales 
In  Colombia  Cities 

Phil  Reisman,  vice  president  in 
charge  of  foreign  distribution  for 
RKO  Radio,  has  been  advised  by  An- 
tonio Garcia,  newly  appointed  man- 
ager of  RKO's  recently  established 
branch  in  Colombia,  that  first  re- 
leases under  RKO's  direct  distribu- 
tion set-up  will  be  Samuel  Goldwyn's 
"North  Star,"  simultaneously  in 
Bogota  and  Call,  and  "Goyescas,"  at 
Medellin  and  Barranquilla,  all  in  the 
week  beginning  July  17. 


Glendale  Tax  Reviewed 

Glendale,  Cal.,  July  15. — The  City 
Council  here  has  set  Thursday  for 
the  second  consideration  of  a  pro- 
posed two-cent  tax  on  admissions, 
following  testimony  opposing  its  pass- 
age presented  at  last  Thursday's  hear- 
ing by  Fox-West  Coast  executives, 
and  others,  who  asserted  that  the 
measure  would  be  discriminatory. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOW 

WEDNESDAY,  JULY  18th 

OUR  VINES  HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES 

New  York-New  Jersey  Territory  Only 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM-630  NINTH  AVENUE 
at  1:30  P.M. 


THURSDAY,  JULY  19th 

WEEKEND  AT  THE  WALDORF 

New  York-New  Jersey  Territory  Only 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM— 630  NINTH  AVENUE 
at  1:30  P.M. 


ON  THE  PRESS 


Edited  by 
TERRY  RAMSAYE 


MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC,  the  industry's 
most  authoritative  reference  hook  is  now  on 
the  press.  Paper  restrictions  compel  us  to  limit 
the  printing  so  distribution  must  be  restricted 
to  orders  on  file.  To  be  sure  of  a  copy,  send  in 
your  reservation  and  remittance  today!  $3.25 
per  copy  (Postpaid)  in  U.S.A.  $5.00  elsewhere 

QUICLEY    PUBLIC  AT  IONS 

ROCKEFELLER   CENTER  NEW   YORK  (20) 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

awfy 

to  the^l 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

'OL.  58.  NO.  11 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  JULY  17,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


British  Films 
ro  Cost  Less, 
)eclares  Rank 


'ndicates  Britain  Might 
levelop  Own  Equipment 

i  

The  producing  affiliates  of  the 
lank  organization  will  make  qual- 
ty  pictures  in  London  cheaper  than 
:  costs  to  make  comparable  product 
l  Hollywood,  J.  Arthur  Rank  de- 
'lared  during  an  interview  here  yes- 
erday  as  he  prepared  to  sail  for 
.ondon  aboard  the  5.5.  Queen 
tary  today,  concluding  a  two- 
lonth  trip  to  Canada  and  the 
Jnited  States. 

Rank  pointed  out  that  while 
Hollywood  enjoys  other  advan- 
tages in  production;  technical, 
labor  and  material  costs,  as  well 
as    standards    of    living  are 
cheaper  in  England. 
Rank  indicated  that  he  had  no  in- 
ention  of  seeking  lower  talent  costs 
lut  said  that  pictures  being  made  by 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


]apt.  Auten  Heads 
lank's  Eagle-Lion 


Capt.  Harold  Auten,  V.C.,  has  been 
lected  vice-president  of  the  board  of 
H3agle-Lion  Films,  the  American  dis- 
ribution  company  of  the  J.  Arthur 
fonk  organization.  Capt.  Auten  will 
issume  his  new  duties  as  active  head  of 
iiagle-Lion,  succeeding  Arthur  Kelly 
vho  resigned  late  last  week,  upon 
lis  return  to  the  United  States  follow- 
ing a  trip  to  England  to  arrange  for 
lis  retirement  from  the  British  Roval 
Wavy._ 

Until  Capt.  Auten's  return,  Jock 
^awrence,   who  has   been   elected  a 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


Liidustry  Is  Blamed 
\gain  in  Congress 


Washington,  July  16. — American 
notion  pictures  still  take  the  blame 
or  distorted  opinions  of  the  United 
States  held  in  foreign  countries  and 
-Sorts  have  been  made  to  invoke  some 
:ind  of  censorship  to  prevent  certain 
ypes  of  pictures  from  going  to  Europe 
hnd  the  Middle  East,  it  was  dis- 
posed in  a  House  debate  on  the  Of- 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


Sept.  Dinner 
ToJackCohn 


Industry  leaders  will  sponsor  a  din- 
ner   for   Jack    Cohn,  executive-vice- 
president  of  Columbia  Pictures,  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  on  Sept.  27  to  spear- 
head  a  fund- 
raising  drive  on 
behalf  of  the 
Ant  i-  Defama- 
tion League  and 
the  American 
Jewish  Commit- 
tee. 

Among  those 
listed  as  sup- 
porting the 
event  are :  Nich- 
olas M.  Schenck, 
Barney  Balaban, 
Spyros  Skouras, 
Will  H.  Hays, 
David  Bern- 
stein, Malcolm 
Kingsberg,  Leonard  Goldenson,  Sam 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


Jack  Cohn 


Loew,  M-G-M  Will 
Exchange  Staffs 


Selected  members  of  M-G-M's  do- 
mestic field  sales  staff  will  visit 
South  America  after  Jan.  1  to  study 
at  first  hand  distribution  progress 
made  in  the  countries  of  our  hemis- 
pheric neighbors.  Shortly  thereafter 
a  selected  number  of  South  American 
men  will  visit  the  U.  S. 

The  interchange  has  been  arranged 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


Adams  Heads  WPB 
Merged  Branches 

Washington,  July  16. — Fur- 
ther streamlining  its  organi- 
ation,  WPB  today  merged  the 
Consumers  Durable  Goods 
Division  and  the  Safety  and 
Technical  Equipment  Division 
into  a  Consumers  Hard  Goods 
Bureau  and  named  Stanley 
B.  Adams,  chief  of  the  for- 
mer, as  director. 

The  Durable  Goods  Division 
will  be  headed  by  Frederick  M. 
Mitchell,  previously  chief  of 
the  electric  goods  branch,  but 
Adams  is  expected  to  main- 
tain his  close  contact  with  the 
motion  picture  industry  and 
to  continue  to  direct  alloca- 
tion operations. 


M-G-M  Will  Retain 
Its  Sliding-Scale 


Chicago,  July  16. — M-G-M  intends 
to  retain  the  sliding  scale  sales  meth- 
od and  its  right  of  designation  of 
product,  company  sales  officials  were 
informed  by  William  F.  Rodgers, 
vice-president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager, at  a  meeting  which  was  con- 
cluded here  at  the  weekend. 

Rodgers  said  that  the  sliding  scale 
is  a  sales  method  which  the  company 
and  thousands  of  its  customers  be- 
lieve to  be  fair.  As  for  designation, 
he  said  "there  is  no  other  means  we 
know  of  to  intelligently  price  our 
merchandise." 

Reviewing  other  phases  of  the  com- 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


Paramount  Sets  'Basic  10' 
For  First  Three  Blocks 


Paramount  1912-1945 

With  a  history  dating  back 
to  1912,  Paramount  Pictures 
currently  is  observing  its 
third-of-a-century  annivers- 
ary, and  will  mark  the  occa- 
sion  with  a  'Paramount 
Month,'  from  Aug.  26  through 
Sept.  29. 

The  story  of  the  company's 
founding  and  growth,  of  the 
men  prominently  identified 
with  its  development,  and  of 
the  product  it  will  release  on 
the  occasion  of  the  annivers- 
ary is  presented  in  this  issue 
of  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Pages 
3  to  27. 


As  basic  components  for  the  first 
three  blocks  of  the  1945-46  season, 
Paramount  has  selected  10  features, 
and  release  of  the  initial  block  will 
follow  immediately  upon  the  termina- 
tion of  Paramount  Month,  which  runs 
from  Aug.  26  through  Sept.  29  and 
commemorates  the  company's  "third  of 
a  century"  of  activity,  it  was  learned 
yesterday. 

The  basic  group  includes :  "The 
Love  Letters,"  "Road  to  Utopia," 
"The  Stork  Club,"  "Two  Years  Before 
the  Mast,"  "The  Virginian,"  "Duffy's 
Tavern,"  "Kitty,"  "The  Lost  Week- 
end," "Miss  Susie  Slagle's,"  and  "Our 
Hearts  Are  Growing  Up."  To  these 
10  a  number  of  others  will  be  added, 
including  several  Pine-Thomas  pro- 
ductions. 


166,027,000  ft. 
Of  Raw  Film  to 
Independents 

Adams  Sets  Allocations 
Through  Next  April  1 


Washington,  July  16. — Definite 
allocations  of  166,027,000  feet  of 
35mm  raw  stock  for  use  at  will  by 
30  independent  producers  during 
the  12  months  ending  next  April  1 
were  announced  here  today  by 
Stanley  B.  Adams,  director  of  the 
Consumers'  Durable  Goods  division 
of  the  War  Production  Board. 

Included  in  the  allocations, 
Adams  disclosed,  were  5,200,000 
feet  for  Eagle-Lion  Films,  Inc., 
the  J.  Arthur  Rank  company. 

The  independents  were  broken  down 
into  three  groups,  six  in  group  No.  I 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


No  Extra  Footage 
For  Color  Wastage 


Washington,  July  16. — All  inter- 
ests in  the  film  industry  have  been  ad- 
vised by  the  War  Production  Board 
that  the  film  situation  does  not  per- 
mit of  increasing  the  allowance  for 
wastage  in  Technicolor  pictures  due 
to  current  difficulties  at  laboratories, 
it  was  disclosed  here  today  by  Stan- 
ley B.  Adams,  director  of  the  Con- 
sumers' Durable  Goods  Division  of  the 
War  Production  Board. 

The  letter  to  all  producers  and  rep- 
resentatives of  the  War  Activities 
Committee  and  other  industry  organ- 
izations went  out  in  response  to  ap- 

(Continued  on  page  27) 


U.  S.  Will  Not  Act 
On  Rosewelt  Appeal 


Washington,  July  16. — The  De- 
partment of  Justice  will  take  no  action 
on  the  appeal  of  the  Rosewelt  Realty 
Co.,  operators  of  the  Orient  Theatre, 
Jersey  City,  to  have  Paramount, 
Loew's  and  RKO-Radio  held  in  con: 
tempt  of  the  New  York  consent  de- 
cree because  of  alleged  violation  of 
an  arbitration  decree,  it  was  learned 
here  today. 

The  company  had  asked  the  New 
York  Federal  District  Court  to  hold 
the  distributors  to  be  in  contempt,  but 
(Continued  on  page  27) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  17,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


G RALPH  BRANTON,  general 
•  manager  of  Tri-State  Theatres, 
Des  Moines,  has  arrived  in  New 
York  to  join  A.  H.  Blank,  president 
of  the  circuit. 

• 

Tom  J.  Connors,.  20th  Century-Fox 
distribution  vice-president,  and  Wil- 
liam C.  Gehring,  Western  sales  man- 
ager, arrived  in  Hollywood  yester- 
day for  studio  conferences. 

• 

Harry  Reiners,  RKO  Radio  ex- 
ploiteer,  who  has  returned  here  from 
Cincinnati,  will  leave  for  Cleveland 
today. 

• 

Nate  Schultz,  Monogram  Cleve- 
land franchise  owner,  is  in  New  York, 
accompanied  by  Sam  Schultz,  Nate 
Gerson  and  Carl  Scheuch. 

• 

Cecil  B.  DeMille  left  Hollywood 
yesterday  on  a  nine-day  tour  of  ex- 
change centers,  starting  with  Salt 
Lake  City. 

• 

Oscar  A.  Morgan,  Paramount 
short  subjects  general  sales  manager, 
left  last  night  for  Chicago. 

• 

Norman  Elson,  Trans-Lux  vice- 
president,  left  New  York  for  Boston 
yesterday  and  will  return  tomorrow. 
• 

John  Joseph,  Universal  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  arrived  on  the 
Coast  yesterday  from  New  York. 
• 

Gary  Cooper  arrived  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood  yesterday. 


Local  1421  Winner  in 
NLRB  Hearing  Tilt 

Los  Angeles,  July  16. — Following 
weekend  instructions  from  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board  in  Wash- 
ington to  "rule  liberally"  on  evidence 
which  trial  examiner  Robert  Denham 
had  rejected,  the  hearing  on  the  elegi- 
bility  of  voters  in  the  recent  set  deco- 
rators' election  continued  smoothly  to- 
day. Washington's  intervention,  inter- 
preted as  vindication  for  Local  1 42 1 ' s 
action  in  withdrawing  from  the  hear- 
ings last  Thursday,  opened  the  way 
for  examination  of  strike  replacements 
with  regard  to  their  qualifications  for 
the  jobs  over  which  the  jurisdiction  is 
disputed. 


Haas  Joins  'Daily'  Staff 

Walter  Haas,  recently  returned  on 
the  Queen  Mary  from  overseas  duty 
with  the  Eighth  Air  Force,  has  joined 
the  advertising  staff  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily.  Prior  to  his  Army  ser- 
vice, Haas  was  associated  with  theatre 
circuits  as  a  manager. 


Nelson  Report  Set 

Hollywood,  July  16. — Society  of 
Independent  Motion  Picture  producers 
will  meet  Wednesday,  with  the  agenda 
believed  to  include  several  important 
proposals  from  Donald  Nelson,  new 
president. 


Pope  Has  Audience 
With  Film  Leaders 


Press  dispatches  reaching  here  from 
Vatican  City  indicate  that  Pope  Pius 
XII  in  an  audience  with  American 
motion  picture  executives  emphasized 
the  importance  of  the  film  industry  in 
the  education  of  youth  and  discussed 
the  role  pictures  played  during  the  war 
and  are  destined  to  play  in  the  post- 
war world. 

The  group,  which  has  been  touring 
Europe,  included  Barney  Balaban, 
president  of  Paramount ;  Peter  Rath- 
von,  president  of  RKO ;  Clifford 
Work,  vice-president  of  Universal ; 
Russell  Holman,  vice-president  of 
Paramount,  and  Simon  Fabian,  Fran- 
cis Harmon  and  Robert  Wilby,  of 
the  industry's  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee. 

Meanwhile,  the  main  group,  which 
toured  war  theatres  as  guests  of  Gen- 
eral Eisenhower,  continues  arriving 
back  in  New  York,  traveling  independ- 
ently, following  the  return  last  week 
of  Jack  Warner,  Harry  Cohn  and  Sid- 
ney Buchman.  Cohn  and  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck  reached  Hollywood  at  the 
weekend. 


Grainger  Presides  at 
Republic  Meeting 

Chicago,  July  16. — Company  plans 
for  added  concentration  on  top-budget 
productions  will  be  discussed  by 
James  R.  Grainger,  president  and 
general  sales  manager  of  Republic 
Pictures,  at  the  opening-day  session 
of  a  two-day  sales  meeting  being  held 
here  tomorrow  and  Wednesday  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel. 

The  current  release  of  "The  Cheat- 
ers," produced  and  directed  b"  Joseph 
Kane,  is  to  be  followed  by  "Love, 
Honor,  and  Goodbye"  and  by  the  Al 
Santell  production,  "Mexicana."  Go- 
ing into  work  soon  are  another  Kane 
production,  "Dakota,"  and  the  com- 
pany's first  Technicolor  picture,  "Con- 
certo," which  is  Frank  Borzage's 
initial  production  under  his  recent  pro- 
ducing-directing  pact. 


Another  Television 
System  for  Relays 

Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  July  16. — Los 
Angeles  and  San  Francisco  will  be 
terminal  points  for  an  experimental 
radio  relay  network  designed  to  carry 
television  and  FM  radio  programs, 
radio  photos  and  operate  office  type- 
writers by  radio.  This  is  revealed  in 
applications  filed  by  International 
Business  Machines  Corp.  with  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission 
for  permission  to  build  terminal  sta- 
tions in  those  cities. 


Monogram  Meet  Opens 

Del  Mar,  Cal.,  July  16. — Mono- 
gram's Western  sales  meeting  opened 
here  today  with  Steve  Broidy,  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
presiding. 


To  Show  'Falcon'  Today 

RKO  Radio  will  trade  show  "The 
Falcon  in  San  Francisco"  in  its  New 
York  and  Los  Angeles  exchanges  to- 
day. 


17,000  Bookings  Is 
Para.  Sept.  Aim 


Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion, has  announced  that  several  thou- 
sand theatres  of  all  classifications  have 
already  booked  Paramount  features, 
short  subjects  and  newsreels  for  play- 
ing during  'Paramount  Week,'  Sept. 
2-8,  and  that  several  thousand  addi- 
tional theatres  have  given  assurance 
that  strong  screen  representation  will 
be  given  during  'Paramount  Month,' 
Aug.  26-Sept.  29. 

With  the  amount  of  playing  time 
already  assured  or  pledged  now,  in- 
dications are  that  the  company's  'One 
Third  of  a  Century'  celebration  will 
see  Paramount  product  played  in  the 
17,000  theatres  in  the  United  States 
during  the  five-week  period,  according 
to  Reagan. 

The  Loew  circuit  nationally  is  re- 
ported to  have  pledged  that  a  Par- 
amount feature,  short  subject  or  news- 
reel  will  play  in  every  Loew  theatre 
during  the  week  of  Sept.  2-8. 


DeMille  Will  Attend 
Para.  Salt  Lake  Fete 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  16. — Cecil  B. 
DeMille  will  participate  in  Para- 
mount's  'One  Third  of  a  Century' 
celebration  to  be  held  at  the  Hotel 
Utah  here  on  Wednesday,  and  which 
will  be  attended  by  exhibitors  of  the 
Intermountain  territory. 


Zukor  in  Boston  July  25 

The  two-day  gathering  of  Para- 
mount exchange  men  and  exhibitors 
from  New  England  will  be  held  in 
Boston  on  July  25-26,  rather  than  on 
July  30-31  as  previously  reported.  The 
event  will  be  attended  by  Adolph 
Zukor,  Allan  Usher  and  William  S. 
Erbb. 


RKO  Protests  WLB 
Recommendations 

Monroe  Goldwater,  counsel  for 
RKO,  has  filed  a  brief  with  the  Re- 
gional War  Labor  Board  protesting 
against  the  recommendations  of  the 
WLB  panel  to  which  the  board  had 
referred  the  dispute  between  the  com- 
pany and  the  Managers  and  Assistant 
Managers  Guild. 

RKO  claims  that  many  of  the  pan- 
el's recommendations  are  arbitrary 
and  inconsistent  with  the  previous  de- 
cisions and  directives  of  the  Board. 


To  Set  'Marines'  Debut 

Mort  Blumenstock,  Harry  Gold- 
berg, Gil  Golden  and  Will  Yolen  of 
Warner  Bros.'  home  office,  will  go 
to  Philadelphia  today  to  confer  with 
Ted  Schlanger,  Everett  Callow  and 
other  local  Warner  theatre  execu- 
tives on  plans  for  the  world  premiere 
of  "Pride  of  the  Marines,"  scheduled 
to  open  Aug.  10  at  the  Mastbaum 
Theatre  there. 


Bell  to  Distribute  24 

Bell  Pictures  has  acquired  New 
York,  Albany  and  Buffalo  distribu- 
tion rights  on  the  24  Westerns  star- 
ring Johnny  Mack  Brown  and  Bob 
Steele  which  were  formerly  released 
by  Republic. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


THE  PICTURE  THAT  MAY 
CHANGE  YOUR  LIFE! 

The 

CHEATERS 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 
Starring 
JOSEPH  SCHILDKRAUT 

with 

BILLIE       EUGENE  ONA 
BURKE     PALLETTE  MUNSON 

OPENS  FRIDAY 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


GOTHAM 


B'WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation       Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Van  JOHNSON 
Esther  WILLIAMS 

in  M-G-M'i 

'THRILL  OF 
A  ROMANCE' 

IN  COLOR! 


IN  PERSON 

ETHEL 

WATERS 

Star  of  Stage  8  Screen 

Fred  LTJWERY 
LENNY  KENT 


Hiiim    i  ill  i 'I  M  Wlilil  Wl'iiini  i| 


Robert  Lizabeth  Don 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In  HAL  WALLIS  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 

A  Paramount  Picture 
In  Person     STAN  KENTON  0arnc^tr'a 


Samuel  Gofdwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 

CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


STARTS  TOMORROW 

Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

'ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


Feeley  Succeeds  Howard 

Boston,  July  16. — Raymond  Feele\ 
of  Franklin,  Mass.,  will  succeed  Ar  : 
thur  Howard  as  business  manager  o 
Independent  Exhibitors  of  New  Eng 
land,  Inc.,  on  July  23. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Ouigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York.' 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  New: 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg. 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quiglej 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  c'ass  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  a 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $13  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday,  July  17,  1945 


Motion  picture  daily 


3 


PARAMOUNT-1912  to  1945 

One-Third  of  a  Century  of  Motion  Picture  History 


I 


THE  history  of  Paramount  as  it  is  today 
begins  in  1912,  but  the  story  of  how  the 
company  came  into  being  dates  back  far 
beyond  that  year  to  the  start  in  life  of  Adolph 
Zukor,  who  founded  Paramount  and  today 
(serves  as  chairman  of  its  board  of  directors. 
The  story  really  starts  when  the  boy,  Adolph, 
lan  orphan  in  the  village  of  Risce,  Hungary, 
was  apprenticed  to  Herman  Blau,  owner  of  a 
general  store. 

The  lad  was  smart,  ambitious  and  worked 
•hard  and  in  three  years  was  made  an  assistant 
to  Blau  with  board  and  a  monthly  wage  equiva- 
lent to  two  American  dollars.  It  was  plain  that 
Adolph  would  be  given  a  partnership  in  the 
business  when  he  reached  his  majority,  but 
(he  was  looking  beyond  Risce  to  America  and 
when'  he  had  saved  $40  from  his  meagre  earn- 
ings he  embarked  for  the  United  States.  He 
encountered  many  ups  and  downs  and  had  ex- 
periences as  an  upholsterer,  amateur  boxer  and 
baseball  player  before  he  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Kohn  &  Co.,  a  fur  manufacturing 
concern  with  an  Al  rating  in  the  banks  and  a 
fine  reputation. 

Adolph  Zukor  soon  was  regarded  as  a  suc- 
cess with  a  fortune  of  between  $100,000  and 
•$200,000.    Looking  around  for  new  ways  of 
■  making  money,  he  became  interested  in  the 
'  penny  arcade  when  told  of  its  possibilities  by 

I  a  relative,  Max  Goldstein.  Zukor  and  his  part- 
pner,  Morris  Kohn,  loaned  Goldstein  $3,000  and 
plater  themselves  invested  in  the  company.  It 
Lwas  in  the  amusement  season  of  1903-04  that 
'  the   Penny  Arcade  opened  in   South  Union 

II  Square,  New  York,  and  in  its  first  year  re- 
'  turned  20%  net  profit  on  the  investment. 

The  Penny  Arcade  gave  Zukor  a  peep  at  the 
possibilities  of  the  amusement  business  and  in 
1905  he  surrendered  management  of  the  Ar- 
cade, formed  a  partnership  with  William  A. 
Brady,  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  theat- 
rical world,  and  started  a  string  of  motion  pic- 
ture theatres.  In  1910  Zukor  combined  his 
chain  with  a  chain  owned  by  Marcus  Loew, 
By  1912,  the  theatres,  all  in  storerooms  in  the 
poorer  sections  of  New  York,  were  paying  a 
20%  profit  but  the  enterprise  seemed  tied  to 
the  slums. 

This  drawback  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
Motion  Picture  Patents  Co.,  which  owned  or 
exacted  a  license  fee  on  all  cameras,  projectors 
1  and  films,  had  a  monopoly  in  the  industry  and 
failed  to  make  enough  good  pictures,  and  the 
nickelodeon  seemed  doomed  to  die  as  a  cheap 
fad  unless  something  was  done  to  raise  its 
moral  tone. 

Product  Proved  a  Problem 


Finding  pictures  to  present  was  a  major 
problem  and  Zukor  and  Loew  were  constantly 
="  plagued  by  the  necessity  of  long  holdovers  of 
(lf£3  unpopular  films  because  of  the  impossibility  of 
y  finding  new  product  with  which  to  replace 
dh  them.    In  1912,  seeking  to  correct  this  situa- 
tion, Zukor  took  the  unprecedented  step  of  im- 
porting from  France  a  four-reel  film,  "Queen 
I  Elizabeth,"  which  Sarah  Bernhardt  had  made. 
"7j~     The  success  of  "Queen  Elizabeth"  confirmed 
his  belief  there  was  a  market  for  full-length 
'    pictures  instead  of  the  one-reel  product  which 
had  been  the  mainstay  of  exhibitors  up  to  that 
time,  and  leaving  the  management  of  the  chain 


BARNEY  BALABAN 
President.    In  current 
post  since  July  2, 1936 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR 
Chairman  of  Board  and 
founder  of  company 


STANTON  GRIFFIS 
Chairman  of  Executive 
Committee 


AUSTIN  C.  KEOUGH 
Vice-President  and 
General  Counsel 


CHARLES  M.  REAGAN 
Vice-President  in  Charge 
of  Sales 


L.  H.  GOLDENSON 
Vice-President  in  Charge 
of  Theatres 


of  theatres  to  Loew,  Zukor  decided  to  go  into 
independent  production,  primarily  as  a  guaran- 
teed source  of  supply  for  himself,  but  also  to 
have  films  for  rental  to  other  houses. 

Still  in  the  year  1912,  Zukor,  backed  by 
Broadway  producer  Daniel  Frohman,  formed 
the  Famous  Players  Co.  and  signed  an  im- 
pressive group  of  Broadway  stars  including 
James  K.  Hackett,  James  O'Neill,  Lily  Langtry, 
John  Barrymore  and  Minnie  Maddern  Fiske. 
In  1913  Zukor's  Famous  Players  Co.  began 
supplying  52  films  a  year  to  William  W.  Hod- 
kinson,  an  ex-International  Correspondence 
School  salesman,  who  had  started  a  film  dis- 
tributing company  in  California  called  Para- 
mount Pictures,  with  104  films  a  year. 

It  was  about  this  time,  the  summer  of  1913, 
that  four  men  sat  at  lunch  in  a  mid-town  hotel 
in  New  York  and  added  a  new  chapter  to 
motion  picture  history.  Three  were  prominent 
figures  of  the  stage — Jesse  L.  Lasky  and  Cecil 
B.  DeMille  had  been  successful  producers  and 
Dustin  Farnum  had  recently  completed  a  sensa- 
tional run  as  star  of  "The  Squaw  Man."  The 
fourth,    Samuel   Goldwyn,   was   a  successful 


salesman.  Lasky  and  DeMille  had  just  bought 
film  rights  to  "The  Squaw  Man,"  and  with  a 
purse  of  $15,000  had  persuaded  Farnum  to  try 
his  hand  at  the  new  type  of  entertainment. 
Their  original  proposition  had  been  for  Far- 
num to  star  in  the  film,  receiving  as  payment 
a  25  per  cent  interest  in  the  corporation.  Far- 
num, however,  held  out  for  cash  instead,  so 
the  stock  was  split  three  ways. 

How  They  Selected  the  West 

But  for  the  fact  that  winter  was  coming  on, 
"The  Squaw  Man"  would  have  been  made  in 
New  York.  The  three  partners  decided  to  find 
some  place  in  the  Southwest  where  sunlight  for 
camera  work  might  be  depended  upon.  De- 
Mille, Farnum  and  Oscar  Apfel,  hired  because 
of  previous  experience  in  the  East,  set  out  to 
choose  a  location  site. 

Flagstaff,  Ariz.,  had  intrigued  DeMille,  but 
when  the  train  arrived  there  and  the  explorers 
saw  only  the  desert,  a  water  tank  and  some 
freight  cars,  they  continued  on  to  Los  Angeles. 
{Continued  on  Page  4) 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  17,  194! 


HENRY  GINSBERG 
Vice-President  in  Charge 
of  Production 


GEORGE  WELTNER 
President,  Paramount 
International  Corp. 


They  Direct 
Paramount -s 
Production^ 
Foreign  and 
Shorts  Sales* 
Promotion 


EXECUTIVES  WHO 
ARE  PLAYING 
IMPORTANT  ROLE 
IN  COMPANY'S  FAR- 
FLUNG  ACTIVITIES 


OSCAR  MORGAN 
Gen'l  Sales  M'tfr, 
Shorts,  Newsreel 


Y.  FRANK  FREEMAN 
Vice-President  in  Chargt 
of  Studio  Operations 


ROBERT  M.  GILLHA1S 
Director  of  Publiciti 
and  Advertising 


{Continued  from  Page  3) 
They  were  met  by  Thomas  t  ortune,  a  showman 
with  Yitagraph,  who  had  an  idea  that  the 
sleepy  little  suburb  of  Hollywood  could  be  used 
for  making  pictures.  He  convinced  DeMille, 
who  leased  an  old  barn  at  the  corner  of  Vine 
St.  and  Selma  Ave. 

Remodeling  the  barn  into  a  studio  began 
immediately.  The  horse  stalls  were  removed 
and  the  space  gained  was  transformed  into  a 
storage  room  for  the  equipment  the  company 
hoped  to  buy.  The  carriage  stand  was  turned 
into  offices,  a  projection  room  and  a  primitive 
laboratory.  The  washing  block  was  surrounded 
by  walls  and  called  a  vault,  and  the  hay  and 
feed  section  was  made  into  an  office,  shared  by 
DeMille  and  Lasky. 

A  30-foot  square  platform  was  built  to  ad- 
join the  barn  on  the  south  side.  This  platform, 
the  company's  first  stage,  was  covered  with  a 
sail  rigged  to  a  mast,  which  could  be  adjusted 
to  regulate  sunlight.  Fortune's  first  assignment 
was  to  rent  or  borrow  furniture  and  other  props 
from  the  Hollywood  villagers,  whose  first  dis- 
like of  "them  there  moving  picture  folk"  van- 
ished as  soon  as  they  realized  that  rent  was 
promptly  paid  on  all  borrowed  articles. 

Everybody  in  the  company  doubled  at  any 
job  that  turned  up.  DeMille  helped  build  sets 
and  shifted  scenery,  and  cowboy  extras  acted 
as  porters.  Carpenters  smeared  on  makeup  and 
filled  in  when  mob  scenes  were  made. 

DeMille  finished  "The  Squaw  Man"  in  three 
weeks,  and  Oscar  Apfel  took  over  the  one  stage 
for  his  production  of  "Brewster's  Millions," 
another  successful  stage  play.  Edward  Abeles, 
who  had  starred  in  the  stage  production,  was 
brought  to  Hollywood  for  the  film,  which  was 
followed  by  "The  Master  Mind"  and  "The 
Only  Son." 

In  May,  1914,  electrical  illumination  was 
used  for  the  first  time  to  augment  sunlight, 
when  two  spotlights  arrived  from  the  East  and 
were  used  in  the  production  of  Steward  Edward 
White's  story  "The  Call  of  the  North." 

Meanwhile,  the  studio  was  expanding.  The 
platform  attached  to  the  side  of  the  barn  was 
outgrown,  and  a  larger,  open-air  stage  was 
constructed.  This  received  the  title  of  Stage 
No.  1,  and  when  the  end  of  this  stage  was 
glassed  over  it,  became  the  pride  of  the  studio 
and  the  wonder  of  Hollywood. 

Sheds  extending  from  the  Selma  Ave.  side 
of  the  barn  formed  the  cutting  rooms,  carpen- 
ter and  paint  shops,  and  the  first  dressing  rooms 
were  constructed  to  adjoin  Stage  No.  1. 

The  first  feature  film  to  be  made  on  this 
stage  was  DeMille's  "Rose  of  the  Rancho," 
which  starred  Bessie  Barriscale.  This  picture 
marked  a  definite  step  forward  in  the  life  of 
the  studio,  for  this  was  the  first  film  which  was 
shot,  in  part,  on  location  away  from  the  stages. 

The  Stars  Start  Twinkling 

At  this  period  the  first  major  influx  of  stars 
started.  H.  B.  Warner,  Max  Figman,  Theo- 
dore Roberts  and  Mabel  Van  Buren  joined  the 
Lasky  forces.  Dustin  Farnum  returned  to  the 
studio  to  star  in  the  first  film  version  of  Owen 
Wister's  novel,  "The  Virginian,"  under  De- 
Mille's direction.  In  the  East,  Marguerite 
Clark  made  her  debut  in  "The  Goose  Girl." 

It  was  during  the  filming  of  "The  Warrens 
of  Virginia"  that  the  Lasky  ranch  was  first 
used  for  a  picture  shot  entirely  on  location. 
The  ranch  was  a  50-acre  tract  in  a  wild,  un- 
cultivated canyon  of  the  San  Fernando  Valley. 
A  new  star — Blanche  Sweet — destined  to  be- 
come one  of  the  leading  names  in  films,  was 
introduced  in  this  picture. 

Early  in  1915  Geraldine  Farrar  was  brought 
to  Hollywood  by  Lasky  to  appear  in  his  pic- 
tures. Her  first  production  was  "Maria  Rosa," 
which  DeMille  directed. 


Stage  No.  1  was  inadequate  to  handle  the 
expanding  production  of  the  studio  and  a  barley 
field  to  the  south  was  annexed  and  Stage  No.  2, 
an  exact  replica  of  No.  1,  was  constructed. 
Soon  a  third  stage  was  built,  and  then  a  fourth. 
The  studio  had  extended  its  walls  a  full  block ! 

Wonder  at  the  rapid  expansion  died  down  as 
soon  as  further  expansion  became  the  order  of 
the  day.  A  vacant  block  on  Argyle  St.  to  the 
east  was  bought  and  used  for  street  sets  and 
outdoor  filming.  A  thousand-acre  ranch  near 
Burbank  was  acquired  as  a  site  for  outdoor 
action.  It  was  on  this  ranch  that  the  studio's 
growing  collection  of  blooded  riding  stock,  cow 
ponies  and  cattle  found  a  home. 

In  1915  one  of  the  greatest  male-heart-throbs 
the  films  have  known  came  into  prominence  at 
the  Lasky  studios.  He  was  Wallace  Reid,  who 
soon  was  joined  by  Ina  Claire,  Laura  Hope 
Crews,  Edgar  Selwyn,  Charlotte  Walker,  Lou 
Tellegan,  Fannie  Ward  and  Victor  Moore. 

On  June  28,  1916,  the  Jesse  L.  Lasky  Feat- 
ure Play  Co.  was  merged  with  Zukor's  Famous 
Players  organization,  the  most  important  asset 
of  which  was  an  ex-Biograph  girl  named  Mary 
Pickford.  Zukor  had  hired  Mary  in  1913  for 
$2,000  a  week,  an  unprecedented  figure  for  that 
time  and  her  pictures  had  proven  so  important 
that  they  had  become  the  selling  point  around 
which  the  entire  Famous  Players  product  was 
centered.  With  her  growing  importance, 
Mary's  salary  increased  and  by  1915  Zukor  was 
paying  her  $20,000  a  week. 

Zukor  and  Lasky,  combining  forces  and  capi- 
tal, purchased  Paramount  Pictures,  Hodkinson's 
distributing  organization,  on  July  19,  1916  and 


announced  the  formation  of  the  $25,000,00' 
Famous  Players-Lasky  Corp.,  which  include- 
Paramount  as  its  distributing  channel.  Zuko 
was  elected  president  and  Lasky  was  put  ii 
charge  of  production. 

The  new  corporation  immediately  put  Mis 
Pickford  to  work.  She  was  cast  in  "r 
Romance  of  the  Redwood"  and  followed  i 
almost  immediately  with  "Rebecca  of  Sunny 
brook  Farm."  At  this  time  additional  fihi 
luminaries  were  signed  to  long-term  contract: 
These  included  Sessue  Hayakawa,  Mae  Mur 
ray,  Marie  Doro,  Cleo  Ridgely,  Anita  Kin° 
Myrtle  Stedman  and  Thomas  Meighan.  Zuko 
also  signed  Douglas  Fairbanks,  Gloria  Swan 
son,  William  S.  Hart,  Fatty  Arbuckle,  D.  W 
Griffith,  Mack  Sennett  and  Ralph  Ince.  A  com 
bination  was  worked  out  with  Lewis  Selznic' 
to  form  a  subsidiary  called  Select  Picture; 
bringing  in  Selznick's  stars,  the  Talmadge  sis 
ters,  Nazimova  and  Clara  Kimball  Young. 

More  Stars  Are  Added 

While  the  company  was  expanding  th 
foreign  market  was  not  neglected.  Under  th 
leadership  of  the  late  Emil  Shauer,  a  globe 
circling  organization  was  perfected  which  con 
tinues  to  function  today  under  George  Weltnei 
president  of  Paramount  International  Corp. 

In  the  10  years  to  1926,  new  stars  wer 
steadily  being  built.  Among  the  more  impor 
tant  ones  developed  were  Bryant  Washburr 
Ethel  Clayton,  Lila  Lee,  Vivian  Martin,  Mar 
Miles  Minter,  Bebe  Daniels,  Betty  Compso: 
(Continued  on  Page  25) 


■5 


One  -Third 

of  a 

entury 


OF  INDUSTRY  SERVICE  >  >  > 


Thirty-Three  Years 
Of  History-c^aking  Hits>> 


•  Queen  Elizabeth 


♦  The  Girl  of  the  Golden  West 


•  Snow  White 


•  Rebecca  of  Sunnybrook  Farm 


Reaching  For  the  Moon 


•  The  Miracle  Man 


•  Humoresque 


•  The  Sheik 


Manslaughter 


•  When  Knighthood  Was  In  Flower     •  The  Covered  Wagon 


The  Ten  Commandments 


•  Beau  Geste 


•  It 


•  Speedy 


Wings 


A  Farewell  To  Arms 


Holiday  Inn 


Morocco 


•  The  Smiling  Lieutenant 


The  Big  Broadcast 


•  I'm  No  Angel 


•  Lives  of  A  Bengal  Lancer 


•  Trail  of  the  Lonesome  Pine 


•  North  West  Mounted  Police 


•  Reap  the  Wild  Wind 


•  For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls 


Going  My  Way 


•  incendiary  Blonde 


The  Most  Triumphant  Year 
In  Any  Company's  History. . 


Eight  1944 
Academy  Awards 
to  "Going  My  Way"  and 
Paramount  Shorts 


Paramount  Won  All  26  National  Best -Picture  Awards! 


A  year  that 
has  seen  Par- 
amount's  traditional 
leadership  overwhelm- 
ingly confirmed  by  an  unparalleled  flood  of  tributes 
from  exhibitors,  press,  and  public,  who  voted  Paramount 
the  winner  in  an  unprecedented  majority  of  the 
annual  polls  and  selections  of  the  year's  best  pictures, 
stars,  and  production.  fJWith  three-quarters  of  che 
nearly  one  hundred  major  national  awards  of  nineteen- 
forty-five  ....  six  times  as  many  as  any  other  company 

....  three  times  as  many  as 
all  other  companies  combined, 
Paramount  stands  unchallenged  as 

THE  WORLD'S 
MOST  HONORED  FILM  COMPANY 


Paramount  Won  Two-Thirds 
of  All  Best -Star  Awards! 


This  Great  Succession 
Of  1944-45  Hits... 


0^THlRD  OFACB^ 


AND  NOW  TOMORROW 


FRENCHMAN'S  CREEK* 
HERE  COME  THE  WAVES 


FOR  WHOM  THE  BELL  TOLLS 


Pop.  Price  Release 


Topping  biggest  Paramount 
Hits  in  Atlanta,  Frisco,  etc. 


PRACTICALLY  YOURS 
BRING  ON  THE  GIRLS* 
MURDER, HE  SAYS 
A  MEDAL  FOR  BENNY 


SALTY  O'ROURKE 


"Makes  us  proud  of  the  industry,' 
said  N.Y.  Mirror 


Nineteen-year  record  at  N.Y. 
Paramount  and  other  keys. 


THE  AFFAIRS  OF  SUSAN 


Nation's  Top-Grossing  Picture  I 


o 


C 


w 


aramoi 


A  PARAMOUNT  SHOW  ON  V 


1LGUST  26^1. 


•  ••••• 


planning  f 


fit 


V 


ntjMmth 


1y  screen 


35 

GREAT  DAYS 

35 

GREAT  STARS 


A  Month  To  Help  You 
Make  More  Money 

With  Great  Product  and  Pro- 
motion Just  When  You  Need  It! 


LAUNCHING  A  RICH 
8-MONTH  ARRAY  OF 
TREMENDOUS  AT- 
TRACTIONS THAT 
DIM  EVEN  THE  RE- 
SPLENDENT PAST  OF 
PARAMOUNT. . 


HEADED  BY... 


lit 


THE  GRAND  AND  GLORIOUS 
SENSATION  WE'VE  BEEN  SAVING 
For  The  Gala  Paramount  Month 

PREMIERE 

In  Hundreds  of  Coast-to-Coast  Openings 

PARAMOUNT  WEEK 
SEPT.  2-8 


V 


The  Gay  Days  and  Nights  of  the  Terrific 
Twenties  Blaze  With  Immortal  Lustre  In  This 
Vast  and  Vivid  Panorama  of  the  Life  and  Good 
Times  of  the  Queen  of  the  Night  Clubs,  Who 
Rose  From  Rodeo  Dare-devil  to  Rule  a  Reckless, 
Lawless  World  of  Fabulous  Revelry! . . .  All  the 
World  Knew  Her — All  Broadway  Loved  Her — 
Now  All  America  Will  Flock  To 

GIVE  THIS  LITTLE  GIRL 
HER  GREATEST  BIGGEST  HAND! 


>4 

u 


Starring 

Betty  Hutton 

As  Texas  Guinan 

In  the  performance  tli.it  establishes 
I         her  ;is  the  greatcsi  dramatic  *musica]  star 
the  s<  rccn  has  ever  known 

ARTURO 

De  Cordova 

With  A  Cast  Of  Thousands  Including 

CHARLES  RUGGLES 

ALBERT  DEKKER 
BARRY  FITZGERALD 

In  his  greatest  n>li"  since  "Going  My  Way" 
• 

14  Spectacular  Production  Scenes 

From  full-scale  Wild  West  Show  n> 
the  ["ops  in  Si.i|;l-  and  Night  <  Hub  Spei  tai  Ic 
• 

18  Famous  Songs 

Immortal  Favorites  Sung  and  Danced 
by  Betty  and  Her  Girls  as  They've  Never 
Been  Done  Before 


Directed  by  George  Marshall 

The  man  who  made  "Star  Spangled  Rhythm 
• 

Advertised  in  Full  Color  to  39  Million 

In  19  great  magazines  including 
"Life,"  "Saturday  Evening  Post,"  "Collier's 
"American  Weekly" 


11 


v  Phillip*,  Mtii  i;.. 


INCENDIARY 

In  Technicolor 


BLONDE 


"Boxoffice"  Speaks 
For  The  Entire 
Trade  Press . . . 

"'Incendiary  Blonde'  is 
liottei  ihnn  a  B-29  load 
oflircbombsl  Itsliould 
keep  theatre  turnstiles 
>  lii  king  fast  enough 
and  long  enough  to 

Ihhii  Mm  their  bei  gs 

.  .  .  Ii  mil  prove  the 
year's  top  grosser  in 
us  Held  -  ii  nut  in  com- 
petition with  the  Sim- 
*"n's entire  produi i . . . 
In  every  department 
...  Ii  is  a  triumphant 
job  of  picture  makingl" 


And  Here  Is 
The  Big 
6th  and  Final 
Block  for 

1944-  45   >  >  >  > 


"NO  SHOWMAN  COULD 
SIT  IN  THE  SAME  ROOM  WITH 
A  SCREENING  OF  THIS  PICTURE 
WITHOUT  KNOWING  HE'S  IN 

THE  PRESENCE  OF  A  HIT  .  .  . 

A  picture  that  leaves  no  doubt  in  any- 
body's mind  about  its  future ...  96  min- 
utes of  entertainment  without  a  surplus 

Second."       — Wm.  Weaver  in  M.P.  Herald 


It's  Bracken  Actin' 
But  it's  Bing  Singin' 
3  BIG  NEW  CROSBY  HITS 


But  Showmen's  Trade  Review  backs  you  up — 

"Urge  your  patrons  not  to  miss  it  .  .  . 
It  should  bring  them  in  in  droves." 

And  so  does  Motion  Picture  Daily  — 

"It's  really  out  of  this  world  . . .  Exhib- 
itors will  watch  grosses  hit  new  highs 
.  .  .  Leaves  the  audience  limp  with 
laughter." 

And  so  does  Boxoffice  — 

"It's  a  top-of-the-profit-sheet  hit  in  any 
theatre  where  it's  booked." 

And  so  will  — 


And  so  will—  ^tij 


J 


Starring 

EDDIE  BRACKEN 
VERONICA  LAKE 
DIANA  LYNN 

with 

CASS  DALEY 

Directed  by  HAL  WALKER 


He  Borrows  Bing's  Voice  — 
And  That  Other  Guy's  Bow  Tie  — 
To  Bring  You  The  Laugh- A-Minute 
Lowdown  on  the  Birth  of  "Swoon"! 


A  WORLD  OF  ENTERTAINMENT! 

With  the  Funniest,  Most  Novel  Musical  Story 
in  years — 

Scores  of  Heavenly  Honeys  in  Big  Song 
Numbers — 

25-Piece  All-Girl  Band  led  by  Diana  at  the 
Piano — 

7  Great  Songs  by  Johnny  .Mercer  and  Harold 
Arlen,  and  Others — 

The  Four  Crosby  Kids  Kidding  Crosby — 

And  Five  Famous  Kings  of  the  Keyboard  to- 
gether in  one  tremendous  number — 

CARMEN  CAVALLARO  •  TED  FIORITO 
HENRY  KING    .    RAY  NOBLE 
JOE  REICHMAN 


Screen  Play  by  Walter  DeLeon  and  Arthur  Phillips 
Based  on  Stories  by  Elizabeth  Meehan  and  Sam  Coslow 


HERE'S  TO  THE  FOUR  OF  US...  BOTTOMS  UP!" 
. . .  and  here's  to  this  gay  and  tender  love  story  paced 
to  the  fast-moving  tempo  of  our  times! 


Aug  26  toS«pf-29 
PARAMOUNT 
MONTH  


*NE 

THIRD  OF  A 
CENTURY... 


Robert^Cummings^Lizabeth  Scott 

Don  DeFore 

in  HAL  WALLIS'  Production 

"ifo* 0rf 

with  CHARLES  DRAKE  •  JULIE  BISHOP  •  Kim  Hunter  .  Helen  Forrest 
Directed  by  John  Farrow  •  Screen  Play  by  Robert  Smith  and  Ayn  Rand  •  A  Paramount  Picture 


And 
the  3rd 
6th- 
Block 
Attrac- 
tion 


GARY  MADELEINE 

COOPER  •  CARROLL 


€11 

NORTH  WES 
MOUNTED 

jnfechnicoIor 

PAULETTE  G00DARO 

PStSIOH  fOSTES  ROBffT  PRESTOK 

um  r»Mi«off  m  chukei ,.  , 
auTt.  Sliu 


Specially 
Released 
for 

Paramount 
Month! 


Plus 

These 
Two  Big 
Reissues 


ALAN  LADD  VERONICA  LAKE 


ton  op 

ROBERT  PHESrOH 


And  the  Industry's  Most  Pop- 
ular Shorts  Lineup,  Held  Over 
for  a  3rd  Hit  Year  ! 
9  SERIES  OF  62 


P 


aramount 


norts 

75%  IN  COLOR 
And  the  Greatest  News  of  All— 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS 


HEN 


TO  HOLD  AND  R 
FOR  YOU,  WE  WI\ 


Launching  Paramour 


One  of  Radio's  Greatest  Shows 
Brought  to  the  Screen  in  Para- 
mount's  StarSpangled  Manner! 

Ed  Gardner's 

DUFFY'S 
TAVERN 

34  STARS  including  . .  . 


LADD  ■  LAMOUR  •  BRACKEN 
TUFTS  •  LAKE  •  FITZGERALD 

And  Archie  (Himself)  ED  GARDNER 


All-New  Production  of  One  of 
the  Screen's  Most  Famous  Hits 

Owen  Wister's 

THE 

VIRGINIAN 

In  Technicolor 

Starring 

JOEL  McCREA 
BRIAN  DONLEVY 
SONNY  TUFTS 


From  the  Best-Seller 
That  Was  Talked  About 
in  Whispers 

RAY  MILLANO 
JANE  WYMAN  in 

THE  LOST 
WEEKEND] 


FROM  THE  COMPANY  TH. 


THE  PRESTIGE  AND  EXTRA  PATRONAGE  PARAMOUNT  MONTH  WILL  CREATE 
LOW  IT  RIGHT  UP  WITH  AN  UNBROKEN  SUCCESSION  OF  SUPERB  ATTRACTIONS 

Greatest  Program  For  the  1945 -'46  Season 


JENNIFER  JONES 
JOSEPH  in 
Hal  Walls'  Production 

LOVE 
LETTERS 

yiWith  Ann  Richards, 
Cecil  Kellaway,  Gladys 
yCooper.  Anita  Louise 


More  Socko 
Than  "Morocco"! 


BOB  HOPE 


ROAD  TO 
UTOPIA 


The  Fame  and  Fun 

and  Fashion  of  the  World's 

Most  Famous  Niterv — 

BETTY  HUTTON  in 
THE  STORK 

CLUB 

AB.  G.  DeSylva  Production 
BURY  FITZGERALD 


From  the  Best-Selling  Story  of 
the  Ravishing  Redhead  Who 
Made  History  Every  Night! 

PAULETTE  GODDARD 
RAY  MIELAND  in 

KITTY 

A  Mitchell  Lessen  Production 

With  Patric  Knowles. 
Reginald  Owen 


VERONICA  LAKE 
BONNY  TOFTS 


MISS  SUSIE 
SLAGLE'S 

I  With  Lillian  Gish,  Billy  De Wolfe 


One  of  the  Most  Beloved 
Adventure  Stories  in  All 
Literature,  Brought  to 
the  Screen  at  Last! 

TWO  YEARS 
BEFORE 
THE  MAST 

Starring 

ALAN  LADD 


BARRY  FITZGERALD 


S  BEEN  "ENTERTAINING  THE  WORLD  FOR  ONE  THIRD  OF  A  CENTURY" 


•  •  • 

Special  Half-Hour 

COAST-TO-COAST 
PARAMOUNT 
PROGRAM 


Aug.  27th— 8  P.  M.  E.W.T. 
Over  127  C.B.S.  Stations 
With  Ten  Million  Listeners 

ENTIRE  VOX  POP  PROGRAM 
Featuring 

BOB  HOPE 

Will  Be  Devoted  To 
Paramount's  Third-of-a-Century 
And  Paramount  Month  Pictures! 


Paramount's  Third-of-a-Century 
Will  Be  Featured  Also  In 

HUNDREDS  OF  CHAIN- 
BREAK  AND  SPOT 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 


41  FULL  PAGES 
IN  COLOR 

And  18  Full  Columns 
Totalling  67,778,442  Ads 

Will  Advertise 
"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 
and  PARAMOUNT  MONTH 

In  These  Great  August  and 
September  Magazines 


AND  14  FAN  MAGAZINES 


Mm 


SPECIAL 
SUPER-TRAILER- 
FREE! 

A  Real  Attraction  In  Itself  Is. 
This  Brilliant  Short  Short  Packed 
With  Entertaining  Facts  About' 

PARAMOUNT  STARS 

Exciting  News  of 

9  COMING  ATTRACTION 

Announcement  of 

PARAMOUNT  MONTH 

And  A  Tie-In  With 

YOUR  THEATRE 

*   *  * 

If  you  haven't  already  booked 
this  great  screen  salesman,  ask 
your  exchange  for  it  today — 

FREE! 


Coosf. 

Par^  intensive 


au 


NE 

THIRD  OF  A 

CENTURY... 


Mm  ^ 


111 

S\\0\\  \XV\.C$^ 


(esday,  July  17,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


25 


» A II  AMOUNT — 1912  to  1945 


{Continued  from  page  4) 


ii  May  McAvoy.  Jack  Holt,  Agnes  Ayres, 
>rothy  Dalton  and  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  came 
o  prominence  and  Rudolph  Valentino  and 
la  Negri  took  the  film  world  by  storm. 
\  ictor  Fleming,  James  Cruze  and  Herbert 
enon  became  prominent  directors  of  the  com- 
my,  and  George  Melford,  still  remembered  for 
-  w  ork  on  "The  Sheik,"  was  turning  out  box- 
ice  successes. 

In  1926  the  need  for  expansion  became  so 
perative  that  it  was  decided  to  move  to  new 
arters.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  the 
esent  26  acre  plant  on  Marathon  St.  in  Holly- 
bod  was  purchased  from  the  old  United 
udios,  rebuilt  and-  re-equipped,  and  the  com- 
ny  moved  to  its  new  quarters.  But  the  old 
'rn  at  Vine  and  Selma  was  not  forgotten.  It 
i>  transported  bodily  to  the  new  Marathon 
.  studios  and  refurnished  as  a  studio  gym- 
sitim.   •  ■ 

B.  P.  Schulberg,  one  of  Zukor's  original  film 
sociates,  joined  the  company  as  a  production 
ecutive  at  this  time,  and  new  stars  whose 
mes  were  beginning  to  mean  big  things  in- 
uded  Raymond  Griffith,  Florence  Vidor,  Wal- 
:e  Beery,  Raymond  Hatton,  Clara  Bow, 
iiarles  ('"Buddy")  Rogers,  Richard  Aden  and 
ary  Cooper. 

In  1926  Famous  Players-Lasky  purchased 
ulaban  &  Katz,  powerful  Chicago  and  Mid- 
"tst  exhibiting  chain,  and  with  Balaban  and 
itz  tied  all  its  other  theatres  into  a  new  sub- 
iJiary  corporation  called  Publix.  Sam  Katz, 
no  had  owned  and  directed  theatres  for  years, 
as  put  at  the  head  of  this  new  corporation, 
hich  owned  or  controlled  about  1,600  theatres. 

xecutive  Roster  Grows 

On  April  1,  1927,  the  name  of  Famous  Play- 
!s-Lasky  Corp.  was  changed  to  Paramount- 
mious-Lasky  Corp.  because  of  the  growing 
|iportance  of  Paramount  in  the  interlocking 
rporate  setup,  and  three  years  later,  on  April 
■,  1930,  the  name  was  once  more  changed,  to 
uamount  Publix  Corp.,  to  include  the  name 
the  theatre  circuit. 

.Many  of  the  most  able  men  in  the  business  at 
lat  time  were  enlisted  under  the  Publix  banner, 
atz  headed  the  theatre  setup,  the  late  Sidney 
.  Kent  presided  over  distribution  and  Lasky 
7er  production,  supervising  Schulberg  in  Hol- 
wood  and  Walter  Wanger  at  the  Long  Island 
:udio. 

John  Hertz,  who  had  become  a  millionaire 
rough  his  Chicago  taxi  operations,  accepted 
i  invitation  to  join  Paramount  Publix  and 
dp  the  company  fight  the  depression.  He  be- 
ime  chairman  of  the  corporation's  finance 
mimittee  in  November,  1931,  and  reorganized 
e  financial  structure  of  the  various  corpora- 
Jus,  re-establishing  the  company  on  a  sound 
oting  according  to  then-existing  conditions, 
ertz  resigned  in  1932  and  the  company  en- 
red  a  period  of  reorganization  which  contin- 
;d  until  the  summer  of  1935,  when  Paramount 
ictures,  Inc.,  came  into  being,  taking  over  all 
sets  and  physical  properties  of  the  previous 
irporations. 

Following  this  reorganization,  John  E.  Otter- 
in  assumed  the  presidency  on  June  4,  1935, 
id  served  until  July  2,  1936,  when  Barney 
alaban  became  president. 

About  the  time  that  Balaban  became  presi- 
nt,  Stanton  Griffis,  a  leader  in  both  the  enter  - 
inment  and  financial  fields,  was  elected  chair- 
ran-of  Paramount's  executive  committee.  Y. 
rank  Freeman,  who  had  joined  the  company 
i  1933  to  take  charge  of  its  vast  real  estate 
oldings  and  had  later  been  placed  in  charge  of 


national  theatre  operations,  became  vice-presi- 
dent and  a  director  in  1936. 

In  December,  1938,  Freeman  transferred  his 
activities  from  the  New  York  office  to  Holly- 
wood as  vice-president  in  charge  of  studio  op- 
erations. 

Freeman  was  joined  in  his  new  production 
endeavors  by  B.  G.  (Buddy)  DeSylva,  who  be- 
came executive  producer  of  the  Hollywod  stu- 
dio. Freeman,  who  had  devoted  most  of  his 
life  to  theatre  operation  and  executive  activities, 
and  DeSylva,  who  had  started  as  a  song  writer 
and  became  successful  in  producing  stage  plays 
and  films,  assembled  and  directed  the  staff 
which  has  given  Paramount  the  longest  and 
most  successful  list  of  motion  pictures  in  its 
history. 

The  pace  set  by  the  production  department 
was  measured  by  the  other  three  broad  divisions 
of  corporation  activities — distribution,  exhibi- 
tion and  foreign.  The  distribution  department 
was  headed  by  Neil  F.  Agnew  until  March, 
1944,  when  Charles  Reagan,  for  years  chief 
aide  to  Agnew,  became  general  sales  manager. 
Direction  of  exhibition,  relinquished  by  Free- 
man later,  was  taken  over  by  Leonard  H.  Gold- 
enson,  and  foreign  operations  were  under  the 
guidance  of  John  W.  Hicks,  Jr.,  until  his  death 
last  June,  when  Weltner  took  over. 

Through  these  recent  years  vice-president 
Austin  C.  Keough  has  been  head  of  the  com- 
pany's legal  department.  Robert  M.  Gillham 
has  served  as  director  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity. A.  J.  Richard  has  guided  the  activities 
of  Paramount  Newsreel  and  other  veteran  spe- 
cialists have  brought  their  varied  talents  to  the 
maintenance  of  Paramount  activities. 

In  the  new  field  of  television  Paramount  also 
has  taken  a  leading  part,  holding  a  controlling 
interest  in  Allen  B.  DuMont  Laboratories,  pio- 
neers in  television  research.  Whatever  appli- 
cation television  may  have  in  the  field  of  enter- 
tainment, Paramount  expects  to  play  a  part  in 
developing  this  new  medium  and  bringing  it  to 
audiences  throughout  the  world. 

While  the  past  three  years  have  seen  Para- 
mount Pictures  turn  out  many  hit  films,  ranging 
in  type  from  the  roaring  comedy,  "The  Miracle 
of  Morgan's  Creek"  to  films  of  the  calibre  of 


"Wake  Island"  and  "For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls," 
the  years  from  1937  to  1941  had  many  suc- 
cesses. The  1937  releases  included  "Souls  at 
Sea,"  "Wells  Fargo,"  "The  Buccaneer,"  and  the 
first  of  the  Dorothy  Lamour  "sarong"  films, 
"Her  Jungle  Love."  The  next  year  saw  an- 
other string,  including  such  well-remembered 
attractions  as  "Men  With  Wings,"  "Sing  You 
Sinners"  and  "If  I  Were  King." 

The  following  year  brought  still  another  list 
of  successful  films  such  as  "Midnight,"  with 
Claudette  Colbert;  "Man  About  Town";  Cecil 
B.  DeMille's  "Union  Pacific,"  a  popular  remake 
of  "Beau  Geste,"  with  Gary  Cooper,  and  "The 
Star  Maker,"  with  Bing  Crosby. 

First  "Road"  Film  in  '40 

In  1940,  Paramount  made  the  first  of  the 
famous  "Road"  pictures,  "Road  to  Singapore" 
starring  Crosby,  Bob  Hope  and  Miss  Lamour 
and  "Buck  Benny  Rides  Again,"  "Love  Thy 
Neighbor"  and  "North  West  Mounted  Police." 

In  1941  five  Technicolor  films,  "Virginia," 
"I  Wanted  Wings,"  "Shepherd  of  the  Hills," 
"Aloma  of  the  South  Seas"  and  "Louisiana 
Purchase"  were  released.  Also  on  the  1941  list, 
in  black-and-white,  were  "The  Lady  Eve,"  "The 
Road  to  Zanzibar,"  "Caught  in  the  Draft," 
"Nothing  But  the  Truth"  and  "Birth  of  the 
Blues." 

"The  Fleet's  In,"  "My  Favorite  Blonde," 
"Reap  the  Wild  Wind,"  "Beyond  the  Blue 
Horizon,"  "Take  a  Letter,  Darling,"  "Holiday 
Inn,"  "Wake  Island,"  "The  Major  and  the 
Minor,"  "Forest  Rangers,"  and  "Road  to  Mo- 
rocco," were  the  company's  1942  leaders. 

In  1943  came  "Happy  Go  Lucky,"  "Star- 
Spangled  Rhythm,"  "Five  Graves  to  Cairo," 
"Dixie,"  "China,"  "So  Proudly  We  Hail,"  "Let's 
Face  It,"  "For  Whom  the  Bell  Tolls"  and  "Rid- 
ing High." 

Last  year  saw  "The  Miracle  of  Morgan's 
Creek,"  "Standing  Room  Only,"  "Lady  in  the 
Dark,"  "The  Hitler  Gang"  and  "Going  My 
Way,"  one  of  the  greatest  successes  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  industry,  at  the  top  of  the  list. 

In  two  or  three  years  Paramount  has  brought 
to  stardom  or  near  stellar  heights  14  new  per- 
sonalities— Alan  Ladd,  Betty  Hutton,  Veronica 
Lake,  Sonny  Tufts,  Eddie  Bracken,  Arturo  de 
Cordova,  Katina  Paxinou,  Marjorie  Reynolds, 
Gail  Russell,  Diana  Lynn,  Barbara  Britton, 
Helen  Walker,  James  Brown  and  Bill  Edwards. 


EXPONENTS  OF  PRODUCTION  POWER 


Three  of  Paramount's  contributing  producers  —  Cecil  B.  DeMille,  industry 
veteran,  long  has  been  associated  with  the  company.  B.  G.  DeSylva,  one-time 
productidn  chief,  now  heads  his  own  unit  releasing  through  Paramount; 
"Stork  Club"  is  his  first.  Hal  B.  Wallis  likewise  heads  his  own  company  in 
association  with  Joseph  H.  Hazen,  and  distributes  through  the  company. 


26 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  July  17,  19 


CELEBRATION  TIES  TO  SEVEN  FILMS 


Button  Vehicle 
Heads  the  List 

ROUNDING  out  a  third  of  a  century  in  the 
industry,  Paramount  will  observe  the  oc- 
casion with  a  "Paramount  Month"  Aug. 
26  to  Sept.  29  during  which  it  will  call  attention 
to  seven  attractions  ready  for  release. 

Special  radio  broadcasts,  visits  to  key  centers 
by  Paramount  stars,  extra  advertising  cam-  - 
paigns,  special  trailers  and  various  other  media 
of  publicity  will  be  used  during  "Paramount 
Month"  in  bringing  to  the  attention  of  both 
exhibitors  and  theatre  patrons  the  box-office 
attractions  which  the  company  has  ready. 

Heading  the  company's  list  is  the  Techni- 
color production,  "Incendiary  Blonde,"  in 
which  Betty  Hutton  is  starred  in  the  role  of  the 
late  Texas  Guinan,  with  Arturo  de  Cordova  in 
the  male  romantic  lead  and  Barry  Fitzgerald 
giving  a  performance  described  as  being  on 
parity  with  his  Academy  award  winning  por- 
trayal in  "Going  My.. Way."  George  Marshall 
directed.  One  week  in  "Paramount  Month" 
will  be  observed  as  "Incendiary  Blonde  Week" 
with  a  special  campaign  in  its  behalf. 

Another  release  will  be  "Medal  for  Benny," 
with  Dorothy  Lamour,  de  Cordova  and  J.  Car- 
rol Naish.  The  story  is  by  John  Steinbeck  and 
Jack  Wagner,  while  "the  cast  includes  Mikhail 
Rasmuny  and  Frank  McHugh.  Frank  Butler, 
co-author  of  "Going  My  Way,"  wrote  the 
screenplay.  Paul  Jones  produced  and  Irving 
Pichel  directed. 

New  Bracken  Film 

"Out  of  This  World,"  a  musical  romance 
with  comedy,  stars  Eddie  Bracken,  who  scored 
as  a  comedian  in  "The  Miracle  of  Morgan's 
Creek,"  "Hail  the  Conquering  Hero"  and 
"Bring  on  the  Girls."  Diana  Lynn  and  Veroni- 
ca Lake  have  the  top  feminine  roles.  Sam  Cos- 
low  produced  and  Hal  Walker  directed. 

"You  Came  Along"  will  give  theatres  their 
first  glimpse  of  Lizabeth  Scott,  with  Robert 
Cummings  co-starring.  Miss  Scott  was  dis- 
covered by  Hal  B.  Wallis,  who  produced  the 
film  as  his  third  for  .Paramount  but  second  in 
release.    John  Farrow  directed. 

Yet  another  release  will  be  "Midnight  Man- 
hunt," a  Pine-Thomas  production  with  William 
Gargan  and  Ann  Savage  which  William  C. 
Thomas  directed. 

Final  releases  will  be  the  reissued  "North- 
west Mounted  Police,"  Cecil  B.  De  Mille  pro- 
duction starring  Gary  Cooper  and  Madeline 
Carroll,  and  "This  Gun  for  Hire,"  Alan  Ladd's 
first  important  clicker. 


THEY  HELP  REAGAN  IX  SELLIXf 


C.  J.  SCOLLARD 
Executive  Ass't 
to  Reagan 


WILLIAM  ERBB 
Eastern  Division 


HUGH  OWEN 
N.  Y.,  Southern 


JAMES  J.  DONOHUE 
Central 


GEORGE  A.  SMITH 
Western 


GORDON  LIGHTSTOft 
Canadian 


Clark  and  Usher 
are  serving  as 
captains  during 
"Paramount 
Month"  and  the 
"One-Third-of- 
A-Century" 
Celebration 


M.  R.  CLARK 
Dallas  District 


ALLEN  USHER 
Chicago 


A.  M.  KANE 
Boston 


E.  W.  SWEIGERT 
Philadelphia 


JACK  KIRBY 
Atlanta 


H.  H.  GOLDSTEIN 
Cleveland 


DEL  GOODMAN 
Los  Angeles 


HUGH  BRALY 
Denver 


R.  C.  LI  BEAU 
Kansas  City 


esday,  July  17,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


j-G-M  to  Continue 
jliding- Scale  in 
\\p  Sales  Policy 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
|iy's  sales  policy,  Rodgers  told  the 
eting  that  the  company  will  re-class- 
ic pictures  whenever  supporting  facts 
:  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
npany  which  show  the  re-classifica- 
n  to  be  warranted, 
["he  M-G-M  sales  executives  were 
itioned  to  do  all  possible  to  resolve 
Itaplaints   and  grievances  by  inde- 
lulent  action,  not  permitting  them  to 
jogress   to   arbitration  complaints. 
Proposed  new  theatres  are  not  to  be 
fren  assurance  of  any  specific  avail- 
Hity  and  runs  or  accounts  are  not 
!  be  changed,  nor  applications  signed, 
jthout  authorization  from  the  gen- 
ital sales  manager,  the  meeting  was 
vised. 


166,027,000 ft.  of  Raw  Film 
Allocated  to  Independents 


-G-M  to  Open  District 
eetings  in  Chicago 

|Chicago,  July  16. —  A  two-day 
Jes  conference  of  district  and  ex- 
ange  managers  of  M-G-M's  West- 
n  division  will  open  at  the  Black- 
one  Hotel  here  tomorrow,  presided 
•er  by  John  E.  Flynn,  Western 
Jles  manager. 

,oew,  M-G-M  Will 
Exchange  Staffs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

•  mutual  invitations  between  Arthur 
'..  Loew,  president  of  Loew's  Inter- 
Iflitional,     foreign     distributors  of 
Bj'-G-M    Pictures,    and    William  F. 
Miodgers,   vice-president   and  general 
[fj  ks  manager  of  M-G-M. 
Ill  Rodgers  announced  the  interchange 
9H(an  at  the  concluding  session  of  the 
inference   of   district   and  national 
J()}  Itles    executives    at    the  Blackstonc 
otel,    Chicago,    and   it   was  made 
liown  from  the  home  office,  here, 
;sterday. 

industry  Dinner  to 
Yack  Cohn  Sept.  27 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

>embow,  Jr.,  Joseph  Bernhard,  J. 
Valter  Rubin,  J.  M.  Seidelman. 
barles  Moskowitz,  Abe  Schneider, 
laurice  Silverstone,  Abe  Montague, 
!.  S.  Moss,  Herman  Robbins,  Samuel 
iinzler,  Marcus  Heiman,  Max  Gor- 
on  and  Jules  Brulatour. 

Also :  Max  A.  Cohen,  Emil  Fried- 
lander,  Louis  Bernstein,  Red  Kann, 
'hick  Lewis,"  William  Klein,  Jack 
-lills,  Lep  Friedman,  George  F.  Dem- 
(ow,  Budd  Rogers,  Manny  Sachs, 
i)avid  Weinstock,  and  Al  Senft  for 
,"inema  Lodge  of  B'Nai  B'rith. 


Industry  Is  Blamed 
Again  in  Congress 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ice  of  War  Information  appropria- 
ion. 

Relating  some  of  the  questions 
lsked  him  regarding  our  films  while 
i  e  was  in  Europe  and  the  East,  Rep- 
resentative Everett  M.  Dirksen,  Illi- 
l  j  ois,  declared  that  one  of  the  tasks 
Honfronting  the  Office  of  War  In- 
■ormation  was  to  counteract  erroneous 
Htiews  of  American  life  derived  from 
:ertain  types  of  pictures,  as  for  in- 
tance  in  Ceylon,  where  Tarzan  pic- 
tures left  the  impression  "we  were 
till  flitting  from  tree  to  tree." 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

consisting  of  producers  who  have  been 
in  continuous  operation  since  1940 ;  13 
in  group  No.  II,  who  have  produced 
more  than  one  picture  since  1940,  but 
have  not  produced  pictures  every  year, 
and  11  in  group  No.  Ill,  who  have 
produced  at  least  one  picture  since 
1941  or  have  produced  pictures  inter- 
mittently during  the  past  ten  years. 

In  the  event  of  supply  difficulties, 
group  No.  I  producers  would  have  a 
priority  over  those  in  groups  No.  II 
and  No.  Ill  and  group  No.  II  pro- 
ducers would  have  priority  over  group 
No.  III. 

The  conditions  accompanying  the 
grants  of  raw  stock  provide  that  pro- 
ducers will  be  allocated  film  only  as 
they  require  it  for  production  and  dis- 
tribution, and  if  not  used  by  the  pro- 
ducer to  whom  allocated  it  will  be 
transferred  to  others  within  the  inde- 
pendent group. 

Comparison  Cited 

It  was  pointed  out  that  the  quotas 
set  up.  exceed  160,000,000  feet  for  the 
year,  whereas  the  total  film  stock 
available  for  independents  is  approxi- 
mately 110,000,000  feet. 

"This  means,  therefore,"  it  was  ex- 
plained by  Adams  in  a  letter  to  the 
producers,  "that  if  all  others  qualify- 
ing require  film  for  production  or  dis- 
tribution within  the  next  12  months, 
those  independent  producers  who  were 
qualified  as  producers  of  more  than 
two  pictures  a  year  will  be  required 
to  take  a  reduction  in  their  allotments 
in  order  to  keep  within  the  allotment 
made  for  the  independent  group." 

The  allocation  for  each  of  the  in- 
dependents is  shown  in  the  following 
table : 

GROUP  I  Linear  Feet 

Walt  Disney  Prod   12,000,000 

Samuel  Goldwyn    12,500,000 

Scl  Lerser    7,000,000 

E  J  ward  Small    10,650,000 

Harry  Sherman    11,150,000 

Eagle-Lion  Films,  Inc   5,200,000 


GROUP  II  Linear  Feet 

Edward  A.  Golden   3,000,000 

Charles  R.  Rogers   6,000,003 

Benedict  Bogeaus    3,450,000 

Wa'ter  Colmos    3,200,000 

International  Pictures,  Inc   .  15,000,000' 

AnJrew  Stone    3,000,000 

Lester  Cowan   4,000I,CO» 

Cagney  Productions    4,000,0*3 

David  Selznick  (Vanguard)   15,000,033' 

Hunt  Stromberg    5,150,00<il 

Seymour  Nebenzal    3,500,003 

Jack  Skirball    7,600,003 

Arnold  Pressburger    4,150,000 


GROUP  III  Linear  Feet 

Constance  Bennett    2,575,000 

Charles  House    920,003 

Howard  Hughes  and  California 

Pictures   5,787,003 

Jules  Levy    4,000,000 

David  Loew    4,000,000 

Morey  and  Sutherland  Prod. 

(plastic  cartoons)    848,000 

Mary  Pickford    5,000,000 

Producers  Corporation  of  America 

(Sig  Schlager)    3,400,000 

Ripley  Monter  Productions   1,375,000 

William  Rowland  Productions    1,432,000 

William  Ailder   1,140,000 

Decision  as  to  the  dropping  of  raw 
stock  allocations  at  the  end  of  this 
quarter  will  .not  be  announced  by  the 
War  Production  Board  until  Septem 
ber,  it  was  disclosed  today  by  Adams. 

Adams  told  a  press  conference  that 
while  meetings  of  the  interested  indus 
try  advisory  committees  will  be  held 
next  month  to  talk  the  situation  over, 
they  themselves  will  not  then  be  ad 
vised  of  the  Board's  decision,  which 
he  pointed  out  can  be  definitely  reached 
only  after  all  the  estimates  of  require 
ments  are  in  and  checked. 

There  will  be  three  meetings,  one 
on  Aug.  13  of  the  film  manufacturers, 
another  the  following  day  of  advertis- 
ing and  industrial  producers,  and  final 
ly,  on  Aug.  IS,  of  motion  picture  pro 
ducers. 


No  Extra  Footage 
For  Color  Wastage 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

peals  from  producers  for  additional  al- 
lowances. 

The  increase  in  wastage  is  under- 
stood to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
laboratories  have  been  picketed  and 
few  workers  have  been  willing  to 
cross  the  picket  lines,  although  the 
processors  themselves  have  no  wast- 
age in  production  and  printing  of 
Technicolor  pictures  has  increased 
greatly. 

In  his  letter,  Adams  emphasized 
that  there  is  no  additional  film  avail- 
able to  cover  the  current  increased 
wastage  in  regular  theatrical  releases. 
In  the  case  of  Army  and  Navy  credits 
for  all  pictures  that  are  on  a  100  per 
cent  basis,  however,  sufficient  raw 
stock  will  be  made  available  out  of  the 
reserve  setup  for  the  purpose  to  take 
care  of  the  increased  wastage  on  any 
Technicolor  print. 

The  credits  for  the  Antilles  Depart- 
ment will  remain  unchanged,  at  75  per 
cent,  he  said,  but  the  credits  for  the 
Army  Motion  Picture  Service  will 
be  cut  back  from  a  50  to  a  45  per 
cent  basis,  temporarily,  to  insure 
raw  stock  for  the  reserve. 


U.S.  Will  Not  Act 
On  Rosewelt  Appeal 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
their  motion  was  dismissed  without 
prejudice  by  Judge  Henry  W.  God 
dard  because  a  private  party  cannot 
seek  to  enforce  a  decree  in  a  Govern- 
ment suit.  In  his  order,  Goddard  sug 
gested  that  the  company  submit  the 
matter  to  the  Attorney  General,  which 
it  did  immediately. 

A  spokesman  for  the  Department 
said  today  that  the  matter  had  been 
"exhaustively  studied"  by  Robert  L 
Wright,  chief  of  the  film  unit,  who 
reached  the  decision  that  the  dis 
tributors'  action  did  not  constitute 
contempt,  and  that  the  department  ac 
cordingly  would  take  no  action  in 
the  matter. 


Riskin  OWI  Consultant 

Hollywood,  July  16. — Robert  Ris 
kin,  who  recently  resigned  as  director 
of  the  Office  of"  War  Information's 
overseas  film  bureau  to  enter  indepen 
dent  production,  has  accepted  the  ex 
officio  post  of  special  consultant  to  the 
OWI  in  Hollywood. 


British  Films 
To  Cost  Less, 
Declares  Rank 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

his  organization  at  present  are  costing 
too  much  and  must  cost  much  less. 

An  American  gross  of  $10,000,000 
has  been  predicted  for  "Caesar  and 
Cleopatra"  by  an  American  distribu- 
tion expert,  Rank  said.  Present  plans 
call  for  releasing  "Henry  V"  as  a 
road-show  attraction  before  general 
release  in  this  country,  Rank  declared. 
Both  of  these  films  are  to  go  through 
UA  release. 

Rank  said  that  his  organizaiton  has 
about  20  stars  which  it  intends  to  pro- 
mote during  the  next  two  or  three 
years  to  make  them  international 
figures. 

Discussing  the  results  of  his  Ameri- 
can visit,  Rank  said  that  he  has 
learned  something  about  the  tastes  of 
the  American  public  and  intends  to  be 
guided  by  it.  He  stressed  that  he  in- 
tends to  move  slowly,  adding  that  he 
had  no  plans  to  flood  the  American 
market  with  his  pictures.  The  seven- 
picture  deal  made  with  UA  provides 
for  an  option  on  three  more.  He  said 
that  20th  Century-Fox,  which  is  now 
releasing  "The  Way  Ahead"  for  the 
Rank  organization,  has  no  deal  to  re- 
lease a  second  picture  and  explained 
that  there  are  four  pictures  for  which 
he  had  not  yet  arranged  American 
distribution.  The  new  deal  with  RKO 
is  presently  for  two  films  to  be  made 
in  England,  he  said,  but  it  might  de- 
velop into  something  "bigger  than 
that,"  according  to  Rank. 

Adopt  PCA  Standards 

During  his  visit  to  Hollywood, 
Rank  said  that  he  conferred  with 
Joseph  Breen,  head  of  the  Production 
Code  Administration  and  that  the 
British  producers  intend  to  keep  with- 
in the  code.  He  said  that  he  did  not 
have  time  to  set  definite  arrangements 
for  submission  of  pictures  for  PCA 
seals. 

American  producers  going  to  En- 
gland to  make  pictures  will  eventually 
be  able  to  join  the  British  Producers 
Association  since  the  objections  they 
take  to  the  by-laws  of  the  association 
as  being  unsuitable  in  that  they  touch 
upon  quotas,  will  probably  be  altered, 
Rank  predicted. 

Rank  said  that  he  would  probably 
made  another  visit  to  America  in 
about  12  months.  Rank  was  flanked 
by  his  associates,  Barrington  Gain, 
John  Davis  and  G.  I.  Woodham- 
Smith,  who  are  returning  to  England 
with  him.  Gain  and  Davis  indicated 
that  they  might  return  to  the  United 
States  in  a  few  months,  Davis  saying 
by  October. 


Capt.  Auten  Heads 
Rank's  Eagle-Lion 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

vice-president  and  member  of  the 
board,  will  be  in  charge  of  Eagle-Lion 
affairs  in  the  U.  S. 

Rank  has  been  elected  president 
and  chairman  of  the  board  of  Eagle- 
Lion.  Other  members  of  the  board 
are  Hugh  N.  W.  Ronalds  and  Ralph 
E.  Reynolds,  the  latter  also  serving  as 
secretary  of  Eagle-Lion  William 
Burnside  will  continue  as  Hollywood 
representative  of  the  company. 


IOL.  58.  NO.  12 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JULY  18,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


;06  Would  Do 
[tiring  of  N.Y. 
projectionists 


xhibitors  Would  Lose 
^ontrol  of  Operators 


IATSE  New  York  Motion  Pic- 
re  Machine  Operators  Local  No. 
<>  is  attempting  to  take  away  the 
ght  of  film  companies  and  exhibi- 
ts here  to  select  a  particular  pro- 
ctionist  they  wish  to  employ  from 
e  union  and  substitute  instead  a  pro- 
lure  whereby  the  union  would  do 
ie  selecting. 

For  this  purpose,  Local  306  is 
understood  to  have  amended  its 
constitution  to  provide  that  no 
contracts  in  the  future  may 
contain  provisions  permitting 
an  exhibitor  or  film  company  to 
request  certain  projectionists 
from  the  union's  lists  of  avail- 
abilities. 

The  film  companies  have  already 
een  confronted   with   this  demand. 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


lepinet  Sets 
t  Meetings 


RKO  Radio  will,  like  other  distrib- 
:ors,  this  year  forego  its  annual  sales 
mvention  in  favor  of  four  small  re- 
.onal  meetings,  reported  Ned.E.  De- 
net,  president,  yesterday.  The  pe- 
od  of  August  6-22  will  be  devoted  to 
ie  sessions,  at  which  sales  policies 
id  new  product  will  be  disclosed. 

The  meetings  will  be  held  in  New 
ork,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  and  Los 
ngeles,   at   which   winners    of  the 

945  Ned  E.  Depinet  Drive"  will  be 
inounced.  Robert  Mochrie,  general 
kles  manager,  will  head  the  small 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


1  from  Monogram; 
£1,600,000  Loan 


Del  Mar,  Cal,  July  17.— A  sched- 
le  of  41  features  for  next  season  was 
utlined  by  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 
ice-president  and  general  sales  man- 
ger, at  the  company's  regional  sales 
leeting  here  today,  while  George  D. 
;urrows,  vice-president  and  treasur- 
-",  revealed  a  new  agreement  assuring 
1,600,000  credit  facilities  for  loans 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Canada  Lifts  Ban 
On  Bank  Nights 

Toronto,  July  17.— J.  R. 
Croft,  Administrator  of  Serv- 
ices, Wartime  Prices  and 
Trade  Board,  has  issued  an 
order  permitting  Canadian 
theatres  to  again  use  premi- 
ums as  patronage  boosters  or 
to  contract  for  "Bank  Nights" 
even  where  exhibitors  had 
not  made  use  of  such  features 
at  the  time  of  the  1941  basic 
period  for  government  control 
of  the  exhibition  of  films. 
One  exception  is  that  thea- 
tres are  not  allowed  to  use 
dishes  or  crockery  for  give- 
aways because  of  the  short 
supply  of  ceramics  for  homes 
and  restaurants. 


Beaches  Here 
Lose  to  First 
Run  Theatres 


Award  to  Fleming 
For  His  Penicillin 


Sir  Alexander  Fleming,  discoverer 
of  penicillin,  will  be  the  recipient  on 
Wednesday,  July  25,  of  the  'Humani- 
tarian Award  for  1944,'  conferred  each 
year  by  the  Variety  Clubs  of  America. 
This  year's  award  is  being  made  for 
'Unusual  and  unselfish  service  ren- 
dered in  behalf  of  world-wide  human- 
ity,' according  to  an  announcement 
made  by  R.  J.  O'Donnell,  national 
chief  barker  of  Variety  Clubs,  which 
gives  more  than  $1,000,000  annually 
to  charity. 

The  award  of  a  silver  plaque  and 
an  honorarium  of  $1,000  will  be  con- 
ferred upon  Sir  Alexander  at  a  dinner 
at  the  Mayflower  Hotel  in  Washing- 

(Continucd  on  page  8) 


Weather  during  the  past  week, 
coupled  with  frequent  rain  or  cloud- 
iness is  keeping  many  from  nearby 
beaches,  and  is  booming  New  York 
first-run  theatres,  with  most  of  them 
recording  another  week  of  big  receipts. 
Large  numbers  of  visiting  vacationists 
are  also  helping  receipts  soar. 

Radio  City  Music  Hall,  the  Roxy 
and  Strand  are  drawing  strongest  with 
holdovers,  while  "A  Thousand  and 
One  Nights,"  at  the  Criterion,  rates 
best  among  new  arrivals. 

"A  Bell  for  Adano"  is  headed  for 
a  big  second  week's  $124,000  gross  at 
the  Music  Hall,  following  an  initial 
week's  $130,000.  "Nob  Hill"  and  a 
stage  show  featuring  Abbott  and 
Costello  brought  almost  $100,000  for 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Lindelof  Move  May 
Spread  the  Strike 


Hollywood,  July  17.  —  Possibility 
that  publicity  men  and  office  workers 
may  be  ordered  to  rejoin  the  studio 
strike,  in  which  they  participated  sev- 
eral days  at  its  inception,  was  seen 
here  today  following  a  telegram  from 
international  president  L.  P.  Lindelof 
of  the  Painters  Union  declaring  the 
strike  legal.  The  Screen  Publicists 
Guild  and  Screen   Office  Employees 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


"Anchors  Aweigh 


[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer"] 

Hollywood,  July  17 

HAVING  elevated  the  institution  of  the  filmusical  to  a  new  and 
lofty  level  in  the  field  of  entertainment  with  his  "Thousands 
Cheer,"  some  18  months  ago,  producer  Joe  Pasternak  proceeds 
herewith  to  elevate  it  some  more  by  turning  out  a  picture  combining  all 
of  the  best  elements  of  that  one  with  at  least  one  that  is  brand  new  and 
tremendous.  This  new  one,  topping  a  production  crammed  with  top 
values,  is  a  sequence  combining  the  flesh  and  blood  artistry  of  dancing 
Gene  Kelly,  with  characters  and  setting  provided  by  Fred  Quimby's  car- 
toon department.  This  one  of  Pasternak's  treats  in  store  for  the  cus- 
tomers will  have  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated  and  talked  about  in  terms 
that  make  tickets  sell,  but  the  others  are  completely  understandable  and 
magnetic  on  anybody's  marquee.  They  include  Frank  Sinatra,  Gene 
Kelly,  Kathryn  Grayson  and  Jose  Iturbi,  all  performing  at  peak  and  in 
Technicolor  and  for  140  minutes. 

Kelly  is  to  the  fore  more  of  the  time  than  any  other  single  personality 
and  dances  away  with  the  show,  if  that  may  be  said  with  justice  to  all, 
which  probably  it  can't.  He  has  half-a-dozen  dance  routines  that  improve 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


FEA  May  Soon 
Lift  Foreign 
Trade  Control 


Exporters  Would  Still 
Face  Problems,  However 

Washington,  July  17. — Con- 
trols on  the  export  of  many  items, 
including  motion  pictures,  may  soon 
be  lifted  by  the  Foreign  Economic 
Administration,  officials  of  which 
have  been  meeting  with  exporters  in 
many  lines  with  a  view  to  getting 
their  suggestions  as  to  how  best  to 
revive  international  trade. 

U.  S.  exporters,  it  was  dis- 
closed, are  being  deluged  with 
inquiries  for  goods  from  all 
over  the  world,  for  many  prod- 
ucts, the  United  States  being 
the  major,  and  sometimes  only, 
source  of  supply.  Studies  of 
equipment  markets  now  being 
made  by  Nathan  D.  Golden, 
chief  of  the  motion  picture  unit 
cf  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


1,500  to  Get 
Wage  Boosts 


About  1,500  employes  in  the  film  ex- 
changes of  Republic  and  National 
Screen  Service,  and  office  workers  in 
Columbia's  exchanges  will  receive 
wage  increases  and  other  benefits  sim- 
ilar to  those  secured  by  'white  collar' 
workers  and  service  workers  in  ex- 
changes of  other  companies. 

The  IATSE,  which  represents  Re- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Almy  Sees  Prospects 
In  Philippine  Isles 


Cliff  Almy,  Warners'  general  man- 
ager for  the  Philippine  Islands,  who 
is  back  in  this  country  following  lib- 
eration from  three  years'  internment 
in  the  Jap  prison  camp  of  Santo  To- 
mas,  there,  said  in  a  home  office  inter- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


\  Also  Reviewed  Today 

"Christmas  in  Connecticut" 
appears  on  page  7. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  July  18,  19' 


Personal  Mention 


20th  to  Distribute 
'Yank'  for  Wilcox 

Herbert  Wilcox,  British  producer- 
director,  yesterday  disclosed  the  clos- 
ing of  an  agreement  with  Spyros 
Skouras,  president  of  20th  Century*- 
Fox,  for  the  latter's  distribution 
throughout  the  U.  S.  and  Canada  of 
"A  Yank  in  London,"  latest  British- 
made  Wilcox  film.  In  addition,  20th 
Century-Fox  is  reported  to  have  in- 
vited Wilcox  to  produce  a  series  of 
features  for  world-wide  distribution  by 
20th.  Negotiations  on  the  latter  deal 
will  be  continued  after  Wilcox  arrives 
in  England.  He  will  return  to  London 
tomorrow  by  clipper. 

Wilcox  reports  that  the  four  stars 
of  "A  Yank  in  London" — Anna  Nea- 
gle,  Dean  Jagger,  Rex  Harrison  and 
Robert  Morley — have  been  offered 
contracts  with  major  American  com- 
panies. He  said  Miss  Neagle  has  been 
offered  a  yearly  one-picture  deal  for 
three  years  with  Paramount. 

McCarey  Invites 
Talent  to  Rainbow 

Following  a  meeting  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  newly-formed  Rain- 
bow Productions,  Inc.,  president  Leo 
McCarey  disclosed  that  the  organiza- 
tion invites  any  producer,  director, 
writer  or  star  with  acceptable,  story 
ideas  to  become  a  part  of  the  com- 
pany. 

McCarey  hinted  that  several  key 
producers  and  directors  will  shortly 
become  associated  with  his  group,  to 
both  produce  and  direct  under  the 
Rainbow  banner.  Described  as  having 
unlimited  finances,  the  company  will 
expand  its  production  schedule  so  that 
McCarey  will  only  direct  one  picture 
annually  and  supervise  three  or  four 
others. 

Griffis  to  Remain  in 
West  a  Few  Weeks 

Stanton  Griffis,  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  Paramount  and 
a  member  of  the  board,  who  has  re- 
signed from  the  American  Red  Cross 
as  Commissioner  for  the  Pacific  area, 
will  remain  on  the  West  Coast  for 
several  weeks  before  returning  to 
New  York,  it  is  learned  here. 

Griffis  is  due  to  arrive  in  San  Fran- 
cisco from  a  Pacific  outpost. 

Ivens  to  East  Indies 
For  Canada  Board 

Ottawa,  July  17. — Presaging  an 
expansion  of  activity  of  the  National 
Film  Board  of  Canada  to  the  Nether- 
lands East  Indies  after  the  Japanese 
are  cleared  out,  Jorie  Ivens,  film  di- 
rector under  John  Grierson  of  Otta- 
wa, has  been  appointed  film  commis- 
sioner for  the  Dutch  Colonies  in  the 
Far  East. 


Red  Kann  is  on  vacation.  His  col- 
umn, "Insider's  Outlook,"  appear- 
ing in  this  space  regularly  each 
Wednesday,  will  be  resumed  shortly. 


RM.  GILLHAM,  Paramount  ad- 
«  vertising-publicity  director,  re- 
turned here  yesterday  from  Holly- 
wood. 

Lt.  Comm.  Glen  McBride,  for- 
mer press  relations  executive  of  the 
Australian  Exhibitors  Association, 
will  emkark  from  San  Francisco  this 
week  after  a  60-day  furlough  spent 
mainly  in  Hollywood. 

• 

Irwin  Sherman,  supervisor  under 
James  Jordan  in  Universcal's  con- 
tract playdate  department,  and  Mrs. 
Sherman  are  the  parents  of  another 
daughter,  Laura  Frances. 

• 

Capt.  Tom  Gilliam,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
20th  Century-Fox  exchange  manager 
in  Chicago,  has  returned  from  Europe 
and  been  transferred  to  Fort  Hous- 
ton, San  Antonio,  Tex. 

• 

Louis  Aster,  Columbia  home  of- 
fice executive,  and  Sam  Galanty,  dis- 
trict manager,  have  been  in  Cleve- 
land conferring  with  Lester  Zucker, 
branch  manager  there. 

• 

Jack    Chisholm,    Ontario  branch 
manager  for  Associated  Screen  News, 
has  returned  to  Toronto  from  a  film- 
ing expedition  around  Hudson's  Bay. 
• 

Sgt.  Harold  Garber,  formerly 
with  Columbia  at  Omaha,  is  on  a 
'45-day  furlough  there  after  two  years 
in  the  Pacific  Theatre. 

• 

Sgt.  Desi  Arnez,  former  screen 
actor,  has  arrived  in  New  York  from 
Culver  City  to  join  his  wife,  Lucille 
Ball. 

Marlene  Dietrich  has  arrived  at 
New  York  from  an  11-month  USO 
tour  of  North  Africa  and  Europe. 
• 

R.  M.  Kennedy,  district  manager 
of  Wilby-Kincey  Theatres,  Birming- 
ham, is  visiting  in  New  York. 
• 

Ed  Hinchey,  Warner  playdate 
manager,  has  been  in  Cleveland  on  a 
tour  of  company  exchanges. 

• 

Jack  Halpern,  Loew's  construc- 
tion executive,  has  arrived  in  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  for  conferences. 

• 

Sam  Briskin,  Columbia  production 
head,  left  Hollywood  for  New  York 
yesterday  on  the  Superchief. 

• 

Nat  D.  Fellman,  Warner  Theatres 
home  office  executive,  will  return  here 
today  from  New  Haven. 

• 

Oscar  Howell  of  the  Capital  The- 
atre Supply  Co.,  has  returned  to  At- 
lanta from  New  York. 

• 

William  Seib,  Columbia  Salt  Lake 
City  manager,  is  recovering  from  an 
attack  of  pneumonia. 

• 

Walter  Winchell  left  Hollywood 
yesterday  for  New  York  on  the  Super- 
chief. 

• 

Dorothy  McGuire  has  returned 
from  a  USO  tour  in  Europe. 


WILLIAM  PINE  of  Paramount's 
Pine-Thomas  production  unit 
has  arrived  in  New  York  from  the 
Hollywood  studios. 

• 

Flt.  Lt.  Lorn  Rothstein,  for- 
merly with  the  Montreal  branch  of 
Empire-Universal  Films,  is  now  man- 
ager of  the  theatre  at  No.  16  Service 
Flying  Training  School,  Hagersville, 
Ont.,  after  completing  two  and  a  half 
years  overseas  in  an  air  crew  of 
RCAF. 

• 

Sgt.  Eugene  Fitzgibbons,  son  of 
J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  Famous  Players- 
Canadian  president,  has  been  assigned 
to  duty  at  Scott  Field  in  the  U.  S.  fol- 
lowing his  return  to  the  Air  Corps 
Redistribution  Center,  Atlantic  City. 
• 

Capt.  Russ  McKibbin,  manager  of 
the  Royal  Theatre,  Guelph,  Ontario, 
prior  to  his  enlistment  in  the  Cana- 
dian Army,  was  married  recently  to 
a  Belgian  girl  at  Antwerp. 

• 

Maj.  Frank  J.  Justin,  upon  re- 
turning to  Famous  Players-Canadian, 
Toronto,  from  the  Canadian  Army, 
was  married  to  Ella  Duncan  Par- 
sons of  Red  Deer,  Alberta. 

• 

Louis  Rosenfeld,  general  man- 
ager of  Columbia  Pictures  of  Can- 
ada, and  Mrs.  Rosenfeld  recently 
celebrated  their  22nd  wedding  anni- 
versary in  Toronto. 

• 

Stuart  H.  Aarons,  on  leave  from 
Warners'  legal  staff  in  New  York, 
has  been  promoted  to  technician  fourth 
grade  at  Eighth  Army  Headquarters 
in  the.  Philippines. 

• 

Robert  M.  Weitman,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  New  York  Paramount 
Theatre,  is  on  vacation  and  Robert  K. 
Shapiro,  house  manager,  is  substitut- 
ing for  him. 

• 

Walter  Immerman,  general  man- 
ager and  vice-president  of  the  Balaban 
and  Katz  circuit,  Chicago,  is  celebrat- 
ing his  20th  anniversary  with  the  com- 
pany. 

Lt.  Murray  Mitchell,  RCNVR, 
former  Empire-Universal  booker,  has 
returned  to  Toronto  with  an  English 
bride  after  seeing  action  in  the  Royal 
Navy. 

e 

Miriam  Nadel,  associate  editor  of 
Motion  Picture  Magazine ,  was  mar- 
ried recently  to  Capt.  Harold 
Diamond  of  New  York  City. 

• 

Marguerite  Kuelling,  secretary 
to  Tony  Muto,  Movietonews  Wash- 
ington supervisor,  is  vacationing  in 
New  York. 

• 

Milton  Dureau,  United  Artists 
New  Orleans  salesman,  and  his  bride 
are  in  Florida  for  an  extended  honey- 
moon. 

• 

Mrs.  Jimmie  Pilato  of  Republic, 
Atlanta,  is  visiting  in  New  York, 
e 

Herman  Bland,  Chicago  exhib- 
itor, is  ill  at  his  home. 


Schless  Due  Friday 
For  Weltner  Confat 


Robert  Schless,  Paramount  divisic 
manager  for  Continental  Europe,  tl 
Near  East  and  French  North  Afnc 
will  arrive  in  New  York  from  Par 
Friday,  for  home  office  confereno 
with  George  Weltner,  Paramount  Ii 
ternational  president. 

Schless  left  New  York  early 
April  to  set  up  division  headquarte 
in  Paris,  where  the  Paramount  ofn< 
had  been  operating  since  Sept.,  194 
He  was  followed  to  France  short 
thereafter  by  Henri  Michaud,  assista 
general  manager  for  the  division,  wl 
remained  in  New  York  on  home  ofn< 
business  when  Schless  departed. 

Await  Spanish  Conference 

For  the  past  week,  Robert  C.  Ale: 
ander,  executive  manager  for  Par. 
mount  Films  de  Espana,  S.A.,  ai 
Peter  Couret,  of  Paramount-Mercur 
Films,  S.A.,  have  been  in  New  Yoi 
from  Madrid,  awaiting  the  arrival 
Schless  for  confabs  on  Spain. 

Meanwhile,  H.  B.  Gordon,  who  w 
turn  over  his  post  as  Paramount  ma 
ager  in  Panama  to  George  Elmo,  upi 
the  latter's  arrival  there,  has  comple 
ed  an  inspection  tour  of  Venezuel 
according  to  Weltner. 

Gordon  has  been  Panama  manag 
for  Paramount  for  the  past  sevi 
years,  Weltner  said.  His  new  assig 
ment  probably  will  be  made  knov 
after  Gordon  reports  to  the  home  c 
fice  sometime  in  August. 


ODT  Adds  New  Curl 
On  Civilian  Travel 

Washington,  July  17.  —  Contrc 
on  rail  travel  were  further  tighten' 
today  when  the  Office  of  Defen 
Transportation,  which  last  wei 
'lifted'  all  sleepers  from  trips  up 
450  miles,  ordered  the  immediate  poc 
ing  of  all  passenger  coaches,  to 
used  as  directed  by  ODT. 

The  order,  officials  said,  mak 
more  equipment  available  for  milita 
service. 


Rules  Vaudevilliam 
Are  Not  Employees 

Philadelphia,  July  17. — The  U. 
District  Court  here  has  ruled  th 
vaudeville  performers  are  independe 
contractors  and  not  regular  employe 
of  a  theatre.  The  Federal  court 
denying  the  claim  of  the  Pennsylvan 
Bureau  of  Employment  and  Unemplo 
ment  Compensation,  stated  that  vaud 
villians  are  outside  the  state  social  s 
curity  act  and  contributions  on  the 
theatre  earnings  may  not  be  collect? 


Canada  to  Continu 
Film  Price  Control 

Ottawa,  July  17. — No  change 
contemplated  by  the  Wartime  Pric 
and  Trade  Board  in  the  control 
theatre  admission  prices  and  fil 
rental  contracts  to  permit  the  relea 
next  Fall  in  Canada  of  "Ziegfeld  Fc 
lies"  as  a  road  show  at  an  advano 
scale,  it  is  learned  in  official  quartei 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunda 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  Ne> 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising:  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bid; 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq..  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigl 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


The  artist  gives  his  impression 
of  Margaret  O'Brien  and  Jackie 
'  'Butch'  'Jenkins  from  theM-G-M 
true-to-life  drama  "Our  Vines 
Have  Tender  Grapes." 


LIKE  A  DIAMOND  IN 
THE  SKY! 

Something  to  sing  about  is  M^G-M's  "OUR  VINES  HAVE 
TENDER  GRAPES." 

We  screened  it  this  week  with  joy  in  our  hearts! 

Friendly  customers!  Watch  for  the  Trade  Show  so  that  you  will 
know  how  wonderful  it  is. 

Thank  you  Edward  G.  Robinson  for  your  stellar  performance. 
Bless  you  little  Margaret  O'Brien  for  yours.  And  Butch,  you  are 
terrific ! 

Yes,  the  BIG  ONES  come  from  M-G-M! 

EDWARD  G.  ROBINSON  •  MARGARET  O'BRIEN  in  "OUR  VINES  HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES"  with 
James  Craig,  Frances  Gifford,  Agnes  Moorehead,  Morris  Carnovsky  and  Jackie  "BUTCH"  Jenkins  •  Screen 
Play  by  Dalton  Trumbo  •  Based  on  the  Book  "For  Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes"  by  George  Victor  Martin 
Directed  by  Roy  Rowland    •    Produced  by  Robert  Sisk    •    A  Metro- Goldwyn -Mayer  Picture 


on  PiCmRehugu^ 


ties  Sees  Stars 


*  -k  *  A 


"He  is  not  a  talkative  person.  Despite 
the  fact  that  he  fidgeted  about,  it  was 
easier  to  draw  him  than  it  was  to  draw 
him  out.  As  he  sat  posing  I  could  not 
help  but  think  of  a  number  of  men  I  had 
recently  seen  firing  from  behind  hedge- 
rows in  France.  His  counterparts  trav- 
eled in  covered  wagons,  hunted  bison 
on  plains  and  prairies." 


Hatned  Mm 

(y  firllie  /uefcy  readers  of~ 


<4? 


X  Ottk'Uitu  at* 


stature  of  Motion  Picture  Magazine  comes  from  an  editorial  policy 
1  considers  the  readers  of  screen  magazines  to  be  intelligent,  inter- 
own-ups  who  want  big  things,  good  things.  Motion  Picture  exclu~ 
rings  them  features  no  other  screen  magazine  ever  offers.  We  believe 
art  of  the  job  we  set  out  to  do  when  we  started  this  first  of  all  maga- 
jout  picture  people. 


can 


Publications,  Inc.  World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Magazines 
295  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 


»*sto 


illy 


rec,Pev» 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Wednesday,  July  18,  IS 


Loew's  New  Bond 
High:  19  Millions 

Loew's  Theatres  passed  all 
previous  records  in  the 
Seventh  War  Loan  drive,  sell- 
ing $19,115,750  in  bonds,  ac- 
cording to  an  announcement 
by  Charles  C.  Moskowitz, 
Loew  executive.  This  in- 
cludes the  sale  of  215,725  in- 
dividual bonds.  Figures  top 
the  Sixth  War  Loan  by  $2,- 
034,850. 

Two  theatres  passed  the 
million  dollar  mark,  the  Capi- 
tol, Washington,  where  Gene 
Ford  and  Joel  Margolis  report 
$1,113,275  maturity  value,  and 
11,462  individual  bonds  sold, 
while  Al  Weiss  of  Loew's  Pit- 
kin, and  his  two  assistants, 
Sidney  Stromberg  and  Mil- 
dred Ferrugiari,  report  sales 
amounting  to  $1,079,725,  and 
9,040  individual  bonds. 


383  Players  in  6GF 
Shows  in  One  Month 


June  was  the  biggest  month  for 
Hollywood  stars  who  give  their  time 
to  entertaining  'G.  I.'s'  and  perform- 
ing other  services,  according  to  a  re- 
port received  by  the  War  Activities 
Committee  from  the  Hollywood  Vic- 
tory Committee.  With  32  players 
overseas  and  26  playing  a  total  of  259 
days  in  hospitals  in  this  country,  the 
troupers  broke  all  previous  records 
for  war  effort  appearances. 

In  the  month,  383  personalities 
made  1,704  appearances  in  188  events. 
In  addition  to  the  overseas  and  hos- 
pital tours,  45  appearances  were  made 
on  four  extended  bond'  tours ;  337  ap- 
pearances in  48  shows  at  California 
embarkation  points  and  hospitals ;  247 
appearances  on  76  recorded  programs, 
64  of  which  were  for  entertainment 
of' the  Armed  Forces  overseas. 

A  six  months'  report  of  the  Holly- 
wood Victory  Committee  discloses 
that  a  grand  total  of  3,918  personali- 
ties participated  in  48,986  appearances 
for  morale  purposes  since  Pearl  Har- 
bor. 

Connors  Lists  Six  for 
August,  September 

Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, yesterday  announced  from 
Los  Angeles,  through  the  home  office, 
the  titles  of  six  productions  to  be  re- 
leased during  August  and  September. 

During  August  the  company  will 
release  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  Darryl 
F.  Zanuck's  Technicolor  "Wilson,"  at 
popular  prices,  "Junior  Miss"  and 
"The  Way  Ahead."  "Captain  Eddie" 
and  "Caribbean  Mystery"  will  be  re- 
leased in  September. 


Young  to  Meet  Press 

"The  Motion  Picture  as  a  War 
Weapon"  will  be  discussed  at  a  press 
conference  here  this  morning  by  Lt. 
Collier  Young,  writer-producer  of 
"The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay," 
Navy-OWI-WAC  short  subject  set 
for  July  26  for  Paramount  release. 

The  film,  described  by  Secretary 
Forrestal  as  "the  best  picture  the 
Navy  has  produced,"  will  be  given  a 
press  preview  here  tomorrow  after- 
noon. 


May  End  Griffith 
Depositions  Today 

The  taking  of  oral  depositions  from 
film  company  executives  in  the  Gov- 
ernment's Griffith  anti-trust  case  by 
counsel  for  Griffith,  headed  by  Henry 
Griffing,  will  probably  be  concluded  at 
the  New  York  Bar  Association  here 
today  with  the  appearance  of  Neil 
Agnew,  vice-president  of  Vanguard, 
who  will  be  questioned  about  Para- 
mount deals  in  his  previous  capacity 
as  Paramount  sales  head. 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  vice- 
president  and  sales  head,  and  F.  J.  A. 
McCarthy,  Universal  sales  executive, 
were  questioned  yesterday  and  Grad- 
well  Sears,  Ned  Depinet  and  Abe 
Montague,  sales  officials  of  United 
Artists,  RKO  Radio  and  Columbia, 
respectively,  appeared  Monday.  Sears 
testified  about  Warner  deals  made  at 
the  time  he  was  sales  head  of  that 
company. 

Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  Assistant 
to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom  Clark, 
has  been  present  at  the  taking  of  the 
depositions  by  the  Griffith  attorneys. 
The  depositions  will  be  used  by  the 
defense  when  trial  resumes  in  Okla- 
homa City  on  Sept.  10. 

Voorhis,  Dickstein 
Hit  Rankin  Probe 

Washington,  July  17. — Investiga- 
tion of  alleged  subversive  activities  in 
Hollywood  came  in  for  a  'panning'  on 
the  floor  of  the  House  today  when 
John  E.  Rankin,  Mississippi,  its  spon- 
sor, was  admonished  by  Jerry  Voor- 
his, California,  to  be  careful  that  the 
probe  did  not  become  the  'tool  of  axe- 
grinders,'  and  when  Samuel  Dickstein, 
New  York,  called  the  whole  thing 
'ballyhoo'  and  declared  that  the  in- 
dustry's own  voluntary  censorship 
prevents  the  use  of  films  for  subversive 
propaganda  purposes. 

Rankin  said  he  resented  any  attempt 
of  House  members  to  interfere  with 
the  plans  of  the  Committee  on  Un- 
A  merican  Affairs.  "We  are  going 
through  with  this  investigation,  as 
planned,"  he  added. 

Servicemen,  he  told  the  House,  will 
shed  their  blood  in  vain  if  subversive 
elements  are  permitted  to  get  control 
of  the  press,  radio  or  motion  picture 
industries. 

Berger  to  Conduct 
Southern  Meeting 

New  Orleans,  July  17.  —  Metro- 
Goldwyn  -  Mayer  Southern  division 
sales  executives  will  hold  a  two-day 
conference  at  The  Roosevelt  Hotel, 
here,  on  Friday  and  Saturday.  Ru- 
dolph Berger,  division  sales  director, 
will  head  the  group,  which  will  in- 
clude :  District  managers  C.  E.  Kess- 
nich,  Atlanta,  and  Burtus  Bishop,  Jr., 
Dallas ;  and  the  following  branch 
managers :  W.  B.  Zoellner,  Atlanta ; 
B.  H.  Rosenwald,  Charlotte ;  Leroy 
Bickel,  Dallas ;  F.  C.  Hensler,  Kansas 
City ;  L.  C.  Ingram,  Memphis ;  J.  C. 
ReVille,  Oklahoma  City,  and  C.  J. 
Briant,  New  Orleans. 


Miller,  NAB  President 

Justin  Miller,  Los  Angeles,  an  asso- 
ciate justice  of  the  U.  S.  Court  of 
Appeals,  has  been  named  president  of 
the  National  Association  of  Broad- 
casters to  succeed  J.  Harold  Ryan, 
who  resigned  to  enter  private  indus- 
try. 


Almy  Sees  Prospects 
In  Philippine  Isles 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

view  yesterday  that  prospects  for 
American  films  look  good  in  the  Is- 
lands for  the  postwar. 

Almy  stated  that  44  motion  picture 
theatres  are  now  open  in  the  Philip- 
pines, including  two  of  Manila's  six 
first-run  houses.  Before  the  war  300 
theatres  operated  in  the  Islands,  but 
most  of  these  were  dingy,  according 
to  Almy. 

Filipinos  who  understand  English 
are  those  who  most  frequently  attend 
American  films,  Almy  said.  Pictures 
are  also  imported  from  China  for  the 
Chinese  population  there  and,  in  ad- 
dition, films  are  produced  in  Tagalog, 
most  widely  used  Philippine  dialect,  at 
Manila,  the  Island's  Hollywood,  he 
added. 

Almy,  who  arrived  in  New  York  on 
Monday,  has  been  on  the  Coast  since 
May  12. 

Pal  Plans  Puppets 
For  Second  Group 

Hollywood,  July  17. — With  plans 
for  a  new  mannikin  project  and  for 
the  production  of  a  series  of  Dutch- 
styled  miniature-doll  shorts,  Pup- 
petoon  producer  George  Pal  will  plane 
out  for  New  York  this  week  to  meet 
Stanlat  Kag,  his  Holland  studio  man- 
ager. 

In  New  York,  Pal  will  arrange  for 
the  financing  of  a  new  type  of  Puppet- 
oon  which,  it  is  said,  will  not  conflict 
with  his  Hollywood  productions  for 
Paramount  release.  He  will  also  con- 
fer with  Kag  on  a  schedule  which 
will  be  placed  into  execution  imme- 
diately upon  Kag's  return  to  Amster- 
dam and  which  will  include  "Aky 
King,"  "Windmill  Serenade,"  and 
"Dutch  Capers."  The  Holland  prod- 
uct will  be  in  the  Dutch  tongue  to  be 
dubbed  in  English  afterwards  at  Pal's 
Hollywood  studios. 

Rank  and  Colleagues 
Are  London  Bound 

The  J.  Arthur  Rank  party  left  New 
York  yesterday  aboard  the  5".  5". 
Queen  Mary  on  their  return  to  Lon- 
don. 

Included  in  the  party,  besides  Rank, 
who  concluded  his  first  visit  to  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  were :  G. 
I.  Woodham- Smith,  legal  representa- 
tive ;  Barrington  Gain,  financial  rep- 
resentative ;  John  Davis,  theatre  rep- 
resentative ;  Capt.  Harold  Auten  who 
will  head  Eagle-Lion  Films,  here, 
Rank  American  distribution  organiza- 
tion, upon  his  retirement  from  the 
British  Royal  Navy,  and  Bob  Mont- 
gomery, publicist,  who  will  open  and 
manage  a  London  office  for  the  Jock 
Laurence  organization,  Rank's  public 
relations  medium. 

Curtis  Assigned  to 
Air  Headquarters 

Washington,  July  17.  —  Major 
General  Edward  Peck  Curtis,  former 
head  of  Eastman  Kodak  Co.  raw  stock 
sales,  who  has  been  serving  as  chief 
of  staff  of  the  Army  Strategic  Air 
Forces  in  Europe,  has  been  temporarily 
assigned  to  Army  Air  Force  Head- 
quarters here,  pending  the  issuance  of 
new  orders. 

Curtis  currently  is  resting  at  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y.,  his  home,  for  an  in- 
definite period. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  \ 
P)AVID  O.  SELZNICK  has  pi! 
*— "  chased  "Suddenly  It's  Spring" 
a  comedy  for  Joseph  Cotten,  Shirl 
Temple  and  a  feminine  star  as  jj 
unselected ;  Dore  Schary  will  produ' 
.  .  ..  Mary  Pickford  has  purchas1 
from  Laszlo  Vadnay  and  Max  L  j 
their  stage  play,  "Champagne  f 
Everybody,"  and  will  use  is  as  a  sts 
ring  vehicle  for  the  Mexican  act< 
Armen  Dariz. 

• 

Connie  Bosweil  has  been  signed  j 
an  important  role  in  "Swing  Parad* 
Monogram  musical  which  will  se 
Gale  Storm  and  Phil  Regan.  .  .  .  Dia 
Lynn,  who  scored  in  "Out  of  T) 
W orld,"  and  Peggy  Wood,  New  Yo^ 
stage  actress,  have  been  cast  for  let 
ing  roles  in  Paramount 's  "The  Bri 
Wore  Boots."  .  .  .  The  King  brothi  < 
have  purchased  "The  Hunted," 
Steve  Fisher,  for  a  reported  $20,00  ; 
the  author  has  been  engaged  to  wr\ 
the  screenplay. 

Addison  Randall  I 
Killed  on  Location 

Hollywood,     July     17.  —  Addis 
Randall,   stage  and  screen  star  a] 
husband  of  actress  Barbara  Benne 
was  killed  yesterday  when  he  fell  frd 
a  horse  during  his  first  day's  work 
a  new  serial  at  Universal  Studios. 

Randall,  an  expert  rider,  seemed  1 
be  losing  his  hat,  a  studio  official  sa 
He  tried  to  grab  it  and  fell,  striking 
tree.    He  died  almost  immediately. 

Randall,  who  only  recently  return  i 
to  Hollywood  to  re-enter  pictures  ; 
ter  a  period  in  New  York,  had  r 
even  been  to  the  studio,  but  had  i 
ported  directly  to  location  this  mor 
ing  for  his  first  day's  work  on  "T 
Royal  Mounted  Ride  Again." 

Surviving,  besides  his  widow,  a 
his  mother,  Mrs.  Clarence  L.  Meye 
and  a  brother,  Robert  Livingston. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  Thui 
day  morning  at  All  Saints  Episcoi 
Church  here. 


International  St  or 
Department  for  WB 

As  the  first  step  in  a  world-wi' 
expansion  of  Warners'  story  depar 
ment,  Ted  Tod  has  been  appoint 
story  scout  in  Washington,  workii 
under  Jacob  Wilk,  Eastern  productit : 
manager  with  headquarters  in  Ne, 
York.  Tod  was  field  representative  f ' 
Warners  in  the  Midwest  for  fo , 
years  until  his  recent  transfer  to  t ! 
capital.  His  Washington  duties  w'j 
include  representing  the  studio  in  su'J 
matters  as  may  arise  relating  to  pr 
duction. 

Wilk  will  leave  shortly  for  Cn 
cago,  and  will  then  visit  Canada,  E \ 
gland  and  other  foreign  countries, 
appoint  additional  representatives  i 
the  enlarged  story-hunting  staff. 


Campaigns  Set  on  Thn 

S.  Barret  McCormick,  RKO  Rad 
director  of  advertising  and  publicit 
has  approved  national  advertisii 
campaigns  on  International's  "Aloi 
Came  .Jones,"  "George  White's  Sea 
dais"  and  Samuel  Goldwyn's  "Wo 
der  Man." 


ndnesday,  July  18,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


'  ! 


eaches  Here 
jose  to  First 
un  Theatres 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

week  at  the  Roxy.  The  combina- 
i  is  holding  for  a  third  and  final, 
bk,  to  be  followed  by  a  two-week 
brn  engagement  at  popular  prices 
"Wilson."  Over  $72,000  is  expected 
the  fifth  week  of  "Conflict"  and 
tage  bill  featuring  Louis  Prima  and 
band,  with   Dane  Clark,   at  the 
and,  which  would  better  the  fourth 
ek's  $71,000. 

A  Thousand  and  One  Nights" 
iught  a  strong  $34,000  for  an  initial 
;k  at  the  Criterion.  "Rhapsody  in 
ie"  scored  heavily  in  a  third  week 
the  Hollywood  with  a  stout  $45,000 
orded  following  a  second  week's 
.,  ,',000.  "Wonder  Man"  is  also  con- 
ning big  for  a  sixth  week  at  the 
tor,  with  a  neat  $41,000  expected. 

"Blood'  Run  Ending 

'Blood  on  the  Sun"  will  conclude  a 
rd  and  final  week  at  the  Capitol 
tight  with  a  gross  of  about  $67,000, 
|  Wowing  a  second  week's  $74,000 ; 
!  nchors  Avveigh"  and  a  stage  bill 
I  -senting  Paul  Whiteman  and  his 
l,:hestra,  with  Johnnie  Johnston,  will 
Ten  there  tomorrow.  "You  Came 
Xpng"  drew  a  good  $67,000  for  its 
•I  tond  week  at  the  Paramount,  com- 
jaed  with  a  stage  bill  featuring  Stan 
|  nton  and  his  orchestra,  with  Dick 
d  Gene  Wesson  and  Louis  Jordan. 
1  'Within  These  Walls"  is  drawing 
.^derately  in  an  initial  week  at  the 
Sctoria,  with  $13,000  expected, 
ir.long  Came  Jones"  will  open  at  the 

I  dace  this  morning,  following  "Those 
Tf  idearing  Young  Charms"  which 
j  2\v  a  good  $16,000  for  a  fourth  and 
ji|al  week.  "The  Great  John  L."  is 
[faded  for  a   sturdy  $15,000  for  a 

i:ond  week  at  the  Globe ;  it  will  con- 
,  Hie.    "The    Cheaters"    will  follow 

II  wice    Blessed"    into    the  Gotham 
iday,  the  latter  drawing  a  moderate 

j:  000  in  its  second  week. 
\  ''Junior  Miss"  is  holding  up  well  at 
;  Rivoli  with  the  fifth  week's 
2,000  hitting  $2,000  better  than  the 
i  jrth.  "Jungle  Captive"  is  headed  for 
Of  1,000  for  a  second  and  final  week  at 
i  te  Rialto ;  "The  Falcon  in  San  Fran- 
i 3  co"  is  set  to  follow  Friday.  The 
niversal  double-bill  re-issue  of 
.j  miration  of  Life"  and  "East  Side 
rif  Heaven"  was  off  in  a  third  week  at 
iflj  Republic,  bringing  only  $5,500, 
4-  lowing  two  strong  weeks. 


>egree  to  'Capt.  Eddie' 

Capt.  Eddie  Rickenbacker  will  be 
'arded  an  honorary  degree  of  Doc- 
of  Humanities  from  Capital  Uni- 
sity  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  July 
the  day  before  "Captain  Eddie," 
film  biography,  has  its  world  pre- 
ere  at  the  Ohio  Theatre,  according 
word  received  by  Hal  Home,  di- 
tor  of  advertising-publicity-exploi- 
ion  of  20th  Century-Fox. 


s 


uam  to  See  'Eddie' 

;  Fliers  on  Guam  island  are  go- 
J  to  see  "Captain  Eddie"  at  the  same 
ie  as  Columbus,  O.,  where  the  pic- 
"e  will  have  its  world  premiere  on 
Jg.  1,  according  to  the  Army  Pic- 
"ial  Service. 


'Anchors  Aweigh9 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

his  already  virtually  perfect  score  in  that  department,  and  he  throws  in  some 
singing  and  a  lot  of  acting,  both  of  top  quality,  for  good  measure. 

Sinatra,  running  neck  and  neck  with  Kelly  throughout,  sings  a  number  of 
songs  in  the  manner  the  bobby-soxers,  and  latterly  some  of  their  elders,  relish 
to  the  point  of  idolatry,  and  he  gets  in  an  early  surprise  hit  by  sharing  a  dance 
routine  with  Kelly. 

Miss  Grayson  contributes  singing  somewhat  more  to  the  classical  side,  and 
superb,  under  magnificent  orchestral  and  photographic  auspices. 

Iturbi  plays  Iturbi,  as  in  "Thousands  Cheer,"  and  does  things  with  and  to 
the  piano — in  one  unforgettable  instance  performing  a  number  in  Hollywood 
Bowl  with  30  or  40  young  pianists  playing  that  many  more  pianos  in  concert 
with  him — which  used  to  be  considered  impossible.  And  he  improvises  a  bit  of 
boogie-woogie  for  the  special  benefit  of  the  musically  unlettered. 

These  are  the  individual  doings  of  the  top  principals,  mentioned  separately 
by  way  of  indicating  the  four  special  avenues  of  approach  to  potential  ticket 
buyers.  The  Kelly  public  is  a  big  one  by  reason  of  his  successes  in  "Thousands 
Cheer"  and  "Cover  Girl,"  to  name  two.  The  Sinatra  public  is  perhaps  the 
biggest  of  the  individual  ones  to  which  the  picture  addresses  its  appeal,  and 
need  not  be  estimated  here.  The  Iturbi  public,  with  which  the  Grayson  public 
can  be  grouped  for  purposes  of  this  paragraph,  may  be  said  to  embrace  all  the 
music-conscious  population  not  included  in  the  Kelly  and  Sinatra  followings. 
By  and  large,  the  Pasternak  picture  makes  a  direct  challenge  for  the  attention 
of  anybody  who  is  not  completely  tone-deaf,  rhythm-dumb  and  a  cantankerous 
old  grouch  by  choice. 

THE  tale  on  which  all  this  entertainment  rests,  a  screenplay  by  Isobel  Len- 
nart,  based  on  a  story  by  Natalie  Marcin,  concerns  two  sailors  (Sinatra 
and  Kelly)  who  come  to  Hollywood  on  leave  and  become  involved  in  the 
affairs  of  an  actress  (Miss  Grayson)  and  her  juvenile  nephew  (Dean  Stock- 
well)  who  wants  to  join  the  Navy.  Kelly  has  a  Navy  reputation  as  a  wolf, 
and  Sinatra  is  a  sheep  who  would  like  to  be  what  Kelly  is,  a  circumstance 
which  yields  plenty  of  humor.  The  chronicle  takes  them  around  Hollywood, 
to  Hollywood  Bowd,  to  the  M-G-M  studio  and  to  Los  Angeles'  Mexican 
Quarter  on  Olvera  Street.  At  each  and  all  of  these  places  spectacular  produc- 
tion numbers  are  staged  under  George  Sidney's  completely  masterful  direction. 

Support,  all  excellent,  includes  Pamela  Britton,  Rags  Ragland,  Billy  Gilbert, 
Henry  O'Neill,  Carlos  Ramirez,  Edgar  Kennedy,  Grady  Sutton,  Leon  Ames, 
Sharon  McManus,  a  battleship,  a  Navy  band,  some  singing  choruses  and 
innumerable  extra  players. 

It  is  a  picture  for  you,  and  everybody  else,  to  see. 

Running  time,  140  minutes.  General  audience  classification,  Release  date  not 
set.  William  R.  Weaver 


"Chistmas  in  Connecticut' 

(Warner  Brothers) 

CAST  voltage  outdistances  other  elements  in  this  comedy,  which  occasion- 
ally falls  outside  its  borders  to  drop  into  the  farce  division. 
The  laugh  quotient  is  irregular  and  not  evenly  paced,  a  state  of  affairs 
which  might  easily  be  attributed  to  the  101  minutes  of  running  time.    The  im- 
pression is  that  these  are  too  many  minutes  for  story  and  treatment.    The  re- 
sult is  both  do  not  come  off  to  full  advantage. 

The  basic  idea  in  Aileen  Hamilton's  original  story  is  amusing  enough.  It 
deals  with  Barbara  Stanwyck,  who  writes  about  idyllic  country  life  in  Connec- 
ticut, her  husband  and  baby,  her  cooking  and  her  recipes.  The  fact  is  she 
fakes  her  waj,  aided  by  her  imagination  and  the  genuine  culinary  art  of  S.  Z. 
Sakall.  In  the  conspiracy  is  her  editor,  but  Sydney  Greenstreet,  her  publish- 
er, is  not. 

Confusion  and  near  panic  enter  when  Greenstreet  insists  Miss  Stanwyck 
entertain  Dennis  Morgan,  naval  hero,  for  the  holidays  and  then  invites  him- 
self along  as  well.  It  means  acquiring  the  farm  she  never  owned,  a  husband 
and  a  baby  she  had  never  acquired  and  an  experience  in  cooking  she  had 
never  attained.  Reginald  Gardiner,  who  wants  to  marry  her,  supplies  most 
of  the  required  window  dressing,  and  the  melee  is  on. 

All  sorts  of  complications  ensue.  Morgan  falls  for  Miss  Stanwyck,  as  she 
does  for  him.  The  baby  appears  to  be  kidnapped.  Greenstreet  insists  Miss 
Stanwyck  cook.  Gardiner  continues  trying  to  marry  her.  At  the  end,  mat- 
ters clear  away,  of  course,  for  the  happy  ending. 

The  yarn  is  highly  improbable  and  implausible  for  well  nigh  its  entire 
length.  It  has  its  amusing  moments,  but  the  attraction  would  have  been  better 
off  if  those  moments  could  have  been  managed  at  more  frequent  and  regular 
intervals.  Performances  are  standard.  Direction,  by  Peter  Godfrey,  is  ade- 
quate.   William  Jacobs  produced. 

Running  time,  101  mins.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date. 
Aug.  11.  Red  Kann 


Levey  Polls  Exhibitors 

Jules  Levey  is  querying  15,000 
exhibitors  to  survey  the  public's  tastes 
in  motion  pictures.  Listing  12  general 
backgrounds  for  stories — war,  gangs, 
love,  domestic  drama,  mystery,  light 
musical,  Western,  sea,  costume,  family 
comedy  and  sports  —  Levey  is  en- 
deavoring to  determine  which,  in  ex- 
hibitors' opinion,  has  the  highest  mass 
appeal  rating. 


Party  for  Loeb 

Chicago,  July  17. — Harold  Loeb, 
circuit  salesman  for  20th  Century- 
Fox,  here,  who  last  week  celebrated  his 
25th  anniversary  with  the  local  ex- 
change, was  given  a  surprise  party  by 
his  associates  at  the  Variety  Club,  at- 
tended, among  others,  by  Jack  Lorentz, 
district  manager,  and  Tom  Gilliam, 
exchange  manager.  He  was  presented 
with  a  wrist  watch. 


306  Seeks  Hiring 
Of  Projectionists 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Local  306  demanding  that  it  be  in- 
cluded in  the  recently-negotiated  two- 
year  contract  covering  home  office  and 
New  York  exchange  projectionists. 
The  companies  are  resisting  the  de- 
mand, although  they  have  settled  other 
provisions  of  the  contract. 

Previous  contracts  covering  home 
office  and  exchange  projectionists  here, 
gave  the  companies  the  right  to  select 
projectionists  and  they  insist  that  they 
continue  this  procedure.  It  is  under- 
stood that  the  same  demand  will  be 
made  by  Local  306  in  its  present  nego- 
tiations covering  projectionists  in  the 
Loew  and  RKO  circuits  in  New  York, 
and  that  other  circuits  and  indepen- 
dents will  be  faced  with  the  same  de- 
mand when  the  time  comes  to  nego- 
tiate new  contracts. 

Did  Not  Insist  Before 

While  Local  306  struck  out  the 
clause  relating  to  the  right  of  selection 
of  projectionists  in  contracts  signed 
with  members  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  Association  of  New 
York  in  1937,  it  did  not  insist  upon 
assigning  projectionists  as  jobs  be- 
came vacant.  Under  the  ITOA  union 
plan,  a  projectionist  is  assigned  by  the 
union  to  fill  a  vacant  job  and  the  ex- 
hibitor could  reject  the  applicant  if  he 
was  found  unsatisfactory  after  a  trial 
period. 

The  union  now  would  assign  pro- 
jectionists from  the  top  of  its  list 
whereas  previously,  exhibitors  and 
film  companies  could  engage  any  pro- 
jectionist appearing  on  the  list. 


1,500  in  Exchanges 
To  Get  Wage  Boosts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

public,  NSS  and  Columbia  workers, 
negotiated  the  increases,  some  of 
which  have  already  been  approved  by 
regional  units  of  the  War  Labor 
Board,  while  others  are  under  consid- 
eration and  still  others  have  yet  to 
be  submitted  for  approval.  David 
Halper  of  the  office  of  Judge  Matthew 
M.  Levy,  IATSE  attorneys,  is  hand- 
ling the  RWLB  pleas. 

RWLB  approvals  of  increases  for 
'white  collar'  and  service  help  in  ex- 
changes of  Loew's,  20th  Century-Fox, 
Warners,  Paramount,  Universal,  RKO 
Radio,  United  Artists  and  Columbia 
have  been  secured  in  most  of  the  ex- 
change centers.  Most  recent  approv- 
als were  for  employes  in  Pittsburgh 
and  Washington  exchanges. 


To  Honor  Dick  Haymes 

Dick  Haymes,  star  of  the  Auto-Lite 
radio  program  "Everything  for  the 
Boys"  and  20th  Century-Fox  player, 
who  is  due  to  arrive  in  New  York 
Sunday  for  his  first  trip  East  since  he 
joined  20th,  will  be  honored  at  a  press 
luncheon  at  the  Sherry-Netherland 
next  Monday.  Haymes  is  coming  here 
for  personal  appearances  at  the  Roxy 
Theatre,  starting  July  25. 


Shift  'Jones'  Opening 

Chicago,  July  17.  —  Originally 
scheduled  for  the  Woods,  Interna- 
tional's "Along  Came  Jones"  will 
open  at  the  RKO  Palace  around  July 
25,  due  to  the  indefinite  run  of 
"Wonder  Man"  in  the  former  house. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  July  18,  1 


Paramount  Honors  7 
Old-Line  Customers 


Omaha,  July  17. — Seven  exhibitors 
who  have  played  Paramount  pictures 
since  the  early  days,  and  Julia  Leahy, 
cashier  employed  at  the  Paramount 
exchange  here  for  the  last  24  years, 
were  honored  at  a  luncheon  yesterday 
in  connection  with  the  company's  "One 
Third  of  a  Century"  celebration. 

The  exhibitors  honored  were :  R. 
E.  Falkinburg,  Majestic  Theatre,  Lex- 
ington, Neb. ;  H.  F.  Kennedy,  Bow 
Theatre,  Broken  Bow,  Neb. ;  Joe 
Warnock,  Luna,  Battle  Creek,  Neb.; 
Sam  Epstein,  Epstein  Circuit,  Oma- 
ha ;  R.  D.  Goldberg,  Goldberg  Circuit, 
Omaha.  All  have  been  Paramount 
customers  since  1912.  Also  honored 
as  long-time  Paramount  customers 
were  B.  B.  Holdridge,  Shenandoah, 
la.,  and  Bob  Livingston,  Lincoln,  Neb. 


Ned  Depinet  C  all  s 
Four  Sales  Meetings 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

home  office  delegation  attending  the 
meetings. 

First  of  the  three-day  sessions  will 
be  held  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Ho- 
tel, New  York,  Aug.  6-8,  followed 
by  Cincinnati,  at  the  Netherland 
Plaza,  Aug.  10-12 ;  next  at  Chicago's 
Blackstone  Hotel,  Aug.  14-16,  and 
then  Los  Angeles,  at  the  Ambassador, 
Aug.  20-22. 

The  company's  advertising  cam- 
paigns for  new  RKO  Radio  product 
will  be  outlined  by  S.  Barret  McCor- 
mick,  director  of  advertising-publicity, 
at  the  meetings. 


Suit  Against  Ascap 
On  Fees  Dismissed 

The  American  Society  of  Compos- 
ers, Authors  and  Publishers,  here,  re- 
ports that  the  dismissal  by  Judge 
James  Fitzgerald  of  the  triple  damage 
suit  against  ASCAP  has  been  af- 
firmed by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ne- 
braska. The  suit  had  been  brought  by 
Radio  Station  WOW  of  Omaha  and 
Joseph  Malec  to  recover  license  fees 
paid  to  ASCAP  from  1937  to  1941  in 
the  amount  of  $357,000. 

Decision  was  based  upon  the  fact 
that  the  monies  which  had  been  paid 
represented  voluntary  payments  made 
within  business  compulsions  or  du- 
ress. Therefore,  such  payments  could 
not  be  recovered  in  the  two  actions 
which  had  been  brought  under  the 
Nebraska  Anti-ASCAP  statute,  said 
ASCAP.  Louis  D.  Frohlich,  ASCAP 
general  counsel,  and  Yale  C.  Holland, 
argued  the  appeals. 


FEA  Meets  Exporters  on 
Lifting  Trade  Controls 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Domestic  Commerce,  show  that 
exhibitors  all  over  the  world, 
cut  off  from  new  supplies  for 
years,  are  anxious  to  buy  pro- 
jectors, sound  systems  and 
other  apparatus. 

A  number  of  major  problems  face 
American  manufacturers  when  they 
re-enter  the  export  field,  however. 
Although  wartime  controls  are  eas- 
ing somewhat,  exporters  are  still  con- 
fronted with  a  variety  of  handicaps, 
including  :  shortage  of  cargo  space  and 
uncertainty  of  ocean  shipping,  require- 
ments of  export  licenses  here  and  im- 
port licenses  abroad,  the  "black  list" 
and  Trading-With-the-Enemy  Act  re- 
strictions upon  commerce  with  certain 
foreigners,  financial  and  credit  risks, 
including  the  blocking  of  funds  and 
"sterling  area" ;  domestic  price  con- 
trols applying  to  foreign  shipments, 
difficulties  of  obtaining  supplies,  dis- 
posal of  surplus  property  abroad,  and 


diversion  of  business  through  lend- 
lease  and  Government  trading. 

FEA  officials,  anxious  to  lift  con 
trols  as  quickly  as  possible,  feel  that 
they  should  do  so  only  if  their  action 
does  not  place  American  business  at 
an  even  greater  disadvantage  than  it 
is  now  under. 

The  State  Department  is  working 
on  these  and  related  problems  in  an 
effort  to  pave  the  way  for  normal 
business,  and  in  some  areas  is  develop- 
ing satisfactory  arrangements,  as  in 
the  case  of  Italian  regulations  on  film 
trade  and  settlement  of  the  British 
situation  last  week. 

Meanwhile,  exporters  who  have 
conferred  with  Administration  officials 
have  expressed  themselves  prepared  to 
face  the  various  hazards  of  foreign 
trade.  They  urged  that  the  controls 
be  lifted,  believing  that  they  are  in 
the  best  position  to  allocate  distribu- 
tion of  their  products  abroad  on  an 
equitable  basis  when  the  supply  situa- 
tion eases. 


41  from  Monogram; 
$1,600,000  Loan 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

direct  to  Monogram  or  covered  by 
company  guarantee. 

Top-budget  films  on  the  forthcom- 
ing program  include  "Hunted,"  mys- 
tery ;  Jack  London's  "North  of 
Nome" ;  "Old  New  York"  and 
"Swing  Parade,"  musicals. 


'Guest  Wife'  Preview 

Hollywood,  July  17.  ■ —  Lt.  Gen. 
Holland  M.  Smith  will  be  host  to  the 
Hollywood  press  and  the  personnel  of 
Camp  Pendelton  for  a  preview  of  Jack 
Skirball's  "Guest  Wife"  tomorrow. 


Lindelof  Move  May 
Spread  the  Strike 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Guild,  Conference  of  Studio  Unions 
members,  had  returned  to  work  when 
Lindelof  made  the  opposite  declaration 
early  in  the  strike. 

SPG  and  SOEG  officials  late  today 
were  expecting  notification  from  the 
American  Federation  of  Labor  dis- 
trict council  regarding  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  telegram. 

Letters  from  Lindelof  to  the  two 
guilds,  due  tomorrow,  are  expected 
to  contain  instructions  to  observe  the 
picket  lines. 

Meanwhile,  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  hearings  into  the  eligibil- 
ity of  voters  in  the  recent  set  deco- 
rators' election  continued  uneventfully. 


Governments  Will 
Promote  Industry 

The  production  of  motion  pictures 
is  today  occuying  a  prominent  part  in 
the  thinking  and  planning  of  nations, 
with  governments  encouraging  motion 
picture  industries  within  their  own 
borders  and  themselves  producing  edu- 
cational and  documentary  films,  ac- 
cording to  D.  W.  Lansing,  recording 
sales  manager  of  the  RCA  interna- 
tional division,  who  discloses  that  min- 
isters of  various  government  agencies 
are  now  laying  plans  for  the  use  of 
sound  pictures  for  education  and  train- 
ing, and  to  aid  in  programs  of  em- 
ployment and  also  in  international 
trade. 


Award  to  Fleming 
For  His  Penicillin 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ton.  Others  who  have  been  honored  in 
previous  years  with  Humanitarian 
Awards  are :  Father  Flanagan,  Martha 
Berry,  George  Washington  Carver, 
Sister  Elizabeth  Kenny  and  Cordell 
Hull. 

This  year's  award  will  be  presented 
to  the  scientist  by  Albert  Kennedy 
Rowswell,  chairman  of  the  Humani- 
tarian Awards  Committee  of  Variety 
Clubs,  and  John  H.  Harris  of  Pitts- 
burgh, one  of  the  founders  of  Variety 
Clubs  17  years  ago.  The  idea  of  pre- 
senting the  annual  award  was  con- 
ceived by  Jake  Lutzer,  a  member  of 
the  Variety  Club  Tent  No.  17  in  Dal- 
las, Texas.  The  recipient  is  selected  by 
secret  ballot  by  a  national  committee 
of  34  prominent  newspapermen,  maga- 
zine publishers  and  radio  commenta- 
tors, none  of  whom  is  a  member  of 
Variety. 


Selznick  Buys  'Katie' 

Hollywood,  July  17. — "Katie  for 
Congress,"  a  Finnish  play,  has  been 
bought  by  Selznick-International  and 
will  be  Ingrid  Bergman's  next  film 
after  "Notorious,"  which  she  is  mak- 
ing for  RKO.  Dore  Schary  will  pro- 
duce. 


Berk,  Krumgold  in  Deal 

Berk  and  Krumgold,  local  theatrical 
real  estate  brokers,  have  consummated 
a  deal  whereby  David  Mate  and  Sol 
S.  Unger  have  taken  over  the  Em- 
bassy Theatre,  Newark. 


Gold  to  Conduct  UA 
Cleveland  Meeting 

Cleveland,  July  17. — Harry  Gold, 
United  Artists  Central  division  sales 
manager,  will  arrive  here  in  the 
middle  of  the  week  to  hold  a  district 
sales  meeting  July  20-22  at  the  Cleve- 
land Hotel.  Among  those  present 
will  be  district  manager  Jack  Gold- 
har,  and  branch  managers  Morrison 
B.  Orr,  Cleveland ;  Harris  Dudelson, 
Cincinnati ;  Moe  Dudelson,  Detroit ; 
William  Shartin,  Pittsburgh. 


Tenoudji  Named  { 
PRC  Foreign  Post 

Edmond  Tenoudji,   former    I  p 
producer,  has  been  named  PRC  u, 
eral  supervisor  of  sales  for  Conti1: 
tal  Europe  and  will  depart  withj 
few  days  for  France.  Roberto 
Socas,  general  foreign  sales  manai 
is  expected  to  follow  Tenoudji  wit 
two  weeks  to  establish  the  princ* 
European  distributing  center  for 
company  in  Paris.    Later  PRC  < 
open   offices   in   Brussels   and  of; 
European  centers  where  post-war  b" 
ness  conditions  permit. 

Socas,  while  in  Europe,  also  j 
visit  the  offices  of  Pathe  Pictn 
Ltd.,  in  London,  which  organiza- 
will  continue  to  distribute  Ffl 
product  in  the  United  Kingdom.  J 


RKO  Switches  Ordi 
Of  Next  Showings 

"Radio  Stars  on  Parade"  repk 
"First  Yank  Into  Tokyo"  on  the  r 
group  of  RKO  Radio  trade  showiij 
"Radio    Stars   on    Parade"   will  I 
shown  in  all  RKO  exchange  cen  I 
on  Wednesday,  Aug.  1,  with  the 
ception  of  St.  Louis  where  it  will 
shown  the  following  day.  Screeni 
on  the  balance  of  the  group  will 
as  follows :  "Mama  Loves  Papa" 
"George  White's  Scandals,"  July 
exception  being  St.  Louis  where 
pictures  will  be  shown  the  follow; 
day;  "The  Falcon  in  San  Francis, 
and  "Johnny  Angel,"  July  31,  ex<( 
St.  Louis,  where  it  will  be  she' 
Aug.  1  and  New  York  and  Los 
geles  where  it  has  already  been  she 

Screening  of  "Radio  Stars  on 
rade"  will  take  place  Aug.  1  in 
exchange   centers    except    St.  L 
where  it  will  be  shown  Aug.  2. 


Lt.  Comm.  Paul  Short 
On  Films  Assignment 

Washington,  July  17.  —  Lieut. 
Comdr.  Paul  Short,  ex-National 
Screen  service  executive  and  former 
WPB  head  of  the  theatre  division,  is 
in  Washington,  from  New  Orleans, 
on  a  special  mission,  that  of  expedit- 
ing flight  training  films. 


Rumple  Named  by  NAB 

Barry  Rumple,  manager  of  NBC's, 
research  department,  has  resigned  to 
become  director  of  research  for  the 
National  Association  of  Broadcasters. 


Jo  van  Has  Clear  an 
Complaint  in  Chica, 

Chicago,   July   17. — James  Jo 
operator  of  the  Monroe  Theatre,  I 
house,    filed    a    clearance  compl, 
against  the  major  distributors  tc 
with  the  local  tribunal  of  the  An 
can    Arbitration  Association, 
states  the  clearance  in  favor  of 
competitive   McVickers  Theatre, 
erated  by  Jones,  Linick  &  Scha> 
is  unreasonable  and  asks  that  an 
bitrator  abolish  all  clearance  or  f 
more  reasonable  clearance.  Jovan 
quired  the  Monroe  a  few  months 
and  has  been  running  reissues  on  r;' 
programs. 


Crosley  Ownership 
Hearing  to  July  19 

Cincinnati,  July  17. — The  Fe; 
al  Communications  Commission  h 
ing  on  an  application  of  Powel  C 
ley,  Jr.,  president  of  Crosley  C 
to  transfer  control  of  his  compan 
the  Aviation  Corp.,  New  York, 
been  advanced  from  Aug.  3  to 
19.    The  FCC  also  granted  a  reqi 
that  its  entire  membership  hear 
application  instead  of  an  examine 


RKO  $1.50  Dividend 

RKO's  board  of  directors  has 
clared  a  dividend  of  $1.50  per  s 
on  the  six  per  cent  preferred  s 
payable  Aug.  1,  to  holders  of  re 
on  Juh'  20.  1945,  according  to  J.  W|J 
Walker,  RKO  secretarv.  This 
dend,  designated  dividend  No.  11, 
stitutes  the  accrual  during  the  cui|n| 
quarterly  period  ending  July  31. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


L.  58.  NO.  13 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  JULY  19,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


estore  10% 
f  British 
aw  Film  Cut 


fcj  Increase  in  August, 
mther  in  September 


."London,  July   18. — The  British 
}  ird  of  Trade's  raw  stock  alloca- 
n  Lsj  reduced  in  March  of  this  year 
lij»5  per  cent  of  1944  consumption, 
-  I   be  eased  up  to  90  per  cent  during 
-1  [hist  and  95  per  cent  during  Sep- 
I  ber,  it  was  learned  here  today. 
This  follows  the  U.  S.  War 
roduction    Board's    grant  in 
.'ashington  Monday  of  5,200.000 
?et    of   stock   to  Eagle-Lion 
ilms.  Inc.,  for  American  dis- 
-ibution  during  the  12  months 
nding  next  April  1,  of  pictures 
lade  by  J.  Arthur  Rank's  Brit- 
;h  producting  companies, 
[eanwhile,  it  is  understood  on  good 
lority  here,  that,  through  a  fur- 
ulw  accommodation,  American  inter- 
I.  will  make  available  enough  stock 
'""meet  a   release   schedule  of  one 
.'(wish,  film  per  month  in  the  U.  S. 


:5  Houses  Merged 
Booking  Combine 


j.  j'ittsburg h ,    July    18. — James  H. 

xander's  Pennsylvania  Enterprises, 
rtt ,  buying-booking  organization  rep- 
.  mting  45  out-of-town  theatres,  and 
-it  M.  Steam's  Co-Operative  The- 
:  Service,  also  a  buying-booking 
mization,    representing  approxi- 
,j.:,,iely  80  city  and  suburban  theatres, 
"*'e  merged. 

ecause  of  the  larger  quarters  re- 
fly  acquired  by  Co-Operative, 
msylvania  Enterprises  will  give  up 
downtown  offices  in  the  Law  and 
ance  Building,  and  all  booking  and 
ing  will  be  handled  at  Co-Opera- 
's offices. 


Pay  Rise  Faces 
S  Firms  in  Mexico 

Iexico  Cm-,  July  18.  — The  10 
j\  terican  film  companies  operating  in 
xico  again  face  a  strike,  this  one 
;atened  for  July  31  unless  they 
nt  employees  a  substantial  wage  in- 
ase.  The  companies  are :  Para- 
mt,  M-G-M,  RKO,  20th  Century- 
<;,  Universal,  United  Artists,  Co- 
ibia,  Warners,  Republic  and  Mono- 
m,  representatives  of  all  of  which 
sider  excessive  a  35  per  cent  pay 

(.Continued  on  page  9) 


Wright  Seeking  to 
Delay  U.  S.  Suit 
Against  Griffith 


The  Department  of  Justice's  efforts 
to  obtain  a  postponement  of  the  re- 
sumption of  the  trial  in  its  anti-trust 
suit  against  the  Griffith  Amusement 
Co.  in  Oklahoma  City  before  Federal 
Judge  Edgar  S.  Vaught  was  re- 
jected here  yesterday  by  Henry  Grif- 
fing,  chief  counsel  for  Griffith.  The 
trial  is  scheduled  to  resume  Sept.  10. 

Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant 
to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom 
Clark,  and  a  Department  of  Justice 
trial  lawyer,  personally  made  the  re- 
quest to  Griffing  during  the  taking  of 
depositions  by  the  latter  from  indus- 
try distribution  heads  at  the  New 
York  Bar  Association.  Wright  is 
now  expected  to  seek  a  postponement 
directly  from  Judge  Vaught  in  Okla- 
homa City. 

While  Wright  did  not  specify  to 

{Continued  on  page  9) 


Three  M-G-M  Sales 
Meetings  Under  Way 


Four  home  office  assistants  to  as 
many  field  sales  managers  will  attend 
the  two-day  Eastern  conference  to  be 
held  at  the  Astor  Hotel,  here,  today 
and  tomorrow.  E.  W.  Aaron,  circuit 
sales  manager,  will  also  attend.  Ed- 
ward K.  O'Shea,  Eastern  sales  head, 
will  conduct  the  meetings  and  present 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Universal  Lot  Has 
A  $250,000  Fire 

Hollywood,  July  18. — Fire  of 
undetermined  origin  caused 
$250,000  damage  on  Uni- 
versale back  lot  today  after 
breaking  out  in  the  old  "Tom 
Mix  Barn"  set,  where  an  ir- 
replacable  collection  of  an- 
tique carriages  and  other 
properties     was  destroyed. 


Prints  of  "Imitation  of 
Life"  and  "On  Stage  Every- 
body" worth  $10,000  were  de- 
stroyed in  a  truck  fire  this 
week  en  route  to  Universal's 
New  York  exchange  from 
Pathe  Laboratories  at  Bound 
Brook,  N.  J. 


Film  Men  Back 
From  Europe 


(Picture  on  Page  3) 

The  final  contingent  of  industry 
representatives  who  left  New  York 
on  June  17  for  an  official  visit  to  Eu- 
rope as  guests  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment arrived  at  LaGuardia  Field 
shortly  before  noon  yesterday. 

In  the  group  were :  Barney  Bala- 
ban,  president  of  Paramount ;  N. 
Peter  Rathvon,  president  of  RKO ; 
Cliff  Wrork,  vice-president  and  studio 
head  of  Universal ;  Francis  S.  Har- 
mon, Si  Fabian  .and  Robert  B.  Wil- 
by   of   the   industry   War  Activities 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Film  Manufacturers  Can 
Buy  Back  Own  Surplus 


Equipment  Dealers 
Will  Meet  Oct.  5-7 

Chicago,  July  18.— The  Thea- 
tre Equipment  Dealers  Pro- 
tective Association  will  hold 
a  national  convention  at  the 
Edgewater  Beach  Hotel,  here, 
for  three  days,  beginning  Oct. 
5.  Ray  G.  Colvin,  president- 
secretary,  is  arranging  the 
program  which  will  feature 
several  theatre  equipment 
manufacturers  in  talks  on 
present  and  postwar  equip- 
ment. 

The  convention  will  close 
Oct.  7  with  a  banquet.  Manu- 
facturers are  scheduled  to 
exhibit  post-war  merchandise. 


Washington,  July  18. — Manufac- 
turers of  photographic  and  other 
equipment  declared  surplus  by  the 
Army  and  Navy  in  the  Mediterranean, 
European  and  other  theatres  of  war 
may  be  permitted  to  buy  their  prod- 
ucts back  for  re-sale  abroad  if  neces- 
sary agreements  can  be  worked  out 
with  foreign  governments,  it  was  dis- 
closed by  Thomas  B.  McCabe,  Army- 
Navy  Liquidation  Commissioner. 

Discussing  the  problem  of  dispos- 
ing of  war  surplus  located  outside  of 
the  United  States,  in  a  report  to  W. 
Stuart  Symington,  new  chairman  of 
the  Surplus  Property  Board,  McCabe 
said  that  first  priority  on  purchases 
is  held  by  agencies  assisting  in  the 
recovery  and  rehabilitation  of  the 
devastated  countries,  with  second 
preference  going  to  religious,  educa- 
tional or  philanthropic  institutions. 


Walsh  Places 
Studio  Strike 
In  Lap  of  AFL 

Asks  Clarification  of 
Stand  on  Strike  Issues 


Richard  F.  Walsh,  president  of 
the  IATSE,  denies  charges  made  in 
labor  circles  that  he  is  in  defiance 
of  the  executive  council  of  the 
American  Fed- 
eration of  Labor 
in  refusing  to 
withdraw  '  I  A  ' 
charters  issued 
by  him  to  car- 
penters, paint- 
ers and  others 
in  the  Holly- 
wood studio 
j  urifcdictional 
strike. 

In  an  inter- 
view here  with 
Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily,  as 

Richard  F.  Walsh       the   s  t  r  j  k  e  of 

Conference  of  Studio  Union  affiliates 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Executives  Named 
To  Assist  Nelson 


Hollywood,  July  18.— About  30 
members  of  the  Society  of  Independ- 
ent Motion  Picture  Producers  met 
today  and  elected  George  Bagnall, 
Roy  Disney,  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Leo 
Spitz,  Sol  Lesser,  Daniel  T.  O'Shea 
and  Edward  Small  to  an  executive 
committee  to  act  with  Donald  Nelson, 
new  president,  on  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  organization. 


Million  for  Two  with 
Rogers:  Grainger 

Chicago,  July  18.  —  James  R. 
Grainger,  president  and  general  sales 
manager  of  Republic  Pictures  Corp., 
announced  at  the  closing  session  of  a 
two-day  sales  meeting  at  the  Black- 
stone  Hotel,  here,  today,  that  two 
Roy    Rogers    specials,    budgeted  at 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


In  This  Issue 

Review  of  "Our  Vines  Have 
Tender  Grapes,"  appears  on 
page  8;  "Johnny  Frenchman," 
9.  Motion  Picture  Daily' s 
booking  chart  is  on  12. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  19, 


ftCA  and  NBC  Start 
Television  Studies 


RCA  and  National  Broadcasting 
have  started  preparations  at  the  Em- 
pire State  Building,  here,  to  con 
duct  the  first  'full-fledged'  field  tests 
in  the  Metropolitan  area  to  study 
problems  in  using  higher  frequencies 
for  television  broadcasting,  according 
to  Dr.  C.  B.  Jolliffe,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  RCA  Laboratories. 

The  tests  will  employ  a  new  tele- 
vision transmitter  capable  of  develop- 
ing five  kilowatts  of  output-power  at 
288  megacycles,  a  somewhat  higher 
frequency  than  that  assigned  at  the 
present  time  by  the  Federal  Com- 
munications Commission. 


Monogram  Will  Make 
Series  of  'Palookas' 

Hollywood,  July  18. — Motion  pic- 
ture rights  to  "Joe  Palooka,"  comic 
strip,  have  been  acquired  by  Mono- 
gram from  its  creator,  Ham  Fisher, 
according  to  an  announcement  by 
Trem  Carr,  Monogram  executive  di- 
rector. Negotiations  between  Mc- 
Naught  Syndicate  and  Monogram 
were  handled  by  Hal  E.  Chester,  who 
will  produce  a  series  of  comedies 
based  on  the  adventures  of  the  char- 
acter, the  first  to  be  included  in  the 
release  schedule  for  1945-46. 


Demetre  of  Canada, 
70,  Dies  of  Attack 

Montreal,  July  18. — P.  G.  De- 
metre,  70,  director  and  vice-president 
of  United  Amusements,  Ltd.,  and  di- 
rector of  Confederated  Amusements 
Corp.,  local  film  circuits,  died  sudden- 
ly at  Fort  Erie,  Ont.,  yesterday,  while 
attending  a  racing  meet  there.  He 
was  in  Fort  Erie  to  attend  the  open- 
ing of  his  track,  Stamford  Park. 

He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two 
sons,  Stratton  P.  and  John,  and  six 
daughters,  Mary,  Pauline,  Nina, 
Christina,  Lulu  and  Lillian. 


Ogden  Named  20th's 
British  Story  Head 

Joseph  H.  Moskowitz,  vice-pres- 
ident and  Eastern  studio  representa- 
tive of  20th  Century-Fox,  has  ap- 
pointed Archibald  G.  Ogden  as  Lon- 
don story  editor,  with  headquarters  in 
London. 

Ogden  is  resigning  as  executive  di- 
rector of  the  Council  of  Books  in 
Wartime,  as  well  as  manager  of  the 
Overseas  Book  Division  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information,  in  Washing- 
ton. 


Chicago  Bans  'Ecstasy* 

Chicago,  July  18.  —  The  foreign 
film,  "Ecstasy,"  banned  in  many  spots 
throughout  the  country,  has  received 
similar  treatment  from  Lt.  Timothy 
Lyne,  chief  of  the  local  Police  Censor 
Board,  after  playing  28  weeks  at  the 
Studio  Theatre,  which  brought  to  270 
the  total  weeks  it  has  shown  in  sev- 
eral houses  here  during  the  past  10 
years.  Lyne  ordered  the  print  con- 
fiscated. 


Personal  Mention 


MORT  BLUMENSTOCK,  War- 
ner Eastern  director  of  adver- 
tising-publicity, will  confer  in  Wash- 
ington today  with  Brig.  Gen.  Robert 
L.  Dening,  Marine  Corps  public  re- 
lations chief.  He  is  accompanied  by 
Harry  Goldberg  and  Everett  Cal- 


Albert  K.  Chapman,  Eastman 
Kodak  vice-president  and  general 
manager,  and  Joseph  F.  Taylor,  vice- 
president  of  Bausch  and  Lomb  Optical 
Co.,  have  been  named  directors  of  the 
Lincoln-Alliance  Bank  and  Trust  Co. 
and  the  Rochester  Trust  and  Safe  De- 
posit Co.,  which  merged  this  week  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

• 

Denny  Bossone,  20th  Century- 
Fox  Movietone  News  cameraman  in 
Philadelphia,  and  Capt.  Mollie  S. 
Uttal,  in  charge  of  the  nurses'  basic 
training  schools  at  Atlantic  City  and 
Fort  Dix,  N.  J.,  were  married  recently. 
• 

E.   O.   Wilschke  has  arrived  in 
New  York  from  the  West  Coast  to 
take  up  duties  as  assistant  to  H.  M. 
Bessey,  Altec  Service  vice-president. 
• 

H.   C.  Kaufman,  Columbia  man- 
ager of  exchange  operations,  is  the 
father  of  a  daughter,  Barbara,  born 
at  Christ  Hospital,  Jersey  City. 
• 

Jay  Golden,  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
manager  of  the  RKO-Comerford  pool, 
will  be  in  charge  of  entertainment  at 
the  Monroe  County  Fair. 

• 

Nat  L.  Lefton,  former  PRC 
Cleveland  franchise  owner,  was  mar- 
ried recently  to  Mrs.  Emily  Hinske 
of  that  city. 

• 

Peter  Colli,  Warner  Bros,  general 
manager  in  the  Carribbean  territory, 
has  arrived  in  New  York  from 
Havana. 

• 

Harry  Feinstein,  assistant  to  Moe 
Silver,  Warner  Theatres  Pittsburgh 
zone  manager,  is  in  New  York. 
• 

Louis  B.  Mayer,  M-G-M  produc- 
tion vice-president,  left  Hollywood  by 
train  yesterday  for  ^New  York. 
• 

Sherman  Price,  president  of  Film- 
edia  Corp.,  is  visiting  rural  cities  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 
• 

Don   McElwaine,   PRC  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  returned  to  the 
Coast  yesterday  from  New  York. 
• 

R.  L.  Moretta,  Paramount  travel- 
ing auditor,  and  Mrs.  Moretta,  are 
in  New  Orleans  from  New  York. 
• 

Madge  Morris,  PRC  Salt  Lake 
City  booker,  will  spend  several  weeks 
in  Jackson  Hole,  Wyoming. 

• 

Arthur  W.  Kelly  is  scheduled  to 
arrive  in  California  today  from  New 
York. 

• 

M.  J.  Winant,  Columbia  auditor, 
has  been  visiting  the  New  Orleans 
exchange. 


TAMES  MULVEY,  Eastern  repre- 
*J    sentative    for    Samuel  Goldwyn 
Prod.,  will  leave  New  York  for  Hol- 
lywood by  plane  at  the  weekend. 
• 

S/Sgt.  Francis  (Dixie)  Johnson, 
peacetime  theatre  operator  of  Mound, 
Minn.,  and  a  nephew  of  Mrs.  Jack 
Auslet  of  Dixie  Films,  Inc.,  New 
Orleans,  has  been  awarded  a  citation 
for  bravery  as  a  tank  commander  in 
Germany. 

• 

Robert  Quick,  manager,  and  Rol- 
and Hoffman,  assistant  manager  of 
the  Army  Motion  Picture  Service  of- 
fice in  New  Orleans,  have  completed 
a  tour  of  Army  post  theatre  opera- 
tions in  that  area. 

• 

Frank  C.  Walker,  president  of 
Comerford  Theatres,  has  been  con- 
gratulated by  the  Scranton  Chamber 
of  Commerce  board  of  directors  in  a 
resolution  for  his  help  in  promoting 
the  city. 

• 

Lt.  John  Perakos,  son  of  Peter 
Perakos,  owner  of  the  Palace,  New 
Britain,  Conn.,  will  become  manager 
of  that  house  Aug.  1,  following  his 
discharge  from  the  Army  Air  Force. 
• 

Ralph  Staub,  Columbia  short  sub- 
ject producer,  was  a  recent  visitor  at 
the  company's  Dallas  exchange  while 
in  Texas  filming  sequences  for  a  ser- 
ies on  Army  rehabilitation  centers. 
• 

Bernie  Mills  and  Sid  Kulick  of 
Bell  Pictures,  Gene  Vogel  of  Uni- 
versal, and  Max  Westebee,  RKO, 
were  recent  visitors  at  the  Fabain 
Theatres  division  office  in  Albany. 
• 

Sgt.  Leon  M.  Brody,  formerly 
magazine  contact  in  Paramount's 
publicity  *  department,  has  returned 
here  after  18  months  with  the  Eighth 
Air  Force  in  Europe. 

• 

Earl   W.    Schroeder,  discharged 
from   the    Army,    has    resumed  his 
peacetime  post  as  head  booker  at  the 
Republic  exchange  in  New  Orleans. 
• 

Mac  Jackson,  mayor  of  Alexander 
City,  Ala.,  and  operator  of  the  Strand 
Theatre  there,  has  been  visiting  film 
row  in  Atlanta. 

• 

John  Jenkins,  president  of  Astor 
Pictures,  Dallas,  and  Jay-Bee  Film 
Exchange,  Atlanta,  has  been  visiting 
in  the  latter  city. 

• 

John  W.  Mangham,  president  of 
Film  Classics  of  the  Southeast,  has 
been  visiting  in  Florida  from  At- 
lanta. 

• 

John  A.  Schwalm,  manager  of  the 
Northio  Rialto,  Hamilton,  Ohio,  and 
Mrs.  Schwalm,  have  returned  there 
from  a  trip  to  Cleveland. 

• 

Harry  Paul  of  Wil-Kin  Theatre 
Supply    Co.,    Atlanta,    has  returned 
there  from  a  business  trip  to  Florida. 
• 

F.  Thomas  Murray,  Universal 
manager  of  branch  operations,  began 
a  Western  tour  in  Seattle  Monday. 


Continue  Fight  C 
Hollywood  Probirr 


Washington,    July     18.  —  H  \ 
members  continued  to  squabble  t<y 
over  the  proposed  Hollywood  in. 
gation  by  the  Committee  on  Un-Ai 
ican    Affairs,     with  Represent; 
Franck   R.   Havenner   of  Califc 
suggesting  that  it  seems  to  have 
ordered  "just  a  few  months  before1 
start  of  a  state  political  campai 

He  drew  from  Representative  . 
E.  Rankin  of  Mississippi,  sponso 
the  probe,  the  retort  that  poli; 
campaigns  come  every  two  years 
it  is  now  "just  as  far  away  fro| 
political  campaign  as  it  is  possibl 1 
get." 

Havenner  told  the  few  member 
the  House  present  in  the  chamber 
he  and  Representatives  George; 
Miller  and  Helen  Gahagan  Dou 
also  of  California,  conferred  last  \ 
with  the  Committee's  new  chain 
Representative  John  S.  Wood 
Georgia,  and  told  him  about  som 
the  methods  followed  by  former  ( 
gressman  Martin  L.  Dies  of  T 
when  he  was  head  of  the  Commi 


Arthur  Mayer  Hi 
For  O'Connor  Conf 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  assistant  to  1 
O'Connor,  chairman  of  the  Amei 
Red   Cross,   returned   from  End 
yesterday  for  conferences  with  0'< ; 
nor,  after  a  three  months'  surve  i 
American    installations    in  Eng 
France,  Germany,  Austria  and  I 
Plans  will  be  formulated  for  ; 
tional  service  to  the  Army  of  C 
pation,  and  also  to  the  men  in 
ing  areas  and  redeployment  cen 

Mayer  owns  the  Rialto  Theatt 
Times  Square. 


Marlene  Dietrich 
Rest  After  'GF  Tot 

Back  in  the  States  after  an 
months'  USO  Camp  Shows  tou 
Iceland,  France,  Belgium,  Lu:1 
bourg  and  Germany,  Marlene  Die 
informed  the  press  yesterday  tha 
has  no  immediate  motion  picture  r. 
but,  instead,  will  have  a  long  rest, 
return  here  was  forced  by  a  jav 
fection,  she  said. 

"Soldiers  are  the  most  grateful 
ences,"  said  Miss  Dietrich,  adding 
at  times  her  troupe  played  to  as 
as  25  'G.I.'s,'  this  caused  by  dif 
situations  near  the  front  lines, 
will  go  to  the  Coast. 


New  York  Theatr 
$60,000,000  for  7th 

More  than  $60,000,000  wortl, 
Seventh  War  Loan  bonds  were  i 
by  the  700  motion  picture  theatre 
Greater  New  York,  according  to 
liminary  reports  furnished  to  Ii 
Lesser,  chairman  of  the  New 
War  Activities  Committee.  Th 
the  largest  total  to  be  reported 
any  of  the  drives,  and  is  64  per 
greater  than  the  record  sales  ol 
Sixth  War  Loan. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Su ; 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  \ : 
Martin  Quigley, "  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham, 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  jJ 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Q< 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  offi 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


■sday,  July  19,  1945 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


lm  Men  Back 
om  Europe 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

Jnittee,  and  Russell  Holman  of 
pount. 

1.  Mannix,  production  executive 
pew's,  arrived  on  a  later  plane 
day.  Other  members  of  the 
sal  group  who  returned  from  Eu- 
:last  week  were :  Jack  L.  War- 
Harry  Cohn,  Darryl  F.  Zanuck 
»idney  Buchman.  The  group  was 
npanied  by  Taylor  Mills  of  the 
•  of  War  Information, 
servations  of  the  industry  mem- 
during  the  trip  were  recorded 
dually  and  will  be  compiled  by 
ion  in  the  form  of  a  report  which 
run  to  150  pages  and  which  will 
rned  over  to  the  War  Depart- 
when  completed.  The  itinerary 
€  four  and  one-half  weeks  trip 
3ed  England,  Belgium,  France, 
jany,  Italy  and  North  Africa.  In 
on  to  European  capitals  the 
-i  visited  battle  fields,  a  German 
ntration  camp,  numerous  Army 
tional  headquarters  and  Vatican 


- 


nited  in  what  they  were  free  to 
ts,  members  of  the  party  were 
ie  to  submit  to  interviews.  They 
~r'  ned,  however,  that  as  guests  of 
\rmy,  they  had  been  privileged 
ie  much  that  would  have  been 
"  d  to  them  had  they  visited  the 
:A  ijpean  war  areas  as  private  citi- 


No  Interviews 


Film  Executives  Return 


pressed  with  the  territory  cov- 
during   the   four   and  one-half 
s,  members  of  the  group  said  they 
:$the  world  to  be  "smaller  than 
They  learned  that  Germany 
•e  crossed  by  plane  in  three  hours. 
»st  members  of  the  group  gained 
ht  during  the  trip. 


'Id  Asks  Support 


illywood,  July  18.  —  Marshall 
1 ,  addressing  industry  leaders  at 
■".  s Beverly  Hills  Hotel  today  at  a 
•r  sponsored  by  the  Society  of 
pendent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
's, Association  of  Motion  Picture 
ucers,  Screen  Actors  Guild, 
;n  Writers  Guild  and  Screen  Di- 
ps Guild,  asked  the  industry's 
art  of  his  program  to  promote 
fir  relations  with  racial  minority 
ps. 


Agreement  Averts 
Expressmen's  Strike 

A  strike  threat  of  Railwav 
-xpress    Agency  employees 
•il  ^hich  would  have  tied  up  de- 
veries  of  films,  accessories, 
romotional   "paper,"  equip- 
Jnent  and  other  supplies,  in 
ome  places,  particularly  in 
Ihe  South  and  Southwest,  as 
rell   as   all   other  Railway 
Express    Agency  deliveries. 
-ias  been  allayed,  according 
o  Alfred  Mazanec,  general 
hairman  of  the  New  York 
listrict  of  the  Brotherhood 
>f   Railway    and  Steamship 
Klerks,   AFL.     Mazanec  in- 
ormed  Motion  Picture  Daily 
his  week  that  the  union  and 
Management  have  come  to  an 
I  igreement. 


(Air  Transport  Command  Photo) 

ARRIVING  by  Air  Transport  Command  plane  from  Casablanca 
at  LaGuardia  Airport  yesterday,  following  their  four  weeks' 
visit  to  European  capitals  and  battlefields  as  guests  of  General  Eisen- 
hower, are  (left  to  right,  front  row):  Francis  Harmon,  Barney 
Balaban,  Si  Fabian,  R.  B.  Wilby,  Cliff  Work,  Russell  Holman  and 
N.  Peter  Rathvon.  In  background  are  Army  officers  and  Taylor  Mills 
of  OWL 


Lieut.  Young  Cites 
Navy  Cameramen 

Many  cameramen  now  filming  for 
the  Navy  are  destined  to  become 
America's  foremost  photographers,  in 
the  opinion  of  Lieut.  Collier  Young, 
producer  and  writer  of  the  Navy  film, 
"The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay,"  who 
was  interviewed  in  the  office  of  the 
War  Activities  Committee  here  yes- 
terday. 

Approximately  200,000  feet  of  Ko- 
dachrome,  16  and  35mm,  were  used  in 
filming  "The  Fleet  That  Came  to 
Stay,"  a  20-minute  WAC-Paramount 
release,  described  by  Navy  Secretary 
James  Forrestal  as  the  'backstage 
story'  of  the  battle  for  Okinawa.  The 
film  shows  Jap  'kamikaze'  suicide 
planes  in  action,  and  is  said  to  be 
helpful  in  aiding  the  prosecution  of 
the  war,  Young  said,  because  the  fleet 
was,  for  the  first  time  in  novel  and 
continued  operation  to  an  extent  never 
envisioned.  Because,  according  to 
Young,  printing  in  color  would  have 
meant  too  much  delay,  the  picture, 
which  will  be  tradeshown  today,  is  in 
2,000  feet  of  black  and  white,  although 
85  per  cent  of  the  original  footage 
was  in  Kodachrome. 

The  film's  rapidity  of  release  is  a 
'new  speed  record,'  Lieut.  Young  said. 
It  has  been  rushed  because  of  the 
necessity  for  public  exhibition  and  also 
because  tactical  study  of  it  has  been 
of  even  greater  importance.  Footage 
was  exposed  on  Okinawa,  and  then 
rushed  to  Washington.  Paramount 
will  release  it  publicly  on  July  24. 


Champaign  House  Closes 

Champaign.  111..  July  18.  —  The 
Orpheum,  smaller  of  two  RKO  houses 
here,  is  closing  for  the  Summer  on 
July  12.  It  will  reopen  in  the  Fall 
when  the  school  season  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  here  resumes. 


Paramount  Honors 
Denver  Customers 


Denver,  July  18. — Mrs.  Lee  Mote, 
Acme  Theatre,  Riverton,  Wyo. ;  Mrs. 
F.  B.  Allen,  Allen's  Theatre,  Farming- 
ton,  N.  M.,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  F. 
Kehr,  Prairie  Theatre,  Ogallala,  Neb., 
all  of  whom  have  been  Paramount 
customers  for  30  years  or  more,  were 
honored  guests  at  the  company's  "One 
Third  of  a  Century"  luncheon  at  the 
Brown  Palace  Hotel,  here,  yesterday. 

The  luncheon  also  honored  Para- 
mount's  local  veteran  employes,  Edna 
Ahlers,  who  has  28  years'  service,  and 
Tillie  Chalk,  with  the  company  25 
years.  Chet  Bell,  branch  manager, 
was  toastmaster. 

George  A.  Smith,  Western  division 
manager;  Duke  Clark,  co-captain' of 
"Paramount  Month" ;  Bill  Demarest, 
Paramount  star,  and  Hugh  Braly,  dis- 
trict manager,  attended  the  luncheon. 


Sonny  Tufts'  Infection 
Keeps  Him  from  Party 

Cincinnati,  July  18. — Paramount 
player  Sonny  Tufts  is  in  Good  Samar- 
itan Hospital  here  for  treatment  of 
an  infected  arm  resulting  from  a  cut 
sustained  in  his  present  tour.  He 
was  unable  to  attend  Paramount's 
'Third  of  a  Century'  party  at  the 
Netherland  Plaza  tonight  honoring 
Fanine  Voss,  film  inspectress  with  the 
local  exchange  for  30  years.  J.  J. 
Donahue,  Allen  Usher  and  Harry 
Goldstein  attended. 


Albany  'Paramount  Day' 
Postpones  Arbitration 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  18. — Because 
July  24  has  been  fixed  as  'Paramount 
Day,'  for  the  visit  of  film  star  Ray 
Milland  and  his  'Paramount  Anniver- 
sary' unit,  the  hearing  in  the  case  of 
Harvey  English's  Capitol  Theatre  in 
Hancock  vs.  Kallet's  State  in  De- 
posit, N.  Y.,  over  one-day  clearance 
for  the  latter,  has  been  set  back.  Para- 
mount asked  for  a  shift  in  dates. 


Pope's  Address  to 
Film  Executives 


TfOLLOWING  is  the  complete 
x  text  of  the  address  of  His 
Holiness  Pope  Pius  XII  to  repre- 
sentatwes  of  the  American  mo- 
tion picture  industry  who  were 
received  in  private  audience  at 
Vatican  City  last  Saturday  fol- 
lowing their  tour  of  European 
capitals  as  guests  of  General  Eis- 
enhower. 

"We  see,  gentlemen,  that  you  are 
members  of  the  Motion  Picture  In- 
dustry, and  in  receiving  you  most 
cordially  We  cannot  repress  the 
thought  that  comes  at  once  to  Our 
mind :  the  thought  of  the  special  re- 
sponsibility that  office  places  upon  you 
in  your  country,  and  in  fact  in  the 
world.  For  Hollywood  is  known  out- 
side America. 

"One  wonders  at  times  if  the  lead- 
ers of  the  Motion  Picture  Industries 
fully  appreciate  the  vast  power  they 
wield  in  affecting  social  life,  whether 
in  the  family  or  the  larger  civic 
groups.  The  eyes  and  ears  are  like 
broad  avenues  that  lead  directly  to  the 
soul  of  man ;  and  they  are  opened 
wide,  most  often  without  challenge,  by 
the  spectators  of  your  films.  What  is 
it  that  enters  from  the.  screen  into 
the  inner  recesses  of  the  mind,  where 
youth's  fund  of  knowledge  is  growing 
and  norms  and  motives  of  conduct 
which  will  mould  the  definite  charac- 
ter are  being  shaped  and  sharpened? 
Is  it  something  that  will  make  for  a 
better  citizen,  industrious,  law-abiding. 
God-fearing,  who  finds  his  joy  and 
recreation  in  wholesome  pleasure  and 
fun?  St.  Paul  was  quoting  Menander, 
an  ancient  Greek  poet,  when  he  wrote 
to  the  faithful  of  his  church  in  Cor- 
inth, that  'bad  conversation  corrupts 
good  manners'.  (1  Cor.  15,33).  What 
was  true  then,  is  no  less  true  today ; 
because  human  nature  changes  little 
with  the  centuries.  And  if  it  is  true, 
as  it  is,  that  bad  conversation  corrupts 
morals,  how  much  more  effectively  are. 
they  corrupted  by  bad  conversation 
when  accompanied  by  conduct,  vividly 
depicted,  which  flouts  the  laws  of 
God  and  civilized  decency?  Oh,  the 
immense  amount  of  good  that  the  mo- 
tion picture  can  effect !  That  is  why 
the  evil  spirit,  always  so  active  in 
this  world,  wishes  to  pervert  this  in- 
strument for  his  own  impious  pur- 
poses ;  and  it  is  encouraging  to  know 
that  your  committee  is  aware  of  the 
danger,  and  more  and  more  conscious 
of  its  grave  responsibility  before  soci- 
ety and  God.  It  is  for  public  opinion 
to  sustain  wholeheartedly  and  effec- 
tively every  legitimate  effort  made  by 
men  of  integrity  and  honour  to  purify 
the  films  and  keep  them  clean,  to 
improve  them  and  increase  their  use- 
fulness. 

"It  has  been  a  pleasure  for  Us  to 
welcome  you  here  this  morning  and  to 
give  you  this  assurance  of  Our  keen 
interest  in  your  work.  We  pray  that 
God  may  prosper  it  for  the  greater 
good  of  young  and  old  everywhere, 
while  We  beg  Him  to  grant  you  and 
your  dear  ones  at  home  an  abundance 
of  heavenly  blessings." 


Betty  Hutton  Reception 

Sherman  Billingsley  announces  that 
Betty  Hutton  and  Don  DeFore  will 
be  honor  guests  at  a  reception  at  the 
Stork  Club  this  afternoon.  Miss  Hut- 
ton is  the  star  of  the  B.  G.  DeSylva 
film.  "Stork  Club."  with  the  role  op- 
posite her  played  by  DeFore. 


"Warner  Bros,  has  a  surefire  parlay  in  "Rhapsody  in  Blue"  .  .  .  Will  play  a  tuneful  boxoffice  barrage  at  any  exh 
wicket!  It  has  everything!"  Variety  A  masterpiece  ...  a  miracle  .  .  .  the  whole  has  been  put  together  so  bri 
and  with  so  much  entertainment  value,  so  many  laughs  and  so  many  tears,  that  I  have  no  hesitation  in  giving 
Academy  Oscar,  thus  far  in  advance  of  the  voting."  N.  Y.  Mirror  "j^Superior  and  important  attraction  which  wil 
its  sizeable  weight  felt!"  M.  P.  Daily  *^'Not  to  be  missed!"  N.  Y.  Herald  Tribune  =^Tirst  rate  enterta 
and  thoroughly  rewarding!".  ,        y.  World  Telegram  «*4^"Superb  musical  entertainment!"  N.  Y.  Journal-Av 


shwin 


STARRING 

ROBERT  ALDA 

as  George  Gersh 

JOAN  LESLIE 

as  Julie  Adams 

ALEXIS  SMITH 

as  Christine  Gilbert 

CHARLES  COBURN 

as  Max  Dreyfus 

JULIE  BISHOP 

as  Lee  Gershwin 

ALBERT  BASSERMAN 

as  Professor  Frank 

MORRIS  CARNOVSKY 

as  Mr.  Gershwin 

ROSEMARY  DE  CAMP 

as  Mrs.  Gershwin 

HERBERT  RUDLEY 

as  Ira  Gershwin 

EDDIE  MARR 

as  Buddy  De  Sylva 

OSCAR  LORAINE 

as  Ravel 

HUGO  KIRCHHOFFER 

as  Walter  Damrosch 

AS  THEMSELVES 

AL  JOLSON 

OSCAR  LEVANT 

PAUL  WHITEMAN 

GEORGE  WHITE 

HAZEL  SCOTT 

ANNE  BROWN 

TOM  PATRICOLA 

THE  WARNER 
CHORAL  SINGERS 

FOR  THE  PRODUCTION 
Produced  by 

JESSE  L.  LASKY 

Directed  by 

IRVING  RAPPER. 

Original  Story  by 

SONYA  LEVIEN 

Screen  Play  by 

HOWARD  KOCH  and 
ELLIOT  PAUL 

Dances  created  and 
directed  by 

LE  ROY  PRINZ 

Orchestral  arrange- 
ments by 

RAY  HEINDORF 


oney  grabber  of  staggering  proportions!  .Turns  on, the  full  power  of  the  screen!  An  entertainment  powerhouse! 
3  prove  one  of  the  year's  B.  0.  champs  as  well  as  almajor  "ten  best"  contender.  Verily  a  miracle  of  entertainment! 
Da%^^'Studded  with  brilliance  .  .  .  a  beautiful! co-ordinated  blend  of  music  and  human  interest!"  N.  Y.  Daily 

"A  resounding 
can  be  justly 

of  their  production !"  .  .  Time  Magazine 


uauy ti!j^-£>ivLaaea.  witn  Dnmance  .  .  .  a.ueauuiunwwumavcu  «xx«^v         "u..-^  — 

'Hanks  with  the  best,  from  Warners!  It's  picture-making  at  its  best!  .  .  The  Exhibitor ^  "j 
s!  The  music  would  be  well  worth  the  priceiof  admission  to  this  lavish  Gershwin  feast!  Warne?Sros. 


THE  TRADE 


THE 


„oFS  OF  AUDIENCE5 


AN  ABSORBING  COMEDY  DRAMA 

VAmm-  Th,  Hepubllc  higher  . 
bines  with  SchJdk .  au _s ?^        y  go 

&  ^ ' ». ,he  kev  SP°,S 


PLENTY  OF  LAUGHS  AND  ENTERTAINING 
MOMENTS 

SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW-  This  picture  has  plenty 
ol  laughs  and  entertaining  moments  to  ofier  the  aver* 
age  patron  it  has  a  good  story,  line  performances, 
and  lots  ol  laughs  .  .  .  Production  and  direction  by 
foseph  Kane  are  very  well  handled  and  the  cast, 
headed  by  Schildkraut,  all  give  clear  and  concise  inter- 
pretations ol  the  characters  they  portray." 

J^fT  COM^y  BNTEI{TAlmENT 

good  Jlve  ento?         thaf  ls  defmjfelv  w     P  by  pro" 
6  enter'amment  JS  the  re™*?  dlstiri9uished. 


••••00 


«olFTY-'^ePubh 
•LY    VAR^ot  with  this  one 

'rom  standout  pert  ung 
L  SchUdkrauJ ^  &&c- 

^d  with  such  nam  Walbum 
f  Ona  Wunson  W  addlUonal 
E^.rffid  bring  -any 


URPRISE  GIFT  PACKAGE 
?  EXHIBITORS 

I  DAILY  -  -Modem  parody  on 

.pon  m  Shvanng  on  entertmmng 
1  unusual  story.  . 


7  PROVE  A  "SLEEPER" 
REAL  PROPORTIONS 

ION  PICTURE  DAILY -"Crowded 
excellent  performances,  excelling 
•oduction  values,  and  having  the 
e  of  a  sound  story,  'The  Cheat- 
bids  fear  to  be  one  of  Republic's 
offerings  It  may  even  prove  to 
I  sleeper'  of  real  proportions." 


T-CLASS  PRODUCTION 
BOXOFF1CE 

YWOOD  REPORTER  -  A  first- 
production  which  is  right  up 
and  punching  in  the  first-rate 
class  Definitely  a  credit  to 
she  There  is  a  good  cast  and 
'  of  movie  value  Play  it  " 


MOTION  flCTUltt  /> 


^^^^^  *»U*tTUr 


o 


I  I  PI  1 1  

1335  To^ANNIVERSARY  1945 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  19 


Says  AFL  Leaders 
Hold  Strike  Legal 


Hollywood,  July  18. — International 
presidents  of  the  AFL  electrical  work- 
ers', plumbers-steamfitters',  building 
service  employes',  painters',  machin- 
ists' and  carpenters'  unions  "recognize 
the  current  studio  strike  as  legal  and 
will  support  it  to  the  limit,"  William 
J.  Hutcheson,  head  of  the  carpenters, 
declared  in  a  telegram  received  here 
yesterday  by  Pat  Casey,  labor  nego- 
tiator for  the  major  producers. 

The  telegram,  said  the  producers, 
"was  a  complete  surprise  and  must 
be  equally  surprising  to  the  studio 
workers  whose  interests  are  involved. 
We  have  not  changed  our  stand  in 
any  way  from  what  it  was  when  it 
was  approved,  and  the  strike  repudi- 
ated, by  responsible  AFL  leaders," 
their  statement  added. 

Brewer  Reaction 

Roy  Brewer,  IATSE  vice-oresident, 
said :  "I  don't  know  how  they  can 
legalize  a  strike  which  was  illegal 
19  weeks  ago.  Hutcheson's  statement 
doesn't  change  the  situation  at  all. 
We  knew  all  along  that  he  was  sup- 
porting the  strike,  and  no  —  he  is  ad- 
mitting it." 

At  a  late  hour  tonight,  neither  the 
Screen  Office  Employes  Guild  nor 
the  Screen  Publicists  Guild  had  re- 
ceived official  notification  of  yester- 
day's statement  declaring  the  strike 
legal  by  L.  P.  Lindelof,  international 
president  of  the  painters'  union,  with 
which  the  two  local  guilds  are  affili- 
ated. 


Review 


"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes 

(M  etro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

THE  gentle,  heartwarming  and  appealing  story  of  a  community  of  simple, 
industrious  Wisconsin  farm-folk  of  Norwegian  ancestry,  which  George 
Victor  Martin  dramatized  through  the  eyes  of  two  charming  youngsters  in 
his  novel,  "For  Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes,"  of  several  seasons  back, 
has  been  wrought  into  an  excellent  and  delightful  film  by  M-G-M.  Margaret 
O'Brien  and  Jackie  (Butch)  Jenkins  are  the  likeable  youngsters;  Edward  G. 
Robinson  and  Agnes  Moorehead  are  the  sympathetic  and  understanding 
parents  of  Miss  O'Brien  ;  and  a  minor  romance  is  provided  between  James 
Craig  as  the  editor  of  the  local  newspaper  and  Frances  Gifford  as  the 
restless  local  school-teacher  from  the  more-exciting  big  city.  Produced  by 
Robert  Sisk,  this  film  should  provide  grand  entertainment. 

Dalton  Trumbo  has  masterfully  captured  the  rich,  homey  flavor  of  the 
Martin  book,  in  his  fine  screenplay,  and  director  Roy  Rowland  projects 
that  sensitive  mood  in  fine  fashion.  It  is  the  simple  things  which  provide  the 
dramatic  context  of  the  film :  the  burning  of  the  fine  new  barn  of  one  of 
the  farmers,  who  had  placed  his  life's  savings  into  the  structure,  but  had  not 
insured  it ;  the  reluctant  aid  rendered  him  by  his  neighbors  in  his  distress ; 
a  near-tragic  accident  when  the  two  youngsters  are  swept  into  raging  flood 
waters  in  a  sailing  bathtub ;  a  stirring  Christmas  celebration ;  Craig's  devotion 
to  the  community  and  his  stronger  desire  to  do  service  for  his  country  in  the 
Armed  Forces ;  and  the  tragedy  of  a  "not-quite-right'  farm  girl. 

The  story  centers  around  Miss  O'Brien,  aged  seven,  and  her  cousin,  young 
Jenkins,  aged  five,  with  both  turning  in  splendid  performances.  They  are 
typical  youngsters ;  their  trials  and  tribulations  are  the  ordinary  ones  of 
youngsters  in  a  farming  community,  and  the  problems  of  their  parents  are 
those  of  people  of  the  soil,  the  ever-ending  struggle  for  a  fuller  life. 

Sisk  has  provided  a  tasteful  production  and  the  results  are  praiseworthy 
in  all  departments.  Others  in  the  well-chosen  cast  include  Morris  Carnovsky, 
Sara  Haden,  Greta  Grandstedt  and  Dorothy  Morris.  Robert  Surtees'  camera 
work  is  a  production  asset,  encompassing  the  natural  beauty  of  the  farm 
country  through  all  four  seasons,  while  Bronislau  Kaper's  musical  score 
aids  in  maintaining  the  peaceful  mood  of  the  rural  atmosphere.  Robinson  de- 
livers a  good  performance  in  the  role  of  the  quiet,  industrious  farmer  and 
patient  parent  and  Miss  Moorehead  scores  as  his  wife  and  the  more  practical 
member  of  the  family,  Craig  is  fine  as  the  local  editor  and  Miss  Gifford  is  an 
appealing  teacher.  Exhibitors  will  find  this  an  excellent  piece  of  merchandise. 
Running  time,  105  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  No  release  date. 

Milton  Livingston 


Keep  Your 
Eye  on  That 
Hair 


the  fine  hair  of  booth  performance, 
hangs  a  good  deal  of  box  office  per- 
formance. Like  Damocles  in  the  fable, 
it's  smart  for  you  to  keep  an  eye  on  that 
hair.  In  our  business  of  servicing  booths 
in  thousands  of  theatres,  we  have  learned 
that  good  operation  hangs— almost  lit- 
erally-by  a  hair.  A  little  dust  here,  a 
loose  cog  there  — the  tiniest  slip  due  to 
human  or  mechanical  fault  can  mean  the 
difference  between  first  rate  or  second 
That's  why  exhibitors  are 
to  pay  a  little  more  for 
3ur  unfailing  standard  of 
quality.  A  phone  call  or 
letter  will  bring  you  the 
complete  story. 


ALTEC 


250  West  57th  Street,  New  York  19,  N.  Y. 
THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


Goodman  Resigns 
Republic  Post 


Chicago,  July  18.  —  Resignation  of 
Morris  Goodman  as  general  foreign 
manager  of  Republic  Pictures  Corp. 
was  announced  here  today  by  James 
R.  Grainger,  president  and  general 
sales  manager,  at  the  closing  session 
of  a  two-day  sales  meeting  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel.  Goodman's  resig- 
nation will  be  effective  July  31. 

Grainger,  who  recently  assumed 
control  of  world-wide  sales,  indicated 
that  he  will  name  at  a  later  date  a 
successor  to  Goodman. 


Million  for  Two  with 
Rogers:  Grainger 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

$500,000  each,  will  be  released  by  the 
company  during  1945-46. 

The  two  productions,  "Don't  Fence 
Me  In,"  which  takes  its  title  from  the 
current  song,  and  "My  Pal,  Trigger," 
will  receive  top  production  attention, 
and  will  be  sold  individually,  apart 
from  other  outdoor  musicals  featuring 
Rogers. 


Walsh  Puts  Stri 
In  Lap  of  the  A] 


De  Ladder  Is  Reelected 

Detroit,  July  18. — Fred  De  Lodder 
has  been  re-elected  president  of  Co- 
operative Theatres  of  Michigan  for 
1945-46.  De  Lodder  is  head  of  the 
circuit  bearing  his  name  and  is  one 
of  the  city's  oldest  active  neighbor- 
'iood  exhibitors.  Reelected  also  were 
Wade  E.  Allen  of  the  Fine  Arts  and 
Arcade,  as  vice-president,  and  Harold 
Munz  of  the  Century,  as  secretary- 
treasurer. 


(Continued  from  pci'/e  1) 

in'  Hollywood    went    into  its 
month,  Walsh  explained  that 
still  waiting  for  answers  to  si 
questions  on  the  situation  whii 
has  sent  to  the  Council  and  said 
he    has    been    assured    by  Wi 
Green,  AFL  president,  that  the 
tions   will   eventually   be  ansv, 
presumably  after  they  are  take 
when  the  Council  meets  in  Chi 
on  August  6.     Based  upon  thi 
swers    received    Walsh's  'IA' 
decide  whether  or  not  it  will  r< 
the  Hollywood  charters. 

Walsh  said  that  he  has  askec 
Council  Jo   explain  what  will 
pen   if   the    IATSE  withdraws 
charters.     He   added  that  the 
wants  to  know  if  the  Confereni 
Studio  Unions  will  end  its  strike 
permit  the  National  Labor  Rela 
Board  to  settle  the  issues  in  dis 
if  the  charters  are  revoked.  V 
also  wants  to  know  if  there  is 
guarantee  that  the  studios  will 
tinue  to  function  as  they  are 
and  thus  permit  'IA'  workers  to 
form  their  duties,  if  he  withdraw 
charters. 

Did  Not  Start  Strike 

Walsh  pointed  out  that  his  isst 
of  the  charters  was  a  result  oi 
calling  of  the  strike  by  the  CSUf 
did  not  provoke  the  strike.  Ac, 
similar  to  that  of  Set  Decor;" 
Local  No.  1421,  key  unit  in  the  st ' 
in  withdrawing  from  a  NLRB  1 
ing  in  Los  Angeles  recently  ovei 
eligibility  of  voters  -were  describe 
Walsh  as  the  chief  barrier  to  a  p< 
ful  settlement  of  the  strike. 

Walsh  estimated  that  there  are 
tween  2,300  and  2,500  workers 
strike,  of  which  between  1,700  an' 
800  are  members  of  the  carpenters 
ternational.  He  said  that  there 
between  500  and  600  painters,  a 
175  machinists  and  50  plumbers 

Walsh  doubts  that  the  AFL  Ex 
tive  Council  has  any  jurisdictioi 
expel  the  'IA'  from  the  AFL. 
cording  to  Section   12  of  the 
constitution,  Walsh  said,  "The  Ex 
tive  Council  of  the  AFL  shall 
have  power  to  revoke  the  charter 
an  affiliated  national  or  internati 
union  when  the  revocation  has 
ordered  by  a  two-thirds  majority 
regular  or  special  convention  of 
AFL  by  a  roll  call  vote,"  Walsh  p< 
ed  out.  The  AFL  annual  conver 
scheduled  to  be  held  in  Chicag< 
October  has  been  called  off 

The  IATSE  has  no  intentior 
leaving  the  AFL  of  its  own  voli 
after  more  than  54  years  of  assc 
tion,  Walsh  declared. 


The  Musical  Treat  of  the  Yeat 

"ADVENTIIBF  IN  MUSIC 

with  Jose  Iturbi,  Mildred  Dilli 
Coolidge  Quartet,  Emanuel  Fu< 
mann,  Vronsky  &  Babin. 

Booked  Over  the 
Fox  West  Coast  Theatre  Circuil 

State  Right  Territories 
Now  Available 

Write  —  Wire 

ARTISTS  FILMS  INC. 

1207  North  El  Centro 
Los  Angeles  38,  California 


ursday,  July  19,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


[%%  Pay  Rise  Faces 
S  Firms  in  Mexico 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

i  demand,  contending  that  the 
i«ent  volume  of  business  does  not 
/rant  such  a  large  increase. 
The  Federal  Board  of  Conciliation 
I  Arbitration  is  striving  to  avert  a 
'ike. 


".  ilEXico  City,  July   18.  —  Leading 
v  atres  of  Queretaro  City,  Orizaba, 
fa  Cruz  state,  and  Parras,  Coahuila 
. '  ke,  face  a  strike  unless  they  raise 



>  emco   City,   July    18. — Produc- 
"  res  Grovas,  one  of  Mexico's  largest 
Klucers,  settled  a  labor  dispute  by 
king  a  new  contract  that  allows  a 
'  *ral  wage  increase. 


»Iexico  City,  July  18. — High  pay 
players,  highest  in  the  14-year 
lory  of  the  Mexican  film  industry, 
now  accepted  by  producers  as  a 
ult  of  present  conditions  in  Mexico 
rich  has  a  good  deal  of  inflation  and 
4i  living  costs. 

n  the  past,  a  stellar  player  was 
jtent  with  as  low  as  $1,000  per  pic- 
'e.  Now,  no  first-grade  player  can 
had  for  less  than  $10,000  per 
oduction. 


hree  M-G-M  Sales 
Meetings  Under  Way 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

phases  of  the  discussions  recently 
FflH  at  the  three-day  Chicago  division 

i  district  managers'  conclave. 

od  Bezahler,  home  office  assistant 

John  E.  Flynn,  Western  sales  man- 
ner, arrived  in  Chicago  yesterday 
rS  sat  in  at  the  final  of  the  two-day 
e  >sion  held  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel. 
:  1.  J.  Maloney  started  the  first  of 
two-day  meetings  at  the  Statler 

)tel,  Cleveland,  yesterday. 

Rudolph  Berger,  Southern  sales 
,  ad,  will  start  his  two-day  meeting 
V  morrow   at   the   Roosevelt  Hotel, 

:\v  Orleans, 


Christmas'  Premiere 
n  Conn,  in  August 

World  premiere  of  Warners' 
'hristmas  in  Connecticut"  will  be 
Id  simultaneously  on  Aug.  8  in  key 
ies  throughout  Connecticut,  with  an 
vance  yuletide  celebration  ushering 
the  Norwalk  opening. 
.  Mayor  Robert  Oliver  of  Norwalk 
11  issue  a  proclamation  designating 
ig.  8  as  "Christmas"  in  Connecticut, 
d  the  highlight  of  the  event  will  be 
;  party  for  redeployed  soldiers  who 
ssed  their  Christmas  in  Connecticut 

 htt  year  and  will  miss  it  again  this 

_-.ar  when  they  are  sent  to  the  Pa- 

w|c-   

9  liina  Report  Filmed 

American  collaboration  with  China 
its  fight  for  freedom  and  a  review 
I  Ftf*  China's  struggle  for  democracy 
ice  the  days  of  Sun  Yat-sen  is  the 
ory  told  in  the  new  United  China 
slief  film  for  1945-46,  entitled  "Re- 
>rt  on  China." 


*revin  Succeeds  Rapee 

Charles  Previn,  Hollywood  radio, 
eatre  and  concert  conductor,  yester- 
y  was  appointed  music  director  of 
adio  City  Music  Hall,  to  succeed  the 
■te  Erno  Rapee. 


Review 


"Johnny  Frenchman" 


(Michael  Bale on-Eagle  Lion) 

London,  July  18 

\A  ICHAEL  BALCON'S  first  feature  under  J.  Arthur  Rank's  distribution 
set-up  is  by  far  the  producer's  best  in  years,  largely  because  of  its  back- 
ground :  the  age-old  conflict  between  the  Cornish  fishermen  and  those  across 
the  channel  in  Brittany. 

Infusing  wistful,  delicate  charm  in  his  shots  of  the  seascapes  and  rugged 
Cornwall  Coast,  Balcon  depicts  the  struggle  in  documentary  fashion  and 
epitomizes  it  in  Lanec  Florrie,  an  indomitable  Frenchwoman  sailing  her  own 
boat,  and  Nat  Pomeroy,  a  British  harbormaster.  They  are  united  by  a  com- 
mon defiance  of  the  Germans  when,  at  the  capitulation  of  France,  Miss  Florrie 
leads  her  followers  across  the  channel  under  the  nose  of  the  Gestapo.  Inter- 
twined is  a  pleasantly  sentimental  story  of  rival  suitors,  one  Breton  and  the 
other  Cornish,  to  Pomeroy's  daughter's  hand,  with  the  novel  convention 
necessarily  nominating  the  Frenchman  as  the  winner. 

There  is  nothing  breathtaking  in  these  proceedings,  but  this  happy-go-lucky 
film  will  inevitably  charm  scores  of  thousands  of  Britons  to  whom  the  exi- 
gencies of  war  have  denied  their  annual  seaside  sojourn.  Incidentally,  it  will 
be  improved  by  the  cutting  it  is  bound  to  undergo  at  the  hands  of  the 
distributors. 

A  notable  performance  is  contributed  by  Francoise  Rosay  as  the  majestic 
and  forthright  French  matriarch,  and  there  are  pleasant  offerings  from  Tom 
Walls  as  the  harbormaster  and  youthful  Patricia  Roc,  who  has  little  to  do 
but  does  it  well. 

Running  time,  112  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  Peter  Burnup 


St.  Louis  Arbitrators 
Rule  for  Carey  House 

An  arbitration  award  fixing  120 
days  after  territorial  release  as  the 
clearance  of  the  Stadium  Theatre  in 
Carruthersville,  Mo.,  has  been  entered 
by  the  St.  Louis  motion  picture  ar- 
bitration tribunal. 

The  award,  directed  to  Paramount, 
RKO  Radio,  Warner  Bros,  and  20th 
Century-Fox,  further  provides  that 
if  the  complainant  is  offered  second 
run,  he  shall  have  the  right  to  play 
the  same  60  days  after  the  local  first 
run,  whereas  if  he  is  given  only  third 
run  pictures,  he  shall  have  the  right 
to  play  them  within  30  days  after  the 
local  second  run. 

G.  Carey,  operator  of  the  Stadium, 
had  complained  that  the  clearance  be- 
tween the  Rogers  and  the  Gem  in 
Carruthersville  was  unreasonable  and 
unduly  long  and  that  the  Stadium  was 
receiving  pictures  at  an  unreasonable 
time  after  territorial  release  date.  He 
had  further  complained  that  Loew's 
had  refused  some  run  and  had  asked 
product  from  Loew's.  Loew's  entered 
into  a  separate  stipulation  with  the 
complainant. 


25  'GV  Air  Promotions 

Radio  tieups  with  25  network  pro- 
grams have  been  arranged  for  the 
Lester  Cowan-United  Artists  produc- 
tion of  Ernie  Pyle's  "The  Story  of 
G.I.  Joe."  The  air  breaks  are  set  as 
far  in  advance  as  September. 


Killam  Host  to  Duke 

Montreal,  July  18.— I.  W.  Killam, 
Montreal  financier  who  once  was  a 
power  in  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.,  was  host  to  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Windsor  on  their  recent 
unofficial  visit  to  Canada  for  a  fishing 
holiday  and  their  presence  gave  sup- 
port to  a  rumor  that  His  Royal  High- 
ness will  be  the  next  Governor-Gen- 
eral of  Canada. 


Abe  Weiner  Joins  PRC 

Abe  Weiner,  formerly  with  Repub- 
lic, has  been  appointed  district  man- 
ager for  PRC,  Harry  H.  Thomas, 
vice  president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager, announces. 


Legion  Classifies 
Six  More  Releases 

The  Legion  of  Decency  has  classi- 
fied the  following  pictures :  Class  AI, 
"Adventures  of  Rusty,"  Columbia ; 
"Anchors  Aweigh,"  M-G-M ;  "The 
Hidden  Eye,"  M-G-M ;  "On  Stage 
Everybody,"  Universal ;  classed  All 
were  "George  White's  Scandals," 
RKO,  and  "First  Man  Into  Tokyo," 
RKO. 


Wright  Asks  Delay 
In  Griffith  Suit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Griffing  why  he  wanted  a  postpone- 
ment, it  is  assumed  that  the  necessity 
for  making  extensive  trial  prepara- 
tions for  the  New  York  consent  de- 
cree anti-trust  suit,  which  is  scheduled 
to  start  Oct.  8,  prompted  him  to  ask 
for  the  postponement. 

Industry  observers  were  speculating 
yesterday  on  a  possible  delay  in  the 
start  of  the  New  York  trial  should 
Wright  be  unable  to  obtain  a  post- 
ponement of  the  Griffith  trial. 

Depositions  End 

Meanwhile,  the  taking  of  depositions 
by  the  Griffith  attorneys  was  con- 
cluded here  yesterday  when  Neil  Ag- 
new,  vice-president  of  Vanguard,  was 
unable  to  appear  because  of  illness. 
Griffing  said  that  Agnew's  testimony 
about  Griffith  deals  with  Paramount, 
when  Agnew  headed  distribution  for 
that  company,  might  be  taken  later. 
Wright,  who  witnessed  the  taking  of 
the  depositions,  returned  to  Washing- 
ton yesterday  afternoon. 


Buy  More  Air  Time 

Continuing  radio  promotions  of  new 
films,  RKO  and  Loew's  have  bought 
time  on  New  York  stations  WABC 
and  WNEW  to  promote  "Along  Came 
Jones"  and  "Anchors  Aweigh,"  re- 
spectively. Twentieth  Century-Fox  is 
promoting  "A  Bell  for  Adano"  on 
WNEW  with  25  half-minute  an- 
nouncements. 


BUFFALO 

LAFAYETTE -Sock  opening  bigger  than 

"A  Song  to  Remember"  and  "Cover  Girl"! 

SAN  DIEGO 

SPRECKLES- Sensational  premiere  tops 
"A  Song  to  Remember"! 

(in  spite  of  big  layoff  of  war  workers  in  area) 

BOSTON 

LOEWS  STATE  and 

OffW/flttf-Smash 

opening  bigger  than 
"A  Song  to  Remember"! 


wONC  SUCCESS  STORIES! 


LOS  ANGELES 


): 


HILL  STREET  and  PANTAGES-fint 

terrific  week  tops"Cover  Girl"! 


MEW  YORK 


CRITERION — Jammed  1st  week! 


(in  face  of  paralyzing  newspaper  strike) 


Tito mm  a 


0  and  One 


i 


with 

EVELYN  PHIL  ADELE 

KEYES  •  SILVERS  •  JERGENS 


and 


Screen  Play  by  Wilfrid  H.  Pettitt,  Richard  English,  Jack  Henley 
Produced  by  SAMUEL  BISCHOFF  •  Directed  by  ALFRED  E.  6REEN 


KEEP  SELLING 
WAR  BONDS! 


H 

< 

X 

Q 

© 
g 

2 

o 
o 

CZ) 
< 

a 

H 

O 

o 

H 
O 

2 


03 

< 


a  2~ 

On  3  S 

n  o<  «i  •■o  > 

w  a"" 


 b 


2  f-.^ 

co"  | 
<fn  re 

Suco 


bfi  en  w 
O  C  • 

Its 

a*  I 

HQ 


< 

CO 

> 
i— i 


«afb  gas 

5"  2 -a  E^o 

95  5-3'E  • 
ms  5c  > 
topi  ET  ooo  " 


gap 


P. 


IS  (0 

hH       H  ?VDq 

o 


t><  2  |  B  > 

O  ai^K 


H    <  r 


So 
SB 

0h-«<>  > 

o> 
w 


O  0  ir> 

mz  I 


w  2  '8  £  j  u 


5  -  2 

8 

e"Eo1g 

20  2 
°  o 


<;«>  u. 

5  «  ^-3 

OS'S 

dogs 


^2  3  25 
0-Qm 

>Q2  2'Q  ° 

J    Q  OS 


C33 

22SUKo,^ 


wo  %4  u°i  i 


O  o  »  E°° 

ho  a  Si  I  « 


o 


O  C.N    M  w 

CO 


Q-.B 

O-d  2  V 
w  o  j:  o 
v  u  M  u 

2  «JJ 

M  3  M 
<  c;  «  O 

ET  u  ~  3 

o  n  re 


O  u 

a  °  S 


X 

o 

I 

h 

8- 


Q 
< 

O 


io 

w 

o  « 

3(d 


«  2  S 

a  §  r 

«  t>—>'-> 

o  £ 
o 


ads1 


■3° 

*=,2 


o  o 

Art  i 

O  3 


w 

W     33  e 

w    a  o  ^ 

J*5  Cios 

g  H^ 


w  0^  °  - 

as  ,2.2  o  2c 

<< 


o  C^o^ 

^_  C 

2^^j  5; 

0"n  ,  r^  «5c-q 

d  a  s  S  = 
!>     £  «^ps 

<°  r 


co  2  S 

C  ° 
«  3^3^ 

2  >>3!  ^-  u 

~  <»<;o>bS 
5        1  C- 

I- ,  4>  I 
Oh  O 


<  Q  2  >  ^ 
H  cqSps 


Oh    K;  oKO  i 

r3s  §-6sl 


cg-SoOS 


-  2 

«  Oh 

3  Q 
a  o 


2  o 

oO 

o 


&  re 

QrSOn 
>r 

u 


re  S    "3  «  E 
.220  g  >,C  E 


-  os  cj  2.S  * 
°Se«S^ 

0°  5 


c"5 

°2  C 

<  J*'  in  Ol 

>,.E^ 

Cjt^      3  E  . 
3  O  C  f 


-3T! 

B 


co£E 
Oh  OS  "!> 

H  „  a  s  . 

^  «  i 


REPUBLIC 

GANGS  OF  THE 
WATERFRONT 
Robert  Armstrong 

Stephanie  Bachelor 

D — 55   mins.  (422) 

TRAIL  OF 
KIT  CARSON 

0—56   mins.  (466) 
ROAD  TO 
ALCATRAZ 
Robert  Lowery 
June  Storey 
D — 60   mins.  (423) 

OREGON  TRAIL 
Sunset  Carson 
Peggy  Stewart 
0—56   mins.  (456) 

HITCHHIKE 
TO  HAPPINESS 
M— 72  mins.  (419) 
(Rev.  4/19/45) 

JEALOUSY 
John  Loder 
Jane  Randolph 

D— 71   mins.  (424) 
THE  CHEATERS 

n— 87  mins.  (421) 

STEPPIN'  IN 
SOCIETY 
Edward   E.  Horton 
Gladys  George 
C — 72  mins. 
(Rev.  6/7/45) 

MAN  FROM 
OKLAHOMA 
Roy  Rogers 
Gabby  Hayes 
OM— 68  mins.  (443) 

TELL  IT  TO 
A  STAR 
Ruth  Terry 
Robt.  Livingston 

C— 67  mins.  (425) 

PRC 

THE  SILVER 

FLEET 
(J.  Arthur  Rank) 
Ralph  Richardson 
Googie  Withers 
D — 77  mins. 
(Rev.  3/18/43) 

THREE  IN  THE 
SADDLE 
Dave  O'Brien 
Tex  Ritter 

(O — 61  mins.) 
(Rev.  6/27/45) 

STAGE  COACH 
OUTLAWS 
Buster  Crabbe 
Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John 

O — 58  mins. 
(Rev.  7/16/45) 

< 

PS 

< 

Oh 


2 2z  S  b»« 

S  to 2?  bOh 
£  <wto  Sg™ 
S  Hto  re  8"*  « 


Q<  o5  «x 
2 CO  re^.g-a- 


CO  «  >    .  vo 


.jj^SOh 

r 


re^. 

Onto  ^«>.S* 
<B 


^  3  rj  in" 

«Q2  „.S" 
-20,°  .-o  E^ 

<%z  pHg-rg 


CO  G 
MfepSfQ  S  3^ 

£°Ouc'b  > 


wfc  MS,*" 

E2  >a  Sf—  * 
»n     re  re  \ 

°!30  £  »;» 
2|gC0.S>o 
OS  re  s  3  > 

£§§<3oh 

f!vf  r 

a 


«osoo;     I  > 


OS 
2 


ooh 


OS 

o 

to  I 

2W.3 
D0!  I 

CO  « 

w 

H 


GO 

Bps 


o 
o 


a 


CO^  M"^, 

o32S« 

5<^  I" 


w 

,  a*  re  3  >- 
J™>2o  3* 

CO>  _  i,,!"'0 

as  w 

o 


2<  re.S^ 

<3g  E 

So  E^oi 
04*  I  ~ 


I 

O 
■ 


3 

O  O  Ba-'i? 

a:  OJS^i 
►Jre&S'S 

5        **  E 

S  s.  G  • 
CD  [d  «  > 

-  J 

■-  a 


M 

co 

CO 


hj;    a*  e 


re 


2  m 


sua 


<   -e  •= 

d? 

2 


J       0<M  > 
3  VOh 


—  Ph 
O 
CO 


K  ^  *B 
U£l  B^ 

05  0,  B  I  S 

Ka 


tog  §i~3 

f  u  eFJ  »r? 
i-'2"3^.!S  E10 
Hn^e 2  * > 
>  «7oS 


OS 


22 


ast"1-1 8  SS 

r;  HH  up-. 


o 
o 


s 

wMcog 

2°  «  3  I 

jOHas1-5^ 
« 


co  M 
coO'C  j 
2«00-S.b 

gS^toS 
B3>J2  «2  I 

asu 


THE  GAY 
SENORITA 
Jinx  Falkenburg 
Jim  Bannon 
Steve  Cochran 
M 

RUSTLERS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Charles  Starrett 
Dub  Taylor 
O 

OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 
C 

July 

IN. 

* 

bo 

•1  m 

a>  o 

w  o 


•^4 


s 


be 
S 

< 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 


tion 


Picture 
Industry 


OL.  58.  NO.  14 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JULY  20,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


^ide  Variation 
n  Ad  Charges 
)uring  Strike 

lost  N.  Y.  Papers  Cut 
'harges  on  Insertions 

By  CHARLES  L.  FRANKE 

A  wide  variation  exists  on  rates 
jhich  New  York  City  newspapers 
ill  charge  for  motion  picture  thea- 
t  and  film  company  advertise- 
ents  and  which  appeared  during  all 

part  of  the  17-day  paper  delivery- 
•en's  strike,  that  ended  this  week, 
(•tion  Picture  Daily  learns. 
Exemplification  of  this  is  seen  par- 
•ularly  in  the  cases  of  the  Daily 
■cics  and  Mirror.  The  Mirror,  which 
n  motion  picture  advertising  every 
iy  during  the  strike,  will  charge  40 
sr  cent  of  normal  cost  for  July  1 
Sunday)  only,  and  will  make  no 
large  for  the  advertisements  carried 
lorn  July  2  through  17.  The  News, 
a  the  other  hand,  which  ran  film 
Bvertising  only  on  July  1,  2,  3,  and 
~.  will  make  no  charge  for  the  first 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Weather  Aids 
Box  -  Offices 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

"The  Corn  Is  Green"  rolled  up  a 
Eg  lead  over  nine  other  films,  this 
ieek,  including  "Along  Came 
'ones,'"  The  Valley  of  Decision," 
Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "Out  of  This 
iforid,"  "Nob  Hill,"  "A  Medal  for 
Jenny."  "The  Clock,"  "Dillinger"  and 
Conflict,"  all  of  which  scored  strong- 
■  in  first-run  theatres  in  14  key  cities, 
;cording  to  field  reports  from  Mo- 

(Continued  on  page  6)  • 


lever se  Ruling  in 
^ara.-Skinner  Case 


Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  19. — The  New 
"ork  Court  of  Appeals,  by  a  six  to 
ne  decision,  has  reversed  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Appellate  Division  of  the 
-ame  court  in  the  action  brought  by 
ornelia    Otis    Skinner    and  Emily 
-limbrough    against    Paramount,  in 
:>nnection  with  the  company's  attempt 
a  make  a   sequel  to  "Our  Hearts 
Were  Young  and  Gay."    The  Court 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


§40,000,000  Loew 
Refinancing  at 
Low  Interest  Rates 


Loew's,  Inc.,  has  concluded  a  $40,- 
000,000  finanping  program,  the  man- 
agement disclosed  here  yesterday. 

Involved  is  the  sale  of  an  issue  of 
$28,000,000  20-year  debentures  to  a 
group  of  insurance  companies,  to 
yield  approximately  2.80  per  cent  and 
a  two  per  cent  bank  loan  of  $12,000,- 
000,  for  eight  years,  from  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Boston  and  several 
associated  banks.  Amortization  of  the 
debentures  will  begin  in  Jan.,  1954. 

Proceeds  of  the  new  financing  will 
be  applied  by  Loew's  to  the  retire- 
ment of  $13,000,000  of  its  present 
outstanding  three  per  cent  debentures 
and  a  subsidiary's  3l/2  per  cent  mort- 
gage debt  of  $10,850,000.  The  remain- 
der will  be  added  to  working  capital 
available  for  corporate  purposes,  in- 
cluding postwar  development. 


Four  Guilds  Expect 
Orders  to  Strike 


Hollywood,  July  19.  —  Weekend 
instructions  to  observe  the  studio 
strike  picket  lines  are  expected  from 
L.  P.  Lindelof,  president  of  the 
Painters',  Paperhangers'  and  Deco- 
rators' Union,  by  the  Screen  Office 
Employees,  Publicists,  Cartoonists 
and  Story  Analysts  Guilds,  who.  it 
is  thought,  will  neither  obey  nor  reject 
the  edict  before  holding  membership 
meetings.  In  a  statement  last  night, 
the  producers  said  they  would  seek  a 
court  injunction  to  prevent  these 
workers  from  leaving  their  jobs. 


U.  S.  Loosens 
Bonus  Rule 


Washington.  July  19. — A  new  rul- 
ing which  may  solve  some  of  the  dif- 
ficulties of  film  and  other  corporations 
with  respect  to  the  payment  of  bonuses 
to  key  personnel  has  been  issued  by 
the  salary  stabilization  unit  of  the  In- 
ternal Revenue  Bureau. 

Under  regulations  previously  in  ef- 
fect, the  payment  of  bonuses  out  .of 
a  fund  based  on  a  fixed  percentage 
of  profits,  sales,  or  the  like,  where 
the  amount  to  be  distributed  to  the 
individual  is  at  the  discretion  of  the 
employer,  was  governed  by  the  rules 
relating  to  bonuses  paid  on  other  than 
a  fixed  percentage  basis. 

This  rule  now  has  been  changed 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Ben  Heclit  Unit  Is 
Set  up  at  Republic 

By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  19.  —  Republic 
will  establish  more  autonomous  pro- 
duction units,  similar  to  the  setup 
under  which  Frank  Borzage  soon 
will  film  "Concerto,"  according  to 
Herbert  J.  Yates,  who,  speaking  at  a 
press  conference  here  today,  revealed 
that  the  studio  has  signed  Ben  Hecht 
to  a  deal  under  which  he  will  write 
and  produce  two  pictures  annually  for 
the  next  three  years,  selecting  his 
own  director  and  cameraman. 

Yates  said  the  trend  toward  smaller 
autonomous  units  is  feasible  because 
"in  my  opinion,  theatre  divorcement  is 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Weekend  at  the  Waldorf 


IMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer] 

Hollyu'ood,  July  19 

C  HOWMEN  have  here  a  surefire  attraction  studded  with  such  marquee 
^  names  as  Ginger  Rogers,  Lana  Turner;  Walter  Pidgeon,  Van  John- 
son and  Edward  Arnold.  The  story,  in  a  pattern  made  famous  by  Vicki 
Baum's  "Grand  Hotel,"  combines  the  elements  of  romance,  pathos  and 
comedy  in  pleasing  proportions.  Polished  production,  by  Arthur  Horn- 
blow,  Jr.,  and  deft  direction  by  Robert  Z.  Leonard,  add  to  the  picture's 
high  degree  of  saleability. 

The  story,  ably  scripted  by  Sam  and  Bella  Spewack,  is  a  'slice  of 
life'  brought  into  focus  by  the  space  limitations  of  a  great  metropolitan 
hotel  and  the  time  limitations  of  the  hours  beween  Friday  night  and 
Monday  morning.  Under  such  circumstances,  almost  anything  can 
happen,  and  during  the  course  of  the  picture  a  great  deal  does.  Two 
romances  bud  and  blossom,  a  get-rich-quick  scheme  is  foiled,  and  a 
cub  reporter  makes -good. 

Ginger  Rogers,  in  a  portrayal  as  fine  as  any  she  has  ever  done,  lends 
humor  and  charm  to  the  role  of  a  motion  picture  actress  who  finds  a 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


46,000,000  ft. 
Less  Film  for 
Independents 

WPB  Holds  Them  Below 
'Maximum  Usage'  Quota 

Washington,  D.  C,  July  19. — 
Actual  distribution  of  raw  stock  to 
independent  producers  during  the 
twelve  months  ending  next  April  1 
will  be  limited  to  120,000,000  feet,  de- 
spite the  fact  that  individual  quotas 
announced  Monday  called  for  166,027,- 
000  feet,  it  was  indicated  here  today 
by  the  War  Production  Board. 
Making  public  generally  the 
quota  figures   released  to  the 
trade  press  earlier  by  Stanley 
B.  Adams,  director  of  the  WPB 
Consumers  Hard  Goods  Bureau, 
the   WPB   indicated   that  the 
individual  locations  are  'maxi- 
mum  usage,'   which   few  pro- 
ducers are  expected  to  attain. 
Adams  explained  that  figures  sub- 
mitted by  the  independents  show  that 
their  total  demand  has  always  been 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


File  Suit  on 
Percentages 


Boston,  July  19. — Five  actions  have 
been  instituted  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
by  Warner  Bros.,  Loew's,  RKO 
Radio,  20th  Century-Fox  and  Para- 
mount, respectively,  against  Irving 
Green  and  four  corporations  operating 
the  Coolidge  Theatre,  W atertown ; 
Melrose,  in  Melrose ;  Park,  Everett, 
and  the  Fellsway  in  Medford,  all  in 
Massachusetts. 

Defendants  are  alleged  to  have  made 
fraudulent  box  office  reports  on  grosses 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


O'Shea  Tells  MGM 
Policy  to  N.Y.  Meet 


M-G-M's  19-point  sales  policy,  orig- 
inally outlined  by  William  F.  Rodg- 
ers,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager,  in  Chicago  last  weekend, 
and  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  last  Tuesdav,  was  reaffirmed 
by  E.  K.  (Ted)  O'Shea,  Eastern 
sales  head,  at  the  opening  of  the  com- 
pany's two-day  Eastern  conference, 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  July  20,  19 


Personal 
Mention 


NEIL  AGNEW,  Vanguard  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager, will  leave  New  York  for  Cal- 
ifornia today. 

• 

Robert  Wolff,  managing  director 
of  RKO  Radio,  London,  will  leave 
New  York  today  for  studio  confer- 
ences in  Hollywood,  returning  prior 
to  Aug.  6  with  Charles  W.  Koerner, 
production  vice-president. 

• 

Jack  Leewood  will  return  to  Seat- 
tle today  from  his  first  territorial 
swing  since  his  transfer  from  Denver 
to  the  Pacific  Northwest  as  a  Warner 
exploiteer. 

• 

Vida  Tazartus,  secretary  to  R.  M. 
Savtni  of  Astor  Pictures  here,  will 
become  the  bride  of  Cpl.  Moe  Kreg- 
stein  at  the  weekend. 

• 

Roy  Haines,  Warner  Western  and 
Southern  division  sales  manager,  has 
returned  from  a  tour  of  exchanges. 
• 

Jules    Lapidus,    Warner  Eastern 
division  sales  manager,  will,  leave  to- 
night for  Cincinnati  and  Chicago. 
• 

Ed  Benjamin,  Warner  field  rep- 
resentative in  the  Northwest,  will  re- 
turn to  Minneapolis  today  from  La- 
Crosse,  Wis. 

• 

Anthony    Quinn,    actor,    is  en 
route    to    Hollywood    after  several 
weeks  of  appearances  in  the  East. 
• 

Malcolm   Kingsberg,   RKO  vice- 
president   and   treasurer,    will  leave 
New  York  for  California  today. 
• 

Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  Warners' 
playdate  department,  will  return  here 
today  from  Philadelphia. 

• 

Sam  Dembow,  president  of  Golden 
Pictures,  will  leave  New  York  for 
California  on  Monday. 

• 

William  Cagney  will  leave  here 
for  Hollywood  today. 


Brown  Resigns  from 
Quigley  Company 

Colvin  W.  Brown  has  resigned  as 
vice-president  and  treasurer  and  direc- 
tor of  Quigley  Publishing  Co.,  Inc., 
effective  July  17.  A  10  per  cent  stock 
interest  which  he  held  has  been  ac- 
quired by  the  Company. 

Brown  joined  the  Company  in  1931 
and  has  been  active  in  the  financial 
and  business  management  of  the  Com- 
pany since  that  time.  Previous  to  this 
association  he  was  a  film  company 
executive. 

During  wartime  he  has  served  as 
special  consultant  to  the  Publishing 
Division  of  the  War  Department  and 
to  the  War  Production  Board.  In  1933 
he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  Ex- 
ecutive Council,  established  by  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  as  an  emergency 
agency.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Gen- 
eral Aniline  and  Film  Corp.  He  plans 
to  devote  his  time  to  other  interests. 


'IA'StudioWageTalk 
May  Be  Shifted  Here 


Negotiations  will  be  moved  to  New 
York  in  the  latter  part  of  October 
should  film  company  executives  and 
representatives  of  IATSE  studio  craft 
unions  fail  to  agree  on  new  wage  ne- 
gotiations scheduled  to  get  underway 
in  Hollywood  after  Labor  Day. 

Under  terms  of  the  contracts  nego- 
tiated in  New  York  last  year,  the 
'IA'  has  submitted  new  demands, 
which  include  bids  for  new  classifica- 
tions and  other  benefits  which  would 
raise  wage  scales  by  20  to  25  per 
cent,  costing  the  studios  an  additional 
estimated  $5,000,000  annually. 

The  War  Labor  Board  has  ap- 
proved all  of  the  original  pacts,  ex- 
cept that  of  cameramen,  which  has 
not  yet  been  submitted,  since  wording 
is  still  in  dispute.  The  contracts  ne- 
gotiated last  year  provided  for  reop- 
ening after  one  year. 


SOPEG  Closed  Shop 
Denied  at  Republic 

A  decision  in  favor  of  Republic  has 
been  handed  down  by  the  American 
Arbitration  Association  against  the 
claim  of  the  Screen  Office  and  Pro- 
fessional Employees  Guild,  CIO,  that 
it  was  entitled  to  a  closed  shop  under 
its  contract  covering  Republic's  home 
office  employees. 

The  Guild  now  has  a  70  per  cent 
union  shop,  but  claimed  a  closed  shop 
on  the  ground  that  Republic  later 
signed  a  closed  shop  agreement  with 
the  IATSE  covering  front-office  em- 
ployees at  some  of  its  branches. 


Martin  Starr  Leaves 
UA  Post  on  July  27 

Martin  Starr,  United  Artists  radio 
and  exploitation  manager,  has  re- 
signed from  the  company,  Barry 
Buchanan,  UA's  director  of  advertis- 
ing-publicity, announces. 

Starr  had  been  with  United  Artists 
since  1942  in  charge  of  radio  activi- 
ties. He  wrote  scripts,  prepared  radio 
dramatizations,  produced  exploitation 
disks,  acted  as  commentator  on  special 
events  from  theatre  lobbies  on  pre- 
miere nights  and  'spotted'  UA  stars 
on  network  shows.  He  will  leave 
UA  on  Friday,  July  27.  He  plans  to 
prepare  radio  shows,  with  motion  pic- 
ture formats,  for  agency  auditions. 


Morey,  Goldstein  to 
Mono.  Chicago  Meet 

M.  Edward  Morey,  Monogram  as- 
sistant sales  manager,  and  Morey 
Goldstein,  Eastern  sales  manager,  left 
New  York  yesterday  for  Chicago,  to 
preside  at  the  company's  Midwest 
regional  sales  meeting  at  the  Black- 
stone  Hotel,  Saturday  and  Sunday. 
Arthur  Greenblatt,  Monogram  Cen- 
tral district  manager,  accompanied 
them. 


Berk,  Krumgold  in  Deal 

Berk  and  Krumgold,  theatrical  real 
estate  brokers,  have  sold  the  four- 
story  Eagle  Theatre  property  on 
Third  Avenue,  for  Manhattan  Sav- 
ings Bank,  to  William  O'Donnell. 


New  Bills  Propose 
Wage  Scale  Boost 


Washington,  July  19. — Legal  min- 
imum wages  starting  at  65  cents  an 
hour  for  an  estimated  10,000,000 
workers  throughout  the  country  and 
rising  after  two  years  to  75  cents  an 
hour  are  provided  in  bills  pending  in 
the  Senate  and  the  House. 

Under  the  legislation,  which  would 
amend  the  Fair  Labor  Standards  Act 
of  1938,  which  established  the  present 
40-cent  minimum  wage,  the  work- 
week before  pay  at  time  and  one- 
half  set  in  would  be  44  hours 
the  first  year  at  the  65-cent  rate,  42 
hours  the  second  year,  when  the  min- 
imum would  be  70  cents,  and  40  hours 
upon  the  rise  of  the  minimum  wage 
to  the  75-cent  level. 


Newsreel  Editors  to 
Europe  August  4 

Newsreel  editors  are  scheduled  to 
leave  Washington  August  4  for  a 
month's  study  of  European  conditions, 
as  guests  of  the  Army  on  the  same 
kind  of  Army-sponsored  mission  as 
that  taken  by  the  heads  of  the  dis- 
tributing companies,  who  returned  to 
this  country  on  Wednesday. 

Editors  in  the  party  will  be :  Walton 
Ament,  Pathe  News ;  A.  J.  Richard, 
Paramount ;  M.  D.  Clofine,  News  of 
the  Day ;  Thomas  Mead,  Universal ; 
Edmund  Reek,  Movietone,  and  Rich- 
ard de  Rochemont,  producer  of  the 
March  of  Time. 


3  Dividends  Declared 
By  20th  Directors 

The  board  of  directors  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox yesterday  declared  a  quar- 
terly cash  dividend  of  $1.12^  per 
share  on  prior  preferred  stock,  pay- 
able Sept.  15,  to  stockholders  of 
record  in  Aug.  31,  1945. 

A  quarterly  dividend  of  37l/2  cents 
per  share  on  the  convertible  pre- 
ferred was  also  declared,  payable 
similarly. 

A  quarterly  dividend  of  50  cents 
per  share  on  common  stock  was  de- 
clared, this  payable  October  J,  to 
stockholders  of  record  on  August  31, 
1945. 


British  Servicing 
Theatres  to  Float 

Two  former  around-the-world  lin- 
ers are  being  transformed  into  floating 
theatres  for  the  British  Admiralty. 
Now  being  remodeled  in  British  Co- 
lumbia shipyards,  the  ships  will  be 
anchored  off  tropical  isles  and  Asiatic 
shores  for  the  use  of  British  service- 
men fighting  in  the  Pacific  and  on  the 
Burma-India  front.  Both  of  the  ships, 
the  Agememnon  and  the  Menestheus, 
will  feature  theatres  fully  equipped  to 
handle  stage  and  screen  shows. 


Disney  Announces  Next 

Hollywood,  July  19. — Walt  Disney 
announced  "Make  Mine  Music"  as  his 
next  Technicolor  feature,  for  release 
early  in  1946,  with  Dinah  Shore, 
Benny  Goodman,  David  Lichine  and 
Risbouchinska. 


THE  PICTURE  THAT  MAY 
CHANGE  YOUR  LIFE! 

The 

THEATERS 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 
Starring 
JOSEPH  SCHILDKRAUT 

with 

BILL  IE        EUGENE  ONA 
BURKE     PALLETTE  MUNSON 

OPENS  FRIDAY 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  CO0LE 


□  GOTHAM 


B' WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation       Rockefeller  Cente  i 

A  Bell  For  Adano 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIA1 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


HELD  OVER 

Van  JOHNSON 
Esther  WILLIAMS 

in  M-G-M's 

'THRILL  OF 
A  ROMANCE' 

IN  COLOR! 


NEW  STAGE  SHOW 

GRACIE 

BARRIE 

PHIL 

MOORE 


^IU»~-~—^>^Jim||jrcfl[|h|...im»i 

Century-Fox  Picture 

■nil  i  WTTTTh  hib  iiH  i  mi  i  , 


Robert  Lizabeth  Don 

CUMMINGS  SCOTT  DeFORE 

In  HAL  WALLIS  Production 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG" 

A  Paramount  Picture 
In  Person     STAN  KENTON 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


astor; 

Broadway 
and  45th  S 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY 
47th  S 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES' j 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASEE 
BY  RKO 


George       Joan  Vivian      Peggy  A 

RAFT    BENNETT         BLAINE  GARNE 

"NOB  HILL" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicol 

pstagen  ABBOTT  and  COSTELL 

UY  MORI 
BONDS 


BUY  MORE     D         V  V      7th  Ave- 
BONDS        KWA  I  50th  S' 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  President  and  Editor-in-Chief;  Colvin  Brown,  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sun! 
and  holidays  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  Yo  : 
Martin  Quigley,  President;  Colvin  Brown,  Vice-President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  Sullivan,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  JN  j: 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  B  '., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Qui  |y j 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  offic  |it 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


I 

.day,  July  20,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


j- 

«overnment  Eases 
tiling  on  Bonuses 


{Continued  from  page  1) 
•  that  if  the  employer,  prior  to  Oct. 
jl942,  customarily  paid  such  a  bo- 
1,  he  may  again  do  so  provided  no 
bilges  have  been  made  in  the  per- 
il tage  or  other  factors.  • 
(The  Internal  Revenue  Bureau  ex- 
lined  that  where  a  company  cus- 
Marily  set  aside  a  definite  percent- 
e  of  profits  to  be  distributed  to 
'tain  key  employees  on  the  basis  of 
-  individual's  contribution  to  the 
fcess  of  the  business,  the  amount  of 
Jidi,  accordingly,  varied  from  year 
year,  it  could  not  do  so  under  the 
iginal  regulations  and  bonuses  to 
£  employees  had  to  be  on  a  fixed 
rentage  basis  or  submitted  to  the 
ireau  for  approval. 
The  modified   regulations,   it  was 

 j.  d,  will  permit  a  company  to  distrib- 

t  such  bonuses  for  1945,  and  suc- 
kling calendar  years,  and  may  also 
just  bonuses  paid  with  respect  to 
44  in  order  that  the  distributions  to 
i  key  employes  for  that  year  may 
cord  with  the  provisions  of  the  plan. 
Additional  1944  payments,  however, 
l>y  not  bring  the  total  distribution 
dp  more  than  the  bonus  fund  as  deter- 
— £  ned  normally. 


:< 
3 


RIE; 


Reverse  Ruling  in 
W'ara.-Skinner  Case 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

■  Appeals  affirmed  the  order  of  the 
jecial  Term  with  cost  to  the  plain- 

""^t  and  returned  the  case  to  the  Spe- 
Term  of  the  court  for  trial. 
The  prevailing  opinion,  written  by 
■■nuef  Judge  Irving  Lehman,  said  that 
,:"KJe  case  set  a  precedent  since  he  held 
lat   under    certain    conditions,  the 
r-   aintiff  may  be  entitled  to  an  injunc- 
g    on  against  Paramount  on  the  sequel, 
m  -i  i  -cording  to  the  construction  of  the 
^ontract  between  the  author  and  the 

■  ni  company. 

|  Misses    Skinner    and  Kimbrough 
fought  action  for  an  injunction  to 
— estrain  Paramount  from  proceeding 
'(]pc  ith  the  sequel  and  requested  a  tem- 
■"""Drary  injunction.    Pending  the  trial 
MWie  temporary  injunction  was  denied 
ith S^y  the   Special   Term.      They  then 
arried  the  case  to  the  Appellate  Di- 
1  ili:ision  which  dismissed  the  complaint 
iter  both  sides  signed  a  stipulation 
&  jnat  if  the  plaintiff  was  entitled  to  a 
— :mporary  injunction,  they  were  also 
ititled  to  a  permanent  injunction. 


21 


Weekend  at  the  Waldorf  \ 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
burglar  in  her  bedroom  and,  intent  on  reforming  him,  plunges  into  a 
serio-comic  situation  which  ends  satisfactorily  when  the  burglar  turns  out  to 
be  not  a  burglar  at  all,  but  Walter  Pidgeon,  a  war  correspondent. 

Miss  Turner,  as  a  little  stenographer  who  is  torn  between  love  and  gold, 
and  finally  decides  for  love,  in  the  person  of  Van  Johnson,  is  appealingly 
wistful.  Arnold,  as  a  promoter  intent  on  lining  his  own  pockets,  even  if  it  does 
play  hob  with  international  amity,  is  foiled  by  the  efforts  of  Pidgeon  and 
Keenan  Wynn,  the  latter  in  a  comedy  role  that  provides  a  refreshing  counter- 
point. Robert  Benchley's  role,  too,  is  comical.  Acting  as  off-stage  narrator, 
it  is  he  who  furnishes  the  thread  of  continuity  that  links  the  various  stories 
into  an  integral  whole. 

Xavier  Cugat  and  his  orchestra  not  only  figure  in  the  plot  but  contribute 
spectacular  musical  numbers  and  two  songs :  "And  There  You  Are"  and 
"Guadalajara".  Phyllis  Thaxter  and  George  Zucco  are  good  in  minor  roles. 

If  the  reaction  of  a  preview  audience  at  the  West  wood  Village  Theatre  is 
any  indication,  this  Robert  Z.  Leonard  production  has  what  it  takes  to  please 
audiences  everywhere. 

Running  time,  126  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Thalia  Bell 


DeMille  Starts  His 
Tour  for  Paramount 


Salt  Lake  City,  July  19. — Cecil 
B.  DeMille,  Paramount  producer-di- 
rector, began  a  five-city  tour  here  yes- 
terday on  behalf  of  the  company's  forth- 
coming 'One-Third  of  a  Century' 
celebration.  DeMille  greeted  veteran 
Paramount  employees  and  exhibitors 
who  have  played  every  picture  he  has 
produced,  going  back  to  1914. 

Talks  were  made  by  George  A. 
Smith,  Western  division  manager ; 
Duke  Clark,  'Paramount  Month'  co- 
captain,  and  Hugh  Braly,  district 
manager.  Tribute  was  paid  to  Mrs. 
A.  E.  Hudson,  head  shipping  clerk 
and  local  employe  with  longest  con- 
tinuous service,  28  years. 

L.  J.  Sissel  and  Horace  Burkin- 
shaw,  who  have  used  Paramount  prod- 
uct for  30  years,  were  honored  as  this 
territory's  oldest  Paramount  custom- 
ers, at  a  reception  in  the  Jade  Room 
of  the  Utah  Hotel.  Host  was  F.  H. 
Smith,  Salt  Lake  City  manager. 


•ikouras  Greek  Benefit 

"This  is  our  Cause"  a  Skouras 
;<l'  ^heatre  w^ar  effort  presentation,  will 
[J' '  evote  its  half-hour  broadcast  to- 
....  norrow  on  behalf  of  the  Greek  War 
""  belief  Association,  Division  for  the 
^'Zrection  of  Health  Centers  in  War- 
itricken  Greece.  "This  is  our  Cause" 
— 'iriginates  from  the  stage  of  the  Long- 
cre  Theatre,  here,  and  is  broadcast 
"JJfver  WOR- Mutual. 

Burton's  Mother  Dies 

'iW  Funeral  services  for  Mrs.  Fannie 
(< ,  Burton,  mother  of  Jay  Burton  of 
! !  .oew's  publicity  staff,  here,  were  held 

^  Vednesday  at  Riverside  Memorial 
:  ■■  Ihapel. 

Mrs.  Burton  was  for  25  years  pres- 
.  dent  of  the  women's  auxiliary  of  the 

ewish  Home  for  Convalescents.  Also 
5    urviving  are  two  other  sons,  Joseph 

md    Marvin,    both    in    the  Armed 

forces. 


Army  Will  Use  More 
Nazi  Horror  Films 

London,  July  19. — Additional  copies 
of  films  showing  atrocity  camps  main- 
tained by  the  Germans  are  being 
shipped  into  the  American-controlled 
areas  of  the  Reich  at  the  request  of 
Army  authorities,  the  Office  of  War 
Information  and  the  Army's  Psycho- 
logical Warfare  Department  report, 
here. 

Despite  widely  circulated  reports  to 
the  contrary,  the  films,  in  the  words 
of  a  Government  officer,  have  brought 
the  reaction  authorities  desired  from 
the  German  populace. 


Gulick  of  MGM  Dies 

Hollywood,  July  19. — William  M. 
Gulick,  75,  New  York  auditor  at  the 
M-G-M  studios,  died  in  his  sleep  this 
morning  of  a  heart  ailment.  With  the 
company  since  1919,  he  came  West  in 
1923.  His  widow,  a  daughter  and  a 
son  survive. 


Edward  Knoblock  Dies 

London,  July  19.  —  Edward  Kno- 
block, 71,  prolific  playwright,  author 
of  "Kismet,"  died  here  tonight.  He  had 
a  brief  Hollywood  stay  in  1920  and, 
with  Mary  Pickford  and  Douglas 
Fairbanks,  wrote  the  scenarios  for 
"The  Three  Musketeers,"  "Rosita" 
and  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad." 


O'Shea  Tells  MGM 
Policy  to  N.Y.  Meet 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

here,  yesterday  at  the  Hotel  Astor. 
O'Shea,  who  is  conducting  the  ses- 
sion, explained  why  each  point  should 
serve  as  a  guide  for  negotiations  with 
exhibitors  in  the  future. 

Yesterday  morning's  meeting  was 
followed  by  a  luncheon  attended  by 
a  contingent  from  the  home  office, 
including:  H.  M.  Richey,  William  G. 
Brenner,  Harold  Postman,  Mike  Si- 
mons, A.  T.  Nelson,  William  Orn- 
stein  and  Harry  Lance. 

Participating  in  the  conference 
were :  E.  W.  Aaron,  circuit  sales  man- 
ager;  Paul  Richrath,  assistant  to 
O'Shea;  Leonard  Hirsch,  assistant  to 
Rudy  Berger,  Southern  sales  mana- 
ger ;  Irving  Helfont,  home  office  as- 
sistant to  George  A.  Hickey,  West 
Coast  sales  manager. 

A  West  Coast  meeting  originally 
planned  by  Hickey  has  been  can- 
celled. Instead,  he  and  Aaron  will 
tour  the  company's  branches  in  Los 
Angeles,  San  Francisco,  Portland  and 
Seattle,  holding  individual  discus- 
sions. 


Republic  Ends  '45-'46 
Selling  Conferences 

Chicago,  July  19. — Edward  L. 
Walton,  executive  assistant  to  James 
R.  Grainger,  president  of  Republic 
Pictures,  stated  here  today  that  no 
other  company  sales  meetings  are 
planned  for  the  present,  due  to  travel 
restrictions.  Republic  closed  a  two- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  here  yesterday,  analyzing 
grosses  of  top  Republic  productions, 
with  three  district  and  seven  branch 
managers  attending. 

Walton  indicated  that  the  home  of- 
fice will  shortly  reveal  some  personnel 
changes  and  will  announce  1945-46 
product.  Walton  will  visit  Cincin- 
nati and  Pittsburgh  before  returning 
to  New  York  early  next  week. 
Grainger  left  for  New  York  today. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


Bolton  Heads  West  PIC 

Hollywood,  July  19.  —  Whitney 
Bolton  of  Columbia  has  been  named 
to  succeed  John  Joseph  of  Universal 
as  chairman  of  the  Public  Informa- 
tion Committee,  Western  division, 
with  Joseph  continuing  as  executive 
committee  head.  J.  W.  Daily,  Uni- 
versal, was  added  to  the  roster. 


"The  Fleet  That  Came 
To  Stay" 

(Nai'y-Marines-Coast  Guard,  WAC- 
Paramount) 

The  full  story  of  the  role  that  the 
Kamikazas,  Jap  suicide  planes,  played 
in  the  defense  of  Okinawa  is  tensely 
told  in  the  Navy  Photographic  Serv- 
ices' "The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay." 
More  exciting  than  the  majority  of 
war  documentaries  released,  it  gives 
a  factual  account  of  the  air-sea  battle 
for  Okinawa  against  the  Jap  planes, 
pointing  up  that  a  fleet  can  actually 
stand  a  large-scale  attack  from  land- 
based  planes. 

It  is  estimated  that  between  six  and 
seven  thousand  suicide  planes  were 
thrown  into  the  battle.  The  full  fury 
of  the  attacks,  which  lasted  for  almost 
three  months,  is  shown  in  a  tightly- 
edited  series  of  shots  that  will  draw 
gasps  from  a  theatre  audience.  There 
are  a  great  many  sequences  showing 
U.  S.  carriers,  among  them  the 
U.S.S.  Bunker  Hill  and  the  U.S.S. 
Nevada,  receiving  direct  hits  from  the 
planes.  But  there  are  many  more 
which  show  the  near  misses  and  the 
burning,  .broken  planes  spiraling  into 
the  sea. 

"The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay" 
was  written  and  produced  by  Lt.  Col- 
lier Young,  who  was  with  the  fleet  at 
Okinawa.  It  features  combat  pho- 
tography by  the  Navy,  Marine  Corps 
and  Coast  Guard.  The  20-minute  film 
will  be  released  to  theatres  July  26, 
through  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion. Paramount  is  distributing  for 
the  WAC.  A  total  of  103  Navy 
cameramen  were  engaged  in  filming 
this  most  savage  of  air-sea  battles. 
Running  time,  20  minutes. 


Billingsley  Is  Host  to 
"Stork  Club"  Players 

Sherman  Billingsley,  owner  of  New 
York's  Stork  Club,  was  host  there 
yesterday  to  Betty  Hutton,  Barry 
Fitzgerald  and  Don  DeFore,  stars  of 
"The  Stork  Club,"  B.  G.  SeSylva's 
first  independent  production  for  Par- 
amount. 

Also  present  were  A.  H.  Blank  and 
G.  Ralph  Branton  of  Tri-States  The- 
atres, Des  Moines ;  about  200  repre- 
sentatives of  the  press  and  the  follow- 
ing Paramount  executives :  Barney 
Balaban,  Adolph  Zukor,  Charles  M. 
Reagan,  Austin  C.  Keough,  George 
Weltner,  William  Erbb,  Hugh  Owen, 
C.  J.  Scollard,  Russell  Holman,  R. 
M.  Gillham,  Claude  F.  Lee,  Leonard 
Goldenson,  Leon  Netter,  Edward  Hy- 
man,  Paul  Raibourn,  Al  Wilkie, 
Stanley  Shuford,  Alec  Moss,  John 
Byram,  Alan  Jackson,  Bernard 
Goodwin,  Robert  O'Brien,  Arthur  Is- 
rael, Jr. 


Will  Issue  Roosevelt 
Picture  for  Home  Use 

Official  Films  of  New  York  will  re- 
lease a  home  motion  picture  on  the 
life  of  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt  Aug.  1. 
Titled  "F.  D.  R.,"  the  film  will  pic- 
ture the  late  President  from  1910, 
when  he  was  in  the  New  York  State 
Senate,  through  his  years  in  the  White 
House. 

The  two-reel  film  will  be  available 
in  eight  and  16mm  silent  and  16mm 
sound. 


n 


Records.... 


GOOD  ENTERTAINMENT  IS  IHURHATIOi 


INTERNATIONAL  PICTURES' 

latest  box-office  sensation  sets  new  high  marks  in 
CINCINNATI  -  NEW  ORLEANS  -  WASHINGTON 
DENVER  -  BALTIMORE  -  DALLAS  -  KANSAS  CITY 
HOUSTON  -  PROVIDENCE  -  SAN  ANTONIO 
OKLAHOMA  CITY  -  FT.  WORTH  -  OMAHA  -  TULSA 
DES  MOINES  -  CEDAR  RAPIDS  -  SIOUX  CITY. . .  with 
the  same  kind  of  smash  business  rolling  up  in  scores 
of  openings  all  over  the  country! 


INTERNATIONAL  PICTURES 

GARY  COOPER  *L0RETTA  YOUNG 


screen  play  by  NUNNAiiY  johnson  .  noyel  by  alan  u  may  •  AN  INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  'Released  by  RKO  RADIO  PICIURES,  INC. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  20, 


Wide  Variation 
In  Ad  Charges 
During  Strike 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

three  days  of  the  strike  but  will  charge 
50  per  cent  of  normal  rates  for  the 
July  17  advertisements. 

The  Times  and  the  Sun,  which  pub- 
lished film  advertisements  every  day 
throughout  the  strike,  are  reserving 
decision  until  next  week  on  the  fixing 
of  rates  ;  so  is  the  J oitrnal- American ■, 
which  displayed  film  advertising  on 
July  1,  2,  3  and  17  only. 

The  World-Telegram  and  the  Post 
withheld  film  advertisements  through- 
out the  strike  until  July  17,  when 
the  advertisements  reappeared  in  both. 
While  the  latter  newspaper  has  yet  to 
arrive  at  a  decision  on  the  charge  it 
it  will  make  for  that  day,  it  is  report- 
ed that  the  World-Telegram  charge 
for  July  17  will  be  25  per  cent  of 
normal.  The  Brooklyn  Eagle,  how- 
ever, which  ran  film  advertisements 
from  July  1  to  5,  inclusive,  and  then 
withheld  on  July  6  through  16,  to  re- 
sume on  July  17,  is  reported  planning 
to  charge  full  rates  for  film  adver- 
tisements appearing  on  strike  days. 

Tribute  Undecided 

The  Herald  Tribune,  which  dis- 
played film  advertising  on  July  1  and 
2,  and  withheld  from  July  3  through 
17,  to  resume  on  July  18,  is  also  re- 
ported undecided  as  to  what  charge  to 
make  for  running  on  the  two  days. 

Effect  of  radio  spot  advertising  on 
theatre  receipts  during  the  strike  is  in- 
conclusive, according  to  opinions 
which  Motion  Picture  Daily  has 
gathered  from,  film  advertising  heads. 
Some  hold  that  the  radio  "spots" 
helped  considerably  toward  bringing 
high  grosses,  while  others  maintained 
that  higher  grosses  were  not  neces- 
sarily attributable  to  the  increased'  ra- 
dio advertising.  Generally,  satisfac- 
tion was  expressed  in  the  drawing 
power  of  graphic  newspaper  advertise- 
ments. The  extent  to  which  radio 
"spots"  were  increased  during  the 
strike  was  placed  by  one  film  adver- 
tising department  at  "somewhere  be- 
tween double  and  triple."  Radio 
"spots"  have  now  dropped  back  to  the 
pre-strike  level. 

Whether  or  not  the  newspapers  will 
grant  more  space  to  motion  picture 
advertisements  as  a  result  of  paper 
saving  during  the  deliverymen's  strike, 
cannot  be  determined  at  present.  One 
advertising  agency  executive  said  that 
he  believes  space  increases  will  be 
forthcoming  but  that  the  increases  will 
not  be  considerable. 

International's  "Along  Came  Jones" 
opened  at  RKO's  Palace  on  Wednes- 
day at  what  was  described  as  the  big- 
gest week-day  opening  business  done 
since  the  house  instituted  its  present 
policy.  The  film  drew  $6,500,  against 
the  $5,400  brought  on  the  opening  day 
by  "The  Woman  in  the  Window." 
Due  to  the  newspaper  strike,  the  film 
received  advance  promotion  in  all 
RKO  Metropolitan  theatres  by  way  of 
trailers. 


NBC  vs.  Radio  Scribes 

The  press  department  of  National 
Broadcasting,  here,  will  engage  mem- 
bers of  the  trade  press  at  baseball  at 
the  Yankee  Stadium  here  tomorrow. 


Weather  Helps  10  Films  to 
Strong  Grosses  in  14  Keys 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

tion  Picture  Dally  correspondents. 
Rain  generally  prevailed  in  many  sec- 
tions, aiding  theatres  by  keeping  peo- 
ple from  beaches. 

"The  Corn  Is  Green,"  "The  Valley 
of  Decision"  and  "Thrill  of  a  Ro- 
mance" led  a  dozen  films  in  reports 
from  circuit  executives.  Other  films 
were :  "Along  Came  Jones,"  "Nob 
Hill,"  "Back  to  Bataan,"  "The 
Naughty  Nineties,"  "Those  Endearing 
Young  Charms,"  "Junior  Miss,"  "Salty 
O'Rourke,"  "Call  of, the  Wild"  and 
"China  Sky."  Circuit  spokesmen  also 
say  that  business  is  holding  up. 

In  reports  from  Motion  Picture 
Daily  correspondents,  "The  Corn  Is 
Green"  drew  a  heavy  $217,100  in  11 
theatres  in  seven  key  cities  for  first 
and  second  weeks  where  par  is  $180,- 
700.  It  was  big  in  initial  weeks  in 
three  Los  Angeles  theatres  and  in 
Cleveland,  playing  singly,  and  in  three 
Denver  theatres  and  in  San  Francisco 
as  a  dual.  Best  second  week's  receipts 
were  recorded  in  Chicago  while  it  was 
moderate  in  a  second  week  in  Phila- 
delphia and  good  in  a  moveover  in 
Cincinnati. 

"Along  Came  Jones"  gave  RKO's 
Albee,  in  Cincinnati,  one  of  its  best 
weeks  in  months  while  it  was  strong 
with  a  stage  show  in  an  initial  week 
in  Baltimore.  Kansas  City  receipts  for 
a  second  week  as  a  dual  were  heavy ; 
the  film  held  up  well  in  a  second  week 
as  a  dual  in  Omaha. 


"The  Valley  of  Decision"  is  display 
ing  excellent  holdover  power,  bring- 
ing $124,900  in  six  theatres  in  six 
cities,  where  par  is  $114,900.  Only 
initial  week  was  in  Baltimore,  where 
it  was  one  of  the  strongest  attractions 
It  was  big  in  second  weeks  in  Cleve- 
land, St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City,  and 
heavy  in  a  third  week  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  in  a  fourth  in  Philadelphia. 

"Thrill  of  a  Romance"  is  another 
film  scoring  big  in  holdovers,  bringing 
a  smart  $85,000  to  three  theatres  in 
Los  Angeles  and  one  in  Cincinnati  for 
second  weeks  and  from  one  in  Phila- 
delphia for  a  third  week. 

"Out  of  This  World"  scored  in  ini- 
tial weeks  in  two  Los  Angeles  houses, 
and  in  a  second  week  in  Denver.  "Nob 
Hill"  rolled  up  $113,400  in  reports 
from  nine  theatres  in  seven  cities, 
bringing  best  receipts  in  initial  weeks 
as  a  dual  in  three  Los  Angeles  thea- 
tres. "A  Medal  for  Benny"  held  up 
well  in  second  weeks  as  a  dual  in 
San  Francisco,  and  with  a  stage  show 
in  Chicago,  while  it  brought  profitable 
receipts  in  initial  weeks  in  Baltimore 
and  Kansas  City. 

"The  Clock"  was  good  in  both  hold- 
overs and  moveovers  in  Cleveland, 
Pittsburgh  and  Omaha.  "Dillinger" 
scored  outstandingly  in  initial  weeks 
in  two  Los  Angeles  theatres,  bringing 
over  $45,000,  while  it  continued  profit- 
ably in  second  weeks  in  Indianapolis 
and  Toronto  and  in  a  third  week  in 
Baltimore. 


46,000,000  Ft  Less 
Film  to  Independents 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

less  than  100,000,000  feet  per  year. 
WPB  feels,  therefore,  he  said,  that 
an  allotment  to  the  whole  group  of 
approximately  120,000,000  feet  annual- 
ly will  more  than  suffice.  This  figure 
of  120,000,000  feet  annually  is  approxi- 
mately 75  per  cent  more  film  than 
they  ever  used  prior  to  the  war,  he 
added. 

It  was  explained  that  the  supply 
will  be  stretched  by  allocating  film  to 
individual  producers  only  as  it  is  re- 
quired and  allocating  any  surplus  to 
others. 


FP-C  Gift  to  Hospital 

Toronto,  July  19. — In  the  Ontario- 
wide  campaign  to  raise  funds  for  the 
new  Hospital  for  Sick  Children  in 
Toronto,  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.  has  donated  all  equipment 
necessary  for  a  500-seat  theatre  in 
the  new  institution  for  16mm.  pro- 
jection of  both  medical  and  enter- 
tainment pictures.  The  installation 
will  include  camera  and  studio 
equipment  for  the  recording  of  med- 
ical cases. 


Gloria  Action  Settled 

The  Gloria  Theatre  anti-trust  ac- 
tion against  20th  Century-Fox,  RKO, 
Universal,  Paramount,  Warner  and 
the  Randforce  circuit,  has  terminated 
with  a  settlement.  The  action  was 
brought  in  1942  by  the  395  Amuse- 
ment Corp.,  in  Brooklyn,  charging 
that  the  distributors  had  transferred 
first-runs  from  the  Gloria  to  the  Clin- 
ton upon  a  change  in  ownership. 


Ben  Hecht  U  nit  Is 
Set  Up  at  Republic 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

sure  to  come.  By  offering  producers, 
directors,  writers  and  stars,  more  in- 
dependence of  action.  Republic  can 
and  will  attract  top  talent  in  all 
fields,"  he  added. 

Yates  said  the  Government  has  ap- 
proved the  studio's  plans  to  build  two 
new  stages  and  additional  office  build- 
ings, with  work  to  start  as  soon  as 
materials  and  labor  are  available.  He 
said  he  believed  the  U.  S.,  England 
and  South  America  would  be  the  three 
most  important  postwar  markets,  and 
that  Republic  would  concentrate  on 
them,  with  production  in  South 
America,  probably  Brazil. 

Present  at  the  conference  was 
Samuel  W.  Smith,  head  of  British- 
Lion,  distributor  of  Republic  films  in 
England. 


New  'Dillinger'  Protest 

Toronto,  July  19.  —  A  protest 
against  the  release  of  "Dillinger"  in 
Ontario  has  been  entered  by  Mrs.  Iso- 
bel  Ross  as  a  member  of  the  Toronto 
Board  of  Education  and  chairman  of 
the  truancy  committee  in  that  group. 
She  claims  children  are  applauding  ac- 
tions of  the  "super-gangster"  on  the 
screen. 


Circuits  Book  'Wife' 

Hollywood.  July  19. — -Following  a 
press  premiere  of  "Guest  Wife"  at 
Camp  Pendleton  Wednesday  night, 
producer  Jack  Skirball  said  the  film 
has  been  booked  by  the  Warner,  Pub- 
lix,  Loew's  and  RKO  circuits  at  top 
terms,  with  runs  to  start  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  in  August. 


Quigley  Amsterdam 
Man  Back  on  Job 

Philip  De  Schaap,  Quigle 
Publications'  prewar  corre 
spondent  in  Amsterdam,  ha 
emerged  from  the  under 
ground,  where  he  hid  out  fo 
more  than  two  harrowin; 
years,  and  has  returned  t 
the  job. 

From  Sept.,  1942,  until  th 
end  of  the  war,  he  and  hi 
wife  lived  in  a  tiny,  one-win 
dow  cellar  room  in  which  the; 
could  not  stand  upright  an; 
were  able  to  speak  only  ii 
whispers.  Previously,  hi 
mother,  an  invalid  of  69,  wa 
carried  away  on  a  stretche 
by  the  Germans,  and  he  stil 
does  not  know  what  happens 
to  his  brother. 


Distributors  Fil 
Suit  in  Boston  on 
Percentage  Retur 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
received   on   percentage  pictures 
hibited  at  the  defendants'  theatre: 

It  is  charged  in  each  complaint 
the  defendants  carried  out  a  'plan 
design'  of  furnishing  to  the  plai 
distributors  alleged  'intentionally 
and  inaccurate  statements'  of  gros; 
ceipts  obtained  on  many  of  percen 
pictures  distributed  by  the  plaintiff 
that  the  exhibition  corporations 
legedly  "induced  checkers  to  join 
them  in  the  falsification  of  percen 
reports." 

Among  other  charges  is  the  c 
that  each  distributor  was  not 
damaged  in  being  induced  to  ac 
less  than  it  was  entitled  to  on  its 
centage  pictures,  but  that  it  alleg 
was  the  exhibitors'  purpose  in  re 
edly  misrepresenting  receipts  on 
centage  pictures  to  obtain  lower  t<! 
of  payment  on  future  flat  and  perc 
age  deals. 

Something  Missing 

It  is  also  charged  that  books 
records  submitted  by  the  exhibitoi 
each  plaintiff  distributor  for  exan 
tion  as  to  receipts  actually  derive! 
its  percentage  pictures  allegedly 
not  contain  a  full  and  accurate  s 
ment  of  the  number  of  admissions 
gross  receipts  at  each  separate  ex' 
tion  during  the  engagement  of  mar 
these  pictures. 

Each  distributor  asks  that  the  c 
restrain  the  defendants  from  dispc 
of  or  altering  any  of  the  theatre  rec 
pending  audit  and  accounting ; 
also  order  the  exhibitor  defendant 
permit  an  examination  and  disco 
of  books  and  records  to  determine 
amount  of  gross  receipts  obtainec 
percentage  pictures  licensed  by 
plaintiff  ;  and,  also,  enter  judgment 
damages  to  each  plaintiff. 

Edward  F.  McClennen  and  Jacc 
Kaplan  (of  the  firm  of  Nutter, 
Clennen  and  Fish,  Boston)  are  th< 
torneys  for  each  plaintiff. 


Re-l  uild  Galax  Theatr 

Birmingham,  Ala.,  July  19.— 
buildirg  of  the  Galax  Theatre, 
stroyed  by  fire  some  time  ago,  is 
underway. 


UNANIMOUS 
DECISION! 


WHEREAS  M-G-M's  "VALLEY 
OF  DECISION"  HAS  BEEN 
HELD  OVER  IN  25  OUT  OF 
ITS  FIRST  25  ENGAGEMENTS - 

THEREFORE  M-G-M's  "VALLEY 
OF  DECISION"  WINS  THE  VERDICT 
AS  THE  CHAMPION  HOLD-OVER 
ATTRACTION  OF  1945! 


GO  THOU  AND  DO  LIKEWISE! 


Movies  Tonight 

Admission?  By  G.I.  "dogtag 


Official  U.  S.  Army  Signal  Corps  Photo 


free  showings  of  Hollywood  features  extend  to  every  fighting  front  . . . 


°ne  °f  a  series  of 
advertisements  by 
KODAK  testify;  ng  to 

the  achievements  of 
the  movies  at  war 


'"■""'HERE'S  a  swell  show  featured  on 
-■-  Main  Street  tonight,  but  "Main 
Street"  now  takes  in  a  lot  of  strange 
territory.  Through  military  and  naval 
showings,  current  Hollywood  suc- 
cesses "hit  the  screen"  in  the  Philip- 
pines, New  Guinea,  India  ...  on  scores 
of  tiny  islands  .  .  .  aboard  our  fighting 
naval  vessels  .  .  .  wherever  an  eager 


crowd  can  gather.  Orders  from  the 
armed  forces  for  prints — in  16mm. 
size — run  into  the  hundreds  for  each 
subject,  and  each  print  is  shown  hun- 
dreds of  times.  This  vast  "circuit" 
gives  an  idea  of  the  movies'  contribu- 
tion to  morale  ...  a  responsibility 
which  the  motion  picture  industry 
has  proudly  accepted. 


Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors,  Fort  Lee,  Chicago,  Hollywood 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

infelligei 

Tr  ) 

Indispen 

iaJHe 

to  the'ftlj 

gtion 

Picture 

Industry 

)L.  58.  NO.  15 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  MONDAY,  JULY  23,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


ndustry  Left 
Jnscathed  By 
itat e  Bills 


/  Legislatures  Adjourn 
Hthout  Hitting  Industry 

'Washington,  July  22.  —  Forty- 
jr  of  the  45  State  Legislatures 
•rich  held  sessions  this  year  have 
|w  adjourned,  and  not  in  one  of 
;m  was  any  legislation  adopted  of  a 
criminatory  nature  affecting  motion 
:tures,  it  is  shown  by  reports  reach- 
y  Washington. 

In  those  states,  something  over  50 
Is  dealing  with  admission  taxes, 
Vorcement,  reel  taxes  and  various 
Emulations  were  introduced  during  the 
•ssions,  but  in  every  instance  the  rep- 
sentatives  of  the  industry  succeeded 
blocking  them.  In  Colorado,  the 
dustry  gained  a  definite  victory  when 
i  admission  tax  which  had  been  in 
rce  was  repealed. 

The  Missouri  legislature,  last  to 
main  in  session,  is  concerned  al- 
ost  exclusively  with  the  revision  of 
;e  state  constitution,  which  is  required 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


94  Showmen  30 
fears  with  Para. 


A  total  of  594  exhibitors  have  been 
ustomers  of  Paramount  for  30  years 
r  more,  237  of  them  since  the  corn- 
any  started  in  1912,  Charles  M. 
Reagan,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
istribution,  has  calculated  for  Par- 
mount's  'One  Third  of  a  Century' 
elebration.  Receptions  being  held  in 
relude  to  'Paramount  Month,'  Aug. 
6-Sept.  29,  are  honoring  these  ex- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


House  Adjournment 
Brings  Anti-Trust 
Revision  to  a  Halt 


Washington,  July  22. — Congres- 
sional efforts  to  strengthen  the  anti- 
trust laws,  which  had  been  bogged 
down  for  some  time,  came  to  a  halt 
last  week  when  the  House  adjourned 
for  its  summer  vacation. 

Pending  in  the  House  when  ad- 
journment came  were  two  bills  which 
had  received  strong  support,  one  to 
prohibit  a  corporation  from  buying 
up  the  physical  assets  of  a  competi- 
tor, the  other  requiring  the  registra- 
tion of  all  corporation  contracts  with 
foreign  concerns  that  would  affect 
commerce  in  any  commodity. 

Also  suspended  until  October,  so  far 
as  other  public  actions  are  concerned, 
are  the  motion  picture  investigations 
of  the  Senate  small  business  commit- 
tee and  the  House  committee  on  un- 
American  affairs. 


Johnston,  Impressed, 
Leaves  Hollywood 

Hollywood,  July  22. — Eric  John- 
ston, U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce 
president,  left  by  train  for  Washing- 
ton yesterday,  saying  he  had  been 
much  impressed  by  the  executives 
with  whom  he  had  talked  during  the 
past  10  days  here  and  with  the  pro- 
grams they  had  outlined  but  that  he 
would  have  no  announcement  until 
later  this  week  on  whether  he  would 
accept  the  proffered  presidency  of  the 
MPPDA. 


Report  Scollard  May 
Get  U.S.  Labor  Post 

Washington,  July  22.— It 
was  reported  here  without 
confirmation  at  the  weekend 
that  C.  J.  Scollard,  executive 
assistant  to  Charles  M.  Rea- 
gan, Paramount  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  distribution, 
is  being  considered  for  the 
post  of  one  of  the  assistant 
secretaries  under  the  new 
Secretary  of  Labor  Lewis  J. 
Schwellenbach.  Scollard  has 
long  been  identified  with 
Paramount  labor  negotiations. 


Scollard  could  not  be 
reached  in  New  York  at  the 
weekend  for  comment  on  the 
report. 


Bradley  Heads  Film 
Library  Project 


Washington,  July  22. — Appoint- 
ment of  John  G.  Bradley,  chief  of  the 
division  of  motion  pictures  and  sound 
recordings  in  the  National  Archives 
as  director  of  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress' new  motion  picture  project  wa 
announced  at  the  weekend  by  Luther 
Evans,  Librarian  of  Congress. 

"The  appointment  of  Mr.  Bradley," 
Evans  said,  "represents  the  continua- 
tion of  a  movement  for  a  national  film 
collection  set  in  motion  many  year? 
ago  by  Will  Hays,  Terry  Ramsaye. 
Representative  Sol  Bloom  and  others." 


Guilds  Study  Compliance 
With  Orders  to  Strike 


itust  Produce  Rank, 
athanson  Contract 


Toronto,  July  22. — Ruling  that  the 
locument  is  relevant  to  the  case,  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ontario  has  di- 
ected  that  the  signed  agreement  be- 
ween  J.  Arthur  Rank  and  Paul  Nath- 
.jnson  for  the  operation  of  Canadian 
3deon  Theatres  be  produced  in  court 
n  connection  with  the  suit  brought  by 
Mrs.  Jean  Gregory  against  Nathan- 
ion  Andwell  Theatres,  Ltd.,  claiming 
555,000  damages  for  alleged  violation 
jf  a  partnership  contract  for  joint 
operation  of  three  theatres  in  Hamil- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Hollywood,  July  22. — Although  the 
word  "immediately"  was  used  in  a  let- 
ter from  international  president  L.  P. 
Lindelof  to  four  guilds  which  with- 
drew from  the  studio  strike 
shortly  after  its  inception,  and  which 
read  in  part,  "You  are  herewith  in- 
structed to  henceforth  prohibit  your 
members  from  going  through  the 
picket  lines  and  from  rendering 
further  service  to  any  studio  involved 
in  the  strike,"  weekend  indications 
were  that  guild  officers  would  inter- 
pret the  letter  broadly  and  put  the 
decision  on  compliance  up  to  their 
memberships  in  open  meetings.  Al- 
though guild  by-laws  differ  some- 
what, business  managers,  who  met 
privately  on  the  matter,  appeared 
agreed  that  their  constitutions  author- 
ize deliberation. 

Rank  and  file  sentiment  among  the 
affected  guilds  is  generally  regarded 


as  opposed  to  quitting  their  jobs  at 
this  point  in  the  strike.  The  Screen 
Office  Employees  Guild,  considered 
the  most  essential  group  affected,  has 
been  notified  that  any  move  toward  a 
walkout  will  precipitate  injunctive 
proceedings  by  the  producers,  follow- 
ing which  action,  if  granted,  any 
worker  failing  to  report  for  duty 
could  be  declared  in  contempt  of 
court.  The  Screen  Publicists  Guild, 
which  is  before  the  War  Labor  Board 
with  a  contract  providing  for  retro- 
active pay  increases,  is  said  to  feel  a 
walkout  would  endanger  this  issue 
The  Screen  Cartoonists  and  Story 
Analysts  are  considered  less  essential. 

Studio  attitude  toward  the  threat- 
ened development  is  that  the  action 
taken  against  the  other  striking  union? 
would  have  to  be  duplicated  against 
these.  This  includes  termination  of 
employment. 


10,000  Houses 
Seen  in  Need 
Of  Equipment 

Unable  to  Reproduce 
Developments  in  Sound 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Between  8,000  and  10,000  the- 
atres in  the  United  States  and  pos- 
sibly more  operating  full  time  will 
have  to  replace  their  present  sound 
and  projection  equipment  early  in 
the  postwar  period  if  owners  wish  to 
provide  patrons  with  the  advantages 
of  the  latest  developments  in  sound 
recording  developed  in  Hollywood 
studios,  according  to  sound  engineers 
of  major  companies.  . 

It  is  estimated  that  that  number  of 
theatres  installed  sound  equipment 
starting  in  1928  and  have  not  replaced 
it.  Their  original  equipment  is  not 
capable  of  reproducing  the  new  qual- 
ty  of  sound  developed  in  Hollywood 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


WB  to  Release  25 
Abroad  in  '45-'46 


As  compared  with  19  releases  in 

1944-  45,  Warner  Bros,  will  distribute 
25  pictures  in  the  foreign  field  during 

1945-  46,  the  company's  foreign 
branches  have  been  advised.  This  is 
the  same  number  as  scheduled  for 
domestic  distribution  at  the  present 
rate. 

Foreign  operations  for  the  fiscal 
year  just  ending  are  understood  to 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Griffis  Cited  for 
Red  Cross  Work 


Honolulu,  July  22. — Stanton  Grif- 
fis, chairman  of  the  Paramount  ex- 
ecutive committee,  who  retired  re- 
cently as  commissioner  of  the  Ameri- 
can National  Red  Cross  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean  Areas,  has  received  the  Award 
for  Merit  from  Lt.  Gen.  Robert  C. 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Over  21"  ap- 
pears on  page  3;  "Guest 
Wife,"  page  8. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  23,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


£DWARD  C. 


RAFTERY,  presi- 
dent of  United  Artists,  left  New 
York  for  the  Coast  at  the  weekend. 
• 

W.  A.  Prewitt,  Jr.,  president  of 
Associated  Theatres,  New  Orleans, 
and  Charles  Lamantia,  United 
Artists  salesman  there,  have  been 
commissioned  majors  in  the  Civil  Air 
Patrol. 

• 

Joel  Bezahler,  M-G-M  home  of- 
fice assistant  to  J.  E.  Flynn,  West- 
ern sales  manager,  was  scheduled  to 
return  at  the  weekend  from  a  trip  to 
Chicago  and  Minneapolis. 

John  Conway,  former  passenger 
agent  for  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad,  has  joined  the  20th  Century- 
Fox  office  in  Chicago  as  transporta- 
tion manager. 

• 

J.  Wallace  Heath,  inducted  into 
the  Army  at  Fort  MacArthur  this 
week,  is  the  fourth  son  of  Frank 
Heath,  assistant  director  at  the  War- 
ner studio,  to  enter  the  service. 
• 

Philip  G.  Epstein,  Warner  Bros, 
producer,  will  arrive  in  New  York 
this  week  from  the  Coast  to  accept  a 
Government  assignment. 

William  Cameron,  Minneapolis 
M-G-M  salesman,  left  >  yesterday  for 
his  home  after  vacationing  at  Nova 
Scotia. 

• 

Bill  Seib,  Columbia  Salt  Lake 
City  manager,  will  return  to  his  desk 
in  a  few  days  after  an  attack  of 
pneumonia. 

• 

Capt.  Milton  Aufdemorte,  former 
New  Orleans  Paramount  booker,  has 
returned  there  on  a  sick  leave  after 
overseas  Army  service. 

• 

Ralph  Derrick,  son  of  George  A. 
Derrick,  M-G-M  Salt  Lake  City  of- 
fice manager,  is  there  on  leave  from 
the  Pacific  war  area. 

• 

Jock  Lawrence,  vice-president  of 
Eagle-Lion  Films,  left  New  York  on 
Friday  for  the  Coast  for  a  two  weeks' 
rest. 

• 

Don  Fidler,  Monogram  district 
manager  in  Denver,  has  returned 
there  from  conferences  at  Salt  Lake 
City. 

• 

Robert  Lavin  of  the  Pizor  theatres, 
Philadelphia,  is  the  father  of  a  daugh- 
ter, Marcia,  born  recently. 

• 

Fred  J.   Schwartz,  vice-president 
of  Century  Circuit,  left  for  Europe 
last  week  for  his  post  with  the  OWL 
• 

Cliff  Work,  Universal  vice-presi- 
dent and  studio  head,  left  New  York 
for  the  Coast  at  the  weekend. 
• 

Joseph  Roberts  of  the  Vanguard 
home  office  publicity  staff  is  on  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

H.  M.  Richey  of  Loew's  will  be 
in  Washington  this  week. 


Tradewise 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


T 


'HE  N.  Y.  Times  on  two  oc- 
casions last  week  brought 
tidings  from  Europe  of  expres- 
sions critical  of  American  mo- 
tion pictures.  The  first-  was  a 
report  of  a  domestic  broadcast 
by  the  Brussels  radio,  heard  by 
the  Federal  Communications 
Commission ;  the  second,  a  quo- 
tation from  a  London  Times  edi- 
torial. 

The  Brussels  broadcast,  the 
N.  Y.  Times  reported,  asserted 
that  Belgian  movie  fans  are  dis- 
appointed with  the  Hollywood 
film  fare  they  have  seen  since 
the  liberation  of  their  country. 
"The  American  films,"  said  the 
Times,  "were  criticized  for  the 
absence  of  a  'spirit  of  renewal'. 
The  Belgian  broadcast  added 
that  any  developments  (in  Hol- 
lywood films)  which  have  taken 
place  (since  the  start  of  the 
war)  were  'simply  to  suit  box 
office  and  commercial  interests'." 
• 

The  author  of  the  remarks 
was  not  identified  but  no  one  in 
the  American  industry  will  be 
deceived  into  believing  that  the 
voice  was  the  voice  of  the  Bel- 
gian motion  picture  fan,  for  re- 
marks of  that  kind  in  reality  re- 
veal a  great  deal  more  about  the 
critic  who  uttered  them  than 
they  do  about  the  present-day 
film  tastes  of  the  Belgian  public. 

If  the  Times  report  is  accu- 
rate, it  is  quite  apparent  that  the 
person  responsible  for  the  broad- 
cast is  not  at  all  concerned  with 
film  entertainment  for  his  coun- 
trymen but  is  very  much  inter- 
ested in  seeing  the  development 
of  a  propaganda  screen,  servile 
to  his  own  political  notions.  It 
was  that  kind  of  film  which  was 
driven  from  Belgium  along  with 
the  Nazis,  and  it  is  that  kind  of 
film  which  has  nothing  to  do 
with  serving  the  Belgian,  or  any 
other  public  which  continues  to 
regard  the  theatre  as  a  place  of 
entertainment. 

The  N.  Y.  Times,  quoting 
what  is  described  as  "a  lengthy 
editorial  on  American  movie- 
making," reported  the  London 
Times  as  saying  that  Holly- 
wood's "insatiable  desire  to  at- 
tempt lo  interpret  Europe  ac- 
cording to  her  own  peculiar 
idea  .  .  .  are  generous  in  inten- 
tion and  perhaps  effective,  but 
as  propaganda,  to  show  the 
countries  of  Europe  under  Ger- 
man occupation,  were  pitiful  not 
only  in  their  lack  of  insight  in- 
to the  meaning  of  occupation  but 
also  of  the  power  to  create  the 


feel  and  flavor  of  the  cities  .  .  . 
where  the  action  was  supposed 
to  be  taking  place." 

It  is  proper  to  ask  whether, 
simply  because  a  screen  play 
makes  use  of  a  theme  or  back- 
ground concerned  with  German 
occupation  of  a  city,  its  sole  or 
principal  function  is  that  of 
propaganda?  It  is  proper,  too, 
to  ask  whether  newspapers  such 
as  the  respective  Times  of  Lon- 
don and  New  York  offered  their 
customers  any  more  "insight  in- 
to the  meaning  of  occupation" 
or  .any  more  "feel  and  flavor"  of 
occupied  cities  than  did  the 
screen  ?  And  was  their  obliga- 
tion to  do  so  any  less  than  the 
screen's  ? 

Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  does 
not  bring  commendation  of  the 
American  motion  picture  and 
the  industry  from  responsible 
Government  officials  and  ranking 
military  leaders,  but  rarely  are 
such  commendations  taken 
notice  of  by  the  N.  Y.  Times. 
Observation  of  that  paper's  at- 
titude toward  motion  pictures  in- 
vites the  impression  that  to  be 
accorded  space  in  its  news  col- 
umns, comment  concerning  the 
industry  first  must  be  critical 
and,  preferably,  should  have  for 
its  source  something  of  the 
anonymity  of  a  foreign  radio 
broadcaster  or  foreign  editorial 
writer. 

As  always,  however,  the  opin- 
ion that  matters  is  that  which  is 
expressed  at  the  box  office  every 
day  around  the  world.  It  would 
be  a  sorry  industry  indeed  if  it 
were  to  ignore  its  customers  and 
heed  its  critics. 

Down  in  Atlanta  and  its  en- 
virons a  new  wave  of  juvenile 
vandalism  has  appeared,  com- 
monly manifested  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  private  property  and 
damage  to  house  furnishings  in 
homes  broken  into  and  entered. 
In  a  recent  week  approximately 
55  boys  and  girls  between  the 
ages  of  15  and  17  were  arrested. 
The  situation  moved  the  Atlanta 
Journal  to  seek  the  causes  and 
fix  the  blame  and,  of  course,  the 
"movies"  were  nearest  at  hand 
and  took  the  brunt  of  the  journ- 
alistic witch-hunt.  Radio  seri- 
als, comic  books  and  comic  strips 
were  chided,  too,  for  an  over- 
prevalence  of  gunplay,  homicide 
and  general  lawlessness  depict- 
ed engrossingly,  but  it  was  the 
"movies"  that  really  was  singled 
out  as  the  ringleader. 

It   is   doubtful,   in  the  first 


Coming 
Events 


July  25 — Variety  Clubs  '  annual 
dinner,  honoring  Sir  Alexander 
Fleming,  Mayflower  Hotel. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

July  25-26 — Paramount  exchange 
men  and  exhibitors  in  anniver- 
sary meeting,  Boston. 

July  28-29 — United  Artists  Eastern 
regional  meeting,  Philadelphia. 

Aug.  4-5 — Producers  Releasing 
Corp.  sales  meeting,  Blackstone 
Hotel,  Chicago. 

Aug.  6-8 — RKO  sales  meeting, 
Waldorf-Astoria,  New  York. 

Aug.  6. — American  Federation  of 
Labor's  executive  council  meets 
in  Chicago. 

Aug.  10-12— RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Netherland  Plaza  Hotel, 
Cincinnati. 

Aug.  14-16— RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Blackstone,  Chicago. 

Aug.  15— Distributors-WPB  meet- 
ing in  Washington  on  raw  stock 
quotas. 

Aug.  20-22—  RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Ambassador,  Los  An- 
geles. 


Mestanza  Quits  PRC 
For  Own  Company 

H.  Alban-Mestanza  has  resigned 
as  Latin  American  sales  supervisor 
for  Producers  Releasing  Corp.  to  take 
over  active  management  of  his  new 
organization,  Foreign  Screen  and 
Radio  Service,  which  is  to  produce 
and  distribute  commercial  shorts  for 
the  foreign  market.  Associate  man- 
aging director  of  the  new  outfit  is  his 
wife,  Elaine  Henno  de  Alban-Mes- 
tanza. Louis  Friedman  is  director  of 
foreign  distribution. 


Republic  Promotes  Feld 

William  Feld  has  been  appointed 
Republic's  Pittsburgh  branch  mana- 
ger, effective  today,  James  R.  Grain- 
ger, company  president  and  general 
sales  manager,  has  announced.  Feld, 
with  Republic  for  five  years,  moves 
from  Chicago  where  he  was  branch 
sales  manager. 


Geiringer  Joins  Para. 

_  Otto  Geiringer,  formerly  a  copy- 
right attorney  in  Vienna,  has  joined 
the  Paramount  legal  department. 

place,  whether  it  can  be  shown 
that  juvenile  vandalism  is  a 
fresh  discovery,  peculiar  to  the 
current  crop  of  'teen-agers.  It 
is  even  possible  that  youngsters 
were  known  to  have  been  de- 
structive and,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
law,  delinquent,  before  the  mo- 
tion picture  was  known.  If  that 
were  not  so  and  youth  has  been 
only  recently  infected  with  the 
urge  to  destroy,  the  daily  news- 
papers for  five  years  past  have 
recorded  the  stories  of  the  most 
appalling  destruction  the  world 
has  ever  known. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London.  '  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938.  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  th»  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday,  July  23,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


BS,  Britannica  in 
►  ideo-Film  Tie-up 


Facilities  of  television  and  educa- 
ional  films  will  be  combined  in  a  se- 
ies  of  four  experiment  telecasts  under 
he  joint  auspices  of  Columbia  Broad- 
.isting  System  and  Encyclopedia 
britannica  Films  to  probe  the  poten- 
ialities  of  nation-wide  distribution  of 
Education  and  culture  through  the 
ombination  of  the  two  mediums. 

The  opening  program  in  the  ex- 
Selrimental  series  is  set  for  Tuesday, 
\ug.  7,  over  CBS  New  York  tele- 
vision station,  \VCB\Y,  with  promi- 
nent educators  and  leading  figures  in 
government,  agriculture  and  science  in 
attendance. 

1  CBS  and  Britannica  Films  are  con- 
Jucting  the  experiment  with  a  view  to 
•rogramming  a  regular  television-film 
educational  series  this  Fall. 


ABC  Sets  New  Public 
Relations  Division 

The  establishment  of  a  department 
public  relations  for  American 
Broadcasting,  under  supervision  of 
iRobert  E.  Kintner-,  vice-president,  has 
t>een  announced  by  Chester  J.  La- 
Roche,  vice-chairman  of  the  board. 
The  department  will  coordinate  all 
information  activities  of  the  com- 
pany, including  publicity,  public  ser- 
vice and  audience  mail. 

Earl  Mullin  will  be  publicity  man- 
ager ;  public  service  will  be  under  the 
direction  of  Harrison  B.  Summers ; 
and  audience  information  under  su- 
pervision of  Doris  Hastings.  Kintner 
will  continue  to  supervise  the  net- 
work's news  and  special  events  de- 
partments, also  Washington  opera- 
tions. 


Honor  Pinanski  on 
Return  to  Boston 

BosTpp,  July  .  22.— Sam  Pinanski, 
who  served  as  industry  national  chair- 
man' during  the  Seventh  War  Loan 
Drive,  was  honored  at  a  "welcome 
home"  informal  testimonial  dinner  at 
the  Hotel  Statler  here  Friday  night  by 
Mullin  and  Pinanski  Theatres'  home 
office  associates  and  operating  part- 
ners. , 

Martin  Mullin,  associate  of  Pin- 
anski, was  toastmaster  and  F.  Win- 
chester Denio,  Massachusetts  War 
•  Finance  Committee  I  chairman,  was 
principal  speaker.,  About  50  attended. 


W.  B.  Phild.  Circuit 
Attains  Bond  Record 

Philadelphia,  July  22.  —  Ted 
Schlanger,  zone  manager  of  Warner 
Theatre's  "here,  has  reported  record 
War;  B^nd-  sales  of  $42,501,469  in  his 
territory  during  the  Seventh  War 
Loan.  Schlanger  credited  the  new 
high  to  the  "showmanship  and  ag- 
gressiveness" of  the  theatre  managers 
and  to  the  close  cooperation  of 
patriotic  organizations. 

Century  Hit  s>  Bond  High 

Century'  Cireuit's~s36  theatres  in 
Brooklyn  and  Long:*lsland  passed  all 
previous  bond  drive  records  i  in  the 
Seventh  War  Loan  with  sales  totalling 
$9,116,000,  according  to  J.  R.  Springer, 
general  manager.  The  Midwdod,  of 
which  Howard .  Cohn  is  manager, 
topped  the  circuit  with  a  total  >r6i  $1,- 
154,550  in  sales. 


Review 


"Over  21" 

{Columbia) 

Hollywood,  July  22 

PACKED  with  comedy  that  clicks  steadily  and  which  is  counterweighted 
with  seriousness  that  a  Pantages  Theatre  preview  audience  appeared  to 
regard  as  equally  welcome,  Sidney  Buchman's  picturization  of  Ruth  Gordon's 
stage  play,  scripted  by  Buchman,  stacks  up  as  a  top-grade  attraction  for  any 
theatre,  with  Irene  Dunne,  Alexander  Knox  and  Charles  Coames.  Successful 
exploitation  and  prosperous  exhibition  can  be  forecast  with  confidence. 

Knox,  turning  in  a  smashing  performance  in  a  role  as  different  from  his 
Wilson  as  day  is  from  night,  portrays  a  metropolitan  newspaper  editor,  39, 
who  enlists  in  the  Army  over  his  employer's  objections  and  graduates  from 
OCS  after  studious  application  under  harrassing  distractions.  Miss  Dunne,  at 
her  sparkling  best,  plays  his  wife,  a  Hollywood  writer  who  secretly  writes 
editorials  which  are  published  under  his  signature. 

Much  humor  surrounds  all  this,  but  the  picture  turns  serious  near  its  close 
with  an  intensely  patriotic  sequence  in  which  Knox  voices  a  ringing  plea  for 
postwar  world  unity,  switching  briefly  back  to  comedy  in  the  final  sequences. 

Like  most  films  derived  from  plays,  the  action,  although  swift  and  funny, 
takes  place  mostly  indoors :  this  time  an  auto-court  bungalow  in  Florida,, 
where  the  trick  construction,  improvised  building  design  and  decrepit  furniture 
are  utilized  for  slapstick  comedy  by  all  hands.  For  obtaining  the  utmost  yield 
from  this  setting,  and  keeping  his  issues  and  points  clear  while  shuttling  his 
players  hither  and  yon  at  breakneck  pace,  director  Charles  Vidor  rates  rich1 
praise. 

Running  time,  103  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  23. 

William  R.  Weaver 


Hedges  Set  to  Head 
Planning  at  NBC 

Creation  of  a  planning  and  develop- 
ment department  of  the  National 
Broadcasting  Company  to  meet 
changing  conditions  in  radio  broad- 
casting and  the  introduction  of  new 
services  made  possible  by  technologi- 
cal developments  has  been  announced 
by  Niles  Trammell,  NBC  president. 

William  S.  Hedges  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  his  position  as  vice-pres- 
ident in  charge  of  stations  to  the  new 
position  of  vice-president  in  charge  of 
the  planning  and  development  depart- 
ment. Easton  Woolley,  assistant  to 
the  vice-president  of  the  stations  de- 
partment, has  been  appointed  director 
of  that  department. 


Savini  Names  Arias 
Foreign  Sales  Head 

R.  M.  Savini,  president  of  Astor 
Pictures,  has  appointed  Henry  Arias 
of  New  York  as  exclusive  foreign 
sales  agent  for  Astor  and  its  affili- 
ated companies.  Among  the  pictures 
Arias  will  sell  foreign  rights  on  are : 
"The  Marines  Come  Through," 
"Fangs  of  the  Wild,"  "Scarface," 
"Hell's  Angels"  and  "Sky  Devils,"  as 
well  as  new  Astor  reissues,  namely, 
"Swiss  Family  Robinson,"  "Tom 
Brown's  School  Days,"  "Little  Men" 
and  "Beyond  Tomorrow." 


To  Televise  Comics 

Comic  strips,  starting  last  week,  have 
become  a  regular  Friday  evening  tele- 
vision feature  over  Station  W6XYZ, 
of  Television  Productions,  Inc.  (sub- 
sidiary of  Paramount  Pictures),  ac- 
cording to  an  announcement  by  Klaus 
Landsberg,  Director,  who  has  con- 
cluded a  deal  with  Sherman  Montrose, 
Pacific  Coast  manager  for  NEA 
Feature  Service. 


U.S.-Canada  Bond  Film 

Hollywood,  July  22.— Paramount 
will  produce  "Hollywood  Bond  Car- 
avan," with  an  all-star  cast,  for  joint 
use  in  Canada's  Ninth  Victory  Loan 
anrf"  the  U.  S.  Eighth  War  Loan 
drives.  Filming,  with  all  studios  co- 
operating, will  start  Aug.  1. 


M-G-M  Luncheon  for 
Eastern  Salesmen 

Edward  K.  O'Shea,  M-G-M  divis- 
ion sales  manager,  presided  at  a  lunch- 
eon meeting  of  the  company's  Eastern 
regional  sales  conference  held  at  the 
Hotel  Astor  here  on  Friday. 

Present  at  the  luncheon  were  Wil- 
liam F.  Rodgers,  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager;  Herbert 
Crooker,  publicity  manager ;  Alan  F. 
Cummings,  in  charge  of  exchange 
maintenance  and  operations ;  Harold 
Postman,  assistant  to  Cummings; 
Mike  Simons,  editor  of  The  Distrib- 
utor, company  publication;  A.  J.  Nel- 
son, statistical  department  head;  Wil- 
liam G.  Brenner,  head  of  theatre 
checking ;  Bill  Ornstein,  trade  con- 
tact ;  and  out-of-town  branch  and 
district  managers,  who  left  over  the 
weekend  for  their  respective  head- 
quarters. 


Appeal  Board  Cuts 
Theatre  Clearance 

The  Arbitration  Appeal  Board  in  a 
decision  made  public  here  Friday 
modified  an  Arbitrator's  award  in  the 
Boston  district  and  granted  Hollis  G. 
Reed  who  operates  the  Neptune  The- 
at  McKinley,  on  Mt.  Desert  Island 
off  the  coast  of  Maine,  reduced  clear- 
ance against  the  Criterion,  operated 
by  United  Enterprises  at  Bar  Harbor 
on  the  same  island. 

The  board  ruled  that  the  maximum 
clearance  which  may  be  granted  the 
Criterion  over  the  Neptune  in  licenses 
hereafter  entered  into  by  Paramount 
and  Warner  Bros,  shall  be  one  day  on 
such  features  only  as  the  Criterion 
shall  play  within  14  days  of  availabil- 
ity. In  all  other  respects,  the  arbitra- 
tor's award  abolishing  all  clearance  of 
the  Criterion  over  the  Neptune  was 
affirmed. 


'Anchors'  a  'Special' 

"Anchors  Aweigh,"  now  having  its 
world  premiere  at  the  Capitol,  The- 
atre, will  be  sold  as  a  special  on  a 
separate  contract,  it  was  announced 
by  M-G-M  over  the  weekend.  Plans 
call  for  the  Technicolor  film  to  be 
released  in  August. 


Monogram  Chicago 
Sales  Meet  Ends 


Chicago,  July  22. — Monogram 
closed  its  two-day  Midwest  sales 
meeting  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here 
today  with  a  series  of  private  confer- 
ences with  staffs  of  individual  ex- 
changes. 

M.  Edward  Morey,  assistant  sales 
manager,  who  conducted  the  meet- 
ings, stated  that  the  localized  discus- 
sions help  home  office  executives  to 
become  more  closely  acquainted  with 
local  problems  and  to  arrive  at  pos- 
sible solutions  faster. 

Yesterday  over  40  franchise  holders, 
exchange  managers,  bookers,  and 
salesmen  from  12  Central  and  Midwest 
branches  heard  a  sales  policy  outline 
of  the  1945-46  product  made  by 
Morey,  Arthur  Greenblatt,  Central 
district  manager ;  Morey  Goldstein, 
Eastern  division  manager,  and  Sol 
Francis,  Midwest  district  manager.  It 
was  disclosed  that  "Dillinger"  is  still 
banned  in  Chicago  and  Memphis. 

Others  participating  in  the  meeting 
included  Irving  Mandel,  Chicago 
franchise  holder;  Arthur  Greenblatt, 
Central  district  manager;  Arthur  C. 
Bromberg,  Atlanta  franchise  holder 
and  member  of  the  board  of  directors ; 
Harry  Kaufman,  general  manager  of 
Canadian  branches,  and  others. 


UA  Sales  Meeting 
Here  July  28-29 

Harry  L.  Gold,  UA  Eastern  sales 
manager,  and  Sam  Lefkowitz,  New 
York  district  manager,  will  preside  at 
a  meeting  of  UA  sales  staffs  from 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Wash- 
ington exchanges  to  be  held  at  the 
Hotel  Waldorf-Astoria  here,  July,  28 
and  29,  which  will  be  the  third  and 
concluding  session  of  United  Artists' 
Eastern  regional  meetings. 

Previous  Eastern  regional  meetings 
were  held  in  Boston  and  Cleveland. 

Attendance  at  the  meeting  will  in- 
clude:  New  York,  Jack  Ellis,  Ed- 
ward Mullen,  Abe  Dickstein,  Dave 
Burkan,  Richard  Perry,  Sam  Rifkin, 
George  Jeffrey,  William  Schuster  and 
Charles  ,  Goetz ;  Philadelphia,  Mort 
Magill,  M.  Sherman,  R.  Peckham,  M. 
Koff  and  H.  Tyson;  Washington, 
Mark  Silver,  Elmer  McKinley,  S. 
Pike,  M.  Siegel,  H.  Rose  and  J. 
Price. 


Farkas  to  Produce 
For  Specialties 

Nicholas  Farkas  of  the  European 
film  industry  before  he  escaped  to 
this  country,  just  prior  to  the  war, 
has  signed  with  United  Specialists, 
Inc.  Among  foreign  films  that  Far- 
kas directed  and  produced  are  "Thun- 
der in  the  East,"  with  Charles  Boyer 
and  Merle  Oberon,  and  "The  Mad 
Emperor,"  with  Harry  Bauer. 

Farkas'  first  American  film  is 
"Greater  Victory,"  starring  Louis 
Calhern,  made  for  United  Specialists 
and  released  by  Filmedia.  At  least 
three  additional  pictures  are  expected 
to  be  released  before  the  end  of  the 
year. 


'Morgan'  Showing  Off 

M-G-M  has  cancelled  national 
tradeshowings  of  "The  Great  Mor- 
gan," originally  scheduled  for  Aug. 
3  in  all  branches.  A  new  screening 
date  will  be  set  later.  Instead,  the 
company  will  tradeshow  "Dangerous 
Partners"  on  Aug.  3. 


All  these  "A"  theatres  have  played  it 


or  dated  it.  Hold-overs  everywhere! 


ST.  LOUIS,  MISSOURI 
DAYTON,  COLONIAL 
BALTIMORE,  KEITH 
PROVIDENCE,  ALBEE 
CINCINNATI,  GRAND 
SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.,  BIJOU 
COLUMBUS,  GRAND 
NEW  YORK,  REPUBLIC 
SYRACUSE,  PARAMOUNT 
ROCHESTER,  CENTURY 
TOLEDO,  RIVOLI 
AKRON,  PALACE 
WASHINGTON,  KEITH 
PITTSBURGH,  FULTON 
MILWAUKEE,  ALHAMBRA 
'  CITY,  WASHINGTON 


BRIDGEPORT,  MAJESTIC 
ERIE,  COLONIAL 
NIAGARA  FALLS,  STRAND 
LOUISVILLE,  STRAND 
INDIANAPOLIS,  CIRCLE 
FT.  WAYNE,  PALACE 
DETROIT,  ADAMS 
SPOKANE,  GRANADA 
SEATTLE,  METROPOLITAN 
MOBILE,  DOWNTOWN 
CHICAGO,  PALACE 
KANSAS  CITY,  ORPHEUM 
LOS  ANGELES,  HAWAII 
CLEVELAND,  ALLEN 
NEWARK,  PROCTORS 
BROOKLYN,  ALBEE 


BOOKED  ENTIRE  RKO  CIRCUIT,  NEW  YORK 


IDtM 


"Still  the  happiest  couple  in  town,  John  Payne  and 
Gloria  De  Haven  try  out  the  rhumba  band  at  the  Troc. . ." 

Says  ole  gossip  Movies,  which  dearly  loves 
romance;  keeps  readers  strictly  up-to-date  on 
love,  love,  love  affairs  that  make  Hollywood's 
world  go  'round  and  keep  fans  happily  agog! 


"Breakfast  is  no  coffee-on-the-run  affair  for  the  de  Toths  in 
their  new  home.  Who'd  blame  them  for  lingering  over  a  second 
cup  in  the  breakfast  nook  with  its  red  leather  booth  and  wide 
circular  window?  Fact  is . . ." 

From  latest  Private-Lives-Of-The-Stars  series  in 
Movies,  which  takes  readers  to  every  nook  and 
cranny  in  Hollywood;  snaps  Veronica  Lake,  hubby 
Andre  de  Toth,  in  their  own  new  breakfast  nook. 


'avalcade  of  Candida  from  August  Issue  of 
^hree  Ideal  Magazines,  Devoted  to  a  Lively  Pic- 
ure  Presentation  of  the  Best  Hollywood  News. 


"BilTs  not  only  ex-pro  trick 
rider  and  plenty  good,  but  he 
knows  horses  and  how  to  pick 
,em;  he  chose  frisky  but  good- 
natured  Smiling  Joe  for  Di . . ." 

Exclusive  Movie  Stars 
Parade  shut  of  Bill 
Edwards  and  Diana  Lynn. 
MSP  knows  how  to  pick 
'em,  too.  First  to  plav  up 
promising  starlets,  MSP's 
still  first  and  foremost 
discoverer,  and  champion, 
of  glamorous  newcomers. 


"Peg  Ryan  set-visits  Rod  Cameron  who's  making  giant 
Western,  Frontier  Gal.  Peg's  latest  is  Men  In  Her 
Diary,  man  in  hers  being  B-29  pilot..." 

From  Movie  Stars  Parade,  unrivalled  expert  on  lingo  and 
favorites  of  the  jive  crowd  in  Hollywood  and  elsewhere. 


<  "High  in  every  New  York  visitor's  list  of  things 
to  do  is  a  ride  in  a  hansom  cab.  Mr.  Doll  goes  for 
it,  too,  but  with  new  twist.  Instead  of  lolling  back 
among  the  cushions,  John  takes  over  the  driver's 
seat — along  with  the  tall  silk  hat . . ." 

Movie  Life,  candid  camera  in  hand,  tours  John  Dall  around  Man- 
hattan in  another  of  the  skylarking  series  with  which  ML,  Holly- 
wood's only  all-pic  magazine,  breaks  with  stuffy  tradition,  giving 
topflight  stars,  as  well  as  delighted  readers,  a  wonderful  time! 


W.  M.  Cotton's  Ideal  Movie  Group:  Movie  Life  •  Movie  Stars  Parade  •  Movies  •  New  York,  Hollywood,  Chicago 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  23,  194 


10,000  Houses  Seen 
Needing  Equipment 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

during  the  past  decade,  it  was  stated. 
Only  4,000  to  5,000  theatres,  includ- 
ing new  ones,  have  new-type  equip- 
ment, it  is  said. 

Theatres  have  been  able  to  keep 
their  projection  and  sound  equipment 
in  service  during  the  war  only  by 
constant  repair  and  servicing,  but  it 
is  pointed  out  that  projection  and 
sound  equipment,  like  other  machines, 
can  be  kept  going  for  just  so  long 
before  they  have  to  be  replaced. 

Antiquated  Sound 

Although  many  theatres  have  modi- 
fied their  sound  equipment  since  it 
was  originally  installed,  with  new 
speakers,  amplifiers  and  sound  heads, 
it  is  pointed  out  that  with  Hollywood 
striving  to  get  the  best  in  sound  re- 
cording on  films,  most  of  these  the- 
atres are  unable  to  reproduce  this 
quality  of  sound  on  their  present  an- 
tiquated equipment. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  about 
5,000  theatres  with  original  Western 
Electric  sound  equipment  which  does 
provide  for  modification  to  meet  im- 
proving sound  conditions,  but  even 
this  equipment  will  have  to  be  re- 
placed along  with  RCA  equipment 
which  did  not  provide  for  extensive 
modification. 

Projectors  have  been  kept  in  service 
by  complete  overhaulings  and  re- 
placements every  two  to  three  years 
but  service  agencies  point  out  that 
this  process  cannot  be  continued  in- 
definitely. While  new  parts  have  been 
installed  from  time  to  time,  projec- 
tion equipment  will  have  to  be  re- 
placed just  as  extensively  in  the  post- 
war as  will  sound  equipment. 


Griffis  Is  Cited  for 
Red  Cross  War  Work 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Richardson,  Jr.,  commander  of  Middle 
Pacific  Army  Forces. 

Griffis  received  the  Award,  which 
honors  civilians  who  contribute  out- 
standingly to  the  war  effort  in  the 
Pacific  theatre,  for  "his  exceptional 
executive  ability  and  unwavering  de- 
votion to  duty,"  and  for  contributing 
"immeasurably  to  the  morale  of  the 
armed  forces  of  the  United  States." 

Griffis  served  as  Pacific  Red  Cross 
commissioner  from  Nov.  1,  1944,  to 
July  5,  1945,  when  he  relinquished 
his  post  to  Vice  Adm.  Adolphus  An- 
drews, USN  (Ret.) 


'Bascomb'  on  Location 

Jackson,  Wyo.,  July  22. — M-G-M's 
"Bad  Bascomb"  has  started  filming 
hereabouts,  with  producer  S.  Sylvan 
Symon  and  director  Orville  Dull  es- 
tablishing headquarters  for  six  or 
eight  weeks  at  Moran.  Players  on  lo- 
cation include  Wallace  Beery,  _  the 
star;  Margaret  O'Brien,  Marjorie 
Main,  Frances  Rafferty,  Marshall 
Thompson,  Donald  Curtis  and  J.  Car- 
roll Naish. 


Kennedy  Buys  Building 

Albany,  July  22. — Joseph  P.  Ken 
nedy  former  Ambassador  to  the  Court 
of  St.  James  and  former  film  execu- 
tive, has  extended  his  realty  invest- 
ments by  the  purchase  of  the  13-story 
office  building  at  112  State  Street,  one 
of  the  outstanding  structures  here. 


Review 


'Guest  Wife' 


(Skirball-United  Artists) 

Hollywood,  July  22 

CLAUDETTE  COLBERT  and  Don  Ameche  were  never  better,  nor  better 
employed,  than  they  are  as  the  principal  personalities  in  this  brilliant 
comedy,  directed  by  Sam  Wood  from  an  original  by  Bruce  Manning  and  John 
Klorer  and  produced  by  Jack  Skirball  with  full  justice  to  exhibitor  and  audi- 
ence interests. 

In  90  smooth  minutes  it  tells  in  smiling  fashion,  and  without  a  letdown,  a 
slick  story  about  pleasant  people  who  get  into  and  out  of  difficuties  which  pro- 
vide steadily  mounting  amusement  culminating  in  an  unexpected  conclusion. 
Previewed  for  the  press  and  5,000  Marines  at  Camp  Pendleton,  it  proved  itself 
beyond  question  solid  entertainment,  plentifully  possessed  of  box-office  value. 

The  principal  setting  is  New  York,  where  war  correspondent  Ameche  ar- 
rives on  summons  by  his  employer  under  the  necessity  of  bringing  a  wife  he 
is  supposed  to  have  married  in  India.  Colbert,  happily  married  to  Ameche's 
friend,  Dick  Foran,  is  persuaded  to  pose  temporarily  as  Ameche's  wife.  De- 
velopments ensuant  upon  this  beginning  range  over  a  wide  scale,  keeping  well 
clear  of  the  usual  formula  and  ending,  with  Colbert  returning  to  Foran  after 
putting  Ameche  and  all  hands  through  amusingly  distressing  situations. 

Charles  Dingle,  Grant  Mitchell,  Wilma  Francis,  Chester  Clute,  Irving  Ba- 
con, Hal  K.  Dawson,  and  Edward  Fielding  round  out  a  compellingly  effective 
cast.  Appropriate  for  any  and  all  theatres  and  occasions,  the  production  qual- 
ifies as  sure-fire  merchandise  in  every  particular. 

Running  time  90  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  July  27. 

W.R.W. 


594  Showmen  30 
Years  With  Para. 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
hibitors  and  the  oldest  employee 
point  of  service  at  each  exchange. 

Philadelphia,  with  32,  tops  the 
change  territories 


ex- 
of  33- 
Boston 


in  number 
year  Paramount  customers, 
is  second  with  25  and  Minneapolis 
third  with  22.  Seven  other  territories 
have  served  10  or  more  exhibitors  for 
33  years,  as  follows:  New  York  and 
Dallas,  14  each;  Chicago  and  Des 
Moines,  13  each;  Albany,  11;  Mem- 
phis and  New  Haven,  10  each.  In 
many  instances  these  exhibitors  oper- 
ate more  than  one  theatre  or  circuits. 

Among  those  who  have  seen  31 
years  service  are  R.  C.  LiBeau,  Kan- 
sas City  district  manager;  F.  H. 
Smith,  Salt  Lake  City  branch  man- 
ager; Ulrik  F.  Smith,  Philadelphia 
branch  manager,  and  A.  H.  Cole, 
Kansas  City  office  manager. 


W.  B.  to  Release  25 
Abroad  in  '45-46 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

have  been  the  best  to  date.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  boom  in  England,  North 
Africa  and  other  parts  of  the  Euro- 
pean area  where  American  film  ac- 
tivity has  been  possible,  substantial 
increases  in  billings  took  place  in 
Argentine,  Brazil,  Chile,  Panama, 
Uruguay,  Australia,  and  New  Zea- 
land. 


Joins  'U'  Press  Staff 

Patricia  Goldman  has  been  added 
to  the  home  office  publicity  staff  at 
Universal,  it  was  announced  last  week 
by  Maurice  Bergman,  Eastern  di- 
rector, in  keeping  with  a  new  policy 
announced  recently  by  John  Joseph, 
on  behalf  of  the  advertising  and  pub- 
licity department,  to  let  college  grad- 
uates learn  this  craft. 

Miss  Goldman  attended  the  Dalton 
School,  New  York,  and  majored  in 
journalism  and  comparative  literature 
at  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 


George  Barbier  Dies 

Hollywood,  July  22. — George  Bar- 
bier, 80,  veteran  of  over  40  film  roles 
since  1930,  died  at  his  home  here. 


Must  Produce  Rank, 
Nathanson  Contract 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ton,  Ont.,  previously  owned  by  her 
husband,  now  dead. 

The  plaintiff  alleged  that  Nathan- 
son  sold  his  interest  in  the  three  the- 
atres without  her  knowledge  and  asked 
for  dissolution  of  the  partnership  be- 
tween herself  and  the  defendants. 

Nathanson's  counsel  said  "The  pur- 
pose of  the  action  is  to  obtain  pro- 
duction of  and  to  inspect  the  docu- 
ment" (Nathanson-Rank  agreement). 


Industry  Unscathed 
By  State  Film  Bills 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

every  20  years,  and  has  recessed  untr 
September. 

The  last  state'in  which  legislation  < 
interest  to  the  industry  was  pendin 
was  Massachusetts.  It  involved  the  en 
actment  of  legislation  granting  a  bonu>- 
of$100  to  returning  servicemen  and  n<. 
cessitated  the  adoption  of  measures  t 
raise  the  money.  Among  the  sources  o. 
revenue  which  it  was  proposed  to  ta 
was  admissions,  on  which  two  bills  wer 
introduced  and  made  the  subject  o 
hearings.  However,  the  legislature  ad 
journed  July  15,  and  the  committee  i 
charge  of  the  bills  was  unable  to  repoi 
them  before  that  date. 


: 


Ivens'  New  Post  No 
With  Canada  Board 

Ottawa,  July  22.— J  oris  Ivens  v&i 
have  no  connection  with  the  Nation;,1 
Film  Board  of  Canada  in  his  ne- 
post  as   film   commissioner   for  tr 
Netherlands  East  Indies,  as  erroneou: 
ly  implied  in  a  story  published  i 
Motion  Picture  Daily  July  18,  J  or  J 
Grierson,   government   film  commi: 
sioner  for  the  National  Film  BoarJ 
of  Canada,  said  yesterday.    Ivens  wi  j 
act  solely  for  the  Netherlands  Ea 
Indies  government,  Grierson  said. 


Jessel  'MC  for  'Eddie' 

Columbus,  O.,  July  22.  —  Georgi 
Jessel  will  be  master  of  ceremonies  . 
the  premiere  of  Twentieth  Centur; 
Fox's  "Captain  Eddie,"  at  Loew] 
Ohio  here,  Aug.  1. 


BIGGEST! 


THE  BIGGEST  BIRD  IS  THE  OSTRICH 
THE  BIGGEST  MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  MADE  IS 


i 


**** 


*      *■     ★     ★   '  *'     *      *  '"*     *     *  * 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWgec 

to  the^J 

sjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

OL.  58.  NO.  16 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  JULY  24,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


pteady  Rains 
Aid  First-Run 
V.  Y.  Theatres 


Anchors  Aweigh,'  'Jones' 
Heavy  in  Initial  Weeks 


I:  Continuing  rains  and  unseason- 
able non-bathing-beach  weather  are 
i  again  benefiting  downtown  New 
lork  first-run  theatres,  with  two 
Ww  arrivals  and  several  holdovers 
irawing  outstanding  receipts  of  record 
tr  near-record  proportions. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  a  stage  bill 
maturing  Paul  \\  hiteman  and  his  or- 
-  hestra,  with  Lionel  Kaye  and  John- 
;  lie  Johnston,  new  arrivals  at  the 
■  Zapitol,  are  headed  for  a  new  house 
ecord  under  present  policy  with  a 
lofty  $96,000  expected  for  the  initial 
week  on  the  basis  of  a  heavy  $56,000 
"recorded  for  the  first  four  days. 

"Along  Came  Jones,"  other  new  ar- 
"ival,  at  the  Palace,  is  rolling  up  some 
)f  the  strongest  receipts  at  that  house 
m  recent  months  with  a  heavy  $40,000 
expected  for  the  first  week  on  the 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Fitzgibbons  Starts 
Variety  in  Canada 


R.  J.  O'Donnell,  national  chief 
barker  of  the  Variety  Clubs  of  Amer- 
ica, announces  this  week  that  a  group 
has  applied  for  a  charter  for  a  Variety 
Club  of  Toronto,  the  first  Canadian 
(unit.  The  following  signed  the  ap- 
plication for  the  charter :  W.  P. 
Covert,  second  international  vice-pres- 
ident of  IATSE;  L.  M.  Devaney. 
Canadian  general  manager  for  RKO 
of  Canada ;  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  pres- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Prints  Borrowed  to 
Meet  Release  Dates 


Chicago,  July  23. — Despite  the  gen- 
j  eral  print  shortage  due  to  current  raw 
j  stock  conditions,  distributors  here, 
!  'with  the  cooperation  of  other  ex- 
!  changes,  have  been  able  to  meet  local 
I  .general  release  schedules  calling  for 
j  an  average  of  50  to  60  prints  for 
|  'every  key  picture. 

L  .John  E.  Flynn,   M-G-M  Western 
M  division  manager,  states  that  his  local 
m  exchange  "has  been  able  to  set  up 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Middle  East 
Curbs  Lifted 


Washington,  July  23. — Partial 
opening  of  the  Middle  East  markets 
for  motion  picture  equipment  was  an- 
nounced today  by  the  Foreign  Eco- 
nomic Administration  in  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  requirement  for  individual 
export  licenses  for  a  long  list  of  com- 
modities. 

Restrictions  on  35mm.  cameras,  pro- 
jectors and  sound  equipment  continue 
to  apply,  but  exporters  may  make 
shipments  under  general  license  of 
eight  and  16mm.  equipment,  parts  for 
35mm.  projection  and  studio  appara- 
tus, projection  arc  lamps  and  motion 
picture  screens. 

The  areas  covered  by  the  order  in- 
cludes Aden  and  Aden  Protectorate, 
Anglo-Egyptian  Sudan,  British  Soma- 
liland,  Cyprus,  Egypt,  Eritrea, 
Ethiopia,  French  Somaliland,  Iran, 
Iraq,  Libya,  Palestine,  Saudi  Arabia, 
Syria  and  Lebanon,  Trans-Jordan  and 
Yemen. 

Individual  export  licenses  need  no 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


linger  Combines  UA 
West,  Midwest  Meets 

Chicago,  July  23. — The  Western 
and  Midwest  regional  sales  meetings 
originally  scheduled  by  United  Art- 
ists at  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  last 
week  have  been  combined  into  one 
three-day  meeting  which  will  open  at 
the  Blackstone  Hotel  here  Friday.  J. 
J.  Unger,  Western  sales  manager,  will 
preside,  assisted  by  Rud  Lohrenz,  dis- 
trict manager. 


U.S.  Prima  Facie  Case 
Has  One  Precedent 

Plans  of  the  Department  of 
Justice  to  present  its  New 
York  film  anti-trust  suit  case 
through  prima  facie  evidence 
based  upon  documents  relat- 
ing to  industry  trade  prac- 
tices without  possibly  calling 
a  single  witness  has  had  but 
one  precedent  in  anti-trust 
litigation. 

The  Department  of  Justice 
presented  a  similar  case  using 
144  documents,  but  no  wit- 
nesses, in  the  case  of  U.  S.  vs. 
Vehicular  Parking,  Ltd.,  in 
Delaware  in  1944  and  it  won 
the  case,  according  to  a 
spokesman  for  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  in  New  York. 


Deadlock  on 
306  Contract 


Another  stalemate  has  been  reached 
in  negotiations  for  a  new  contract  be- 
tween IATSE  New  York  Motion  Pic- 
ture Machine  Operators  Local  No. 
306  and  film  companies  covering  home 
office  and  New  York  exchange  pro- 
jectionists, as  a  result  of  the  union's 
attempt  to  eliminate  the  so-called 
'request'  clause  from  the  contract,  giv- 
ing theatres  the  opportunity  to  select 
specific  unionists  from  306's  list  of 
unemployed,  for  employment. 

As  a  compromise,  Local  306  is  of- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


State  Dep't  to  Ask  End 
Of  Exchange  Controls 


Exchanges'  Anti-Fire 
Record  100%  in  '44 

Washington,  July  23.  — The 
industry  has  been  cited  by  the 
National  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers as  "the  nation's  out- 
standing example  of  the  effec- 
tiveness of  fire-prevention." 

Not  a  single  fire  occurred 
last  year  in  the  industry's  241 
film  exchanges,  and  the  ex- 
changes' record  over  a  10-year 
period  was  but  six  small 
blazes  costing  only  $275  in 
damages,  the  board  said.  All 
exchanges  in  the  U.  S.  are 
subject  to  fire  inspection  once 
a  month. 


Washington,  July  23. — Elimina- 
tion of  all  types  of  exchange  controls 
now  applied  by  England  and  other 
foreign  countries  will  be  sought  by 
the  State  Department  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable after  the  end  of  the  war,  it 
was  learned  today. 

A  number  of  communications  have 
been  received  in  the  Department,  it 
was  disclosed,  from  manufacturers 
who  have  been  advised  by  their  rep- 
resentatives abroad  that  the  British 
authorities  are  declining  to  issue  im- 
port licenses  for  certain  American 
products,  and  that  the  procedure  like- 
ly would  continue  indefinitely. 

In  their  replies,  Department  offi- 
cials take  the  position  that  the  gen- 
eral form  and  purpose  of  these  ex- 
change controls  are  appropriate  and 
necessary  to  the  successful  prosecu- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Companies  in 
Own  Probe  in 
U.  S.  Charges 

Investigators  to  Visit 
Theatre  Complainants 


Working  under  the  coordinating 
committee  of  their  counsel,  which  is 
making  preparations  for  trial  of  the 
New  York  film  anti-trust  suit,  in- 
vestigators for  the  five  consent  decree 
companies  will  visit  every  city  and 
town  in  the  U.  S.  where  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  alleges  that  the  five 
distributor   defendants'   affiliated  cir- 
cuits have  a  monopoly  of  exhibition. 
The  investigators  will  make  a 
complete  study  of  present  ex- 
hibition and  distribution  prac- 
tices in  those  cities  and  towns. 
Scope  of  the  study  was  set  at  a 
meeting  of  counsel  here  yester- 
day; field  studies  have  already 
been    started    and    they  will 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Solon  Urges  U.  S. 
Films  for  Germany 


Washington,  July  23. — Subjected 
to  a  barrage  of  propaganda  for  10 
years,  the  German  people  are  immune 
to  the  "informational  film  and  must  be 
re-educated  more  subtly  through  the 
medium  of  the  feature  motion  picture," 
Rep.  Ellis  E.  Patterson  of  California 
told  the  House  Saturday  as  it  pre- 
pared to  adjourn  for  the  Summer. 

Patterson  urged  that  the  War  De- 

(Continucd  on  page  8) 


New  OPA  Rules  Aid 
Consumer  and  Seller 


Washington,  July  23. — Steps  have 
been  taken  to  prevent  excessive 
charges  to  consumers  for  surplus  war 
goods  and  at  the  same  time  provide 
resellers  of  such  goods  with  simpler 
methods  for  quickly  figuring  their  ceil- 
ing prices,  the  Office  of  Price  Admin- 
istration announces. 

The  new  provisions,  effective  Aug. 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "The  Falcon  in 
San  Francisco,"  "Oregon 
Trail"  appear  on  page  7. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  24.  194 


Spain's  Impotence 
Boon  to  U.S.:  Yates 


Hollywood,  July  23. — H.  J.  Yates, 
Republic  board  chairman,  comment- 
ing on  the  industry's  future  in  South 
America  at  a  press  conference  here 
late  last  week,  said:  "Before  the  war 
Germany  dominated  that  market.  Now 
the  question  is  who  is  going  to  dom- 
inate it  after  the  war.  The  logical  coun- 
try to  make  Spanish-language  films  is, 
of"  course,  Spain.  However,  current 
conditions  in  Spain  are  such  that  this 
opportunity  for  the  American  industry 
presents  itself  in  the  Spanish-speak- 
ing countries." 


6  Industry  Attorneys 
On  N.  Y.  Bar  Groups 

On  the  new  copyright  committee  of 
the  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  as  announced  by  Har- 
rison Tweed,  president  of  the  associa- 
tion, for  1945-6  are  Edwin  P.  Kilroe, 
Benjamin  Pepper,  Edward  A.  Sargoy 
and  Sidney  R.  Fleisher,  all  industry 
lawyers. 

Whitney  North  Seymour  of  Simp- 
son, Thacher  and  Bartlett  who  is 
spearheading  the  trial  presentation  of 
the  distributor-defendants  in  the  New 
York  anti-trust  case,  has  been  ap- 
pointed chairman  of  the  Bar's  griev- 
ances committee.  Stanley  P.  Fried- 
man, Warner  Bros.,  is  on  the  admin- 
istrative law  committee. 


Judge  Thacher  Weds 
Mrs.  Eleanor  Lloyd 

Philadelphia,  July  23.  —  Judge 
Thomas  D.  Thacher  of  the  New 
York  Court  of  Appeals,  and  Mrs. 
Eleanor  M.  Lloyd,  widow  of  Stacey 
B.  Lloyd,  former  president  of  the 
Philadelphia  Savings  Fund  Society, 
were  married  here  at  the  weekend  and 
left  immediately  after  on  a  wedding 
trip  to  Canada  and  Maine. 

Judge  Thacher,  prior  to  his  ap- 
pointment by  Gov.  Dewey  in  1943,  was 
chief  trial  counsel  for  Paramount  Pic- 
tures in  the  New  York  Federal  anti- 
trust suit.  His  law  firm,  Simpson, 
Thacher  and  Bartlett,  continues  to 
represent  the  company. 


Rank  Daughter  Will 
Wed  RKO  Scriptman 

London,  July  23. — J.  Arthur  Rank's 
party  returned  here  today  from  their 
visit  to  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
and  within  an  hour  after  the  arrival 
Rank  announced  the  engagement  of 
his  youngest  daughter,  Shelagh,  to  26- 
year-old  American  Lt.  Fred  Packard, 
stationed  with  the  Signal  Corps  here. 
He  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  and  for- 
merly was  an  RKO  writer. 

Meanwhile  Rank  has  acquired  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre,  here,  to  try 
out  material  that  may  prove  suitable 
for  the  screen  and  to  develop  acting 
and  musical  talent. 


TEA  Directors  Meeting 

Directors  of  the  Television  Broad- 
casters Association  will  hold  their 
monthly  meeting  in  New  York  on 
Thursday  at  2  :30  P.  M.  in  the  TEA 

office. 


Personal  Mention 


HARRY  M.  WARNER,  Warner 
Brothers  president,  arrived  un- 
expectedy  in  New  York  yesterday 
from  the  Burbank  studio. 

• 

Tom  J.  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  sales,  and 
William  C.  Gehring,  Western  sales 
manager,  will  leave  Hollywood  for 
New  York  Thursday  on  the  Chief. 
• 

Barry  Fitzgerald,  who  came  to 
New  York  from  the  Coast  two  weeks 
ago  prepared  to  fly  to  his  home  in 
Dublin,  has  postponed  the  trip  until 
transportation  conditions  improve. 
• 

Charles  Schlaifer,  20th  Century- 
Fox  home  office  assistant  advertising 
publicity  director,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  several  weeks  at  the  Coast 
studio. 

Roy  T.  Haines,  Warners'  South- 
ern and  Western  division  manager,  is 
visiting  the  Atlanta  branch  for  con- 
ferences with  R.  L.  McCoy  and 
Henry  Krumm. 

Ed  Walton,  assistant  to  James  R. 
Grainger,  Republic  president  and  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  has  been  visiting 
Saul  J.  Ullman,  upstate  manager  of 
Fabian  Theatres,  Albany. 

• 

James  Fitzpatrick  and  his  camera 
crew  have  arrived  in  England  to  be- 
gin production  of  six  films  for 
M-G-M. 

First  Sgt.  Joe  Minsky,  formerly 
of  Warners'  Pittsburgh  office,  has 
returned  after  20  months  in  th°  Euro- 
pean war  area. 

Eleanor  Cramich  of  Astor  Pic- 
tures bookkeeping  department  will 
shortly  become  the  bride  of  Pfc.  Hy 
Belner. 

Frank  J.  Barry,  'pinch-hitting'  as 
office  manager  of  Columbia,  Atlanta, 
has  returned  to  his  old  post  as  Florida 
salesman. 

• 

R.  J.  Ingram,  Southern  division 
manager  of  Columbia,  at  Atlanta,  has 
returned  to  his  desk  after  visiting  the 
New  Orleans  branch. 

• 

Carl  E.  Milliken,  MPPDA  sec- 
retary, is  due  back  in  New  York  to- 
morrow from  Washington. 

• 

James  McCarthy,  manager  of  the 
Strand,  Hartford,  is  in  New  York 
for  a  two-week  holiday. 

• 

W.  W.  Farley,  Albany  and  Sche- 
nectady theatre  man,  recently  visited 
the  Fabian  offices  in  New  York. 
• 

Merritt  Davis,  Southern  division 
manager  of  Republic,  Atlanta,  is  in 
Birmingham,  Ala.,  on  business. 
• 

Randall  Bryan,  branch  manager 
of  National  Screen,  Atlanta,  is  on  a 
business  trip  to  South  Georgia. 
• 

Harry  Rice  of  Columbia's  home  of- 
fice, is  in  Hartford. 


NJORTON  V.  RITCHEY,  Mono- 
<  gram  vice-president,  who  arrived 
in  Hollywood  Saturday  from  Mexico 
City,  will  leave  for  New  York  today 
on  the  Superchief  following  confer- 
ences with  W.  Ray  Johnston,  presi- 
dent. 

• 

James  R.  Grainger,  Republic  presi- 
dent and  general  sales  manager,  will 
leave  New  York  this  afternoon  for  a 
two-day  business  meeting  in  Montreal, 
accompanied  by  A.  W.  Perry,  presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  Empire- 
Universal  Films. 

• 

Joseph  Vergesslich,  Warner  New 
York  exchange  short  subject  sales 
manager,  became  a  grandfather  over 
the  weekend  when  a  son  was  born  to 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Arthur  Hunt, 
at  Mercy  Hospital,  Rockville  Center, 
L.  I. 

• 

Jack  Sayers,  Hollywood  manager 
of  Audience  Research,  has  returned 
to  the  Coast  after  a  month  at  the 
company's  office  here,  conferring  with 
Dr.  George  Gallup  and  Albert  E. 
Sindlinger. 

• 

Lou  Weinberg,  Columbia  circuit 
sales  director,  and  R.  J.  Ingram,  At- 
lanta district  manager,  have  been  at 
the  New  Orleans  branch  conferring 
with  Houston  Duval,  John  H. 
Granger  and  John  Winberry. 
• 

Robert  Schless,  Paramount  divi- 
sion manager  for  Continental  Europe, 
the  Middle  East  and  French  North 
Africa,  arrived  in  New  York  over  the 
weekend  from  his  Paris  headquarters. 
• 

Philip  Murray,  Columbia  sales- 
man in  New  Orleans,  was  re-inducted 
into  the  Army  at  Camp  Shelby,  Miss., 
yesterday,  having  been  discharged  last 
Dec.  9  after  four  years'  service. 
• 

David  Rose,  Paramount  managing 
director  for  Great  Britain,  is  expected 
to  leave  New  York  for  London 
Thursday. 

• 

John  C.  Wilson,  Broadway  pro- 
ducer, has  returned  to  New  York 
from  a  six-week  business  trip  to  Lon- 
don. 

• 

Col.  Charles  E.  Kessnich,  South- 
ern division  manager  of  M-G-M,  has 
returned  to  Atlanta  after  a  division 
managers'  meeting  in  Chicago. 
• 

Norman  Elson,  vice-president  of 
Trans-Lux  Theatres,  Philalelphia,  is 
in  Washington. 

• 

Evelyn  Keyes.  Columbia  actress, 
will  arrive  in  New  York  today  from 
Hollywood. 

• 

Rita  Hay  worth,  Columbia  star, 
started  yesterday  on  a  USO  hospital 
tour. 

• 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Bromberg — he 
heads  Monogram  Southern  Exchanges, 
Atlanta — are  in  Chicago. 

• 

Bill  Zoellner,  branch  manager  of 
M-G-M,  Atlanta,  visited  New  York 
for  a  home  office  conference. 


Higginson  Warner 
Chief  in  Australia 

Wolfe  Cohen,  vice-president  of 
Warner  International,  has  promoted 
Stanley  W.  Higginson,  sales  manager 
in  Australia  for  the  past  several  years, 
to  the  post  of  general  manager  for 
that  country. 

Higginson  has  been  with  Warners 
in  Australia  since  1928.  He  was  in 
charge  of  advertising  and  sales  pro- 
motion before  taking  over  as  sales 
manager.  He  will  continue  to  make 
his  headquarters  in  Sydney. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


THE  PICTURE  THAT  MAY 
CHANGE  YOUR  LIFE! 

The 

CHEATERS 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 
Starring 
JOSEPH  SCHILDKRAUT 

with 

BILLIE        EUGENE  ONA 
BURKE     PALLETTE  MUNSON 


aTOKId  GOTHAM 


B'WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century -Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


HELD  OVER 

Van  JOHNSON 
Esther  WILLIAMS 

in  M-G-M's 

'THRILL  OF 
A  ROMANCE' 

IN  COLOR! 


NEW  STA6E  SHOW 

GRACIE 

BARRIE 

PHIL 

MOORE 


BETTY  HUTTON  -  ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA^ 
in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 
IN  PERSON— 
"The   Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/cfwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager:  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938.  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N,  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  singly  copies,  10c. 


A  SINCERE  WELCOME 

is  fi/ww/e^ed  to  /wn^  /ac/  to  S^fmevican  aadienceS  ^loie^t  r^lontycmem^, 
a  (jfyeat  star  a/wSe  c(/i/teal  and /w/ufiavittf  Aaw  tfvowti  infinitely  ^iwatew  ly  virtue  of 
tL  Service  to  /its  row  fay  t/at  worn  /tim  t/ie  van/  of  ^fieatenant  (~^ommmide9^. 

J/t  is  /iy/ily  fitting  t/iat  430  milliem  S^fmericanS  will  we/come  /tim  in  a  flm  fewofect 
t/tat  ta/eS  its  /t/otoe  wit/  t/ie  miy/tiest  of  all  time  — 

THEY  WERE  EXPENDABLE 

0{olert  -ytfhntyomevy  is  wow  acting  drama  t/iott  /e  learned  at frst  /and  as  S^i^fte^  . 
of  a f<jf/ttin(j  0^^/~/oiat  ^feder  /ie  baa?  Service  in  destroyers  at  lloody  ^aadalcanal,  r^f/andof, 
du/a  ^a  If  and  on  t/e  <_ACrm,andy  leac/t/tsaol.   j/f  ate  /ad  Searc/ed  t/e  wide  awrld  we 
coa/d  not  /a/ve  fatid  a  stem  So  truly  yualifed  to  immortalize  ^iSC  ^f.  °Mftiites'  famed 
novel of t/oSe  ot/er  loat /eroeS  w/io  reScaeel  general \y^acS^frt/ar  m  t/atflammy 

fcye  of  naval  /istory 

is  a;it/t  /trifle  t//ed  we  tell  yea  of  t/te  fne  fw-oyreSS  lemy  made  i/n  t/ie  ^redaction 
of  0/tey  ^ftere  (r>a/t  en  da  lle,  will  eontinae  to  rejfiewt  from  time  to  time  t/twiy/t 

t/te  trade  /treSS  a  loat  t/iis  mammot/t  anderta/itty.   ^fi/c/t  a  /trodaction  is  of  emteem  to 
t/e  entire  industry  u/ien  w/iic/i  it  reflects  /iy/t  and  enda<riny  /wnor. 

ft 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  July  24,  1945 


Heated  Strike  Issues 
Hurt  Mexico  Films 


Mexico  City,  July  23. — The  Mexi- 
can film  industry  situation  is  the  tens- 
est yet  with  a  fresh  outbreak  of  the 
quarrel  between  the  National  Cine- 
matographic Industry  Workers  Union 
and  the  Production  Workers  Union 
which  players  dominate  and  which  re- 
cently quit  National  to  form  a  strike 
movement  against  Clasa  and  Azteca, 
Mexico's  largest  studios.  National 
and  Production  are  maintaining  750 
members  armed  as  guards  at  studios 
day  and  night.  The  police  with  diffi- 
culty, however,  are  averting  clashes. 
A  federal  board  of  conciliation  and 
arbitration  has  arranged  a  sort  of 
armed  'truce'  in  the  situation  by  in- 
ducing National  to  postpone  a  strike 
until  July  30. 

Cantinflas,  privately  Mario  Moreno, 
Mexico's  Charlie  Chaplin,  and  Jorge 
Negrete,  actor,  who  led  Production's 
guards  at  studios  in  a  press  statement 
said  that  "neither  machine  guns,  rifles 
or  pistols  are  our  arms.  Our  true 
and  only  arms  is  justice  and  with 
it  we  defend  our  right  to  work  for 
Mexico's  good."  The  unions  are  con- 
tinuing their  studio  guards,  with. po- 
lice closely  watching. 


Pickets  Force  Havana 
Exhibitors  to  Close 

Havana,  July  23. — Theatres  closed 
today  in  Havana  and  the  adjacent 
towns  of  Marianao,  Guanabacao  and 
Regla  by  an  owners'  protest  at  "the 
failure  of  the  Government  to  provide 
guarantees  for  normal  operation."  The 
owners  charged  that  actors  and  ac- 
tresses were  picketing  theatres  and  co- 
ercing and  mistreating  persons  at- 
tempting to  enter. 

The  Actors  Union  has  held  demon- 
strations the  last  few  days,  demanding 
that  the  Government  order  theatres 
to  present  stage  shows  daily. 


'Fleet  That  Came' 
To  Open  Thursday 

"The  Fleet  That  Came  to  Stay," 
new  official  Navy  combat  film  which 
depicts  the  fight  waged  by  our  fleet 
against  Japanese  Kamikaze  suicide 
plane  attacks  off  Okinawa,  and  which 
will  be  distributed  nationally  by  Para- 
mount, beginning  this  Thursday, 
will  open  at  the  New  York  Roxy, 
Radio  City  Music  Hall,  Victoria,  Re- 
public, Rialto,  Loew's  State,  and 
Grand  Central  Newsreel  theatres,  and 
in  Brooklyn  at  the  Paramount  and 
Strand.  Beginning  July  30,  the  RKO 
Palace,  New  York,  and  RKO  Albee, 
Brooklyn,  will  play  the  picture.  Simul- 
taneously, first-run  theatres  through- 
out the  country  will  show  this  War 
Activities  Committee-OWI  release. 


Films  to  Benefit  from 
Expanded  A  ir  Freight 

Kansas  City,  July  23. — Transcon- 
tinental and  Western  Air,  Inc.,  has 
inaugurated  air-freight  service  link- 
ing five  more  large  cities  on  its  coast- 
to-coast  route.  The  motion  picture 
industry  is  a  large  user  of  air  express. 

The  program  offers  for  the  first 
time  lowered  air  cargo  rates  for  air- 
port-to-airport shipments.  The  new 
service  will  be  restricted  to  New 
York,  Chicago,  Kansas  City,  Phoenix, 
and  Los  Angeles.  As  more  equipment 
becomes  available,  other  stations  will 
be  added. 


Seattle  Exhibitors  Feted 
By  Paramount  Officials 


Seattle,  July  23.  —  Second  of  a 
series  of  West  Coast  meetings  cele- 
brating Paramount's  'One  Third  of  a 
Century'  was  held  here  at  the  com- 
pany's exchange.  Mrs.  Sue  Bates, 
film  inspectress  for  the  last  26  years, 
was  awarded  the  'DeMille  Medal'  as 
the  oldest  local  employee.  Cecil  B. 
DeMille  was  principal  speaker. 

In  addition  to  DeMille,  talks  at  the 
meeting  were  made  by  George  A. 
Smith,  Western  division  manager ; 
Duke  Clark,  'Paramount  Month'  co- 
captain,  and  Del  Goodman,  district 
manager.  Herbert  Kaufman,  branch 
manager,  was  host  at  a  reception 
which  followed  at  the  Washington 
Athletic  Club,  honoring  Mrs.  Bates 
and  Paramount's  30-year  customers  in 
this  territory.  More  than  50  attended, 
including :  E.  W.  Groesbeck,  who 
started  in  the  theatre  business  in  1895, 
and  now  operates  treatres  in  Enum- 
claw  and  Buckley,  Wash. ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Code  and  daughter,  Mary, 
Frank  Newman,  Sr.,  and  Mrs.  New- 
man, T.  Von  Herberg,  Seattle,  and 
Mrs.  Von  Herberg. 


Para.  Fetes  Old  Customers 
And  Miss  Leahy  in  Omaha 

Omaha,  July  23. — Julia  Leahy,  a 
cashier  and  veteran  of  24  years,  was 


honored  along  with  30-year  exhibitors 
of  this  territory  at  a  "Paramount 
Month"  celebration  luncheon  at  the 
Fontenelle  Hotel. 

William  Demarest,  Western  divi- 
sion manager  G.  A.  Smith,  drive  cap- 
tain Duke  Clark,  district  manager 
Hugh  Braly  and  exploiteer  Bob  Blair 
represented  Paramount. 

Exhibitors  toasted  included:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  H.  F.  Kennedy,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  R.  E.  Falkinburg,  Joe  Warnock, 
Robert  Livingston,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B. 
B.  Holdridge,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  D. 
Goldberg,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam  Ep- 
stein. 


H.  Neal  East  is  Host  at 
San  Francisco  Reception 

San  Francisco,  July  23. — H.  Neal 
East,  branch  manager  of  Paramount 
Pictures,  was  host  to  the  trade  at  a 
reception  today  at  the  Mark  Hop- 
kins Hotel  commemorating  the 
branch's  30th  year  in  this  area. 
Guests  were  Cecil  B.  DeMille, 
George  Smith,  division  manager  from 
New  York,  and  Betty  Merritt,  chief 
accountant,  oldest  Paramount  employe 
in  the  length  of  service  in  this  terri- 
tory. 


Report  Rank  Buy  in 
Canada  Monogram 


Toronto,  July  23.— Trade  develop- 
ments involving  stock  holdings  and 
distribution  franchises  of  various  com- 
panies in  Canada  broke  into  the  open 
here  today  following  the  return  of  Os- 
car Hanson  from  New  York. 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  according  to  re- 
ports, has  acquired  a  large  block  of 
stock  of  Monogram  Pictures  of  Can- 
ada, which  will  be  linked  with  Eagle- 
Lion  Films. 

The  reorganization  is  understood  to 
include  the  appointment  of  A.  J.  Lau- 
rie, formerly  with  Empire-Universal 
Films,  as  general  manager  for  Cana- 
dian Monogram  and  Eagle-Lion. 
Harry  Kaufman,  former  general  man- 
ager of  Canadian  Monogram,  will  re- 
ceive a  new  appointment,  according  to 
reports.  Frank  Vaughan,  previously 
rumored  to  be  with  Eagle-Lion,  now 
is  said  to  be  in  line  for  the  Canadian 
sales  managership  of  Republic  Pic- 
tures. M.  Eisen  is  reported  coming 
to  Toronto  from  Montreal,  where  he 
has  been  branch  manager  for  Empire- 
Universal,  and  taking  an  important 
post  in  the  Rank-Paul  Nathanson 
group  of  companies. 


To  Handle  Back  Films 

Cincinnati,  July  23.  —  Lee  Gold- 
berg of  Popular  Pictures  has  acquired 
distribution  rights  in  the  Cincinnati 
territory  to  the  series  of  six  "Big 
Boy"  Williams  Westerns,  which  Sack 
Amusement  Enterprises  of  Dallas  is 
reissuing  nationally. 


Lawler's  Father  Dies 

Funeral  services  were  held  yester- 
day at  the  Church  of  St.  Denis, 
Yonkers,  for  Thomas  B.  Lawler, 
father  of  Newman  Lawler,  a  partner 
in  the  industry  law  firm  of  O'Brien, 
Driscoll  and  Raftery. 


Rickenbacker  to  Be 
In  'Eddie'  Parade 


A  parade  of  military  units  and  civic 
organizations,  led  by  Capt.  Eddie 
Rickenbacker,  will  be  one  of  the  high- 
lights of  the  city-wide  greeting  to 
"Captain  Eddie,"  when  the  Eureka 
Pictures  production  released  by  20th 
Century-Fox,  has  its  world  premiere 
on  Aug.  1  in  Columbus,  O.,  at  the 
Ohio  Theatre,  it  was  announced  here 
yesterday  by  Hal  Home,  director  of 
advertising  publicity  of  20th-Fox. 


Carole  Landis  and  Lloyd 
Nolan  to  'Eddie'  Debut 

Columbus,  O.,  July  23. — With  final 
plans  for  "the  biggest  event  of  its  kind 
ever  staged  in  this  area,"  comes  the 
announcement  from  the  local  commit- 
tee that  Carole  Landis  will  come  here 
directly  from  Hollywood  for  the  pre- 
miere of  "Captain  Eddie"  at  Loew's 
Ohio,  Aug.  1,  along  with  Lloyd  Nolan. 
George  Jessel  will  be  master  of  cere- 
monies. 


Radio's  $23,513,742 
Aid  to  7th,  Biggest 

Washington,  July  23. — The  radio 
industry  and  its  advertisers  contrib- 
uted a  dollar  value  of  $23,513,742  of 
broadcast  support  to  the  Seventh  War 
Loan  Drive,  to  exceed  the  figure  of 
any  previous  drive,  according  to  the 
National  Association  of  Broadcasters. 

Programs  originated  by  networks 
and  national  'spots'  provided  free  sup- 
port to  the  value  of  $6,770,170,  while 
individual  stations  and  advertisers 
contributed  War  Loan  broadcasts  to 
the  value  of  $16,743,572. 


Barbier  Services  Today 

Hollywood,  July  23. — Services  will 
be  held  at  noon  tomorrow  in  Utter 
McKinley  Chapel  for  George  Barbier, 
79,  character  actor  in  films  since  1929. 


Further  Variations 
In  Strike  Ad  Rates 


Further  reports  on  rates  which  the 
New  York  City  newspapers  will 
charge  motion  picture  theatres  and 
film  companies  for  advertisements 
published  during  the  recent  17-day 
paper  deliverymen's  strike,  reempha- 
size  the  wide  variation  prevailing  in 
the  setting  of  charges,  as  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on  July  20. 

It  was  disclosed  that  the  Times  and 
the  Sun,  which  published  film  adver- 
tisements regularly  during  the  strike, 
are  approaching  the  situation  on 
charges  from  entirely  different  angles. 
The  Sun  is  reported  as  making  no 
charge  whatever  for  the  strike-day 
film  advertisements  it  carried;  the 
Times,  on  the  other  hand,  is  reported 
planning  to  charge  full  rates  for  the 
film  advertising  it  published  all  dur- 
ing the  strike,  but  at  the  same  time 
has  worked  up  an  arrangement  to 
permit  doubling  of  advance  advertis-  j 
ing  campaigns  space  at  50  per  cent  of 
the  cost  on  picture  openings  for  16 
days  between  July  19  and  Aug.  31, 
providing  an  advertiser  had  a  space 
opening  during  the  strike. 

Other  Papers 

The  World-Telegram,  which  with- 
held film  advertisements  throughout 
the  strike  until  July  17,  reports  that 
it  will  charge  full  rates  for  insertions 
of  that  day.  The  Herald-Tribune , 
which  published  film  advertisements 
only  on  July  1  and  2,  has  also  reached 
a  decision  on  the  charges  it  will  make : 
full  rate  for  July  1  (Sunday)  and  no 
charge  for  July  2  insertions. 

The  Brooklyn  Citizen,  which  pub- 
lished film  advertisements  regularly 
during  the  strike,  is  reported  making 
no  charge  whatever  for  the  advertise- 
ments, a  policy  directly  opposite  of 
that  being  followed  by  the  Brooklyn 
Eagle. 

The  Telegraph,  a  racing  paper,  is 
reported  planning  to  charge  50 
per  cent  of  the  normal  cost  of  film 
advertising  it  ran  between  July  3  and 
19.  Maintaining  that  July  2  had  a 
full  distribution,  charges  for  that  day 
are  being  set  at  normal  rates. 

Insofar  as  the  newspapers  granting 
additional  space  to  motion  picture  ad- 
vertisements as  a  result  of  paper-sav- 
ing during  the  strike  is  concerned, 
some  indication  of  prospects  may  per- 
haps be  seen  in  the  case  of  the  Mirror, 
which  has  been  reported  as  "opening 
up  somewhat." 


Middle  East  Export 
Curbs  Are  Ended 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

longer  be  filed  for  proposed  ship- 
ments of  the  specified  commodities  to 
the  Middle  East  destinations  and  in 
making  shipments  it  will  be  necessary 
only  for  the  exporter  to  indicate  the 
general  license  symbol  "G"  plus  the 
appropriate  country  number  on  his 
export  declarations. 

FEA  warned  exporters,  however, 
that  cargo  space  for  general  license 
shipments  to  Middle  East  destinations 
may  be  curtailed  because  of  the  cur- 
rent shipping  situation. 


O.  E.  Belles  Passes 

Cleveland,  July  23. — O.  E.  Belles, 
one-time  president  of  the  Cleveland 
Motion  Picture  Exhibitors  Associa- 
tion, retired  for  the  past  several  years, 
and  father  of  RKO  salesman  Frank  E. 
Belles,  died  here  last  week. 


WHAT'S  HE  GOT 


THAT  YOU  HAVEN'T? 


Look!  In  times  like  these  you  both  have  good 
audiences,  films  and  other  things  that  spell  good 
box  office! 

But  -if  you  are  one  of  the  4,000  to  5,000  U.S. 
theaters  still  using  low  intensity  carbons,  one  of 
the  most  important  points  to  consider  is  the  im- 
provement of  the  quality  and  quantity  of  your 
screen  illumination. 

There  never  was  a  better  time  than  right  now 
to  prepare  for  postwar  business.  And  you  can  do 
it ...  by  switching  over  to  High  Intensity  lamps. 

For  example,  compared  with  the  old  low  in- 
tensity arcs,  "National"  One-Kilowatt  High  In- 
tensity Projector  Carbons  increase  the  brilliance 
of  your  screen  by  50  to  100  per  cent.  Their  light  is 
snow-white  . . .  especially  adapted  for  color  pic- 


tures. Actual  operating  cost  per  hour,  for  carbons 
and  current,  will  show  but  little  increase  ...  or 
none  at  all.  And  your  audience  will  have  the  finest 
screen  light  obtainable. 

Consult  your  supply  house  on  the  availability 
of  High  Intensity  Lamps. 

The  word  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark  of 
National  Carbon  Company,  Inc. 

LET'S  GET  THE  JAP- 

AND  GET  IT  OVER! 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC. 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

General  Offices: 
30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 

Division  Sales  Offices:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
Kansas  City,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  24,  1945  j 


Blame  Help  Deficit 
On  Loop  Robberies 

Chicago,  July  23.— Exhibit- 
ors blame  the  current  man- 
power shortage  for  the  latest 
series  of  box  office  robberies 
in  Loop  and  neighborhood 
houses.  Inexperienced  cash- 
iers have  made  it  compara- 
tively easy  for  robbers  to 
clean  out  box  office  receipts. 
In  most  situations  the  culprit 
pushes  a  typewritten  note 
through  the  ticket  window  de- 
manding the  money  without 
any  display  of  arms. 


Fitzgibbons  Starts 
Variety  in  Canada 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

ident,  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.;  B.  Freedman,  president,  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Exhibitors 
Association;  O.  R.  Hanson,  president, 
Monogram  Pictures  of  Canada;  G. 
Lightstone,  Canadian  general  man- 
ager. Paramount  Film  Service,  Ltd. ; 
H.  L.  Nathanson,  president,  Regal 
Film  Corps. ;  P.  L.  Nathanson,  pres- 
ident, Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada, 
Ltd. ;  B.  S.  Okum,  director  and  gen- 
eral manager,  Biltmore  Theatres ;  E. 
Ravvley,  managing  director,  Royal 
Alexander  Theatre ;  N.  A.  Taylor, 
president,  Twinex  Century  Theatres 
Corp.,  Ltd. 

Fitzgibbons  has  been  selected  first 
chief  barker  of  this  new  Tent  as  soon 
as  the  Charter  has  been  granted  and 
the  Tent  inducted.  Fitzgibbons  has 
long  been  interested  in  work  of  Vari- 
ety and  has  been  anxious  to  organ- 
ize a  tent  in  Canada. 


Honor  Dick  Haymes 

Dick  Haymes,  star  of  the  NBC 
Auto-Lite  radio  show,  "Everything  for 
the  Boys"  and  20th  Century-Fox 
player,  was  honored  at  a  luncheon  at 
the  Sherry  Netherland  Hotel,  here, 
yesterday,  as  arranged  by  Steve  Han- 
nagan.  Haymes,  who  will  start  a  two- 
week  personal  appearance  at  the  Roxy 
Theatre,  tomorrow,  in  conjunction 
with  the  showing  of  "Wilson,"  pre- 
sented Helen  Forrest,  co-star. 


Baldwin  to  'Christmas' 

Norwalk,  Conn.,  July  23. — Gov. 
Raymond  Baldwin  of  Connecticut  has 
accepted  the  invitation  of  Mayor  Rob- 
ert B.  Oliver  of  Norwalk  to  attend 
the  Christmas  celebration  for  rede- 
ployed soldiers  being  held  here  August 
8  coincident  with  the  state-wide  pre- 
miere of  "Christmas  in  Connecticut." 
Mayors  from  20  cities  also  have  been 
invited  to  attend  the  ceremonies,  with 
acceptances  already  received  from  a 
dozen. 


Japs  Had  to  Show 
Our  Films:  Lolliot 


How  the  Japs  tried  to  promote  Jap- 
anese films  in  Manila  theatres  during 
their  occupation  of  the  Philippines,  but 
found  that  people  refused  to  patronize 
the  theatres,  and  finally  had  to  go 
back  to  the  showing  of  American  films, 
was  described  by  Henry  C.  Lolliot, 
RCA  international  division  represen- 
tative, who  recently  was  received  at 
headquarters  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  as 
'returned  from  the  dead.'  He  had 
been  unable  to  get  word  through  to 
RCA  since  the  Jap  occupation  of 
Manila. 

"When  the  Japs  came  to  Manila," 
Lolliot  said,  "a  Japanese  cinemato- 
graphic firm,  the  Eiga,  took  over  all 
American  distributing  companies,  as 
well  as  all  stocks  of  theatre  supplies, 
and  started  doing  business.  Percent- 
ages paid  by  exhibitors  were  pretty 
much  the  same  as  pre-war  rates,  but 
one  thing  I  never  discovered  was  how 
much  the  Japanese  Army,  which  in  the 
first  place  had  stolen  all  film  and 
equipment,  received  as  'commission.' 

Ran  Two  Years 

"For  two  years,  American  pictures, 
partly  censored,  ran  and  attracted  to 
the  theatres  great  crowds,  who  in 
spite  of  the  failure  of  most  air  condi- 
tioning plants,  flocked  in  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  ways  of  American  life, 
which  had  been  their  own,  and  which 
the  Japanese  in  their  propaganda 
were  trying  to  describe  as  decadent 
and  barbarous. 

"It  was  a  long  time  before  the 
Japanese  got  wise  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  substitute  for  a  well 
garnished  table  which,  when  seen  on 
the  screen  brought  sighs  of  envy  and 
a  longing  for  the  old  days  of  plenty, 
and  that  their  radio  and  newspaper 
propaganda  was  being  undermined  by 
the  screen. 

"Attempts  to  show  Japanese  pro- 
ductions were  then  made.  I  saw  some 
of  them — poor,  pitiable  attempts  at 
grandeur — with  fairly  good  photog- 
raphy but  poor  sound.  In  one  pic- 
ture most  of  the  scoring  was  stolen 
from  'Snow  White.'  The  exhibitors 
tore  their  hair — so  did  the  Japanese 
company  which  had  to  pay  the  mili- 
tary— with  the  result  that  American 
pictures  came  back." 


Nordemar  Invites  Press 

Olle  Nordemar,  film  executive  in 
Sweden,  will  hold  a  press  reception 
at  six  P.  M.  today  at  the  Stockholm 
Restaurant,  here,  marking  the  comple- 
tion of  a  three-months'  study  of  the 
industry  here  on  behalf  of  Europa 
Film  Co.,  Stockholm,  and  the  mili- 
tary instruction  film  division  of  the 
Swedish  Army.  He  will  return  to 
Sweden  within  a  few  days. 


Monogram  Signs  with  2 

Two  circuits  in  the  St.  Louis  terri- 
tory have  signed  for  the  new  Mono- 
gram program,  according  to  Steve 
Broidy,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager ;  they  are  Sam  Komm 
Circuit,  with  houses  in  St.  Louis,  and 
Great  States  Theatres  in  East  St. 
Louis,  Alton  and  Woodriver,  Illinois. 


Miss  Day  in  Pageant 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  23. — Film 
star  Larraine  Day  arrived  here  today 
to  participate  in  the  "Trailways  of 
Freedom"  pageant  at  the  University 
of  Utah.  She  will  return  to  Holly- 
wood on  Wednesday. 


Theatres  to  Observe 
'Air  Forces  Day' 


Exhibitors  have  been  called  upon 
by  Herman  Gluckman  of  the  War 
Activities  Committee,  distribution 
division,  to  aid  in  the  observance  of 
Air  Forces  Day,'  Aug.  1,  by  running 
Air  Forces  short  subjects.  Two  films, 
"Target  Tokyo"  and  "Fight  for  the 
Sky"  are  currently  in  distribution  by 
the  WAC,  the  former,  a  pledged 
short,  through  RKO,  the  latter  spot- 
booked  by  local  WAC  distribution 
chairmen. 

'Air  Forces  Day'  will  be  celebrated 
nationally  in  a  series  of  events  which 
will  include  dinners  in  New  York, 
Washington,  Chicago  and  Los  Ange- 
les at  which  prominent  citizens  and 
Army  officers  will  speak.  In  every 
principal  city  either  luncheon  meet- 
ings or  other  events  are  planned.  All 
Air  Forces'  installations  will  be  open 
to  the  public  for  inspection.  General 
Arnold,  head  of  the  Army  Air  Forces, 
is  expected  to  broadcast. 


New  OP  A  Rules  Aid 
Consumer  and  Seller 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

22,  all  applicable  to  resellers  and 
embodied  in  a  companion  supplemen- 
tary order  to  the  one  already  in  ef- 
fect for  sales  of  surplus  war  goods  by 
the  Government,  will  have  the  follow- 
ing triple  effect,  according  to  the 
OPA:  Resellers  no  longer  will  be 
able  to  use  the  ceiling  price  of  a 
'similar  item,'  which  in  many  cases 
has  resulted  in  excessive  resale  prices 
for  war  goods  bought  at  low  prices ; 
the  pryamiding  of  prices  by  'cross- 
stream'  sales  among  identical  types 
of  sellers,  with  a  mark-up  added  each 
time,  will  be  checked;  resellers  will 
find  it  easier  to  determine  ceiling 
prices,  either  before  or  after  they  buy 
the  goods,  by  being  able  to  find  out 
more  quickly  what  their  dollar-and- 
cent  ceilings  are  or  what  mark-up 
they  can  use. 


Four  Coast  Guilds  in 
Meetings  on  Walkout 

Hollywood,  July  23. — Heads  of  the 
guilds  representing  screen  office  em- 
ployees, publicists  and  story  analysts 
were  in  session  tonight  on  their  courses 
of  action  following  international  pres- 
ident L.  P.  Lindelof's  order  that  they 
join  the  studio  strike,  and  the  car- 
toonists' full  membership  was  consid- 
ering the  question.  Herbert  Sorrell, 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions'  leader, 
has  predicted  that  all  four  groups  will 
be  out  by  the  end  of  this  week,  but 
informed  opinion  here  holds  that  they 
will  pursue  delaying  tactics. 


Scribes  Beat  NBC  Again 

The  radio  news  writers  again  de- 
feated the  press  department  of  Na- 
tional Broadcasting,  in  a  ball  game 
at  the  Polo  Grounds  Saturday  ;  score 
was  15 — 13,  the  scribes  having  de- 
feated NBC  last  year  15—14  in  a 
similar  'battle'  at  Yankee  Stadium. 
Victors  and  vanquished  nursed  bruises 
at  a  dinner  given  by  NBC  at  Toots 
Shor's  following  the  game. 


'Southerner'  Is  Delayed 

New  York  premiere  of  "The  South- 
erner," David  Loew-Robert  Hakim 
United  Artists  release,  is  tentatively 
scheduled  for  the  Globe  Theatre  on 
Aug.  4,  instead  of  July  28,  as  previ- 
ously announced. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  23 
(~1  EORGE  MARSHALL  will  direct 
"Monsieur  Beaucaire,"  the  Booth 
Tarkington  story  in  which  Bob  Hope 
will  star  for  Paramount.  .  .  Van  John- 
son has  been  selected  for  the  starring 
role  in  M-G-M's  "No  Leave,  Nc 
Love,"  which  will  introduce  the  British 
actress,  Pat  Kirkwood,  to  American, 
audiences.  .  .  .  Glenn  Ford  is  set  fc 
play  the  romantic  lead  opposite  Rita 
Hayworth  in  Columbia's  production  oi 
"Gilda." 

• 

Ray  McCarey  has  been  signed  by 
RKO  Radio  to  direct  "The  Falcon's 
Alibi,"  newest  in  the  series  of  mys- 
tery films  which  star  Tom  Conway. 
.  .  .  Ian  Wolfe  has  been  signed  by 
Universal  for  a  role  in  "As  It  Was 
Before."  .  .  .  Constance  Purdy  has 
been  added  to  the  cast  of  "Don't 
Fence  Me  In,"  now  shooting  at 
Republic,  with  Roy  Rogers  in  the 
starring  role. 

• 

Phil  Ford  will  direct  "Crime  of  the 
Century"  for  Republic.  .  .  .  Para- 
mount producers  William  Pine  ana\ 
William  Thomas  have  acquired  screen 
rights  to  the  radio  show,  "Big  Town." 
• 

Lynne  Baggett  has  been  added  to 
the  cast  of  "Night  and  Day,"  now  in 
work  at  Warners  studio.  .  .  .  Lee 
"Lasses"  White  and  Johnny  James 
have  been  chosen  for  featured  roles 
in  Monogram's  "Rainbow  Valley." 
.  .  .  Connie  Gilchrist  will  have  a  top 
role  in  "Bad  Bascomb,"  which  S. 
Sylvan  Simon  will  direct  for  M-G-M. 


1st  Marines  in  Rally 
Tie-in  With  'Pride' 

Former  members  of  the  First  Di- 
vision of  Marines,  veterans  of  Guad- 
alcanal, will  hold  their  first  anniver- 
sary rally  on  Aug.  7  in  key  cities,  with 
a  preview  of  Warners'  "Pride  of  the 
Marines,"  as  a  highlight. 
_  Navy  and  Marine  officers  will  par- 
ticipate in  the  main  event,  which  will 
be  held  at  the  Bellevue-Stratford" 
Hotel,  Philadelphia,  where  "Marines" 
will  begin  its  world  premiere  Aug.  8 
at  the  Mastbaum  Theatre.  Program, 
for  the  premiere,  now  being  worked' 
out  by  Mort  Blumenstock,  Harry 
Goldberg  and  Everett  Callow,  will  in- 
clude a  series  of  events  extending 
over  Aug.  7  and  8,  with  two  Coast- 
to-Coast  broadcasts  included. 


Kalmenson  to  D.C.  Meet 

Washington,  July  23. — Ben  Kal- 
menson, general  sales  manager  for 
Warner  Bros.,  and  Ed  Hinchy,  head 
of  the  playdate  department  will  arrive 
here  Tuesday  for  conferences  with 
Robert  Smeltzer,  district  manager,: 
and  other  sales  department  and  thea- 
tre executives.  Agenda  of  the  meet- 
ing includes  setting  up  opening  dates 
for  "Rhapsody  in  Blue"  and  "Pride 
of  the  Marines"  in  this  territory. 


Hart-Zanuck  Film 

Hollywood,  July  23. — Twentieth 
Century-Fox  has  signed  Moss  Hart 
to  write  and  direct  an  unnamed  pic- 
ture which  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  will 
produce. 


-  GLOBE  TICKET 

COMPANY 
154  W.  14th  ST.     N.  Y.  C. 
Phone  WAtkins  9-1486 

PROMPT  SERVICE 
AS  USUAL 


Tuesday,  July  24,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


•it 

in 


Production  on 
Increase  as 
15  Are  Started 


Hollywood,  July  23. — The  shooting 
ndex  has  risen  substantially,  with 
tight  pictures  completed  and  15  started. 
At  the  weekend,  there  were  42  before 
ameras,  an  increase  of  seven  over  last 
\  eek's  35.  The  production  scene  fol- 
lows : 

Columbia 

Finished:  "Song  of  the  Prairie," 
'She  Wouldn't  Say  Yes,"  "Renegades." 

Started:  "The  Woman  in  Red,"  with 
Nina  Foch,  George  Macready,  Dame 
May  Whitty,  Roland  Varno. 

M-G-M 

Finished:  "A  Letter  for  Evie." 
I  Started:  "The  Yearling,"  with 
rregory  Peck,  Jacqueline  White, 
Claude  Jarman,  Jr.;  "What  Next, 
Corporal  Hargrove?"  with  Robert 
ttyWalker,  Keenan  Wynn,  Chill  Wills, 
Arthur  Walsh ;  "Boys'  Ranch,"  with 
James  Craig,  Skippy  Homeier,  'Butch' 
[enkins,  Dorothy  Patrick;  "Bad  Bas- 
:omb,"  with  Margaret  O'Brien,  Wal- 
lace Beery,  Frances  Rafferty,  Marshall 
Thompson,  Marjorie  Main,  J.  Carroll 
Kaish. 

Shooting:    "The   Hoodlum  Saint," 
''Two    Sisters    from    Boston,"  "The 
-:t,  J'ostman  Always  Rings  Twice,"  "This 
Mrange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Km\   Shooting:     "Suspense,"  "Frontier 
Feud"  (formerly  "The  Last  Outpost"). 


Paramount 

Finished:  "The  Trouble  with  Wo- 
men." 

Started:   "Blue  Skies,"  with  Bing 
1  trosby,  Joan  Caulfield,  Paul  Draper, 
Billy  de  Wolfe,  Olga  San  Juan;  "The 
Bride   Wore    Boots,"    with  Barbara 
.  Stanwyck,  Robert  Cummings,  Diana 

-  Lynn,   Patric  Knowles,  Willie  Best, 

-  Peggy  Wood,  Robert  Benchley. 

Shooting:  "Calcutta,"  "To  Each 
iHis  Own." 

PRC 

!  Started:  "Romance  of  the  West," 
w  ith  Eddie  Dean  and  Joan  Barton. 

Republic 

J  Started:  "Dakota,"  with  John 
■!  Wayne,  Vera  Hruba  Ralston,  Walter 
j  Brennan,  Ward  Bond,  Hugo  Haas, 
i  Mike  Mazurki,  Paul  Fix ;  "You'll  Re- 
; member  Me"  (William  Wilder  Pro- 
ductions), with  Brenda  Marshall,  Wil- 
liam Gargan,  Ruth  Ford,  Hillary 
Brooke,  H.  B.  Warner,  Lyle  Talbot, 
Mary  Treen,  George  Chandler. 

Shooting:  "Sheriff  of  Redwood  Val- 
I'ley,"  "Don't  Fence  Me  In." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:  "Riverboat  Rhythm." 

Started:  "Chamber  of  Horrors," 
with  Boris  Karloff,  Anna  Lee,  Rich- 
ard Fraser,  Glenn  Vernon,  Joan  New- 
ton; "Heartbeat"  (Hakim-Wood  Pro- 
ductions), with  Ginger  Rogers,  Jean 
Pierre  Aumont,  Mikhail  Rasumny, 
Neville  Cooper,  Basil  Rathbone. 

Shooting:  "Cornered,"  "Men  Are 
Such  Liars"  (formerly  "The  Lie  De- 
tector"), "The  Kid  from  Brooklyn" 
!  (Goldwyn) . 

20th  Century-Fox 

Started:  "Smoky,"  with  Fred  Mac- 


Reviews 


"The  Falcon  in  San  Francisco 

(RKO  Radio) 

T Hollywood,  July  23 
HE^  latest  in  RKO's  series  of  mystery-dramas,  whose  hero  is  The  Fal- 
con,' a  character  created  by  Michael  Arlen,  is  straight  melodrama  with  a 
tight  plot  and  plenty  of  action.  At  the  Larchmont  Theatre,  a  neighborhood 
house  in  Hollywood,  the  fans  gave  every  evidence  of  enjoying  it. 

Tom  Conway,  in  his  role  of  'The  Falcon,'  and  his  friend  Goldie,  portrayed 
by  Edward  S.  Brophy,  are  enroute  to  San  Francisco  on  a  holiday  trip  when 
murder  interrupts  their  plans.  The  body  of  a  nursemaid  is  found  aboard  the 
train.  Her  charge,  a  little  girl,  appeals  to  Conway  for  help.  He  befriends  the 
child,  only  to  find  himself  facing  a  kidnapping  charge.  After  that,  develop- 
ments come  thick  and  fast.  Conway  finds  the  murderer,  but  not  soon  enough 
to  prevent  two  more  killings.  A  sequence  aboard  a  blazing  vessel  in  San 
Francisco's  harbor  provides  a  spectacular  climax. 

Maurice  Geraghty  produced,  and  Sid  Rogell  was  the  executive  producer. 
Joseph  H.  Lewis  directed.  The  screenplay  was  written  by  Robert  Kent  and 
Ben  Markson,  from  an  original  story  by  the  former. 

Running  time,  65  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  Thalia  Bell 


"Oregon  Trail" 

(Republic) 

Hollywood,  July  23 

C  UNSET  CARSON'S  latest  vehicle  is  solid  Western  fare,  composed  of 
^  two-thirds  action  and  one-third  comedy,  the  latter  supplied  by  George 
(Gabby)  Hayes.  For  the  sake  of  pretty  Peggy  Stewart  the  two  join  forces 
to  save  the  town  of  Gunsight. 

The  town  and  the  ranches  surrounding  it  are  coveted  by  a  gang  of  brigands 
who  discover  that  the'  railroad  plans  to  run  its  main  line  through  Gunsight. 
These  men  do  all  they  can  to  check  Sunset's  efforts  to  make  the  town  a  clean 
and  law-abiding  spot.  They  even  shoot  him  in  the  back,  but  the  bullet  slows 
the  cowboy  down  only  temporarily.  By  dint  of  quick  thinking  and  a  fast 
trigger-finger,  he  rounds  up  the  lawbreakers  and  locks  them  up.  Miss 
Stewart's  inheritance  is  restored  to  her,  and  once  again  Gunsight  becomes  a 
decent  place  in  which  to  live. 

Bennett  Cohen  was  associate  producer,  and  Thomas  Carr  directed,  with 
emphasis  on  action.  The  screenplay  was  developed  by  Betty  Burbridge  from 
a  novel  by  Frank  Gruber. 

Running  time,  50  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  July  14. 

T.  B 


Nat'l  Renews  RCA  Sound 

For  the  10th  consecutive  year,  RCA 
sound  service  has  been  contracted  for 
by  National  Theatres,  according  to  an 
announcement  by  W.  L.  Jones,  vice- 
president  of  RCA  Service  Co.  More 
than  300  theatres  are  involved  in  the 
West,  Northwest,  Rocky  Mountain 
area  and  Wisconsin. 


Kestenbaum  Joins  NSS 

Sam  Kestenbaum  has  joined  Na- 
tional Screen  Service  as  a  member  of 
Mel  Gold's  advertising  and  publicity 
staff.  Formerly  PRC's  Eastern  pub- 
licity head,  Kestenbaum  was  more  re- 
cently affiliated  with  Skouras  Thea- 
tres. 


Murray,  Anne  Baxter,  Burl  Ives, 
Esther  Dale,  Brad  Russell,  Jay  Farrol 
MacDonald. 

Shooting:  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven," 
"The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Shooting:  "Diary  of  a  Chamber- 
maid" (Bogeaus),  "Abilene"  (Levey), 
"Whistle  Stop"  (Nero),  "Duel  in  the 
Sun  (Selznick),  "Getting  Gertie's 
Garter"  (Small). 

Universal 

Finished:  "Law  for  Pecos,"  "Fron- 
tier Gal." 

Shooting:  "As  It  Was  Before," 
"Once  Upon  a  Dream,"  "Shady  Lady." 

Warners 

Started:  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
with  Errol  Flynn  and  Eleanor  Parker ; 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  with  Ida  Lupino, 
Robert  Alda,  Dolores  Moran,  Martha 
Vickers. 

Shooting:  "Confidential  Agent," 
"Night  and  Day,"  "Stolen  Life." 


Asks  National  Fund 
For  Research  Study 


Washington,  July  23.— Establish- 
ment of  a  national  research  foundation 
for  the  purpose  of  promoting  a  nation- 
al policy  for  scientific  research  and 
education,  at  an  initial  cost  of  $35,000,- 
000  a  year,  has  been  recommended 
by  Dr.  Vannevar  Bush,  director  of 
the  U.  S.  Office  of  Scientific  Re- 
search and  Development,  in  a  report 
made  public  at  the  White  House. 

Dr.  Bush  emphasized  the  need  for 
expanded  industrial  research,  both  be- 
cause of  its  benefits  in  increased  em- 
ployment and  other  advantages  to  the 
country  as  a  whole  and  because  of  its 
"proven  value"  in  the  field  of  national 
security. 

Tax  and  Patent  Laws 

However,  he  said,  industry  general- 
ly cannot  be  interested  in  such  a  pro- 
gram unless  the  tax  and  patent  laws 
are  amended,  the  former  to  remove 
present  uncertainties  regarding  the  de- 
ductibility of  research  and  develop- 
ment expenditures  and  the  latter  to 
eliminate  abuses  and  reduce  the  dif- 
ficulties and  expenses  now  involved 
in  developing  patents. 

Dr.  Bush  cited  the  millions  of  jobs 
made  before  the  war  by  the  relatively 
new  industries  of  radio,  air  condition- 
ing, synthetic  fibers  and  plastics,  as 
demonstrating  the  contributions  of 
scientific  research.  He  warned  that 
the  nation  must  continue  this  develop- 
ment, not  only  in  the  interest  of  full 
employment  and  better  living  but  to  be 
able  to  meet  potential  enemies  in  the 
future. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


"Greater  Victory" 

(Filmedia-United  Specialties) 

In  cooperation  with  the  National 
Conference  of  Christians  and  Jews, 
United  Specialists,  Inc.,  has  produced 
"Greater  Victory,"  a  documentary 
built  around  the  proposition  that 
achievement  of  physical  victory  over 
the  Nazi-Fascists  is  but  an  initial 
step  in  ridding  the  world  of  evils  in- 
herent in  totaliarian  doctrines.  De- 
signed for  showing  both  in  theatres 
and  by  private  groups,  the  picture  is 
being  released  in  16  and  35mm  by 
Filmedia  Corp. 

The  story,  by  Oscar  Ray,  is  about 
two  escaped  Nazi  prisoners-olf-war 
who  make  their  way  to  the  home  of 
the  sister-in-law  of  one  of  them  with 
the  FBI  on  their  trail.  They  are 
rebuffed  by  the  woman  and,  the  federal 
men  appear,  but  the  Nazis  escape 
again,  taking  the  woman's  baby  as 
hostage.  They  are  captured  by  a  ruse, 
but  not  until  after  they  had  set  fire 
to  a  church.  A  priest  and  a  rabbi  go 
to  the  aid  of  the  church  pastor,  and 
he  is  able  to  hold  his  Sunday  service 
in  a  nearby  synagogue.  In  rendering 
his  thanks,  the  pastor  pleads  for  a 
continuance  of  democracy's  workings 
in  this  country.  Running  time,  22 
minutes.  Release  date  not  set. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 

SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  24,  194! 


Steady  Rains  Are  Aid  to 
First-Run  N.Y.  Theatres 


Deadlock  on 
306  Contract 


Companies  in 
Own  Probe  in 
U.  S.  Charges 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

probably  continue  right  up  to 
the  time  of  the  trial,  scheduled 
to  get  underway  in  New  York 
Federal  District  Court  Oct.  8. 

Originally  the  plan  was  to  visit  the 
850  complainants  listed  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  in  its  answers  to  the 
interrogatories  of  the  distributors,  but 
since  Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  As- 
sistant to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom 
Clark,  who  will  try  the  Government's 
suit,  has  indicated  that  he  will  present 
a  prima  facie  case  through  documents 
and  might  not  call  a  single  witness, 
the  much  wider  field  study  has  been 
decided  upon. 

The  Allegation 

The  Department  of  Justice  has  al- 
leged that  the  five  distributor  defend- 
ants' affiliated  circuits  control  first- 
runs  in  92  cities  of  the  U.  S.  with 
populations  of  100,000  or  more,  and 
further  that  they  dominate  exhibition 
in  432  situations,  through  cross  licens- 
ing, restrictions  on  admission  prices, 
availability  of  films  and  other  trade 
practice.  The  Department  has  indicat- 
ed that  it  intends  to  show  that  these 
conditions  exist  and  that  as  a  result, 
the  distributor  defendants  have  a 
monopoly  of  distribution  and  exhibi- 
tion per  se. 

The  study  being  undertaken  by  the 
coordinating  committee  investigators 
will  be  to  obtain  a  first-hand,  on-the- 
scene  picture  of  conditions  which  ac- 
tually exist,  so  that  material  can  be 
prepared  to  answer  the  Department's 
allegations.  Cities  and  towns  where 
there  have  been  a  number  of  complain- 
ing independent  exhibitors,  will  re- 
ceive special  attention. 

At  the  meeting  of  company  counsel 
here  yesterday,  it  was  decided  to  re- 
tain the  functioning  of  the  coordinat- 
ing committee,  of  which  Benjamin 
Pepper  is  executive  coordinator  and 
which  includes  John  Caskey  of 
Dwight,  Harris,  Kogel  and  Caskey, 
for  20th  Century-Fox ;  Howard  Lev- 
inson,  Warner  Bros. ;  Stanley  Thomp- 
son, Loew's ;  Albert  Bickford,  Simp- 
son, Thacher  and  Bartlett,  and  Louis 
Phillips,  Paramount ;  and  Granville 
Whittlesey  of  Donovan,  Leisure, 
Newton  and  Lumbard  and  William 
Zimmerman,  for  RKO. 


U.  S.  to  Ask  End  of 
Exchange  Controls 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tion  of  the  war  but  have  no  place  in 
normal  peacetime  trade. 

The  objective  of  the  Department,  it 
was  explained,  is  to  have  restored  the 
right  of  foreign  buyers  to  select  their 
sources  of  supply  "so  that  private  in- 
dustry can  thrive  and  American  goods 
and  American  exporters  can  compete 
around  the  world  on  the  basis  of  the 
excellence  and  price  of  their  goods." 

Exchange  controls  on  current  trans- 
actions, however  necessary  in  war- 
time, are  restrictive  of  free  competi- 
tion, and  the  Department  "wants  to 
see  them  ended  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable," it  was  stated. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

basis  of  $31,600  grossed  in  the  first 
five  days ;  the  opening  day's  receipts 
set  a  new  house  record  of  $6,500. 

"A  Bell  for  Adano"  is  holding  up 
excellently  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
combined  with  a  stage  show,  with  a 
big  $121,000  expected  for  the  third 
week  on  the  basis  of  $73,000  taken  in 
during  the  first  four  days ;  second 
week's  receipts  were  close  to  $124,000. 
"Nob  Hill"  and  a  stage  bill  headlin- 
ing Abbott  and  Costello  will  complete 
a  22-day  run  at  the  Roxy  tonight  with 
about  $89,000  for  the  final  seven,  and 
$101,000  for  the  final  eight  days  of 
the  third  week.  Previous  Abbott  and 
Costello  commitments  limited  the  run ; 
"Wilson"  will  return  to  the  Roxy  for 
a  two-week  run  at  popular  prices,  to- 
morrow: The  stage  show  includes 
Dick  Haymes,  Helen  Forrest  and  Joe 
Besser. 

"Conflict"  and  a  stage  bill  featuring 
Louis  Prima  and  his  band,  with  Dane 
Clark,  will  conclude  a  sixth  and  final 
week  at  the  Strand,  on  Thursday,  with 
a  gross  of  close  to  $70,000,  to  give 
the  2,775-seat  theatre  its  best  six-week 
engagement  in  its  history.  Receipts 
have  been  over  $70,000  each  week  and 
a  total  of  almost  half  a  million  dollars 
has  been  taken  in.  Previous  booking 
commitments  will  bring  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut"  and  a  stage  bill  headed 
by  Erskine  Hawkins  and  his  orchestra 
to  that  house  on  Friday. 

"You  Came  Along"  will  conclude  a 
third  and  final  week  at  the  Paramount 


Solon  Urges  U.  S. 
Films  for  Germany 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

partment  take  advantage  of  the  indus- 
try's offer  to  make  special  sequences 
for  entertainment  films  to  be  shown  in 
Germany,  pointing  out  that  the  mili- 
tary authorities  already  have  discov- 
ered that  the  Germans  scoff  at  many 
of  the  documentary  films  shown  them, 
although  they  admit  that  newsreel  pic- 
tures of  atrocity  camps  have  been  ef- 
fective. 

Russians  Started 

The  Russians,  he  said,  already  are 
showing  entertainment  films  in  that 
portion  of  Germany  under  their  ad- 
ministration. 

"Our  American  producers,  whose 
economic  well-being  depends  to  a 
great  extent  on  the  volume  of  their 
foreign  markets,  are  properly  con- 
cerned about  this  divergence  in  policy 
between  the  Soviet  and  American  au- 
thorities," Patterson  declared.  "But 
it  is  not  because  of  trade  advantages 
that  I  urge  that  Hollywood  motion 
pictures  be  permitted  in  Germany.  It 
is  because  of  their  proven  value  in 
winning  friends  for  us  that  I  recom- 
mend that  the  United  States  Army 
abandon  its  policy  of  keeping  Holly- 
wood feature  films  from  the  screens  of 
conquered  Germany. 

"I  would  like  to  suggest  that  our 
military  authorities  review  the  scores 
of  outstanding  films  produced  in  this 
country  during  the  past  10  years.  I 
am  sure  they'  will  find  them  not  only 
beneficial,  but  most  necessary  to  our 
purposes  in  the  re-education  of  Ger- 
many." 


'tonight  with  a  good  $59,000;  "Incen- 
diary Blonde"  and  a  stage  bill  featur- 
ing Phil  Spitalny  and  his  all-girl  or- 
chestra will  open  there  tomorrow. 

"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  is  holding  up 
splendidly  at  the  Hollywood  with  over 
$40,000  expected  for  a  fourth  week, 
surpassing  the  third  week.  "Wonder 
Man"  is  continuing  to  draw  big  at  the 
Astor  with  over  $40,000  expected  for 
a  seventh  week.  "A  Thousand  and 
One  Nights"  is  holding  up  well  at  the 
Criterion  with  a  good  $25,000  expect- 
ed for  a  second  week ;  it  will  continue. 

"Junior  Miss"  is  holding  up  at  the 
Rivoli  with  over  $20,000  expected 
again,  for  the  sixth  week.  "The  Great 
John  L."  continues  to  draw  at  the 
Globe,  with  $15,000  expected  for  a 
third  week ;  "The  Southerner"  will 
follow,  on  Aug.  4. 

Elsewhere  receipts  are  moderate. 
"Within  These  Walls"  will  conclude  a 
second  and  final  week  at  the  Victoria 
Friday  night  with  about  $10,000,  and 
"Don  Juan  Quilligan"  will  open  there 
Saturday.  "The  Cheaters"  will  bring 
a  quiet  $6,500  for  an  initial  week  at 
the  Gotham,  but  will  hold;  "Why 
Girls  Leave  Home"  will  follow.  "The 
Falcon  in  San  Francisco"  will  bring 
about  $7,000  for  the  week  at  the  Rial- 
to,  and  "The  Frozen  Ghost"  will  fol- 
low. The  Universal  double-bill  reis- 
sue of  "Imitation  of  Life"  and  "East 
Side  of  Heaven"  will  conclude  a 
fourth  and  final  week  at  the  Republic 
with  $5,000. 


Prints  Borrowed  to 
Meet  Release  Dates 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

a  plan  of  borrowing  which  so  far 
has  been  working  out  well."  Prints 
were  all  arranged  for  M-G-M's  July 
releases,  which  include  "Keep  Your 
Powder  Dry,"  "National  Velvet," 
"This  Man's  Navy,"  "Music  for  Mil- 
lions," "Main  Street  After  Dark," 
and  "Between  Two  Women." 

When  the  print  situation  became 
acute,  heads  of  local  distributors  de- 
vised a  plan  which  would  have  altered 
the  neighborhood  releasing  schedules 
by  playing  a  picture  in  one  neigh- 
borhood at  a  time  rather  than  city- 
wide.  The  plan,  however,  met  with 
exhibitor  disapproval. 

Cuts  'V  Booking  to 
Relieve  Bottleneck 

Chicago,  July  23. — To  relieve  a 
Universal  product  bottleneck,  RKO's 
jJalace,  the  company's  first  run  outlet 
here,  is  speeding  up  its  commitments 
this  month  by  holding  pictures  one, 
rather  than  the  usual,  two  weeks,  and 
by  eliminating  the  usual  moveover  to 
RKO's  Grand  of  "On  Stage  Every- 
body" and  "The  Woman  in  Green." 
Other  "U"  product  released  includes : 
"That's  the  Spirit"  and  "The  Naughty 
Nineties."  "Penthouse  Rhythm"  comes 
in  Wednesday. 


Altec  Raises  EdenReld 

Little  Rock,  Ark.,  July  23. — D.  S. 
Edenfield  has  been  appointed  super- 
visor for  Altec  of  the  New  Orleans- 
Memphis  area. 


(Continued  from  page   1 ) 

fering  the  film  companies  the  right  to 
discharge  any  new  projectionist  sent 
by  the  union  to  fill  a  job,  within  one 
week,  without  explanation.  As  re- 
ported in  Motion  Picture  Daily 
July  18,  Local  306  is  attempting  to 
take  away  the  right  of  the  film  com- 
panies and  exhibitors  here  to  select 
a  particular  projectionist  they  wish 
to  employ  and  substitute  instead  a 
procedure  whereby  the  union  would 
do  the  selecting.  The  companies  are 
resisting  this  demand,  although  other 
provisions  of  the  contract  have  been 
agreed  upon. 

Gelber  Explains 

Herman  D.  Gelber,  Local  306  pres- 
ident, in  explaining  the  change  in  the 
union's  by-laws  to  provide  that  no 
contracts  in  the  future  may  contain 
provisions  permitting  an  exhibitor  or 
film  company  to  request  certain  pro- 
jectionists from  the  union's  list,  said 
that  the  change  was  voted  by  the 
union's  membership  to  correct  a  situa- 
tion under  the  'request'  system  where- 
by "influence  was  brought  to  bear 
on  union  policy  by  the  dispensation 
of  jobs."  Some  of  the  officers  of  the 
union,  according  to  Gelber,  had  made 
it  a  practice  in  the  past  to  solicit  re- 
quests from  film  companies  and  cir- 
cuits. 

Another  conference  is  expected  to 
be  held  shortly. 

Negotiations  will  shortly  be  re- 
sumed on  a  new  contract  for  projec- 
tionists in  the  Loew  and  RKO  New 
York  circuits,  but  since  the  same  de- 
mand is  expected  to  be  embodied  in 
these  pact  talks,  it  is  expected  that 
the  settlement  of  the  issue  will  have 
to  come  first. 


Century  and  Local  306 
Nearing  Agreement 

An  agreement  is  expected  to  be 
reached  shortly  between  IATSE  New 
York  Operators  Local  No.  306  and 
Century  Circuit,  operating  35  theatres 
in  Brooklyn  and  Queens  in  a  two- 
year-old  controversy  which  resulted 
when  Local  306  merged  with  the  inde- 
pendent Empire  State  Motion  Picture 
Operators  Union  which  had  contracts 
with  Century. 

Negotiations  are  being  conducted 
by  a  306  committee  and  James  J.  Bren- 
nan,  a  vice-president  of  the  IATSE. 

A  tentative  agreement  worked  out 
between  Century  and  another  Local 
306  committee  a  few  months  ago  was 
turned  down  by  the  union's  member- 
ship. The  agreement  would  have  pro- 
vided a  substantial  increase  in  booth 
costs ;  cutting  of  the  term  of  the  Em- 
pire contract  with  Century  from  six- 
and-one-half  years  which  it  has  been 
run,  to  three  years,  so  that  it  would 
expire  in  1948 ;  recognition  of  Local 
306  as  the  collective  bargaining  rep- 
resentative of  Century  projectionists 
at  the  expiration  of  the  Empire  con- 
tract ;  and  also  a  five  per  cent  wage 
increase  in  the  last  year  of  the  Empire 
contract. 

Century,  through  the  court,  has 
succeeded  in  preventing  the  dissolu- 
tion of  Empire  as  a  corporation  even 
though  it  has  ceased  to  exist  as  a 
union  as  a  result  of  its  merger  with 
Local  306  in  July,  1943.  On  the  other 
hand,  Local  306  is  seeking  to  have  the 
National  Labor  Relations  Board  de- 
clare it  the  collective  bargaining  rep- 
resentative. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

ItvteJWgei 

to  the^J 

Gjtion 

Picture 

inuusiry 

\  OL.  58.  NO.  17 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  WEDNESDAY,  JULY  25,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Yates,  Grainger 
List  64;  Cost 
$20,000,000 

To  Spend  5  Millions  for 
Expansion,  Promotion 


H.  J.  Yates,  Sr.,  president  of  Re- 
public Productions,  and  James  R. 
Grainger,  president  of  Republic 
Pictures,  yesterday  jointly  an- 
nounced the  product  lineup  for  1945-46, 
to  which  $20,000,000  has  been  allotted 
for  64  features  and  Westerns  and  four 
serials.  This  appropriation  is  coupled 
with  $2,000,000  for  studio  expansion, 
$3,000,000  for  film  promotions  and 
$1,800,000  for  the  production  of  six 
bilingual  productions  in  Mexico  City 
during  the  1945-46  season. 

The  announcement  stated  that  Re- 
public, next  season,  will  extend  top- 
bracket  productions,  stressing  two 
Frank  Borzage  pictures  and  the  'De 
Luxe  Group',  to  include  Alfred  San- 
tell  features.  Additional  deals  for  pro- 
duction and  star  talent  are  now  being 
negotiated,  it  was  said.    Ben  Hecht's 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Key  Groups  at 
PRC  Meeting 

Harry  H.   Thomas,  vice-president 
and  sales  manager  of  PRC,  yesterday 
I    completed   plans   for   the  company's 
,    sales  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  Black- 
stone  Hotel,  Chicago,  Aug.  3-5.  The 
meeting,  Thomas  announced,  will  be 
limited  to  district  and  branch  man- 
agers, executives  and  franchise  hold- 
ers.   Leon  Fromkess,  president,  will 
•j!<  attend. 

Among  those  from  the  New  York 

j.  ■  {Continued  on  page  6) 

Aug.  23  Meeting  on 
Disney  Stock  Shift 

A  recapitalization  plan  for  Walt 
Disney  Prod,  whereby  holders  of  pre- 
ferred stock  would  have  a  chance  to 
exchange  each  share  for  $10  principal 
amount  of  the  company's  four-per-cent 
debentures,  series  A,  due  July  1,  1960, 
and  two  shares  of  common  stock,  will 
be  set  in  motion  at  a  special  stock- 
holders' meeting  called  for  Aug.  23 
to  pass  upon  proposals  to  amend  the 
articles  of  incorporation,  it  was  an- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


WMC  Allows  Omaha 
Employment  Boost 

Omaha,  July  24. — Film  ex- 
changes and  theatres  here 
may  boost  their  employment 
number  10  per  cent  under  a 
further  relaxation  of  war 
manpower  controls  announced 
by  WMC  area  director  Wil- 
liam Parkinson. 

The  10  per  cent  cut  in  ceil- 
ings on  'less-essential'  estab- 
lishments, which  went  into  ef- 
fect last  Jan.  3,  was  restored 
because  an  ample  number  of 
office  workers  and  salesmen 
are  now  available,  Parkinson 
said.  He  also  expressed  hope 
that  the  ceilings  may  be  re- 
moved entirely  before  Oct.  1, 
the  original  date  on  which 
they  were  scheduled  to  be 
lifted. 


French  Pool 
Near  Ready 


Georges  Lourau,  representing  20 
French  producers  who  have  formed 
an  export  pool  for  their  pictures,  for 
distribution  in  the  U.  S.,  is  expected 
to  arrive  here  from  Paris  early  next 
month  to  set  up  offices. 

Lourau  is  understood  to  be  in  Lon- 
don, where  he  is  establishing  a  similar 
distribution  office  for  the  marketing 
of  films  from  the  French  producers' 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Eagle-Lion  in 
Canada  Setup 


Toronto,  July  24. — Arrangements 
are  being  speeded  up  for  the  establish- 
ment of  six  offices  across  Canada  for 
Eagle-Lion  Films,  with  a  head  office  in 
Toronto,  the  branches  to  be  situated 
from  St.  John  to  Vancouver. 

The  company,  developed  under  a 
partnership  between  J.  Arthur  Rank 
and  Paul  L.  Nathanson,  will  handle 
Rank-controlled  product  of  England 
and  France  and,  it  is  formally  stated, 
will  eventually  be  the  Canadian  dis- 
tributor of  features  to  be  produced 
jointly  by  Rank  and  RKO  Radio,  ar- 
rangements for  which  were  recently 
concluded  in  Hollywood  by  the  British 
industrialist.  "Canada,  with  Europe 
and  Australia,  was  not  included  in  the 
RKO-Rank  deal;  RKO  will  handle 
distribution  in  the  United  States, 
United  Kingdom  and  Latin  America 
for  these  pictures. 

Eagle-Lion  of  Canada  will  shortly 
announce  enough  product  for  the  new 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Johnston  in  Capital, 
Silent  on  MPPDA 

Washington,  July  24. — Eric  John- 
ston, president  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  returned  to  Washing- 
ton from  Hollywood  today  but  indi- 
cated some  time  might  elapse  before 
he  made  any  announcement  regard- 
ing his  joining  the  MPPDA. 

Joyce  O'Hara,  special  assistant  to 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Producers  in  Court  Move 
As  Cartoonists  Strike 


Hollywood,  July  24.— Tension  in 
the  20-week-old  studio  strike  reached 
a  peak  tonight  when  the  producers 
obtained  a  temporary  restraining 
order  to  prevent  the  Screen  Office 
Employees  Guild  members  from  vio- 
lating the  no-strike  clause  in  their 
contract  by  leaving  their  jobs  in  com- 
pliance with  instructions  from 
Painters  International  president  L.  P. 
Lindelof  to  observe  the  picket  lines. 
SOEG's  executive  committee  has 
made  clear  its  intention  to  direct  its 
membership  on  Thursday  night  to 
observe  the  lines. 

Whether  the  producers'  legal  action 
would  bring  about  any  change  could 
not  be  determined  tonight,  although 
an  SOEG  official  said,  "We  were 
aware  when  we  took  this  action  that 
it  would  make  us  liable  to  injunction 
proceedings."  Earlier  in  the  week, 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  counsel 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Most  Jersey  Theatres 
Untouched  by  Flood 

Paterson,  N.  J.,  July  24.— 
Film  houses  hereabouts  for 
the  most  part  escaped  flood 
waters  which  inflicted  con- 
siderable property  damage, 
took  a  toll  of  two  lives  and 
threatened  theatre  operations 
yesterday. 

Leto  Hill,  district  manager 
for  Warner  Theatres,  today 
reported  no  upset  in  normal 
operations  and  said  that  only 
one  house  in  his  territory  was 
touched,  the  Regent,  where  12 
inches  of  water  flooded  the 
basement.  He  said  business 
was  off,  but  added  that  thea- 
tremen  feel  fortunate. 


Rank  to  Form 
Distribution 
Company  Here 

Praises  Production  Code 
At  London  Interview 


By  PETER  BURNUP 

London,  July  24. — J.  Arthur 
Rank  will  establish  a  new  distribut- 
ing organization  in  the  United 
States  immediately  when  raw  stock 
supplies  become  available,  the  British 
film  leader  told  a  press  conference 
here  today,  his  first  since  returning  to 
London  from  America. 

The  new  organization  will 
handle  American-made  films  as 
well  as  Rank's  British  product, 
it  was  stated,  but  no  indication 
was  given  of  the  identity  of 
the  American  producers  whose 
pictures  may  be  distributed  by 
the  projected  Rank  company,  or 
whether  such  producers  would 
share  in  the  ownership  of  the 
company. 

Rank  said  he  plans  to  send  eight  to 
15  films  annually  to  the  United  States 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Variety  Club's 
Award  Tonight 


Washington,  July  24. — When  Sir 
Alexander  Fleming,  discoverer  of 
penicillin,  is  honored  tomorrow  night 
in  the  Mayflower  Hotel  by  Variety 
Clubs  of  America  for  "unusual  and 
unselfish  service  rendered  to  and  in 
behalf  of  world-wide  humanity,"  at 
their  annual  "Humanitarian  Award 
Dinner,"  official  Washington  will  be 
on  hand  to  pay  tribute  to  the  scientist. 
Members  of  the  Cabinet,  Army  and 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Defend  'Southerner' 
After  Memphis  Ban 


Despite  Memphis  censors  banning 
David  Loew's  "The  Southerner," 
United  Artists  "will  press  to  provide 
the  production  with  the  widest  market 
available,"  Gradwell  L.  Sears,  distrib- 
ution vice-president,  stated  here  yes- 
terday. Pointing  out  that  five  United 
Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  chap- 
ters  in   Atlanta   have   endorsed  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  July  25,  1945 


Personal  Mention 


Para.  Cites  Balser, 
Oldest  in  Buffalo 


Buffalo,  July  24. — Edward  Balser, 
who  on  Aug.  1  will  celebrate  25  years 
of  continuous  service  with  Paramount, 
oldest  employe  at  the  Buffalo  ex- 
change, was  honored  with  the  com- 
pany's "One  Third  of  a  Century"  ex- 
hibitors at  a  luncheon  at  the  Buffalo 
Club  here  yesterday. 

Also  present  were  Paramount  offi- 
cials and  Ray  Milland,  star.  The 
luncheon  climaxed  a  meeting  of  ex- 
change personnel  conducted  by  Allen 
Usher,  "Paramount  Month"  co-cap- 
tain. 

Among  pioneer  exhibitors  attending 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Behling  of 
the  Behling  Circuit,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Dillemuth  of  the  Dillemuth 
Circuit.  Other  prominent  exhibitors 
present  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Gammel,  Harry  Berinstein,  Vincent 
McFaul  of  Shea's  Buffalo  Theatres, 
Gus  Basil  of  the  Basil  Circuit,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dewey  Michaels. 

M.  A.  Brown,  branch  manager,  was 
host.  Other  Paramount  officials  pres- 
ent were  Hugh  Owen,  home  office  ex- 
ecutive, and  A.  M.  Kane,  Boston  dis- 
trict manager. 


Berlin  Sees  Soviet 
Film  of  City's  Fall 

An  80-minute  Russian  documentary 
of  the  battle  of  Berlin  is  drawing 
capacity  audiences  to  the  Marmorhaus 
Cinema  in  that  city,  twice  daily,  ac- 
cording to  a  cabled  dispatch  to  the 
N.  Y.  Herald-Tribune. 

Highlights  of  the  picture,  accord- 
ing to  the  dispatch,  are  shots  of  the 
charred  body  of  Paul  Joseph  Gob- 
bels  lying  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
Reich  Chancellery  and  a  shot  of  a 
bronze  bust  of  Hitler  lying  in  the 
ruins  of  the  Chancellory. 

Exchange  Briefs  in 
Leader  Court  Action 

Briefs  were  exchanged  by  both  sides 
this  week  in  the  Brooklyn  Leader 
Theatre  suit  to  recover  a  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox product  franchise  which  the 
Randforce  Circuit,  former  operator  of 
the  Leader,  is  utilizing  for  its  Cul- 
ver. Plaintiff  and  defendant  have  un- 
til next  Monday  to  answer  each 
other's  briefs. 

Testimony,  in  the  trial,  before  Judge 
Bernard  Botein,  in  New  York  Su- 
preme Court,  ended  June  20. 


$1,500,000  'E'  Bonds 
Sold  by  ITO  in  7th 

Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
New  York  report  that  preliminary 
tabulations  of  their  "E"  bond  sales  for 
the  Seventh  War  Loan  drive  totaled 
more  than  $1,500,000,  an  all-time  high 
for  ITO  theatres. 


Red  Kann  is  on  vacation.  His  col- 
umn, "Insider's  Outlook"  appear- 
ing in  this  space  regularly  each 
Wednesday,  will  be  resumed  shortly. 


T  J.  FITZGIBBONS,  head  of  Fam- 
*J  •  ous  Players-Canadian  Corp.,  was 
chairman  of  a  dinner  honoring  Dr. 
Julian  Loudon,  retiring  chief  physi- 
cian of  St.  Michael's  Hospital, 
Toronto. 

• 

Ray  Milland,  Paramount  star 
now  on  a  tour  of  the  East  on  behalf 
of  Paramount's  'One  Third  of  a  Cen- 
tury' celebration,  will  arrive  in  New 
York  tomorrow  night  from  Boston, 
and  plans  to  leave  on  Friday  for  Lon- 
don by  plane  for  a  vacation  in  Eng- 
land and  Wales. 

• 

James  J.  Donohue,  Paramount 
Central  division  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  following  visits 
to  11  exchange  cities  where  he  at- 
tended Paramount  "One  Third  of  a 
Century'  meetings  and  exhibitor  re- 
ceptions. 

• 

Wolffe  Blankstein,  Empire-Uni- 
versal  Winnipeg  manager  ;  James  Mc- 
Allister, of  Odeon  Theatres,  Abbots- 
ford,  and  Tom  Cooke,  Odeon  super- 
visor at  Victoria,  B.  C.,  are  Vancou- 
ver visitors. 

• 

Marvin  Schenck,  M-G-M  Eastern 
talent  head,  has  returned  to  New  York 
from  Chicago.  Al  Altman,  his  as- 
sistant, will  return  Monday  from  a 
vacation. 

• 

Mrs.  M.  Gladish,  mother  of  Wil- 
liam Gladish,  Motion  Picture 
Daily  correspondent  in  Toronto,  is  in 
General  Hospital  in  that  city,  for  an 
operation. 

• 

Charles  Levy,  Walt  Disney's  East- 
ern publicity  representative,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  after  new  prod- 
uct conferences  at  the  California  stu- 
dio. 

Cliff  Work,  Universal  production 
vice-president,  arrived  in  Hollywood 
yesterday  from  New  York. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal  Western 
division  sales  manager,  left  New 
York  yesterday  for  Chicago  and  Des 
Moines. 

• 

Sonny    Tufts,    Paramount  star, 
who.  was  hospitalized  several  days  in 
Cincinnati,  returned  to  Hollywood. 
• 

Mrs.   Ben   Goetz  has   arrived  in 
London  to  join  her  husband,  who  is 
head  of  M-G-M  British  Studios,  Ltd. 
• 

Nat  E.  Steinberg,  Republic's 
Prairie  district  manager,  has  returned 
to  St.  Louis  from  Chicago. 

• 

E.  C.  Grainger  and  Frank  King, 
Shea  circuit  executives,  were  recent 
Cleveland  visitors. 

• 

Blanche  Hall  has  returned  to  M- 
G-M's  Washington  branch  from  a 
New  Orleans  assignment. 

• 

Jack  Frost.  Jr.,  United  Artists 
Atlanta  booker,  and  Hazel  Turner 
are  newlyweds. 

Will  H.  Hays  is  due  here  from 
Hollywood  today. 


LOUIS  B.  MAYER,  M-G-M  pro- 
duction vice-president,  has  de- 
layed a  contemplated  trip  to  New 
York  from  Culver  City. 

• 

Pfc.  Lou  Goldberg,  holder  of  the 
Purple  Heart,  formerly  with  the  Wil- 
liam Morris  Hollywood  office,  has 
been  awarded  the  Bronze  Star  for 
heroism  in  action  with  the  Fifth 
Army  in  Italy,  and  expects  to  return 
to  the  U.  S.  in  September  for  rede- 
ployment. 

• 

Dr.  C.  E.  K.  Mees,  Eastman  Ko- 
dak research  director,  will  be  guest 
speaker  on  General  Electric's  "Sci- 
ence Forum,"  tonight,  over  Schenec- 
tady station  WGY,  discussing  "Pho- 
tography in  Business." 

• 

Lt.  Col.  Leonard  M.  Masius  of 
Masius  and  Ferguson,  Ltd.,  London, 
successor  to  Lord  and  Thomas  there, 
is  in  New  York  on  leave  from  the 
Army  after  three  years  in  the  Euro- 
pean Theatre  of  operations. 

• 

Jules  Levey,  Warner  theatre  ex- 
ecutive, has  left  New  York  for  a  Mid- 
west tour. 

• 

James  Allen,  assistant  to  Charles 
Einfeld,    Warner    vice-president  in 
charge  of  advertising-publicity,  is  in 
New  York  from  the  Burbank  studio. 
• 

Harry   Thomas,   PRC  vice-presi- 
dent and  sales  manager,  will  leave 
New  York  today  for  PRC's  Washing- 
ton and  Philadelphia  branches. 
• 

Lorraine  Watson  of  the  Plaza 
Theatre,  Vancouver,  B.  C,  was  mar- 
ried last  week  to  Lloyd  Bailey  of  the 
Canadian  Army. 

• 

Walter  Murphy,  manager  of  the 
Mullin  and  Pinanski  Capitol  Theatre, 
New  London,  Conn.,  and  Mrs.  Mur- 
phy, are  vacationing  in  Cleveland. 
• 

H.  B.  Moog,  Altec  Service  South- 
ern district  manager,  has  returned 
to  his  Atlanta  headquarters  from  New 
Orleans. 

• 

Lewis  T.  Rogers.  20th  Century- 
Fox  special  sales  representative,  is 
visiting  the  Atlanta  branch  from  New 
York. 

• 

Herman  Wobber,  20th  Century- 
Fox  West  Coast  division  manager, 
has  left  Salt  Lake  City  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

• 

Al  Teplitz,  head  booker  for  the 
Sam  Meyers  Circuit,  Chicago,  is  va- 
cationing in  Los  Angeles. 

• 

William  Gleicher  of  M-G-M's 
sales  department  is  expected  to  re- 
turn from  Buffalo  shortlv. 

H.  C.  Fuller,  Sheffield  Republic 
branch  manager  in  Salt  Lake  City,  is 
visiting  in  Idaho  and  Utah. 

• 

M.  M.  Gottlieb,  Universal  Mid- 
west district  manager,  is  on  a  two- 
week  vacation. 

• 

Mrs.  Victor  Shapiro  has  arrived 
in  New  York  from  Hollywood. 


Ohio's  Gov.  Lausche 
To  Promote  'Eddie' 

Gov.  Frank  J.  Lausche  of  Ohio  will 
speak  on  two  national  radio  programs 
participating  in  salutes  to  the  world 
premiere  of  Winfield  Sheehan's  "Cap- 
tain Eddie,"  which  opens  in  Columbus 
On  August  1,  it  was  announced  here 
yesterday  by  Hal  Home,  director  of 
advertising-publicity  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  who  said  that  the  two  shows 
are  "We,  the  People"  and  Ted  Malone, 
news  commentator. 

On  "We,  the  People,"  Sunday,  Gov. 
Lausche,  on  a  pickup  broadcast  origi- 
nating in  New  York  over  WABC  and 
the  Columbia  network,  will  read  a 
proclamation  from  the  Governor's 
Mansion  in  Columbus,  declaring  Aug. 
1  to  be  "Captain  Eddie  Day"  in  that 
city.  Other  features  of  the  broadcast 
will  be  the  personal  appearance  of 
Capt.  Rickenbacker,  on  whom  the  film 
is  based,  and  a  dramatization  from  the 
production  released  by  20th-Fox. 
Lausche,  in  the  second  broadcast,  will 
make  a  personal  appearance  in  behalf 
of  "Captain  Eddie,"  on  the  Ted  Ma- 
lone show,  which  will  move  especially 
to  Columbus  for  the  premiere. 

Canada  Passes  New 
Columbia  Schedule 

Ottawa,  July  24. — Continuing  its 
policy  of  government  control  over  the 
film  business  in  Canada,  the  Wartime 
Prices  and  Trade  Board  has  dealt 
with  the  release  schedule  of  58  fea- 
tures of  Columbia  Pictures  of  Canada 
for  the  new  season,  giving  approval 
to  rental  contract  groupings  as  sub- 
mitted by  the  company. 

Permission  has  been  granted  for  the 
sale  as  a  special  of  "Kiss  and  Tell" 
on  the  same  basis  as  "A  Song  to  Re- 
member," while  there  are  two  specials 
in  the  general  list  as  well  as  four 
special  outdoor  musicals  and  10 
Westerns. 


N.  F.  Publicity  Club 
To  Honor  WB's  Yolen 

Will  Yolen  of  Warner  Bros,  home 
office  publicity  department,  recently 
elected  president  of  the  Publicity  Club 
of  New  York,  will  be  honored  by  the 
latter  organization  at  a  reception  at 
the  Hotel  Astor  this  afternoon.  At 
the  affair,  Treasury  Department  offi- 
cials will  present  a  citation  to  the 
club's  war  activities  committee  for  its 
work  in  the  recent  Seventh  W ar  Loan 
drive. 


GPE  Nets  $341,034 

General  Precision  Equipment  Corp. 
and  subsidiaries  yesterday  reported 
for  the  three  months  ended  June  30  a 
consolidated  net  profit  of  $341,034 
after  provisions  for  Federal  income 
taxes  and  for  renegotiation  and  con- 
tingencies, subject  to  year-end  adjust- 
ments. 


UA  Sets  Western  Meet 

Los  Angeles,  July  24. — United 
Artists'  Western  sales  force  will  meet 
Aug.  1-3  at  the  Ambassador  Hotel 
here,  with  W.  E.  Callaway,  district 
manager,  presiding. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  bv  Quiglev 
Pubhshmg  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
„^.''?r;  Ilerh,ert  V-  Fecke-  Advertising  Manager:  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23.  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N,  Y,,  une}er  the  act  of  March  3,  1879,    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c, 


3 


Wednesday,  July  25,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Variety  Club's 
Award  Tonight 


Aug.  23  Meeting  Called  on 
Disney  Stock  Transfer 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Navy  officials,  the  Diplomatic  Corps, 
high  -Government  officials,  both  Ameri- 
can and  British,  and  representatives  of 
the  United  Nations  will  see  Sir  Alex- 
ander receive  the  award  of  a  silver 
plaque  and  an  honorarium  of  $1,000 
which  will  be  presented  to  him  by  R. 
J.  O'Donnell,  chief  barker  of  Variety. 
Other  National  Officers  who  will  at- 
tend are  Carter  Barron,  first  assistant 
barker,  and  "Chick"  Lewis,  director 
of  public  relations. 

Among  distinguished  guests  invited 
are :  Fred  M.  Vinson,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury ;  Commissioner  J.  Russell 
Young;  Hon.  Harold  V.  Butler,  Brit- 
ish Minister;  Read  Admiral  J.  W.  A. 
W  aller ;  Air  Marshal  Douglas  T.  Col- 
yer;  Maj.  Gen.  F.  H.  N.  Davidson; 
Dr.  J.  R.  Mote,  British  Ministry  of 
Supply  Mission ;  Sol  Bloom ;  Alben 
Barkley;  Vice  -  Admiral  R.  R. 
Waesche ;  Brig.  Gen.  William  C. 
James ;  Sir  Frederic  Eggleston,  Aus- 
tralia ;  Dr.  Wei-Tao-ming,  China ; 
Dr.  Guillerma  Belt,  Cuba ;  Hector 
David  Castro,  El  Salvador ;  Dr.  Don 
Julian  R.  Caceres,  Honduras ;  Dr.  Al- 
exander Loudon,  Netherlands ;  Dr. 
Don  Guillermo  Savilla  Sacasa,  Nica- 
ragua, the  latter  six  Ambassadors ; 
and  Brig.  Gen.  Carlos  P.  Romulo, 
Resident  Commissioner  to  the  U.  S., 
Philippines ;  Dr.  Nazem  al-Koudsi, 
Minister,  Syria ;  Surgeon  General 
Thomas  Parran;  Maj.  Gen.  George 
F.  Lull. 

Others  Attending 

Also,  Col.  Curtis  Mitchell,  Army 
Public  Relations ;  Leslie  BifTle,  Sec- 
retary to  the  U.  S.  Senate ;  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try from  Washington  and  New  York. 

American  and  British  newspapers 
will  also  be  represented.  In  addition, 
there  will  be  Washington  drama  edi- 
tors and  motion  picture  trade  repre- 
sentatives. Radio  will  be  represented 
by  network  executives  and  newscast- 
ers. The  newsreels  will  cover  the 
event. 

O'Donnell  will  be  toastmaster  at  the 
dinner.  The  committee  of  arrange- 
ments includes :  Commissioner  J.  Rus- 
sell Young,  honorary  chairman;  John 
H.  Harris  ;  O'Donnell,  executive  chair- 
man ;  Barron,  general  chairman ; 
Earle  Sweigert,  Marc  Wolf,  Fred  S. 
Kogod,  William  K.  Jenkins,  James  G. 
Balmer,  Lewis,  co-chairmen  ;  Sam  A. 
Galanty,  Frank  La  Fake,  Tom  Bald- 
ridge,  Gene  Ford,  Harry  Lohmeyer, 
John  J.  Payette,  Sam  Wheeler,  Her- 
bert Sauber,  ex-officio. 


Rubin  Also  a  Sponsor 

Among  the  industry  leaders  who 
will  sponsor  the  dinner  for  Jack  Cohn, 
executive  vice-president  of  Columbia, 
on  Sept.  27  is  J.  Robert  Rubin,  vice- 
president  and  general  counsel  for 
M-G-M.  The  dinner,  to  be  held  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  will  serve  to  spear- 
head a  fund-raising  drive  on  behalf  of 
the  Anti-Defamation  League  and  the 
American  Jewish  Committee. 


To  Inspect  Conn.  Houses 

New  Haven,  July  24.  —  Commis- 
sioner of  State  Police  Edward  J. 
Hickey  is  reported  on  a  personal  tour 
of  theatre  inspections  in  Connecticut 
directing  his  attention  to  physical  con- 
ditions and  possible  hazards. 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

nounced  here,  yesterday.  The  deben- 
tures would  be  unsecured  obligations 
with  a  fixed  maturity  and  fixed  in- 
terest rate  issued  under  an  inden- 
ture in  which  Bank  of  America  Na- 
tional Trust  and  Savings  Association 
will  be  named  as  trustee. 

In  a  letter  accompanying  the  call 
for  the  special  meeting,  Walter  E. 
Disney,  president,  stated :  "We  believe 
it  is  time  to  consider  placing  the  cap- 
ital structure  of  the  company  on  a 
sounder  basis.  No  members  of  the 
Disney  family  have  sold  or  propose  to 
sell  any  of  their  common  stock.  Since 
the  common  is  closely  held,  it  has  no 
quoted  market  value.  However,  in 
May,  1945,  Atlas  Corp.,  a  large  pre- 
ferred stockholder,  purchased  from 
the  company  for  investment  at  $10 
per  share,  25,000  shares  and  took 
an  option  on  25,000  additional  shares 
exercisable  at  $12.50  per  share  on  or 
before  Dec.  31,  1949.  As  the  first  step 
in  the  plan,  your  board  of  directors 
has  proposed  that  the  articles  of  in- 
corporation be  amended  to  increase  the 
authorized  number  of  shares  of  the 
common  stock  from  600,000  to  1,000,- 
000,  to  increase  the  authorized  num- 
ber of  directors  from  six  to  seven ;  to 
permit    the    issuance    of  $2,500,000 

Exhibitor  Service 
Post  to  Krushen 

Barry  Buchanan,  director  of  adver- 
tising-publicity for  United  Artists, 
announced  yesterday  a  realignment  of 
the  UA  publicity  department  and  es- 
tablishment therein  of  a  new  exhibitor 
promotional  service. 

Mori  Krushen,  trade  paper  re- 
porter, will  manage  the  new  exhibitor 
service  department.  Herbert  Berg, 
trade  press  contact,  has  been  pro- 
moted to  aide  to  publicity  manager 
Tom  Waller,  while  Lew  Barasch,  for- 
mer film  publicist,  succeeds  Berg  on 
trade  papers.  Frank  V reeland,  writer 
and  publicity  man,  has  joined  UA  as 
New  York  newspaper  contact,  and 
John  Ingram,  former  metropolitan 
newsman  and  lately  a  reseacher  for 
the  National  Association  of  Manufac- 
turer" becomes  a  UA  feature  writer. 
Ralph  Ober  remains  as  syndicate  con- 
tact and  Tess  Michaels  will  continue 
to  handle  magazine  outlets. 

Levey  and  Weiss  Buy 
Eight  Theatre  Sites 

Toronto,  July  24. — Eight  sites  have 
already  been  purchased  by  a  financial 
group,  for  Jules  Levey,  Hollywood 
producer  and  former  Toronto  distribu- 
tor, and  Morris  Weiss,  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  string  of  theatres  in  the 
Dominion.  The  first  house,  when 
building  restrictions  are  lifted,  will 
be  the  Snowdon  in  North  Toronto, 
which  will  be  operated  as  a  unit  of 
Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada. 


Josephson  Quits  Belmont 

Gilbert  Josephson,  formerly  opera- 
tor of  the  Belmont  Theatre,  here,  has 
relinquished  control  of  that  house  be- 
cause of  the  difficulty  of  securing  suit- 
able product.  The  Belmont  was  for- 
merly a  'show-window'  for  Mexican 
and  Spanish-language  films.  Joseph- 
son  plans  to  present  Mexican  films, 
with  Latin-American  stage-shows,  at 
a  Broadway  theatre,  soon. 


principal  amount  of  debentures,  of 
which  $1,550,000  principal  amount  will 
be  offered  to  the  preferred  stockhold- 
ers, the  balance  to  be  reserved  for 
future  sale  subject  to  restrictions  in- 
tended for  the  benefit  of  the  deben- 
ture holders ;  to  eliminate  the  fixed 
sinking  fund  payments  required  after 
April  1,  1945,  for  the  retirement  'of 
the  preferred  stock ;  to  substitute  for 
the  present  earnings  sinking  fund,  a 
requirement  that  commencing  Feb.  1, 
1947,  the  company  set  aside  each  year 
for  preferred  stock  retirement  10  per 
cent  of  the  net  earnings  after  deduc- 
tion of  sinking  fund  requirements  of 
the  debentures ;  to  permit  preferred 
stock  acquired  by  the  company  and 
cancelled  to  be  credited  at  its  par 
value  on  preferred  sinking  fund  obli- 
gations, and  to  change  the  voting 
rights  of  preferred  stockholders  to 
provide  that  they  may  elect  one  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  so  long 
as  10,000  or  more  shares  of  preferred 
stock  are  outstanding." 

In  the  financial  data  accompanying 
the  call  for  the  meeting,  it  was  dis- 
closed that  the  balance  sheet  of  the 
company  as  of  June  30,  showed  the 
total  surplus  account  to  be  $754,- 
546,  as  compared  to  $256,227  on  Sept. 
30,  1944. 

Rieger  Sets  Brown 
Reissues  Distribution 

Jack  Rieger,  president  of  Trinity 
Pictures,  New  York,  announces  that 
the  three  Joe  E.  Brown  pictures  his 
company  is  re-issuing :  "Riding  on 
Air,"  "Fit  for  a  King"  and  "Wide 
Open  Faces,"  will  be  sold  and  distrib- 
uted through  the  following  ex- 
changes :  Film  Classics  in  Atlanta, 
Boston,  Detroit,  Philadelphia,  Pitts- 
burgh, St.  Louis,  San  Francisco, 
Washington,  Oklahoma  City,  Char- 
lotte, and  Bell  Pictures,  New  York; 
Dezel  Roadshow's,  Chicago,  Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati.  Milwaukee  and  In- 
dianapolis ;  and  King  Enterprises, 
Des  Moines,  Omaha  and  Kansas  City. 

Dezel  has  sold  "Riding  on  Air," 
first  of  the  reissues,  to  Butterfield 
Theatres,  Detroit. 


Bannan,  Schoen  Join 
Warners9  Field  Staff 

Addition  of  two  more  to  Warners' 
field  exploitation  staff  was  announced 
by  Mort  Blumenstock,  Eastern  direc- 
tor of  advertising-publicity,  here,  yes- 
terday, bringing  to  22  the  number  em- 
ployed in  the  department,  the  highest 
in  its  history. 

George  L.  Bannan,  former  theatre 
manager  and  publicist  for  Warner  and 
other  circuits,  has  been  engaged  out 
of  Denver,  and  Edward  L.  Schoen, 
former  Chicago  newspaperman  and 
advertising  executive,  is  the  depart- 
ment's other  new  addition.  Bannan 
was  recently  honorably  discharged 
from  the  Marines,  after  serving  three 
years.  Schoen  is  awaiting  assignment 
by  Warners. 


Spachner  to  New  York 

Cleveland,  July  24.  —  Herman 
Spachner,  who  opened  the  local  Con- 
fidential Reports  office,  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  New  York.  He  is  succeeded 
here  by  Thomas  F.  Holland,  trans- 
ferred from  San  Francisco. 


Producers  Seek  to 
Halt  Strike  Spread 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

had  declared  that  such  action  as  the 
producers  have  taken  would  be  in 
violation  of  the  California  labor  code. 

The  restrainer  issued  by  Superior 
Judge  Emmet  H.  Wilson  forbids  the 
guild  to  order  any  worker  leave  his 
job,  levy  assessments  or  in  other 
specified  ways  implement  the  Lindelof 
instruction. 

The  Screen  Cartoonists  Guild  with- 
drew 21  workers  from  M-G-M  and  73 
from  Warners  this  morning  following 
a  membership  meeting  last  night  at 
which  the  executive  committee's  deci- 
sion to  abide  by  Lindelof's  instruction 
against  crossing  Local  1421's  picket 
line  was  communicated  to  workers. 
Members  working  on  Government 
films  at  both  studios  were  exempted 
from  the  order,  but  the  production  of 
entertainment  short  subjects  came  to  a 
full  stop. 

M-G-M  and  Warner  cartoon  pro- 
duction heads  said  they  have  enough 
completed  short  subjects  in  backlog 
to  meet  release  schedules  for  six 
months. 

No  Voting  Matter 

The  procedure  followed  by  the  car- 
toonists appears  to  confirm  Lindelof's 
view  that  the  rank  and  file  of  unions 
chartered  by  the  Painters  cannot  vote 
on  whether  to  obey  the  walkout  in- 
struction but  only  on  the  manner  of 
compliance  and  other  details.  SCG 
voted  approval  of  an  assessment  on 
the  membership  to  sustain  workers 
barred  from  crossing  the  picket  lines, 
also  of  Guild  representation  on  the 
Strike  Strategy  Committee,  which 
now  contains  representatives  of  12 
unions. 

The  Disney,  Screen  Gems  and  Wal- 
ter Lantz  studios  were  exempted  from 
the  order  for  the  present  on  the 
ground  they  are  independents,  but 
SCG  executive  secretary  Cecil  Beard 
said  these  may  be  included  later,  "de- 
pending on  developments." 

The  executive  committees  of  the 
Screen  Office  Employees  Guild, 
Screen  Story  Analysts  Guild  and 
Screen  Publicists  Guild  last  night  de- 
cided on  a  course  paralleling  the  SCG 
policy,  but  the  first  two  set  member- 
ship meetings  for  Thursday  night  and 
the  third  for  Friday  night,  indicating 
that  walkout  instructions  would  be  is- 
sued then. 

Triple-Front  Plan  for 
Returnees  of  SAG 

Hollywood,  July  24. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild  today  revealed  a  triple- 
front  program  for  assuring  reemploy- 
ment to  military  returnees :  an- 
nouncing the  player's  availability  and 
circularizing  the  studios  with  his 
background,  participating  in  the  Los 
Angeles  Veterans  Employment  and 
Rehabilitation  Service  and  in  a  simi- 
lar activity  of  the  Hollywood  Coun- 
cil of  Guilds  and  Unions.  A  chance 
to  appear  in  Actors  Laboratory  stage 
productions  is  also  provided,  and 
Guild  dues  will  be  waived  for  three 
months. 


Blake  Heads  NBC  Copy 

Richard  Blake  has  been  appointed 
copy  director  of  National  Broadcast- 
ing's advertising-promotion  depart- 
ment, according  to  Charles  P.  Ham- 
mond, director  of  the  department. 
Blake  joined  NBC  in  May,  1944. 


it 


2usica/  hits  *? 

roPnote'" 

-"i**  d July 


<>f  tie  A 


SURE  THE  Bl^  v  ^^gjgffS3^ 


Jh°Ua<l  to  fce 
the  toWtl , 


I  TAKE  OFF 
MY  HAT  TO  THE 
TRADE  PRESS! 

Yes  indeed  the  trade  press  went 
overboard  in  the  reviews!  But 
look  at  the  Capitol  Theatre  business! 
Boys,  you  certainly  called  the  turn! 


"5  Ss, 


Tech 


m  /VI 
n/co/or 


<5o/d, 


JOSB  ITUR 

°**N  STOCK**,  - 

yJOE^srf/?NA(c 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  July  25,  19 


Yates  and  Grainger  List 
64,  to  Cost  20  Millions 


Rank  to  Form 
Distribution 
Company  Here 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

within  the  next  three  years.  Recent 
delays  in  American  distribution  of 
British  films  have  been  due  solely  to 
Production  Code  Administration  ques- 
tions and  shortages  of  raw  stock, 
Rank  said,  adding  that  both  problems 
are  in  the  process  of  being  ironed  out 
rapidly. 

Denying  a  suggestion  that  the  PCA 
was  being  put  to  a  "sinister  use"  by 
the  American  industry,  as  an  instru- 
ment for  "bulldozing"  the  British  in- 
dustry, Rank  stated  that  the  Produc- 
tion Code  has  achieved  a  "vast  deal" 
in  the  way  of  improving  the  status  of 
films  and  also  has  protected  Britain 
from  undesirable  American  films. 

Minor  details  of  the  Production 
Code  disturbed  him,  Rank  said,  but 
following  talks  which  he  had  with 
Martin  Quigley,  president  of  Quigley 
Publications,  in  New  York,  he  is  dis- 
posed to  support  the  adoption  here  of 
an  adaptation  of  the  Code.  Rank  said 
he  understands  that  the  Hays  Office 
is  prepared  to  consider  suggestions  for 
amendments  to  the  code  from  time  to 
time,  designed  to  meet  changing  so- 
cial thought. 

He  is  engaged  now  in  negotiating 
a  mutual  exchange  of  American  and 
British  educational  pictures  and  an  ar- 
rangement with  Bell  &  Howell  with  a 
view  to  the  protection  of  his  16  mm. 
interests.  Rank  denied  that  he  ac- 
quired any  stock  holdings  in  RKO  in 
connection  with  his  recently  an- 
nounced deal  with  that  company. 

Rank  is  making  arrangements  to 
"import"  Hollywood  stars,  possibly 
Gary  Cooper  and  Ingrid  Bergman,  for 
productions  here,  but  first  will  satisfy 
himself  that  successful  productions 
have  been  prepared  for  them. 

Rank  expressed  continuing  interest 
in  acquiring  a  "showcase"  theatre  in 
New  York,  but  indicated  that  it,  too, 
would  have  to  wait  upon  improvement 
in  the  raw  stock  supply  situation  in 
America. 

Eagle-Lion  Films  in 
New  Canada  Setup 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

season  to  give  it  a  start  on  an  ex- 
clusive basis.  The  previous  Rank  dis- 
tribution franchise  for  Canada  was 
signed  one  year  ago  with  Empire- 
Universal  Films,  another  Nathanson 
company,  and  a  British-film  division 
was  operated  by  this  company,  of 
which  A.  W.  Perry  has  become  presi- 
dent. 


Johnston  in  Capital, 
Silent  on  MPPDA 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Johnston,  said  no  statement  would  be 
issued  this  week  and  it  might  be 
some  time  before  a  definite  decision 
was  reached. 

During  his  stay  on  the  Coast  John- 
ston talked  with  leaders  of  the  indus- 
try regarding  the  work  of  the 
MPPDA,  the  potential  duties  he 
would  assume  if  he  joined  it  and  con- 
ditions that  would  have  to  be  met  by 
the  organization,  but  there  was  no  in- 
dication of  any  final  determination. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
new  deal  with  the  company,  to  write 
and  produce,  permits  him  to  select  his 
own  director  and  cameraman.  There 
will  be  other  autonomous  units,  Yates 
stated. 

To  meet  demands  of  reopened  mar- 
kets, the  company  will  train  both  stu- 
dio technicians  and  sales  personnel  to 
meet  foreign  requirements,  with  those 
trained  to  be  assigned  to  foreign  posts 
as  soon  as  individual  fields  are  made 
available. 

Heading  the  1945-46  listing  are  the 
two  Borzage  productions,  "Concerto," 
and  "That  Man  Malone."  Borzage 
will  -  put  "Concerto"  into  work  soon, 
at  the  studios  in  Technicolor,  with  the 
film  budgeted  at  $1,500,000,  based  on  a 
story  by  Borden  Chase,  published  in 
the  American  magazine,  and  purchased 
at  a  cost  of  $100,000  ;  it  will  highlight 
the  music  of  Rachmaninoff.  Chase 
also  wrote  "That  Man  Malone."  This 
will  be  a  John  Wayne  vehicle,  also 
carrying  a  $1,500,000  budget. 

Deluxe  Group 

The  Deluxe  group  will  include  10 
productions :  "Hit  Parade  of  1946," 
"A  Fabulous  Texan,"  "Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro," "That  Man  of  Mine,"  "Da- 
kota," "Murder  in  the  Music  Hall," 
"In  Old  Sacramento,"  "Calendar  Girl," 
"Earl  Carroll's  Sketchbook,"  "The 
Plainsman  and  the  Lady,"  and  "That 
Brennan  Girl." 

Alfred  Santell  will  produce  and  di- 
rect "That  Brennan  Girl,"  by  Adela 
Rogers  St.  John ;  Doris  Anderson  is 
preparing  the  screenplay.  "Hit  Parade 
of  1946,"  musical,  will  be  directed  by 
Al  Rogell,  with  Constance  Moore 
starred.  "A  Fabulous  Texan,"  mark- 
ing the  debut  of  William  Elliott  in  a 
top-budget,  will  be  produced  by  Wil- 
liam J.  O'Sullivan,  directed  by  Wil- 
liam K.  Howard,  and  Victor  McLag- 
len,  Tom  London,  Grant  Withers  and 
Dale  Evans  in  the  cast.  "Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro," also  a  musical,  will  star  Tito 
Guizar,  and  be  produced  by  Harry 
Grey.  "That  Man  of  Mine"  will  co- 
star  Ann  Dvorak  and  Michael  O'Shea, 
with  John  English  directing,  and  Ar- 
mand  Schaefer  as  associate  producer. 

Wayne  in  'Dakota' 

"Dakota,"  to  star  John  Wayne,  will 
be  produced  and  directed  by  Joseph 
Kane.  "Murder  in  the  Music  Hall" 
is  to  be  produced  by  Herman  Milla- 
kowsky,  with  Vera  Hruba  Ralston 
starred.  "In  Old  Sacramento,"  to  be 
produced  and  directed  by  Joseph  Kane, 
will  also  star  Wayne  .  "Calendar  Girl," 
to  be  produced  by  Grey,  will  present 
Constance  Moore.  "Earl  Carroll's 
Sketchbook,"  musical  revue,  will  star 
Miss  Moore ;  Grey  will  also  act  as 
associate  producer.  "The  Plainsman 
and  the  Lady,"  to  be  produced  and  di- 
rected by  Kane,  will  have  Wayne  and 
Ann  Dvorak  in  the  leads. 

All  top-budget  pictures  are  slated  to 
receive  special  promotional  attention 
in  the  appropriation  of  $3,000,000. 
Campaigns  are  now  being  outlined. 

Twenty-four  features  will  also  re- 
flect increased  budgets.  This  lineup 
includes :  "An  Angel  Comes  to  Brook- 
lyn," musical,  introducing  such  new 
faces  as  Kaye  Dowd,  Robert  Duke, 
David  Street  and  Barbara  Perry; 
"Scotland  Yard  Investigator."  with 
Sir  C.  Aubrey  Smith,  Erich  von  Stro- 
heim,  and  Stephanie  Bachelor ;  "The 
Affairs  of  Geraldine,"  musical,  with 


Jimmy  Lydon,  Jane  Withers,  and  Rob- 
ert Livingston ;  "Gay  Blades,"  with 
Ruth  Terry,  Pinky  Lee,  and  Robert 
Livingston;  "Melody  and  Mystery," 
starring  Joseph  Schildkraut ;  "The 
Ghost  Goes  Wild,"  with  Edward  Ash- 
ley and  Lynne  Roberts ;  "Lightin' 
Strikes  Twice,"  with  Al  Pearce  and 
Lynne  Roberts  ;  "One  Exciting  Week," 
with  Al  Pearce,  Stephanie  Bachelor 
and  Jane  Frazee ;  "Captain  Tugboat 
Annie,"  from  Norman  Reilly  Raine's 
Saturday  Evening  Post  stories,  featur- 
ing Jane  Darwell  and  Edgar  Kennedy, 
produced  by  James  S.  Burkett ;  "Girls 
of  the  Big  House,"  featuring  Lynne 
Roberts,  Virginia  Christine,  Marian 
Martin,  Adele  Mara,  and  Richard 
Powers ;  "Down  Tahiti  Way,"  with 
Jane  Frazee,  Wally  Vernon,  and  Chic 
Chandler ;  "A  Guy  Could  Change," 
with  Allan  Lane,  Jane  Frazee,  and 
Twinkle  Watts  ;  "The  Gentleman  from 
Missouri,"  starring  Roy  Acuff,  Ruth 
Terry,  and  the  Sons  of  the  Pioneers ; 
"Night  Train  to  Memphis,"  with  Roy 
Acuff  as  star. 

Others  Listed 

Also:  "The  Inner  Circle";  "The 
Woman  Who  Came  Back,"  featuring 
John  Loder,  Nancy  Kelly,  and  Otto 
Kruger,  produced  and  directed  by 
Walter  Colmes ;  "Song  of  Mexico," 
to  be  filmed  in  that  country,  with  Adele 
Mara,  Edgar  Barrier,  and  George 
Lewis,  produced  and  directed  by 
James  A.  Fitzpatrick ;  "The  Twisted 
Circle";  "Passkey  to  Danger";  "The 
Invisible  Informer" ;  "Traffic  in 
Crime"  ;  "The  Mysterious  Mr.  Valen- 
tine" ;  "Undercover  Woman" ;  "Crime 
of  the  Century." 

Roy  Rogers  will  be  starred  in  two 
special  productions  in  addition  to  the 
'Premiere  Group'  of  eight.  "Don't 
Fence  Me  In"  and  "My  Pal,  Trigger," 
are  the  two  specials ;  the  'Premiere' 
titles  are :  "Shine  On,  Texas  Moon," 
"Grand  Canyon  Serenade,"  "Rose  of 
Juarez,"  "Song  of  the  Golden  West," 
"Heart  of  Old  Mexico,"  "California 
Fiesta,"  "Trail  Winds"  and  "Beyond 
the  Great  Divide."  The  promotion 
build-up  for  Rogers  will  continue. 

"Valley  of  the  Zombies"  and  "Cat 
Man  of  Paris"  are  two  horror  pictures 
scheduled. 

16  Westerns 

Sixteen  Westerns  on  Republic's  new 
schedule  include  eight  starring  Bill 
Elliott,  in  another  series  based  on  the 
Fred  Harman-NEA-Red  Ryder  car- 
toon strip,  and  eight  in  the  'Superior 
Series,'  starring  Sunset  Carson.  The 
company  also  plans  to  star  Monte 
Hale  in  a  series  of  outdoor  subjects. 

The  Red  Ryder  titles  are :  "Cali- 
fornia Gold  Rush,"  "Phantom  of  the 
Plains,"  "Conquest  of  Cheyenne," 
"Sheriff  of  Redwood  Valley,"  "Sun 
Valley  Cyclone,"  "Wagon  Wheels 
Westward,"  "Marshal  of  Laredo"  -and 
"Colorado  Pioneers."  The  'Superi- 
ors' will  consist  of :  "Bandits  of  the 
Badlands,"  "Rough  Riders  of  Chey- 
enne," "The  Cherokee  Flash,"  "Alias 
Billv  the  Kid,"  "Red  River  Rene- 
gades," "Days  of  Buffalo  Bill,"  "The 
El  Paso  Kid"  and  "Rio  Grande 
Raiders." 

During  1945-,  Republic  is  also  re-re- 
leasing a  third  group  of  eight  addi- 
tional Gene  Autry  productions ;  the 
titles  are :  "Melody  Ranch,"  "Spring- 
time in  the  Rockies,"  "Man  from  Mu- 
sic   Mountain,"    "Rancho  Grande," 


Key  Group  at  PR( 
Meet  on  Aug.  3-5 

(Continued  from  page  1.) 

office  to  attend,  in  addition  to  Thoma-i 
will  be  Lloyd  Lind,  assistant  genera 
sales  manager,  and  Arnold  Stolt/  j 
Eastern  publicity  manager.  Distric 
managers  to  attend  include  Jacl 
Adams,  Joe  Miller,  Fred  A.  Rohr- 
Max  Roth  and  Abe  Weiner.  Branch 
managers  will  include:  Edwin  Ai 
Bergman,  Harry  Bugie,  Harry  Gibb? 
Harry  Goldman,  Frank  Hamerman,  j 
E.  Mitchell,  James  Handel,  Sol  Reii 
Harry  Stern,  Clair  Townsend  an< 
John  Wenisch. 

Franchise  holders  will  include:  J.  H 
Ashby,  Joseph  W.  Bohn,  B.  F.  Busby 
Armand  Conn,  Andy  Dietz,  Henri  El 
man  (and  his  manager,  Ben  Benja 
min),  George  Gill,  Harry  Katz,  Ik( 
Katz,  Lloyd  V.  Lamb,  H.  E.  Mc 
Kenna,  Ben  Marcus,  Beverly  Miller 
M.  S.  Schulter,  Philip  A.  Sliman,  San 
Sobel,  Joe  Strother,  Abbott  Swartz 
Don  Swartz,  E.  L.  Walker  and  Lei 
Brown,  exhibitor  of  Racine,  Wis. 

The  Canadian  office  will  be  repre- 
sented by  Harry  Allen,  president  o 
PRC  of  Canada,  and  Dave  Griesdorf 
general  manager  of  distribution. 


Anne  Greeley  Is  Named 
PRC  Magazine  Contact 

Anne  Greeley,  formerly  assistant 
to  Arnold  Stoltz,  PRC'S  Eastern 
publicity-advertising  director,  ha? 
been  appointed  magazine  contact.  She 
has  been  replaced  in  her  previous 
position  by  Paula  Jaffee,  formerly  of 
CBS. 

Defend  'Southerner1 
After  Memphis  Ban 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

film,  Sears  said :  "Any  individual  or 
groups  will  have  to  prove  that  condi- 
tions in  the  South  as  depicted  in  'The 
Southerner'  are  completely  false  be- 
fore the  company  will  consider  any 
change  in  its  plans." 

Noting  that  the  picture  has  met  all 
the  requirements  of  the  industry's 
Production  Code,  Sears  declared  that, 
in  his  opinion,  it  "pays  tribute  to  the 
spirit  of  the  dauntless  man  of  South- 
ern soil  who  tries  to  make  something 
out  of  little." 


French  Pool  Planned 
For  U.  S.  Market 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

pool.  He  will  return  to  Paris  before 
coming  to  New  York. 

The  French  producers'  representa- 
tive is  expected  to  bring  with  him  12 
French  films  to  add  to  the  six  pre- 
viously sent  to  the  U.  S.  by  the  pool. 


Raftery  to  Openings 

Hollywood,  July  24. — Edward  C. 
Raftery,  United  Artists  president,  ar- 
rived here  today  for  three  weeks  of 
conferences  with  UA  producers  and 
other  business  including  the  opening 
of  the  newly-formed  Music  Hall 
Theatres,  scheduled  for  Aug.  8,  which 
will  present  UA  product  exclusively 
in  four  houses. 


"Under  Fiesta  Stars,"  "Singing  Vaga- 
bond," "Guns  and  Guitars,"  and  "The 
Old  Corral." 

The  four  serials  for  1945-46  will  be: 
"Daughter  of  Don  Q,"  "The  Phantom 
Rider,"  "King  of  the  Forest  Rangers," 
and  "The  Scarlet  Shadow." 


Everybody  loves 
Uncle  Harry* — 
the  rat! 


*He's  so  lovable— 
you'll  just  hate  him! 


Uncle  Harry"  is  a  fine  box-office  picture  from  Universal ! 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Thursday,  July  26,  1945 


Cagney,  Nugent  in 
Coast  Radio  Firm 


Hollywood,  July  25. — James  Cag- 
ney and  Elliot  Nugent  have  becom. 
members  of  the  board  of  Marshall- 
More,  Inc.,  newly-organized  radio 
producing  company,  it  was  learned 
(nere  today. 

Officers. of  the  company  are:  Johr 
Marshall,  president ;  John  More,  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  and 
Donald  Montgomery,  treasurer.  Both 
Marshall  and  More  are  kr-wn  in  the 
radio  industry,  having  acted  in  ex- 
ecutive capacities  on  such  shows  as 
"Silver  Theatre,"  "Screen  Guild," 
"Bob  Burns  Show,"  "Jack  Carson 
Show,"  and  others.  The  company 
plans  to  'package'  programs,  and  has 
formats  for  10  shows.  These  are  al- 
ready in  work. 


Personal  Mention 


Henie  Reports  'Cristo' 
Will  Be  Resumed 

Back  from  a  two-months'  USO 
tour  of  Norway,  Germany  and  France, 
Sonja  Henie  disclosed  here  yesterday 
plans  to  resume  International  Pic- 
tures' production  of  "The  Countess  of 
Monte  Cristo,"  which  was  suspended 
at  the  outset  of  the  jurisdictional  un- 
ion dispute  at  the  studios  last  March, 
following  the  presentation  of  her  new 
ice  show.  Slated  for  RKO  release, 
the  production  had  just  reached  the 
shooting  stage  when  the  dispute 
brought  it  to  a  halt. 

Miss  Henie  left  by  plane  for  the 
Coast  last  night  to  open  rehearsals 
for  the  show,  titled  "Hollywood  Ice 
Review,"  in  which  she  will  star  and  co- 
produce  with  Arthur  Wirtz.  It  is 
scheduled  to  open  Nov.  12  in  Indian- 
apolis, with  subsequent  runs  set  for 
Detroit,  Chicago  and  New  York. 


Bing  Crosby  to  Head 
1945  Kenny  Drive 

Minneapolis,  July  25. — Bing  Cros- 
by today  accepted  an  invitation  of 
the  board  of  directors  to  serve  as  na- 
tional chairman  of  this  year's  $5,000,- 
000  Elizabeth  Kenny  Institute  cam- 
paign. Acceptance  by  Paramount 
Picture's  and  National  Broadcasting's 
star  was  announced  in  a  telegram  to 
Marvin  L.  Kline,  the  Institute's  presi- 
dent, here. 

Kline  said  that  while  exact  dates 
have  not  been  set,  the  second  annual 
drive  will  probably  be  conducted 
sometime  in  October. 


Maj.  Hunt  Joins  Altec 

C.  J.  Zern,  Altec  district  manager  in 
Dallas,  announces  the  appointment  of 
Major  James  W.  Hunt  as  Altec  in- 
spector, with  headquarters  in  Waco, 
Texas.  Major  Hunt  was  recently  re- 
leased from  Radio  Teletype  Section, 
Communications  Wing  of  the  Army 
Airways  Communications  Systems.  . 


Kodak  Overassessed 

Washington,  July  25.— A  $4,029,- 
132  overassessment  of  income,  ex- 
cess-profits and  defense  taxes  in  favor 
of  Eastman  Kodak  and  Pan-Ameri- 
can Subsidiaries,  Rochester,  has  been 
determined  by  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment. 


AL  DAFF,  vice-president  of  Uni- I 
versal  International,  arrived  here 
yesterday  from  London. 

• 

Leonard  Gaynor  of  Hal  Horne's 
20th  Century-Fox  publicity  staff, 
substituted  last  night  for  Eileen 
Creelman  on  New  York  station 
WHOM.  Miss  Creelman  is  vaca- 
tioning. 

• 

A.  B.  Glassman,  Ogden,  Utah,  ex- 
hibitor, and  exhibitor  Sam  Gillette 
of  Tooele,  are  visiting  Salt  Lake 
City's  Film  Row. 

• 

C.  J.  Latta,  Warner  Theatres'  Al- 
bany zone  manager,  and  Charles  A. 
Smakwitz,  his  assistant,  are  in  New 
York  for  a  few  days. 

• 

William  Seib,  Columbia's  Salt 
Lake  City  manager,  has  returned  to 
his  post  after  recovering  from  pneu- 
monia. 

Bernie  Seamon,  manager  of  Balti- 
more's Hippodrome  Theatre,  has  re- 
turned from  a  New  England  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  operator  of  the 
Rialto  Theatre,  who  recently  returned 
from  a  Red  Cross  European  assign- 
ment, is  resting  at  Haverstraw,  N.  Y. 
• 

Tom   Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion, will  return  to  his  office  Monday 
lollowing  conferences  at  the  studio. 
• 

Jim  Cocke,  RCA  executive  of  Cam- 
den, N.  J.,  has  been  in  New  Orleans 
on  business. 

• 

'Buck'    Wade,    Universal's  Salt 
Lake    City    manager,    has  returned 
from  a  tour  of  Southern  Utah. 
• 

Morris  Mechanic,  owner  of  the 
New  Theatre,  Baltimore,  is  in  New 
York. 

A.  G.  Edwards,  PRC  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  has  returned  from  a 
tour  of  the  Denver  territory. 
• 

John   S.   Allen,   M-G-M  district 
manager  in  Washington,  has  returned 
to  his  headquarters  from  New  York. 
• 

Sol  Lesser,  producer,  is  scheduled 
to  arrive  in  Hollywood  today  from 
New  York. 

Harry  Cohen,  former  Warner 
manager  at  Calgary,  Alta.,  will  enter 
exhibition  in  that  city. 

• 

John  Boyd,  manager  of  Warners' 
Stanley  Theatre,  Atlantic  City,  is  ob- 
serving his  20th  year  with  the  circuit. 
• 

Carl  Nedley,  M-G-M  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  is  in  Chicago. 


FRANK  C.  WALKER,  president 
of  Comerford  Theatres,  Scran- 
ton,  a  Paramount  affiliate,  and  Leon- 
ard Goldenson,  Paramount  vice-pres- 
ident in  charge  of  theatre  operations, 
have  completed  an  inspection  of  the 
circuit. 

• 

Sylvia  Plottel  of  the  Warner  ex- 
change, Vancouver,  will  leave  on  Aug. 
7  to  marry  H.  M.  Adler  on  Aug.  21. 
Miss  Plottel's  three  brothers  are 
Canadian  film  exchange  managers. 
.  • 

Theodore  R.  Kupferman  of  War- 
ners' home  office  legal  department, 
writes  on  "Copyright  Co-Owners"  in 
the  current  issue  of  St.  John's  Law 
Rezneiv,  citing  film  and  other  cases. 
• 

Edwin  Silverman,  president  of 
Essaness  Theatres,  Chicago,  is  spend- 
ing the  Summer  at  Lake  Geneva, 
Wis. 

S/S  Clayton  Gasperg,  formerly  of 
Warners'  exchange,  New  Orleans,  and 
twice-wounded  veteran  of  the  Pacific, 
visited  his  former  colleagues  recently. 
• 

Lt.  .  Marcia  Borne,  formerly  of 
Warners'  exchange  at  New  Orleans, 
is  now  a  Wac  instructor  at  Fort  Des 
Moines. 

The  Harry  Firestones,  the  Har- 
old Kays  and  the  George  Levins,  all 
of  Toronto,  report  the  births  of  daugh- 
ters. 

• 

Johan  Nathanson,  sister  of  Paul, 
has  become  engaged  to  Harold  Subcov 
of  Ottawa.  They  will  be  married  in 
September. 

Phil  Rapp,  manager  of  Fabian's 
Plaza     Theatre,     Schenectady,  has 
entered  Lahey  Clinic  in  Boston  for 
observation  and  possible  surgery. 
• 

Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Loew's  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  out-of-town 
theatres,  is  due  to  arrive  in  New  York 
Monday  from  California. 

• 

Clyde  Blasius,  20th  Century-Fox 
manager  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
Charles  Walker,  district  manager, 
have  left  for  San  Francisco. 

• 

E.  M.  Loew,  New  England  circuit 
owner,  was  a  recent  Hartford  visi- 
tor, from  Boston. 

• 

John     Redmond,    RKO  division 
manager  at  Omaha,  and  family,  are 
spending  several  weeks  in  Colorado. 
• 

Carl  Gentzel,  M-G-M  traveling 
auditor,  will  spend  several  weeks  at 
the  New  Orleans  branch. 

Alfred  N.  Sack,  head  of  Sack 
Amusement  Enterprises,  Dallas,  is  in 
New  Orleans  on  business. 


Soviet  Spy  Film  Here 

"Military  Secret,"  first  Soviet  spy 
drama  to  be  released  in  this  country, 
will  have  its  American  premiere  at 
the  Stanley  Theatre,  here,  on  Wed- 
nesday, Aug.  1.  Artkino  distributes 
for  the  Soviet  in  the  U.  S. 


King  Features  to  Golf 

King  Features  Syndicate,  Interna- 
tional News  Service  and  International 
News  Photos  will  hold  their  annual 
joint  golf  tournament  at  Westchester 
Country  Club,  Rye,  N.  Y.,  next  Tues- 
day. 


DeMille  Addresses 
Paramount  Meeting 


San  Francisco,  July  25. — Cecil  B.! 
DeMille  participated  in  Paramount'-, 
"One  Third  of  a  Century"  celebration 
here  at  the  Mark  Hopkins  Hotel  yes-1 
terday,  with  a  discussion  of  plans  for 
his  newest  production,  "Unconquered," 
before  an  audience  of  Northern  Cali- 
fornia veteran  exhibitors  and  company 
officials. 

Betty  Merritt,  chief  accountant  at 
the  local  Paramount  exchange,  and 
employed  by  the  company  for  the  past 
31  years,  and  exhibitors  who  have 
played  the  company's  pictures  for  30 
years  or  more  were  greeted  by  De- 
Mille. Among  those  present  were : 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  McNeil,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mike  Naify,  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Sam  Levin,  members  of  the  Nasser 
family,  George  Mann,  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Joe  Blumfeld  and  Frank  Enea. 

A  meeting  at  the  exchange  heare 
addresses  by  George  A.  Smith,  West- 
ern division  manager ;  Duke  Clark 
"Paramount  Month"  co-captain ;  De 
Goodman,  district  manager;  Neal 
East,  branch  manager. 


Ray  Milland  Addresses 
Albany  Personnel 

Albany,  July  25. — Mrs.  Marie  B 
Eddy,  who  has  completed  25  years  o1 
service  at  Paramount's  Albany  ex- 
change, shared  honors  with  pioneer 
exhibitors  at  a  luncheon  at  the  De- 
Witt  Clinton  Hotel  here,  yesterday,  ir 
celebration  of  Paramount's  "One 
Third  of  a  Century"  anniversary. 

Ray  Milland,  Paramount  star,  and 
Allen  Usher,  "Paramount  Month"  co- 
captain,  spoke  at  a  meeting  of  ex- 
change personnel  at  which  plans  for 
the  anniversary  were  discussed.  Alsc 
present  was  A.  M.  Kane,  district 
manager. 

Clayton  Eastman,  branch  manager 
was  host  at  the  luncheon.  Among  ex- 
hibitors present  were :  Louis  W 
Schine,  W.  C.  Smalley,  Mrs.  Henry 
Frieder,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neil  Hellman 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Papayanakos,  Jer- 
ry LaRocque,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  J. 
Latta,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max  Friedman. 
Saul  Ulman  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gouveneur  Potsdam. 


Warner  Conn.  Houses: 
May  Rejoin  MPTO 

Under  Warner  Brothers'  home  of-J 
fice  policy  that  theatres  in  individual! 
zones  could  rejoin  state  or  regional! 
MPTO  A  exhibitor  units,  the  com-! 
pany's  theatres  in  Connecticut  have 
applied  for  reinstatement  of  member- 
ship in  the  MPTO  of  Connecticut.  On 
July  1,  Warner  theatres,  nationally, 
withdrew  from  the  MPTOA. 


Martin  in  Publicity 

After  two  years  as  a  public  rela- 
tions officer  in  the  Marine  Corps, 
Capt.  Murray  Martin  has  returned  to 
inactive  duty  and  has  established  his* 
own  publicity  and  sales  promotion  or-] 
ganization  here.  Before  going  into  the^ 
Marines  in  Feb.,  1943,  Martin  was  as-l 
sociated  with  the  Tax  Foundation,! 
and  previously  was  associated  witfiJ 
Steve  Hannagan,  handled  publicity  ( 
and  advertising  for  Rockefeller  Center' 
and  the  Center  Theatre. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;'  Red'  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo. .  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor-  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager:  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


%  K 


BETTE  DAVIS 
TREMENDOUS  IN 

FIRST  30  DATES 
OF  NAT  ION AJ- 
RELEASE '.(AFTER 
14  NY* WEEKS  I) 


Brings  highest  gross  ever  reg- 
istered at  Strand  N.  Y.!  Topping 
all  previous  Bogart  receipts  in 
practically  100%  of  engage- 
ments now  reported! 

(Also  stars  Alexis  Smith,  Sydney 
Greenstreet) 


Hits  all-time  high  at  N.  Y.  Holly- 
wood! Beats  'Yankee  Doodle* 
and  'This  is  the  Army'!  Hail  a 
new  star— Robert  Alda! 


I 


Wild  and  furious  six-gun  action 
in  the  midwest  —  and  a  beauti- 
fully timed  headline  story! 

(Philip  Dorn,  Helmut  D  amine,  Jean 
Sullivan,  A  lan  Hale) 


Big  laughs  and  big  coin  in  key 
spots  and  small  spots  alike!  A 
honey! 

{Ida  Lupino,  Sydney  Greenstreet, 
William  Prince) 


GOD  $ 

My  CO  PltoT 

Easily  ranks  with  the  No.  1 
money-shows  on  the  boards 
this  entire  season! 

{Dennis  Morgan,  Dane  Clark,  Ray- 
mond Massey,  Andrea  King) 


Its  9  IpMpep 


Jack  L.Warner,  Executive  Producer 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  July  26,  194 


U.  S.  Abroad 
Aids  Industry 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

film  monopoly  instituted  by  the  Dutch 
Government-in-Exile  during  the  war 
may  be  retained  in  the  postwar  by  the 
permanent  government,  the  Depart- 
ment has  been  acting  vigorously  to  in- 
fluence Holland  to  abide  by  the  provi- 
sions of  the  prewar  trade  agreement. 

Negotiations,  however,  have  been 
rendered  difficult  because  of  the  fact 
that  the  American  mission  has  not  yet 
gone  into  Holland,  but  is  still  in  Lon- 
don because  the  Dutch  foreign  office 
still  remains  in  that  city. 

The  Embassy  at  London  was  asked 
to  prosecute  the  matter  "vigorously" 
because  of  the  position  of  the  State 
Department  that  the  projected  monop- 
oly will  raise  a  definite  foreign  trade 
barrier  of  a  type  which  the  Depart- 
ment is  attempting  to  eliminate. 

Under  the  monopoly,  as  it  has  been 
outlined,  the  Dutch  Government  could 
take  over  the  distribution  of  all  pic- 
tures within  the  country,  setting  prices 
and  other  conditions. 


Prewar  Problems 


was  dis 
problems 


The  present  difficulty,  it 
closed,  is  a  continuation  of 
which  arose  in  the  Netherlands  prior 
to  the  war,  one  of  the  best  of  Holly- 
wood's foreign  markets,  with  no  cur- 
rency restrictions  or  other  barriers. 
Exhibitors  seeking  to  improve  their 
position  were  successful  in  setting  up 
the  Bioscoop-Bond  as  a  trade  organi- 
zation with  Government  blessing,  to 
apply  controls  to  American  films. 


Review 


"The  Hidden  Eye' 


(Mctro-Goldwyn-Mayer) 

Hollywood,  July  25 

D  LENTY  of  action,  a  fine  characterization  by  Edward  Arnold,  and  a 
remarkable  dog  named  Friday  combine  to  make  this  an  eminently  satisfac- 
tory melodrama.  As  the  'seeing-eye'  dog  and  constant  companion  of  a  blind 
detective,  Friday  all  but  steals  the  picture.  He  displays  amazing  intelligence 
and  ingenuity,  and  some  of  his  tricks  have  to  be  seen  to  be  believed.  They 
will  especially  thrill  the  youngsters  in  any  audience. 

The  screenplay  was  written  by  George  Harmon  Coxe  and  Harry  Ruskin, 
from  a  story  by  Coxe,  based  on  characters  created  by  Raynard  Kendrick.  It 
is  a  slick,  suspenseful  mystery  involving  several  murders,  some  fancy  deduc- 
tion by  Arnold,  and  a  plentitude  of  fisticuffs.  Robert  Sisk's  production  is 
careful  and  workmanlike,  and  Richard  Whorf's  direction  is  equally  good.  Out- 
standing among  the  cast  are  William  Phillips,  Ray  Collins  and  Frances 
Rafferty. 

Running  time,  70  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  Thalia  Bell 


Swedish  Film  Leader 
Leaves  After  Survey 

Olle  Nordemar,  Swedish  film  ex- 
ecutive, who  has  completed  a  three- 
month  study  of  the  industry  here  in 
behalf  of  Europa  Film  Co.,  Stockholm, 
and  the  military  instruction  film  divi- 
sion of  the  Swedish  Army,  left  New 
York  for  Boston  yesterday  to  take  a 
plane  for  Sweden. 

Before  leaving  here,  Nordemar  re- 
ported that,  although  Swedish  film 
production  doubled  during  the  war, 
showings  of  American  film  in  his 
country  far  outnumbered  home  prod- 
uct5; 

Nordemar  said  he  plans  to  return  to 
this  country  for  three  or  four  more 
weeks  after  spending  a  month  in 
Sweden. 


Foreign  Situation 
Is  Discussed  Here 


THE  BIGGEST  FLOWER  IS  THE  SUNFLOWER 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

velopment   of    the    progress    of  thi 
American  Motion  Picture  Export  As 
sociation  was  discussed  in  the  light  of 
new   knowledge.     The  Internationa 
Department    of    the    MPPDA  was 
host.  Present  at  the  luncheon  were 
Barney    Balaban,    Paramount  presi- 
dent; N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  presi 
dent;   Spyros   Skouras,   president  of 
20th   Century-Fox ;   and  the  follow- 
ing representatives  of  company  for- 
eign departments  :  Columbia,  Joseph 
A.  McConville  and  Jack  Segal;  20th 
Century-Fox,     Murray     Silverstone ; 
Loew's,  Major  Arthur  M.  Loew  and 
VI.   A.   Spring;    Paramount,  George 
Weltner,  Robert  E.  Schless  and  Rob- 
ert O'Brien;  RKO  Radio.  Philip  R. 
Reisman    and    R.    K.    Hawkinson ; 
United    Artists,    T.    P.    Mulrooney ; 
Universal,  Joseph  H.  Seidle^--^  and 
Al  Daff ;   Warners,  John  J.  Glynn, 
Wolfe  Cohen  and   M.   Sokol ;  Walt 
Disney  Productions,  Leo  F.  Samuels; 
OIAA,  Francis  Alstock  ;  WAC,  Fran- 
cis Harmon ;  MPPDA,  Carl  E.  Milli- 
ken,  Frederick  L.  Herron  and  George 
Borthwick. 

To  Meet  Johnston 

Reports  from  Washington  yesterday 
indicaterl  that  Hays  will  meet  with 
Eric  Johnston,  president  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  this  weekend 
or  on  Monday,  concerning  Johnston's 
possible  affiliation  with  the  MPPDA. 


Truman  Cites 
Variety  Clubs 


(Continued  from  page  I) 

and  Government  and  military  official? 
were  present  at  the  function,  at  whicH 
Sir  Alexander  Fleming,  discoverer  of 
penicillin,  received  the  organization'' 
annual  silver  plaque  and  a  $l,00|j 
honorarium  for  "unusual  and  unselfisl 
service  rendered  to  and  in  behalf  o 
world-wide  humanity." 

The  President  expressed  "deep  re 
gret"  that  he  could  not  attend.  "Foi 
all  that  Sir  Alexander  has  done  to  al- 
leviate pain  and  suffering  through  th 
great  discovery  which  ever  will  bea 
his  name,"  Truman  said,  "the  work- 
owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  difficult  i 
estimate.     It   is   particularly  fitting], 
therefore,   that   Variety   should  giv  i 
him  its  award  for  1944.    From  afatj' 
I  welcome  him  to  the  capital  of  th 
nation  and  hail  him  as  one  who  i  I 
our  day  and  generation  is  going  for 
ward  in  the  noble  tradition  of  Lor  j; 
Lister,    William    Harvey    and  tha/( 
other  great  old  Briton,  Sir  ThomaX 
Browne."  I 

National  officers  of  Variety  attend! 
ing  the  dinner,  in  addition  to  O'Donj. 
nell,  included  Carter  Barron,  first  as™ 
sistant  barker,  and  "Chick"  Lewis,  di 
rector  of  public  relations. 




Variety  to  Honor  Three 

Los  Angeles,  July  25.  — Variet) 
Tent  25  will  hold  a  testimonial  din 
ner  Monday  evening  for  Duke  Clark 
of  Paramount;  Ralph  Carmichael 
who  is  leaving  M-G-M  after  28  years 
to  establish  his  own  business,  and 
Capt.  Kenneth  MacKaig,  former 
United  Artists  sales  executive  now  on* 
leave  from  the  Armv. 


Johnston  Will  Not 
Take  UA  Presidency 

Washington,  July  25. — Informed 
sources  at  the  U.  S.  Chamber  of 
Commerce  today  quashed  a  Holly- 
wood rumor  that  Eric  Johnston,  pres- 
ident of  the  organization,  with  whom 
the  MPPDA  has  been  dickering  for 
some  months,  was  offered  the  presi- 
dency of  United  Artists  by  Mary 
Pickford  during  his  recent  visit  to 
the  West  Coast. 

The  offer  of  the  UA  presidency,  it 
was  disclosed,  was  made  a  long  time 
ago  and  was  declined  by  Johnston, 
who  explained  that  he  was  not  inter- 
ested in  going  with  a  private  com- 
pany. It  could  not  be  learned  whether 
Johnston  talked  with  Miss  Pickford 
again  while  on  the  Coast,  but  it  was 
stated  definitely  that  regardless  of 
any  such  conversation,  a  position  with 
any  individual  organization  will  not 
be  accepted. 


Blumenstock  Sets 
2  Major  Promotions 

Mort  Blumenstock's  publicity  and. 
exploitation  force  at  Warner  BrosJ 
here,  is  engaged  in  putting  on  two  ma- 
jor film  promotions,  with  both  open- 
ings scheduled  for  the  same  day,  Aug. 
8,  in  different  cities. 

The  "Pride  of  the  Marines"  world:' 
premiere  will  be  at  the  Mastbaum 
Theatre,  Philadelphia,  with  the  city,! 
state  and  Marine  Corps  tied  in  with 
the  event.  A  number  of  key  city  pre-t 
views  of  "Marines"  for  veterans  of- 
Guadalcanal  also  will  be  held  simul-' 
taneously.  The  other  opening  is  the1; 
Connecticut  state-wide  debut  of; 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut,"  which 
will  be  given  a  sendoff  at  a  special 
celebration  in  Norwalk,  where  a1 
"Christmas  party"  will  be  put  on  fort 
redeployed  soldiers,  with  the  governor, 
mayor  of  Norwalk  and  mayors  from 
20  other  cities  attending. 


News  Program  a  Hit 

New  Orleans,  July  25. — The  first' 
all-news-and-short-subj  ect  program 
ever  offered  here,  so  far  as  known,  has[ 
drawn  such  satisfactory  business  to  the 
St.  Charles  Theater  that  the  manage-} 
ment  is  planning  similar  bills  during 
the  remainder  of  the  Summer.  There 
is  no  newsreel  theater  in  New 
Orleans. 


NBC  Promotes  Myers 

J.  Robert  Myers,  budget  "  officer  off 
National  Broadcasting,  has  been  ap- 
pointed assistant  to  John  H.  Mac- 
Donald,  finance  vice-president. 


hursday.  July  26,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


IP  A  Lifts  Ceilings 
3n  16mm  Projectors 


Washington,  July  25. — The  Office 
j>f  Price  Administration  today  issued 
kn  order  paving  the  way  for  price  in- 
creases for  certain  eight  and  16mm 
kilent  and  sound  projectors  where 
.manufacturers  are  in  danger  of  be- 
lg  forced  out  of  business  unless  they 
|  pan  secure  relief. 

i:  A  spokesman  for  the  OPA  said 
35mm  equipment  is  not  involved,  ex- 
plaining that  the  order  was  issued 
4>M  a  result  of  a  determination  that 
ome  equipment  in  the  substandard 
j  .sizes  is  priced  at  a  loss  to  the  manu- 
facturer. It  is  understood  that  one 
manufacturer  had  applied  for  relief 
and  was  turned  down  before  the  order 
was  issued,  but  now  can  apply  again. 

The  order  is  in  line  with  OPA  pol- 
icy of  giving  relief  to  manufacturers 
3  selling  at  the  'low  end'  of  the  price 
jscale,  who  will  be  forced  to  discon- 
tinue because  of  increased  costs  unless 
they  can  secure  higher  ceilings. 


See  Eased  Curbs  on 
Equipment  Export 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

\y  all  except  enemy  and  enemy-influ- 
enced destinations,  subject,  of  course, 
'to  limitations  imposed  by  the  shortage 
of  ocean  cargo  space,  uncertainties  of 
shipping  schedules  and  licenses  and 
other  restrictions  of  various  foreign 
^countries. 

In  its  order  opening  the  Middle 
East  market,  the  FEA  continued  the 
controls  on  the  export  of  35mm.  cam- 
eras and  projection  and  sound  equip- 
ment, but  provided  for  general  licenses 
for  the  shipment  of  repair  parts,  pro- 
jection arc  lamps,  motion  picture 
screens  and  eight  and  16mm.  equip- 
ment. 

The  above  influences  are  expected  to 
She  continued  in  future  orders  applying 
ltd  other  areas. 


Reconversion  Levels 
Are  Cited  by  WPB 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tools  or  equipment  to  get  back  into 
i  peacetime  operation, 
i    For  the  photographic  equipment  in- 
•  dustry,  other  than  booth  equipment, 
the  Board  reported  current  production 
tat  ,$45,000,000   a   quarter,   of  which 
$42,490,000  is  for  military  purposes. 
I  The  minimum   peacetime  production 
|  was  set  at  $21,795,000  a  quarter,  and 
j  capacity  at  $31,450,000.    The  industry 
'  will  require  2,281  tons  of  carbon  steel 
i  in  the  first  quarter  for  breakeven  op- 
eration, and  2,723  tons  for  all-out  pro- 
duction, but  faces  no  need  for  new 
i  construction  to  get  back  into  peace- 
I  time  operations  and  no  new  tools  or 
equipment  for  minimum  production,  al- 
though it  will  have  to  expend  $3,062,- 
000   before   capacity   output   can  be 
,  achieved. 


Legion  of  Decency 
Classifies  6  More 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
has  classified  six  more  films.  In  Class 
A-l  appear  "Easy  to  Look  At,"  Uni- 
versal ;  "Frontier  Fugitives,"  PRC ; 
"Her  Highness  and  the  Bellboy,"  M- 
G-M ;  "Stagecoach  Outlaws,"  PRC. 
In  Class  A-II  have  been  placed  "The 
Falcon  in  San  Francisco,"  RKO,  and 
"Within  These  Walls,"  20th  Century- 
Fox. 


Win  field  R.  Sheehan,  Film 
Veteran,  Dies  on  Coast 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  organizer  of  the  studios  of  the  old 
Fox  Film  Corp.,  its  newsreel  and 
worldwide  distribution  system.  Active 
until  near  the  end,  he  lived  to  supervise 
the  completion  of  20th  Century-Fox's 
current  "Captain  Eddie,"  based  on  the 
life  of  Rickenbacker,  a  project  he 
conceived  two  years  ago  and  pushed 
enthusiastically  despite  failing  health. 
World  premiere  of  the  picture  is 
scheduled  for  Columbus,  Ohio,  next 
Wednesday. 

Journalistic  Start 

Born  in  Buffalo,  Sheehan  was 
graduated  from  Canisius  College  there 
in  1901,  and  that  year  began  a 
journalistic  career  on  the  Buffalo 
Courier,  advancing  in  1902  to  the  staff 
of  the  Old  New  York  World.  Thrown 
thus  in  contact  with  the  political  life 
of  those  days,  he  emerged  as  secretary 
to  the  New  York  City  fire  commis- 
sioner in  1910  and  the  next  year  as 
secretary  to  Police  Commissioner 
Rhinelander  Waldo. 

In  1914,  Sheehan  was  approached  by 
William  Fox  to  help  organize  a  pri- 
vate protection  squad  to  aid  Fox's 
Greater  New  York  Film  Rental  Co. 
in  its  distribution  battle  with  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Patents  Co.,  and  this  as- 
signment soon  led  to  expanding  func- 
tions in  the  growing  industry.  He 
came  to  Hollywood  that  same  year 
to  launch  the  Fox  organization  on  a 
program  of  independence  from  the 
Patents  company  and  from  all  con- 
temporaries. His  early  productions, 
depending  heavily  on  Theda  Bara's 
vampire  roles,  were  followed  as  time 
went  on  by  a  flow  of  films  at  increas- 
ingly higher  artistic  and  investment 
levels.  His  salary  rose  to  $450,000  a 
year,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world 
at  time.  He  was  married  to  Mme. 
Jeritza. 

Continued  Until  Merger 

When  financial  crisis  struck  the 
Fox  Film  Corp.,  and  banking  interests 
assumed  control,  Sheehan  continued  in 
charge  of  production — during  the  suc- 
cessive administrations  of  Harley  L. 
Clarke,  E.  T.  Tinker  and  Sidney  Kent. 


He  turned  out  "Carolina"  and  "David 
Harum"  in  1934  and  "The  Farmer 
Takes  a  Wife"  and  "Curly  Top"  in 
1935.  After  the  merger  with  20th 
Century  Pictures  that  year,  he  com- 
pleted "Way  Down  East"  before  re- 
signing as  vice-president  and  general 
manager.  He  produced  "Florian"  for 
M-G-M  in  1939  and  subsequently  de- 
voted his  energies  to  the  planning  and 
consummation  of  the  Rickenbacker 
production. 

Early  Productions 

Among  his  notable  earlier  produc- 
tions were  such  pictures  as  "What 
Price  Glory,"  "Seventh  Heaven," 
"Sunrise"  and'  "Cavalcade." 

Rosary  services  will  be  held  Friday 
evening  at  the  Cunningham  and 
O'Connor  chapel,  followed  by  mass 
Saturday  morning  at  the  Church  of 
the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Plans  for  in- 
terment had  not  been  completed  to- 
night. 


Joseph  M.  Schenck,  executive  pro- 
duction head  of  20th-Fox,  said  to- 
night :  "The  passing  of  Mr.  Sheehan 
brings  to  an  end  a  career  which  has 
had  tremendous  influence  on  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry.  Mr.  Sheehan 
has  been  associated  with  the  screen 
from  its  earliest  days  and  took  a  per- 
sonal and  marked  part  in  its  evolution 
from  a  nickelodeon  diversion  into  the 
world-embracing  industry  it  is  today. 
His  was  a  career  rich  in  accomplish- 
ment and  in  contribution  to  progress. 
As  an  associate  and  friend,  I  mourn 
his  loss." 

Praise  from  Zanuck 

Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  20th-Fox  vice- 
president,  said :  "To  everyone  in  Hol- 
lywood, the  passing  of  Winfield  Shee- 
han comes  as  a  shock.  He  was  for 
years  one  of  the  dominant  forces  and 
personalities  of  the  industry,  and  he 
was  one  of  those  who  helped  raise  it 
to  its  present  maturity.  He  founded 
studios  and  policies,  and  he  left  an 
impress  on  the  screens  of  the  world's 
theatres,  as  well  as  on  Hollywood  it- 
self. His  passing  is  a  distinct  loss  to 
our  industry." 


Price  Factors  Set 
For  Reconversion 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  the  average  percentage  margin  of 
profit  over  total  costs  for  the  industry 
or  industry  group  in  a  1936-39  base 
period.  For  manufacturers  of  photo- 
graphic accessories  and  equipment  it  is 
set  at  8.1,  and  for  radios  and  phono- 
graphs at  three. 

The  profit  factors  are  applied  to  the 
total  of  production  costs,  where  recon- 
verting firms  need  a  higher  price  than 
is  provided  by  industry-wide  increase 
factors  now  being  issued  for  industries 
that  have  been  engaged  almost  entirely 
in  war  work,  of  where  an  immediate 
pricing  method  is  needed,  or  in  indus- 
tries that  did  not  convert  as  a  whole 
to  war  work  and  will  have  no  indus- 
try-wide increase  factor. 

"Manufacturers  with  annual  business 
of  $200,000  or  less  may  take  their  own 
average  profit  margin  for  the  years 
1936-39,  and  very  small  producers, 
under  $50,000  a  year,  may  take  their 
own  margin  for  the  first  of  the  years 
1939,  1940  and  1941  for  which  they 
have  profit  data. 


Harry  Silverstadt 
Funeral  Tomorrow 

Harry  Silverstadt,  47,  for  18  years 
musical  director  of  Loew's  Metropoli- 
tan Theatre,  Brooklyn,  and  associated 
with  the  WHN  artists  bureau  for  the 
past  five  years,  died  yesterday  at  Sara- 
nac,  N.  Y.,  after  a  short  illness.  Sil- 
verstadt, who  began  at  Keith's 
Colonial,  New  York,  is  a  brother  of 
Frank  Silver,  who  wrote  "Yes,  We 
Have  No  Bananas !".  His  wife  and 
a  daughter  also  survive. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  from 
the  South  Oxford  Street  Chapel, 
Brooklyn,  tomorrow  at  two  P.M. 


Petersen  Services  Held 

San  Francisco,  July  25. — Funeral 
services  were  held  today  for  Charles 
E.  Petersen,  63,  who  died  of  a  heart 
attack  at  his  home  here  on  Sunday. 
He  owned  two  theatres  in  Richmond, 
one  each  in  Stockton,  Niles,  Brent- 
wood and  Oakley,  and  two  in  Bend, 
Oregon. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollyzuood,  Jxdy  25 

CECIL  B.  DE  MILLE  has  pur- 
chased "Unconquered,"  novel  by 
Neil  Swanson,  and  will  make  it  in 
Technicolor  as  his  next  picture  for 
Paramount.  .  .  .  William  Marshall, 
who  scored  in  International's  "Belle  of 
the  Yukon,"  has  been  signed  by  Re- 
public to  a  term  contract.  .  .  .  The 
next  "Charlie  Chan"  mystery  which 
James  S.  Burkett  will  produce  for 
Monogram  will  be  laid  in  Mexico. 
• 

Frank  Ross  and  Mervyn  LeRoy  are 
making  tests  for  their  forthcoming 
production,  "The  Robe."  .  .  .  20th 
Century-Fox  has  signed  Nancy  Guild, 
college  girl,  whose  photograph  ap- 
peared in  Life  Magazine  some  weeks 
ago.  .  .  .  Samuel  S.  Hinds  has  been 
added  to  the  cast  of  "Scarlet  Street," 
which  Frits  Lang  will  produce  and  di- 
rect for  Diana  Productions,  and  which 
will  be  released  by  Universal. 
• 

Arturo  de  Cordova  has  been 
selected  for  a  top  role  in  Para- 
mount's  "Take  This  Woman."  .  .  . 
Anna  Lee  has  been  signed  by  RKO 
for  the  lead  in  "Chamber  of  Hor- 
rors." .  .  .  Dolores  Moran  will  have 
a  featured  part  in  "The  Man  I 
Love,"  now  in  work  at  Warners. 
• 

M-G-M  has  acquired  "Our  Street," 
and  assigned  it  to  Irving  Starr  for 
production.  ...  As  their  second  pic- 
ture under  their  new  pact  with  Uni- 
versal, Abbott  and  Costello  will  ap- 
pear in  "Return  of  the  Buck  Pri- 
vates." .  .  .  Eve  March  is  set  for  a 
role  in  "Danny  Boy,"  which  Martin 
Mooney  will  produce  for  PRC. 


SOEG  Fights  Strike 
Restraining  Order 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
Lindelof,  Painters  International  presi- 
dent. The  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  strike  strategy  committee  this 
morning  volunteered  to  supply  attor- 
neys representing  all  12  constituent 
unions  to  support  SOEG's  contention 
that  the  order  should  be  vacated. 

Meanwhile,  SOEG  filed  an  unfair 
labor  practices  complaint  with  the  Na- 
tional Labor  Relations  Board.  A 
five-point  bill  of  particulars,  based  on 
the  producers'  warning  to  SOEG  a 
week  ago,  charges  the  studios  with 
proceeding  illegally  in  attempts  to  per- 
suade SOEG  members  not  to  obey 
Lindelof's  instructions.  NLRB  chair- 
man Stewart  Meacham  said  the  com- 
plaint, filed'  this  afternoon,  will  not  be 
acted  upon  immediately. 


Five  Theatres  Robbed 

Philadelphia,  July  25. — Burglaries 
at  five  theatres  in  neighborhood  houses 
in  a  month  were  solved  with  the  ar- 
rest of  a  27-year-old  man  in  the  lobby 
of  the  Keystone.  He  is  said  to  have 
admitted  burglaries  at  the  Regent, 
Columbia,  Liberty  and  Palm  theatres. 


Midnight  Shows  50%  Off 

Cleveland,  July  25. — Local  theatre 
owners  report  that  midnight  shows 
are  off  as  much  as  50  per  cent.  They 
never  recovered  from  the  curfew 
period  when  all  late  shows  were  or- 
dered out. 


H 

«! 
PC 

o 

o 
o 

(X) 

»— i 

w 

H 

O 

E 

o 

H 
O 


WARNERS 

THE  CORN  IS 
GREEN 
Bette  Davis 
John  Dall 
Joan  Lorring 
D — 114  mins.  (419) 
OiRev.  3/29/4S) 

CHRISTMAS  IN 
CONNECTICUT 
Barbara  Stanwyck 

Dennis  Morgan 
Sydney  Greenstreet 
D — 101  mins.  (420) 

(September  11 
PRIDE  OF  THE 
MARINES 
John  Garfield 
Eleanor  Parker 

UNIVERSAL 

THE  FROZEN 
GHOST 
D — 61  mins.  (9032) 

JUNGLE 
CAPTIVE 

D — 63  mins.  (9038) 

THE  NAUGHTY 
NINETIES 

Abbott  &  Costello 
Rita  Johnson 

C— 76  mins.  (9003) 
(Rev.  6/21/45) 

ON  STAGE 
EVERYBODY 

Jack  Oakie 

C — 75  mins. 
(Rev.  7/9/45) 

BEAUTIFUL 

CHEAT 
Bonita  Granville 
Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

C— 59  mins.  (9044) 

THE  WOMAN 
IN  GREEN 
Basil  Rathbone 
Nigel  Bruce 

D — 68  mins. 
(Rev..  6/21/45) 

EASY  TO 
LOOK  AT 
Gloria  Jean 
Kirby  Grant 

D— 64  mins.  (9045) 

UNCLE  HARRY 

George  Sanders 
Geraldine  Fitzgerald 
Ella  Raines 

D 

LADY  ON  A 

TRAIN 
Deanna  Durbin 

David  Bruce 
Ralph  Bellamy 
CD 

<i 

THE  GREAT 

JOHN  L 
(Bing  Crosby) 
Linda  Darnell 
Greg  McClure 

D — 96  mins. 

(Rev.  6/4/45) 

STORY  OF 
G.I.  JOE 
(Lester  Cowan) 
Burgess  Meredith 
D — 111  mins. 
(Rev.  6/18/45) 

GUEST  WIFE 
(Jack  Skirball) 
Claudette  Colbert 
Don  Ameche 

C — 90  mins. 

Rev.  7/23/45 

THE 
SOUTHERNER 
(Loew-Hakim) 
Zachary  Scott 
Betty  Field 
D — 91  mins. 
(Rev.  5/2/45) 

CAPTAIN  KIDD 
(Borgeaus  Prod.) 
Charles  Laughton 
Randolph  Scott 

THE  OUTLAW 
(Howard  Hughes) 
Jane  Russell 
Walter  Huston 

(Rev.  2/8/43) 

X 

o 

to 

X 


"Mid!  g  -Ox 

■aO  u  ra^  v 
4s  0°,c^« 


to 

to    a  e 

x^a 

£     g  a  to 


-  -In  IP 

s  hR  •  it  k 

3<  -jg 


X  no 

o  Cvo, 


c  3 


2. 
O' 

tO'v 

—  —  s 

Q 


8* 

e  °  «  " 

2>.a  -a-  o 

—  v  I 
ft  U 


Q  g 

a* 


q2« 


g  Q 

to 

°  <: 


£  w 


S  co 
05  > 

<S 
u 


£  £ 

re  — 


P 
< 

K 

o 

« 


■MS- 


Ml 

v    mo    o  o  «j 


1 


•j  o   c  a  s  o 


o  o 


oRi 


2  {? 
O  x  n 

Eh  5/2  * 

oo  =3  gSJ 
1-1  zQ  -ECS 
«5     e  E 

Ww  I 


q  ^ 


SE  . 

r«  H    0J    U  VO  « 

^  05  A 


o 

to 
W 
to 


GANGS  OF  THE 
WATERFRONT 
Robert  Armstrong 
Stephanie  Bachelor 
D — 55    mins.  (422) 

TRAIL  OF 
KIT  CARSON 

O— 56   mins.  (466) 
ROAD  TO 
ALCATRAZ 
Robert  Lowery 
June  Storey 
D — 60    mins.  (423) 

OREGON  TRAIL 

Sunset  Carson 
Peggy  Stewart 
0 — 56   mins.  (456) 

HITCHHIKE 
TO  HAPPINESS 
M— 72  mins.  (419) 
(Rev.  4/19/45) 

THE  SILVER 

FLEET 
(J.  Arthur  Rank) 
Ralph  Richardson 
Googie  Withers 
D — 77  mins. 
(Rev.  3/18/43) 

<—03  _ 
j    x  pi's 


2g  .O  E 

5*0  . 

H 


NO 


OS      >.  ■ 

so  a 

o 


,   W  1-  c 

Hf-H^.E 

HW£  S 
►J  <I!  3    •  ^ 


u 
to 
to 


K  q  Ob 
H 


C  >  •9  43 
O"5  2  w  p  ^ 


O  c  M 
<  o  c 

tn  o 

o»> 

m£  E 

OG  reJ2 
gft« 


< 
to 
< 
to 


CO 

E  W 


CM  _ 

2  c  c-<i-2 
<re  2-* 
2  cPQ  rig 
£>,°  „.E^ 

to  g  o^i 


Kg  S3? 

D  to  S  E  > 

£  I 


to  >»■/-> 
h  >,-«-"2 
H  "-'^ 

00  B  . 

Q  .S-* 

W-g  E  > 

s  r 


.J"  3,f, 
Q 


ca  vo 
=  °0osE  >  oZg 

Sh  s^tS 


2<a 


as? 
>  ^ 

73  .E 

EE> 


— >  u 


SE 
O  |wS* 

<2  3 

OH 
to 


it. 

=5|o|^ES 

«toOo,  re-"  I  > 


to 
o 

to 

U-H-OOO 

to  «  I  S 
h  hCk 
K  — 


o 
o 


i 

o 

I 


to 

o 
o 

to  to 
to  o 


w  g  5 

H  c  3  O  c  . 
H  2  E  Sox  g 

Q  reto**  5 
-1  Q 


g  2-Svo 
o 


to 

H 

HW^2  =? 
to  >  _ 


I 
o 


to<  £3^2 

to"535 

"s&*g 

toO  c^to* 

to-g  I  - 

to^,0 


■8  MS?- 

o 

|§! 

=  Q 


to 

c  JM 


Six  ■*> 

K=to 


to 

<~ 

H  0 
fc"° 

2 
O 


2« 


ca  xjc  .0 

H  ««<§  IS 
~  KG 


to™    o  «  5 

S  ox>.E£l 
h< o °> 

>toT£ 


to 


to 


■o  2 

&  s 

to 


to><st3  .  c2 

■eSss^ojg 

S<Qoo7K 


reOsKs  re  P> 

lo«5-s  2 

^  to  s  * 


BOSTON 
BLACKIE'S 
RENDEZVOUS 
Chester  Morris 
Nina  Foch 
D — 64  mins. 

YOU  CAN'T  DO 
WITHOUT  LOVE 
Vera  Lynn 
Donald  Stewart 

D — 74  mins. 

THE  GAY 
SENORITA 
Jinx  Falkenburg 
Jim  Bannon 
Steve  Cochran 
M 

RUSTLERS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Charles  Starrett 
Dub  Taylor 
O 

OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 

C — 103  mins. 
Rev.  7/23/45 

S  C\ 
S  (N 

•f  <, 

»-4 

3  (N 

• 

< 

^  O 

1  ^ 

4  rt 

• 

■a  - 

V2 

j 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAMLY 


P^L.  58.  NO.  19 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  JULY  27,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


9  Films  Score 
Heavily  in 
14  Key  Cities 


'Valley  of  Decision'  Tops; 
_jCircuits  Cite  Seven  Films 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

"The  Valley  of  Decision"  in  ini- 
tial weeks  as  well  as  extended  hold- 
lovers  led  a  group  of  seven  films,  in- 
cluding "Those  Endearing  Young 
Charms."  "Back  to  Bataan,"  "Con- 
flict." "Where  Do  We  Go  From 
'Here?",  "Nob  Hill"  and  "Along  Came 
Jones,"  which  scored  heavily  in  first- 
run  theatres  in  14  key  cities  during 
the  past  week,  according  to  field  re- 
ports from  Motion  Picture  Daily 
correspondents.  The  return  of  hot 
weather  in  some  sections  hit  grosses 
I"  but  business  generally  continued  on  a 
I  par  with  the  same  period  last  year. 

"The  Corn  Is  Green"  and  "Thrill 
j  i  of  a  Romance"  are  holding  up  big  in 
i  extended  holdovers. 

"The  Valley  of  Decision,"  "Thrill 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Sheehan  Funeral  on 
Coast  Tomorrow 


Hollywood,  July  26. — A  high  sol- 
emn mass  will  be  held  at  10  A.  M. 
Saturday  at  the  Church  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  here  for  Winfield  R.  Shee- 
han, Industry  pioneer  and  organizer  of 
the  studios  of  the  old  Fox  Film  Corp., 
who  died  yesterday  afternoon  at  Hol- 
lywood Hospital.  Interment  will  be  in 
Holy  Cross  Cemetery. 

Pallbearers  will  be  David  Butler, 
Jack  Gardner,  Dan  McElwaine,  Arthur 
Lngar,  George  Bagnall  and  Ted  But- 
cher. Among  the  honorary  pallbearers 
will  be  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  Louis  B. 
Mayer,  Watterson  R.  Rothacker, 
David  O.  Selznick,  Sol  Wurtzel,  Frank 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Trend  Toward  Air 
Reconversion  Seen 

Washington,  July  9. — Despite  con- 
tinuing heavy  war  orders,  the  radio 
industry  is  about  to  enter  its  first  stage 
of  reconversion  to  civilian  production, 
according  to  the  Radio  Manufacturers 
Association.  However,  no  substantial 
flow  of  radio  receivers  to  consumers 
is  expected  before  late  Fall  or  Winter, 
RMA  said.  # 

War  Production  Board  rules,  under 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


150%  Rise  in 
U.  S.  Taxes 


Washington,  July  26. — Federal 
admission  tax  collections  for  the  Na- 
tion in  the  year  ended  June  30,  com- 
pared with  the  preceding  12  months, 
shows  a  150  per  cent  increase,  the 
Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  reports. 

Revenue  from  the  amusement  indus- 
tries, including  film  theatres,  during 
the  year  1944-45,  hit  an  all  time  high 
of  $357,466,115,  compared  with  $205,- 
289,026  for  the  previous  year.  The 
increase  reflected  the  higher  admis- 
sion tax  rates  which  went  into  effect 
April,  1944. 

Collections  for  the  first  six  months 
of  the  current  calendar  year  reached 
$170,447,525,  compared  with  $113,- 
497,321  for  the  corresponding  period  in 
1944. 

Collections    for    June,    1945,  fell 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Court  Fails  to  Stop 
SOEG  Strike  Plan 

Hollywood,  July  26. — Whether  the 
studios  would  operate  tomorrow  with- 
out clerical  staffs  was  uncertain  to- 
night after  Superior  Judge  Emmett 
H.  Wilson  ruled  this  morning  to 
leave  the  producers'  restraining  order 
against  the  Screen  Office  Employees 
Guild  technically  in  effect  "pending 
further    consideration"    but    stated : 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Election  in  Britain 
Lowers  Stock  Prices 

London,  July  26.  —  As  a 
consequence  of  the  electoral 
landslide  announced  here  to- 
day, in  which  the  Government 
of  British  World  War  leader 
Winston  Churchill  was  un- 
seated, values  of  motion  pic- 
ture stocks,  and  others,  went 
downward,  film  stocks  drop- 
ping around  four  shillings  (80 
cents). 

Powerful  interests,  how- 
ever, are  buying  and  the 
stocks  will  likely  regain 
strength  quickly. 


Rank  Solidifies  His 
Operations  in  U.S. 

London,  July  26.— J.  Arthur  Rank 
disclosed  to  Motion  Picture  Daily 
today  that  Capt.  Harold  Auten,  re- 
cently named  by  Rank  as  vice-presi- 
dent of  his  Eagle-Lion  in  the  U.  S., 
will  have  charge  of  all  Rank  interests 
in  the  States,  including  the  new  na- 
tional distribution  company  to  be  set 
up  when  raw  stock  supplies  become 
available. 

British-born  Auten,  who  has  been 
handling  English  film  imports  in 
America  since  he  was  appointed  U.  S. 
representative  of  New  Era  Films  in 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Army  Asks  for  Spot  35mm 
Newsreels  for  'GI Joes' 


1945-46  Product  Up 

40  Per  Cent  So  Far 

Distributors  to  date  have 
scheduled  tentatively  a  total 
of  59  pictures  for  release  in 
the  new  season,  compared  to 

41  films  set  at  this  time  last 
year  for  new  season  distribu- 
tion— an  increase  of  more 
than  40  per  cent. 

Release  schedules  of  the  11 
companies  show  that  more 
product  is  being  made  avail- 
able to  exhibitors  for  the 
start  of  the  1945-46  season 
than  was  designated  last 
year,  up  to  July,  Motion  Pic- 
ture Herald  will  say  today. 

However,  the  total  number 
of  pictures  distributed  next 
year  probably  will  fall  slight- 
ly below  this  season. 


Newsreel  companies  have  started 
to  ship  35mm  prints  of  their  bi-week- 
ly issues  to  the  European  Theatre  of 
Operations,  in  response  to  a  direct  re- 
quest made  by  Army  officials  there, 
both  through  the  War  Department  and 
the  industry's  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee. 

The  Army,  which  is  already  oper- 
ating an  estimated  125  theatres  and 
other  installations  where  35mm  films 
are  now  being  shown  to  its  personnel, 
replacing  16mm  film  showings,  is  tak- 
ing the  newsreels  on  the  same  com- 
mercial basis  as  it  now  receives  about 
10  prints  of  late  features  from  the. 
film  companies. 

Increased  interest  of  soldiers  re- 
maining in  Europe,  in  developments 
on  the  American  home  front  and  in 
the  war  with  Japan,  is  said  to  have 
led  to  the  request.  Previously,  news- 
reel  clips  had  been  available  for  show- 
ing overseas  on  16mm ;  members  of 
the  Armed  Forces  in  the  ETO  will 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


U.  S.  Alarmed 
Over  Stiff 
French  Quota 

Rules  Would  Give  55%  of 
Time  to  Domestic  Films 


Washington,    July    26.  —  The 
State  Department  apparently  is  go- 
ing 'full-steam'  ahead  in  its  efforts 
to  help  the  U.  S.  film  industry  gain 
a  fair  position  in  foreign  markets. 
Following  yesterday's  instruc- 
tions to  the  U.  S.  embassy  in 
London  to  do  "everything  possi- 
ble" to  protect  the  American  in- 
dustry in  the  Netherlands,  the 
Department    today  invoked 
French  responsibilities  under  a 
pre-war  trade  agreement  in  an 
effort  to  forestall  new  regula- 
tions which  would  seriously  re- 
duce   the    number    of  dubbed 
American  films  permitted  dis- 
tribution   in    France,    it  was 
learned  here. 

The  new  measure,  said  officially  by 
the  French  Government  to  be  for  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Unger  and  Lohrenz 
Preside  for  UA 


Chicago,  July  26.— Close  to  50 
branch  managers,  salesmen  and  office 
managers  of  United  Artists  Western 
and  Midwestern  exchanges  will  at- 
tend the  three-day  sales  meeting  which 
opens  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here 
tomorrow. 

Attendance  will  include :  From  Chi- 
cago, Nat  Nathanson,  Oscar  Bern- 
stein, Morris  Hellman,  Kalman  Bruss, 
Jack  Armgardt,  Walter  McVay  and 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Settle  Hillside  Case 
Against  8  Companies 

Papers  were  signed  here  yesterday 
in  the  settlement  of  the  anti-trust  suit 
brought  by  the  Hillside  Amusement 
Co.  against  eight  film  companies, 
with  the  figure  said  to  be  in  the 
six-figure  bracket.  The  action  has 
been  pending  for  some  time  but  did 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Easy  to  Look 
At"  appears  on  page  5. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  27,  1945 


Theo.  J.  Sullivan  has  been 
appointed  treasurer  and  busi- 
ness manager  of  Quigley  Pub- 
lishing Company,  Inc. 

Sullivan  first  joined  the  staff 
of  Quigley  Publications  in  1924. 
In  1925  he  took  a  leave  of  ab- 
sence to  follow  a  course  of 
studies  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois. He  rejoined  the  staff  in 
1927  and  since  then  has  been 
secretary  of  the  company  and 
associated  with  its  financial  and 
business  management. 

Capt.  Leo  J.  Brady  has  been 
appointed  to  succeed  Sullivan  as 
secretary  of  the  company.  Capt. 
Brady  was  assistant  to  the  presi- 
dent from  1931  until  commis- 
sioned in  the  Army  of  the  United 
States,  in  1942.  Upon  his  recent 
return  to  inactive  military  status 
he  resumed  his  association  with 
the  company. 


Blake  Appointed  to 
'U'  Story  Post  Here 

William  D.  Blake  has  been  ap- 
pointed Eastern  story  and  talent  head 
for  Universal  Pictures.  He  succeeds 
Peter  Martin  who  resigned  to  enter 
the  radio  writing  field. 

Blake  was  a  reader  with  Universal 
from  1935  to  1937,  then  was  associ- 
ated with  the  Federal  Theatre,  radio 
station  WFAS  in  White  Plains,  and 
also  was  a  reader  at  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer.  In  1929  Blake  was  stage 
manager  of  the  old  Provincetown 
Playhouse.  He  also  was  associated 
with  stock  companies  in  Chicago  and 
Boston.  He  returned  to  Universal, 
as  assistant  to  Martin,  in  January, 
1943. 


Mayer  and  Mannix 
Returning  to  Coast 

Chicago,  July  26. — Louis  B.  May- 
er, M-G-M  vice-president  in  charge 
of  production,  is  leaving  for  Holly- 
wood Saturday  after  a  week's  stay 
here  during  which  he  met  with  Nich- 
olas M.  Schenck,  president  of  Loew's, 
and  E.  J.  Mannix,  M-G-M  studio 
head,  the  latter  stopping  here  on  his 
way  back  from  his  Army  trip  to 
Europe.  Several  conferences  were 
held  during  which  future  productions 
were  discussed. 

Mannix  gave  a  report  on  his  trip 
and  his  impressions  on  the  type  of 
story  material  that  might  be  available 
on  the  European  phase  of  the  war. 


V.S.S.  Kennedy  Named 

Quincy,  Mass.,  July  26. — The  USS 
Joseph  P.  Kennedy,  Jr.,  was  launched 
here  today.  The  2,200-ton  destroyer 
was  named  in  honor  of  the  heroic  eld- 
est son  of  the  former  Ambassador  to 
the  Court  of  St.  James  and  one  time 
motion  picture  executive,  who  was 
killed  in  the  European  theatre.  Miss 
Jean  Kennedy,  sister  of  the  Naval  Air 
Corps  lieutenant,  who  received,  post- 
humously, the  Navy  Cross,  was  spon- 
sor of  the  ship. 


Personal  Mention 


TACK  L.  WARNER  Charles 
v)  Einfeld  will  leav^hjre  today  for 

the  Coast. 

Cliff  Almy,  Warner  genei^^marjl ' 

ager  for  the  Philippines,  has  left  hire 
for  the  Coast,  where  his  wife  is  hos? 
pitalized.  He  will  be  in  New  York 
again  before  returning  to  Manila. 


Charles  Koerner,  Robert  Wolff 
and  Perry  Lieber  will  leave  Holly- 
wood today  on  the  Superchief  for 
RKO's  regional  sales  meeting  in  New 
York  Aug.  6-8. 

• 

E.  T.  Gomersall,  Universal  assist- 
ant sales  manager,  left  for  Chicago 
yesterday  and  will  return  to  New 
York  Tuesday. 

• 

Everett  C.  Callow,  Warner  The- 
atres Philadelphia  zone  advertising- 
publicity  head,  was  in  New  York 
yesterday. 

• 

Phil  Pike,  assistant  to  Harry 
RosenQuest  of  Warner  Theatres 
film  buying  staff,  is  the  father  of  a 
boy,  Barry. 

• 

Col.  Charles  Kessnich,  M-G-M 
Southern  division  manager,  and  Bill 
Zoellner,  Atlanta  branch  manager, 
are  in  New  Orleans. 

• 

Seymour  Poe,  Eastern  sales  rep- 
resentative for  Sol  Lesser,  is  in  Chi- 
cago. 

• 

Bill  Bishop,  M-G-M  Midwest 
publicity  head,  has  returned  to  Chi- 
cago from  vacation. 

e 

Spencer  Pierce,  20th  Century-Fox 
Southern  publicity  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  Atlanta  from  Memphis. 
• 

Herman  Silverman  of  the  Wo- 
metco  Circuit,  Miami,  has  returned 
there  from  Hollywood. 

• 

William  Miskell,  Tri-State  The- 
atres Omaha  district  manager,  is  va- 
cationing at  Lake  Okobji,  la. 

• 

Joe  Hackle  of  the  Ritz  Theatre, 
Jacksonville,  Fla.,  is  visiting  in  New 
York. 

o 

Sol  Francis,  Monogram  home  of- 
fice representative,  is  the  father  of  a 
five-pound  boy  born  in  Omaha. 
• 

Bill  Gordon,  Warner  Salt  Lake 
City  manager,  has  returned  there  from 
Idaho. 


WA.  SCULLY,  Universal  vice- 
.  president    and    general  sales 
manager,  will  leave  here  today  for  a 
studio  visit  and  tour  of  exchanges. 
• 

^.•JWert  B.  Wilby  of  the  Wil-Kin 
circuit  has  returned  to  Atlanta  after 
&•  rfour-week  trip  through  the  Euro- 
pean'war  zone  with  the  War  Depart- 
ment's film  industry  mission. 

• 

Claude  Lee,  Paramount  public  re- 
lations director,  and  Ray  Milland 
returned  here  yesterday  after  the 
company's  "One  Third  of  a  Cen- 
tury" celebration  in  Boston. 

• 

Samuel  V.  Smith,  president  of 
British  Lion  Films,  will  leave  Holly- 
wood today  on  the  Superchief,  en 
route  to  England  after  three  weeks 
of  conferences  with  H.  J.  Yates,  Re- 
public board  chairman. 

• 

Carroll  Trowbridge,  United  Art- 
ists Salt  Lake  City  manager,  has 
left  there  for  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  after 
a  trip  to  Oregon. 

• 

David  E.  Rose,  Paramount  man- 
aging director  in  Great  Britain,  left 
New  York  by  plane  yesterday  for 
London. 

• 

Harold  L.  Groves,  national  field 
director  for  Confidential  Reports,  will 
return  to  his  desk  Monday  following 
a  vacation. 

• 

Paula  Stone,  who  conducts  radio 
station  WNEW's  "Hollywood  Di- 
gest," will  leave  New  York  for  Holly- 
wood .today. 

• 

Mrs.  Fred  Greenway,  wife  of  the 
manager  of  Loew's  Palace,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  has  entered  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital 
there  for  an  appendectomy. 

• 

Norman  Rowe,  manager  of  the 
Plaza,  Windsor,  Conn.,  is  vacationing 
in  Maine. 

George  Landers,  E.  M.  Loew  cir- 
cuit Hartford  manager,  has  left  with 
his  family  for  a  vacation  in  Maine. 
• 

K.  N.  Hargreaves,  secretary  of 
20th  Century-Fox,  Ltd.,  has  arrived 
in  New  York  from  London. 

•  ■ 

Albert   Sack,  president   of  Sack 
Amusement  Co.,  Dallas,  is  in  Atlanta. 
• 

Lt.  Bolivar  Hyde,  Navy  Booker, 
is  in  Atlanta  from  Washington. 


Poll  Results  August  1 

Photoplay  Magazine  will  announce 
on  Aug.  1  the  results  of  the  first  six 
months'  findings  of  its  Audience  Re- 
search poll  to  determine  the  most  pop- 
ular film,  actress  and  actor  of  1945. 
Winners  will  receive  Photoplay  gold 
medal   awards   early   in  1946. 


Annabella  Ends  Tour 

Annabella,  screen  star,  met  the  press 
yesterday  upon  returning  from  an 
eight-and-one  half-month  USO  tour  in 
Italy  and  France.  She  reported  a  con- 
tinued demand  for  entertainment  in 
Europe. 


Water  mans  in  Canada 

Ottawa,  July  26.  —  Representing 
Ozone  Theatres  of  Adelaide,  with  32 
theatres  in  Australia,  Clyde  and 
Ewin  Waterman  were  in  Ottawa  for 
interviews  with  Canadian  Govern- 
ment officials  as  part  of  a  tour  of 
North  America  to  gather  ideas  for 
film  exhibition  in  the  Antipodes. 


M-G-M  Pep  Club  Outing 

About  65  M-G-M  "Pep  Club"  mem- 
bers of  the  New  York  exchange  will 
attend  an  outing  at  Bear  Mountain 
on  Monday,  according  to  John  Cun- 
niff,  club  president. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


THE  PICTURE  THAT  MAY 
CHANGE  YOUR  LIFE! 

The 

CHEATERS 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 
Starring 
JOSEPH  SCHILDKRAUT 

with 

GILLIE       EUGENE  ONA 
BURKE     PALLETTE  MUNSON 


GOTHAM 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation       Rockefeller  Center 

"A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century -Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Joan  FONTAINE 
George  BRENT 

'The  AFFAIRS 
of  SUSAN' 


IN  PERSON 
MICHAEL 

O'SHEA 

LOW,  HITE 
&  STANLEY 


^BETTY  HUTTON  -  ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA^ 
in  Paramount's 

'INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON — 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/cfwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B  WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK'S 

WILSON" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  in  Technicolor 
Plus  on  Stage  —  DICK  HAYMES 
HELEN  FORREST      Extra!      JOE  BESSER 

BUY  MORE    n  f~\  V  V     7th  Ave.  & 
BONDS       l\  V  A  !       50th  St. 


'Wonder  Man'  Record 

Samuel  Goldwyn  Productions  here 
reported  that  the  first  week  of  "Won- 
der Man"  at  the  Hollywood  Theatre, 
Atlantic  City,  grossed  160  per  cent  of 
the  in-season  house  record. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager:  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  "Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Uuigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Variety  reports  it  "Strong!"  "Lusty!"  "Brisk!"  "Hefty!"  "Juicy!" 


it's  hit  EXTENDED  PLAYING  TIME!  In 

Denver  -  Cincinnati  —  Pittsburgh  -  New  York — Philadelphia  - 
Cleveland -Worcester -Wilmington  and  a  score  of  other  spots! 


f  red  MvMMm-  Joan  LESLIE  vhw  HAVE 

GENE  SHELDON  ♦  ANTHONY  QUINN- CARLOS  RAMIREZ -ALAN  MOWBRAY 
FORTUNIO  B0N0N0VA  •  HERMAN  BING  •  HOWARD  FREEMAN 
Directed  by  GREGORY  RATOFF  •  Produced  by  WILLIAM  PERLBERG 

Screen  Play  by  MORRIE  RYSKIND  •  Story  by  Morrie  Ryskind  and  Sig  Herzig 


KEEP  SELLING  BONDS! 


Printed  in  U.S.A. 


Friday,  July  27,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Dail,y 


5 


Review 

"Easy  to  Look  A?' 

(  Universal) 

A FROTHY  musical,  "Easy  to  Look  At"  opens  slowly  and  canters  along  in 
leisurely  fashion.  Audiences  may  expect  a  quickening  of  tempo  after  the 
picture  gets  under  way,  but  it  holds  doggedly  to  an  even  pace  throughout. 

The  vocally-talented  Gloria  Jean  offers  some  bright  moments  with  her  ren- 
ditions and  the  "Delta  Rhythm  Boys"  score  with  one  diverting  number.  Music 
and  song  values  are  present  but  hardly  in  sufficient  number  to  compensate  for 
the  frailty  of  the  story. 

Miss  Jean,  a  newcomer  to  New  York  with  theatrical  designing  ambitions, 
becomes  acquainted  with  J.  Edward  Bromberg,  former  top  notcher  in  the  busi- 
ness but  now  a  night  watchman  for  a  big  designing  concern.  His  boss  is 
Kirby  Grant  who  shares  a  romance  with  Miss  Jean.  Eric  Blore  is  on  hand 
as  the  producer  for  whose  forthcoming  show  Grant's  firm  is  'creating'  new 
gowns.  With  Bromberg's  assistance,  Miss  Jean  is  hired  as  a  stock  clerk.  Com- 
plications develop  when  Bromberg  is  mistakenly  given  credit  for  a  sucaessful 
design  by  Miss  Jean  and  until  Bromberg  clears  up  the  matter  she  is  ostra- 
cized from  the  company  and  her  romance  with  Grant  ceases. 

Others  in  the  cast,  which  is  uniformly  adequate,  are  George  Dolenz,  Mildred 
Law,  Leon  Belasco  and  Maurice  Gass.  Ford  Beebe  directed  and  Henry  Blank- 
fort  was  associate  producer  and  author  of  the  original  screenplay. 

Running  time,  64  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  10. 

Gene  Arneel 


New  England  Cites 
Znkor  and  Milland 
At  Paramount  Fete 


Boston,  July  26. — Adolph  Zukor, 
founder  and  chairman  of  the  board  of 
Paramount,  and  Ray  Milland,  Para- 
mount star,  were  welcomed  here  and 
many  New  England  exhibitors  who 
have  been  Paramount  customers  for 
p*^  years  or  more  were  honored  at  a 
nr  Teption  at  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel, 
'ignalizing  Paramount' s  "One  Third 
jof  a  Century"  celebration.    Also  in 
i  the   Paramount   group,   which  came 
here  for  an  exchange  meeting  and  the 
exhibitor  reception,  were:  Allen  Ush- 
I  er,   "Paramount   Month"   co-captain ; 
William  Erbb,  Eastern  division  man- 
ager ;  Claude  F.  Lee,  director  of  pub- 
lic relations,  and  A.  M.  Kane,  Boston 
district  manager. 

Zukor  addressed  the  exchange  per- 
sonnel and  told  of  the  "excellent  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  company  today." 

Milland  brought  a  message  from  the 
studio,  on  new  pictures,  and  he  praised 
the  studio  administration  of  Henry 
Ginsberg  and  his  organization. 

Lee  discussed  public  relations  and 
plans  for  the  industrywide  celebra- 
tion of  Paramount's  anniversary, 
which  will  get  under  way  late  in  Au- 
gust. Erbb  was  master-of-ceremonies, 
and  Usher  outlined  further  plans  for 
"Paramount  Month".  A  tribute  was 
paid  by  Zukor  to  Tim  Doherty,  ship- 
per at  the  local  exchange,  who  has 
rounded  out  30  years  with  the  com- 
panv,  the  oldest  employe  at  the  ex- 
change. Edward  W.  Ruff.  Boston 
branch  manager,  was  host  at  the  ex- 
hibitor reception  at  the  Copley  Plaza. 

Veteran  Exhibitors 

New  England  exhibitors  who  have 
been  doing  business  with  Paramount 
since  1912  who  were  honored  include 
the  following  :  Fred  Cature,  Al  Somer- 
by.  Frank  Bosketti,  Charles  Kane,  A. 
St.  Leger.  Max  Levenson,  Morris 
Pouzzner,  Mrs.  E.  Means,  Mrs.  Nellie 
Shea,  W.  McPhee,  Charles  Hodgson, 
George  Ramsdell,  O.  Ramsdell, 
George  Hacket,  Joe  Slater,  Robert 
and  Thomas  Walker,  Walter  Young, 
A.  Chadwick,  Lon  Vail,  Captain  Hull, 
Warren  Nichols,  George  Valley,  John 
Kamuda. 

Also :  Sam  Kurson,  O.  W.  Caron, 
Archie  Silverman,  Edward  Reed,  R. 
A.  Stanley,  John  B.  Eames,  Alden 
Peterson,  Dick  Flora,  Jerry  Thayer, 
Harry  LaMere,  Ansel  Sanborn, 
Charles  Ross.  Dan  Murphy,  William 
Yiano,  Phil  Smith. 

Other  theatre  men  attending  were: 
Stanley  Sumner,  Marty  Mullin,  Sam 
Pinanski.  Nathan  Goldstein,  Harry 
Browning. 

Gifts  at  Dinner 

Following  the  reception,  Zukor  and 
Milland  were  honored  at  a  dinner  giv- 
en by  Mullin  and  Pinanski  at  the  Cop- 
ley Plaza  for  the  visiting  Paramount 
officials.  Pinanski,  as  toastmaster, 
presented  Zukor  a  gold  lighter,  in- 
scribed as  a  "One  Third  of  a  Cen- 
tury" memento,  and  two  boxes  of  ci- 
gars. Milland  received  traveling  bags. 
The  dinner  was  attended  by  M.  and 
P.  department  heads,  including  Mari- 
on Coles,  Chester  Stoddard,  Ed  Cud- 
dy, Harry  Browning,  Hy  Fine,  Henry 
Schwartzberg  and  others,  and  branch 
manager  Ed  Ruff  and  members  of  his 
sales  staff. 


Court  Fails  to  Stop 
SOEG  Strike  Plan 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

"The  court  has  no  power  to  prevent 
the  union  from  holding  a  membership 
meeting  or  voting  and  cannot  pre- 
vent members  from  declining  to  pass 
picket  lines."  He  indicated,  however, 
that  collective  action  of  this  sort  could 
be  construed  as  work  stoppage  and 
proceeded  against. 

Leaders  of  the  SOEG,  whose  3,000 
members  constitute  the  biggest  faction 
now  considering  joining  the  20-week  - 
old  strike,  hailed  Wilson's  statements 
as  favorable  and  were  prepared  to 
order  compliance  with  international 
president  L.  P.  Lindelof's  directive 
against  crossing  the  lines.  Whether 
this  might  be  effective  immediately 
was  among  the  matters  to  be  decided 
at  a  meeting  tonight. 

Action  of  the  SOEG,  it  was  be- 
lieved, would  influence  the  Screen 
Publicists  Guild  and  Screen  Story 
Analysts  Guild  memberships,  which 
will  meet  tomorrow  night  on  the 
same  basic  issue  but  without  injunc- 
tion proceedings  against  them. 

RWLB  Voids  IATSE 
Photographers'  Pact 

Hollywood,  July  26. — The  10th  Re- 
gional War  Labor  Board,  San  Fran- 
cisco, yesterday  ordered  reopening  of 
negotiations  between  the  producers 
and  IATSE  Photographers  Local  659 
on  the  ground  that  a  proper  contract 
does  not  exist.  At  the  root  of  the 
trouble,  long  standing,  is  refusal  of  the 
local's  officers  to  initial  a  so-called 
"cover  sheet"  prepared  in  New  York 
last  year.  By  so  doing,  they  claim, 
they  would  have  relinquished  control 
of  the  organization  to  IATSE's  inter- 
national officers. 

Local  659  is  among  the  IATSE 
groups  in  the  studios  dedicated  to  a 
policy  of  local  autonomy.  The  matter 
has  no  bearing  on  the  current  studio 
strike. 


New  Era  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  26. — New  Era 
Enterprises,  Inc.,  has  been  incorpo- 
rated to  conduct  a  business  in  sound 
films  in  New  York.  Directors  are : 
Nathan  Tolk,  Ruth  L.  Lowell,  Ann 
Schuster.  Tolk,  New  York,  was  in- 
corporating attorney. 


linger  and  Lohrenz 
Preside  for  UA 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

Frank  Young ;  Indianapolis :  Elmer 
Donnelly,  Guy  Hancock,  Milt  Krueg- 
er,  Harry  Hays  and  Al  Chew ;  Mil- 
waukee :  R.  M.  Allen,  Moe  Provench- 
er,  William  Young,  Ed  Krofta,  Ken- 
neth Siem  and  John  Bartlett ;  Minne- 
apolis :  R.  S.  Cramblet,  Charles  Wein- 
er,  E.  J.  Stoller,  Claud  Dickinson, 
Frank  Eisenberg,  Casper  Chouinard, 
Ernest  Frace  and  Norwood  Hall ; 
Kansas  City:  W.  E.  Truog,  J.  T. 
Manfre,  G.  I.  Bradford,  Paul  Hannon 
and  Morton  Truog ;  Omaha :  D.  V. 
McLucas,  Paul  Reese,  H.  R.  Barker, 
E.  V.  Rostermundt,  Ted  Mendena- 
hall  and  S.  E.  McArdle ;  St.  Louis : 
B.  J.  McCarthy,  John  Kane,  R.  M. 
Hammond,  Jr.,  W.  V.  Sharpe,  Harold 
Cass  and  Charles  Scheufler. 

The  meeting  will  be  conducted  by 
J.  J.  Unger,  Western  sales  manager, 
and  Rud  Lohrenz,  Midwest  district 
manager. 

Sheehan  Funeral  on 
Coast  Tomorrow 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

Borzage,  Joseph  Scott,  Henry  King, 
B.  G.  DeSylva,  Charles  P.  Skouras 
and  Loyd  Wright. 

The  mass  will  be  celebrated  by 
Rev.  Edward  Whelan,  S.J.,  president 
of  Loyola  University. 


Commenting  on  the  death,  Samuel 
Goldwyn  said :  "Winfield  Sheehan  was 
one  of  the  industry's  most  colorful  fig- 
ures, a  man  of  great  courage,  a  very 
great  friend  and  one  who  has  left  the 
deep  impress  of  his  rich  personality  on 
the  history  of  motion  pictures." 

Hecht  Dies  on  Coast 

Max  L.  Hecht,  brother  of  Harry 
H.  Hecht  of  Passaic,  N.  J.,  died  at 
his  home,  in  Los  Angeles.  He  had 
been  associated  in  the  theatre  busi- 
ness with  Harry  Hecht  and  retired 
because  of  ill  health. 


Federal  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  26.  —  Federal 
Film  Corp.  has  been  incorporated  to 
conduct  a  business  in  motion  pictures 
in  New  York.  Incorporators  are : 
Theodore  Berger,  David  Weiss  and 
Solomon  Widelitz.  Jacob  W.  Fried- 
man was  incorporating  attorney. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  26 

UNIVERSAL  has  exercised  its  op- 
tion on  Yvonne  de  Carlo,  who 
scored  in  "Salome,  Where  She 
Danced."  .  .  .  PRC  has  acquired 
"Rocky  Mountain,"  adventure  story 
by  Robert  A.  Case.  .  .  .  Lucille  Wat- 
son has  been  added  to  the  cast  of 
"Never  Say  Goodbye,"  currently 
shooting  at  Warners. 

Peter  Cookson  has  been  signed  to  a 
new  contract  by  Monogram,  under  the 
terms  of  which  he  will  make  at  least 
two  pictures  annually  during  the  next 
three  years;  he  is  currently  co-star- 
ring with  Warren  William  and  Anne 
Gzvynne  in  "Suspense."  .  .  .  Upon  her 
return  from  a  USO  tour,  Jinx  Falk- 
enburg  will  go  into  Columbia's  "Song 
of  Broadzvay."  .  .  .  Hattie  Mc Daniel 
has  been  signed  for  "Never  Say 
Goodbye"  now  in  work  at  Warners. 
• 

Carole  Ann  Beery,  Wallace 
Beery's  daughter,  will  have  a  speak- 
ing role  in  M-G-M's  "Bad  Bas- 
comb,"  which  S.  Sylvan  Simon  is 
producing.  .  .  .  Estelita  has  been 
signed  by  Republic  to  a  seven-year 
contract,  and  will  make  a  minimum 
of  three  pictures  a  year  for  that 
studio.  .  .  .  14-year-old  Marvin  Da- 
vis has  been  signed  by  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox for  "The  Enchanted  Voy- 
age." 

• 

"The  Iron  Gate,"  psychological 
murder  mystery  by  Margaret  Millar, 
has  been  purchased  by  Warners,  and 
assigned  to  Henry  Blanke  for  produc- 
tion. .  .  .  Scott  R.  Dunlap  will  pro- 
duce future  films  in  Monogram's 
"Cisco  Kid"  series,  the  fourth  of 
which  is  scheduled  for  early  produc- 
tion. .  .  .  "Lonely  Hearts  Club,"  re- 
cently acquired  by  Republic,  has  been 
assigned  to  Don  H.  Brown  for  pro- 
duction. 

• 

Director  Lloyd  Bacon's  next  inde- 
pendent production  will  be  "Barn- 
storming," a  story  based  on  the  life 
of  his  father,  Frank  Bacon. 


Films  Available  for 
'China  Friends  Day' 

Charles  Edison,  chairman  of  the 
National  Committee  for  the  Celebra- 
tion of  'China  Friendship  Day,'  to  be 
observed  in  the  U.  S.  on  Oct.  10,  an- 
nounces that  a  film,  entitled  "Report 
on  China,"  will  be  made  available  for 
showing  in  theatres  in  connection  with 
America's  observance  of  the  34th  an- 
niversary of  the  founding  of  the  Chi- 
nese Republic. 


150%  Increase  in 
U.S.  Taxes  for  Year 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
slightly  below  the  monthly  average, 
with  receipts  of  $28,157,974  reported, 
compared  with  $31,923,365  for  May. 
The  bureau  pointed  out,  however, 
that  May  business,  on  which  the  June 
collections  were  based,  like  that  of 
the  previous  month,  was  better  than 
in  the  corresponding  months  last  year, 
the  only  two  in  which  the  present 
rates  were  effective.  June,  1944,  re- 
ceipts were  $26,240,195. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  July  27,  1945 


Nine  Films  Score  Heavily 
In  14  Key  Cities  for  Week 


Rank  Solidifies  His! 
Operations  in  U.  S., 
Auten  to  Head  Al] 


U.  S.  Alarmed 

Over  Stiff 
French  Quota 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

purpose  of  encouraging  the  domestic 
film  industry,  would  provide  that  55 
per  cent  of  French  exhibitors'  screen 
time  be  devoted  to  domestic  pictures. 

As  a  compromise,  the  American 
companies,  permitted  to  send  188 
dubbed  films  a  year  into  France  under 
the  trade  agreement,  have  suggested 
that  for  one  year  they  cut  the  num- 
ber to  108,  which  would  average  about 
12  pictures  a  company,  which  is  con- 
sidered the  economical  minimum.  The 
French  order,  it  is  believed,  would 
cut  the  number  to  less  than  100. 

The  Department  is  understood  to 
have  instructed  its  representative  in 
France  to  "leave  no  stone  unturned" 
in  the  effort  to  insure  that  the  De- 
Gaulle  government  live  up  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  trade  agreement,  and  the 
embassy  is  working  very  closely  with 
the  industry  to  bring  this  about. 

England,  Russia  Complain 

While  the  ostensible  reason  for  the 
restriction  on  American  pictures  is  the 
protection  of  the  French  industry,  it 
is  understood  that  the  real  basis  of 
the  order  has  been  complaints  from 
England  and  Russia  that  they  could 
not  get  screen  time  for  their  films 
because  of  the  large  American  quota. 

While  the  order  may  provide  either 
for  a  55  per  cent  screen-time  reserva- 
tion or  a  cut  in  imports  of  American 
pictures,  the  French  government 
would  vastly  prefer  the  former,  since 
then  it  could  leave  America,  Britain 
and  Russia  to  scramble  for  the  re- 
maining 45  per  cent,  whereas,  if  the 
American  quota  is  cut,  it  probably 
would  be  necessary  to  set  up  fixed  vol- 
umes for  English  and  Soviet  pictures 
and  might  develop  some  friction  in 
so  doing. 

Industrial  Changes 
Name  and  Expands 

Industrial  Films,  organized  a  year 
ago  by  Stephen  Bosustow,  David  Hil- 
berman  and  Zachary  Schwartz  to 
produce  animated  films,  announces  that 
the  company's  name  has  been  changed 
to  United  Film  Production,  and  that 
the  organization  has  added  facilities 
to  accommodate  'live-action'  films  in 
addition  to  cartoons,  and  is  preparing 
to  enter  the  commercial  field  while 
continuing  in  non-theatrical  produc- 
tion. 

Personnel  additions  include  Robert 
Cannon,  Ade  Woolery,  Mary  Cain, 
Ed  Gershamm  and  Ben  Lowell. 


Arthur  Reports  on  7th 

St.  Louis,  July  26. — Harry  C.  Ar- 
thur, Jr.,  chairman  of  the  Eastern  Mis- 
souri War  Activities  Committee,  an- 
nounced today  the  final  results  of  the 
Seventh  War  Loan  drive  in  the  Fan- 
chon  and  Marco-St.  Louis  Amuse- 
ment circuit.  They  doubled  the  total 
number  of  bonds  sold  in  the  Sixth, 
40,911  individual  bonds  having  been 
sold  in  the  Seventh  compared  to  22,- 
715 -in  the  Sixth,  with  a  maturity 
value  of  $6,239,475  in  the  Seventh, 
compared  to  $2,302,125,  an  increase  of 
almost  three  times  in  value. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  a  Romance,"  "The  Corn  Is  Green" 
and  "Nob  Hill"  led  in  reports  from 
circuit  executives  on  films  bringing 
the  best  receipts  for  the  week  in  all 
engagements.  Others  cited  were 
"Those  Endearing  Young  Charms," 
"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  and 
the  Universal  double-bill  reissue  of 
"Imitation  of  Life"  and  "East  Side  of 
Heaven." 

In  the  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  correspondents,  "The 
Valley  of  Decision"  brought  a  big 
$122,500  in  seven  theatres  in  seven 
cities  with  holdovers  predominating, 
where  par  is  $110,100.  It  was  out- 
standing in  an  initial  week  in  Pitts- 
burgh ;  big  in  an  initial  week  in  Indi- 
anapolis. It  was  still  strong  in  a  fifth 
week  in  Philadelphia  and  in  third 
weeks  in  Cleveland  and  St.  Louis.  Re- 
ceipts for  a  second  week  in  Baltimore 
and  for  a  moveover  in  San  Francisco 
were  sturdy. 

"Those  Endearing  Young  Charms" 
was  big  in  initial  weeks  in  two  Los 
Angeles  theatres  and  in  Buffalo  as  a 
dual.  It  drew  well  in  a  third  week  in 
Chicago  as  a  dual  with  "Call  of  the 
Wild."  "Back  to  Bataan"  scored 
well  in  initial  weeks  in  three  Los  An- 
geles theatres  as  a  dual.  It  was  heavy 
in  an  initial  week  in  San  Francisco 
with  a  stage  show,  and  in  Cleveland. 
Third  week  receipts  as  a  moveover  in 
Cincinnati  were  still  good. 

"Conflict"  registered  strong  initial 
weeks  in  Baltimore,  Kansas  City,  Chi- 
cago and  Buffalo.  It  was  still  profit- 
able in  a  fourth  week  as  a  moveover  in 
Pittsburgh  ;  in  a  third  week  in  Cleve- 
land; and  as  a  moveover  in  Indianapo- 

Trend  Toward  Air 
Reconversion  Seen 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
which  radio  manufacturers  who  have 
experienced  heavy  cutbacks  in  mili- 
tary contracts  may  resume  civilian 
production  on  a  'spot'  basis,  are  not 
expected  to  qualify  many  manufac- 
turers for  at  least  60  to  90  days.  After 
that  time  the  'spot'  plan  may  be  dis- 
carded in  favor  of  revocation  of  the 
WPB  limitation  order  barring  civilian 
radio  production,  RMA  reports. 

War  orders  for  radio  and  electronic 
equipment  for  the  third  quarter,  be- 
ginning July  1,.  are  expected  to  run 
only  about  $12,000,000  a  month  under 
early  1945  requirements  for  a  two- 
front  war,  according  to  information 
given  RMA.  However,  the  outlook  for 
Fall  and  Winter  is  still  uncertain  due 
to  changing  military  requirements,  but 
there  is  general  agreement  that  the 
radio  industry  will  get  into  civilian 
production  quickly  once  given  the 
'green  light'  and  enough  components 
to  fill  war  orders  and  make  home  sets 
as  well. 


Turner  Shelton  Returns 

Turner  Shelton,  assistant  to  J.  Ed- 
ward Shugrue,  director  of  the  U.  S. 
Treasury's  motion  picture  and  special 
events  section,  has  returned  to  Wash- 
ington, after  a  two-week  trip  to  Paris, 
made  in  connection  with  a  special 
war  bond  exhibit  which  opened  in 
Paris  a  few  weeks  ago,  a  prominent 
feature  of  which  is  a  motion  picture 
bond  program. 


lis.  "Where  Do  We  Go  From  Here?" 
brought  best  receipts  in  an  initial  week 
as  a  dual  in  Omaha.  It  continued 
good  in  moveovers  in  San  Francisco 
and  St.  Louis. 

"Nob  Hill"  was  a  leader  in  an  ini- 
tial week  in  Cincinnati  and  it  con- 
tinued strong  as  a  dual  in  second 
weeks  in  three  Los  Angeles  theatres. 
It  was  good  in  a  second  week  as  a 
moveover  in  Omaha,  as  a  dual,  and  in 
a  third  week  in  Baltimore.  "Along 
Came  Jones"  continued  big  in  a  sec- 
ond week  with  a  stage  show  in  Balti- 
more, and  in  a  third  week  as  a  dual  in 
Kansas  City.  Sturdy  receipts  were 
recorded  for  a  moveover  in  Cincinnati. 

"Thrill  of  a  Romance"  was  a  lead- 
in  in  an  initial  week  in  Cleveland.  It 
continued  big  in  third  weeks  in  three 
Los  Angeles  theatres ;  was  strong  in 
Cincinnati  and  in  a  fourth  week  in 
Philadelphia.  "The  Corn  Is  Green" 
drew  well  in  initial  weeks  in  San 
Francisco  and  St.  Louis  as  a  dual. 
It  brought  profitable  grosses  in  sec- 
ond and  third  weeks  in  three  Los  An- 
geles theatres,  and  in  Buffalo,  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago  and  Cleveland. 

"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights"  was 
big  in  an  initial  week  in  Cincinnati, 
and  continued  strong  in  a  second  week 
in  Buffalo.  "A  Bell  for  Adano"  was 
outstanding  in  an  initial  week  in  San 
Francisco  as  a  dual.  "Dillinger"  con- 
tinued strong  in  second  weeks  in  two 
Los  Angeles  theatres,  bringing  over 
$26,000.  "Junior  Miss"  was  good  in 
an  initial  week  in  Pittsburgh.  "Won- 
der Man"  continued  strong  in  a  fifth 
week  in  Chicago.  "On  Stage  Every- 
body" opened  moderately  in  St.  Louis. 

Army  Asks  for  Spot 
Newsreels  for  'GIs' 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

now  see  the  same  newsreels  as  shown 
in  the  American  theatres,  and  almost 
as  quickly,  since  it  is  understood  that 
the  prints  will  be  flown  to  Army 
Overseas  Motion  Picture  exchanges 
from  New  York. 

ETO  theatres  are  to  receive  20 
newsreel  prints  weekly,  10  each  of  the 
bi-weekly  issues,  with  the  five  news- 
reel  companies  supplying  their  reels 
on  a  rotating  basis,  Paramount  News 
going  one  week,  News  of  the  Day,  the 
next,  and  20th-Movietone,  Pathe  and 
Universal  following  in  turn. 

Companies  will  receive  Army 
credits  for  the  raw  stock  used  so  that 
stock  for-  the  prints  made  available 
will  in  no  way  cut  into  domestic  oper- 
ations of  the  companies. 

Settle  Hillside  Case 
Against  8  Companies 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
not  reach  court.    Originally  Hillside 
asked  $900,000  dam?ges. 

Plaintiff  was  represented  by  Hays, 
Podell  and  Shulman  with  Sergei  Zlin- 
kofif  of  that  office  handling  the  nego- 
tiations for  settlement,  which  had  been 
going  on  for  several  weeks. 


Classics-Lawence  Deal 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  26.  —  I.  E. 
Goldhammer,  vice-president  of  Film 
Classics,  has  concluded  a  product  deal 
with  Joe  Lawrence  Theatres. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

1928,  is  now  here  from  New  York,  for 
conferences  with  Rank  and  his  asso-J 
ciates,  and  also  to  secure  his  release  j 
trom  the  Royal  Navy,  for  which  he  , 
has   been   a   representative   in  New 
York  since  the  war  started.  Sul?*"V 
quently,  Auten  was  American  rej, 
sentative    for    British  Instructional 
Films  and  for  BIP,  Ltd.,  and  for  a' 
while  was  European  representative  for,, 
RKO  Pathe,  returning  later  to  Newl 
York  to  represent  several  British  and*: 
European  producers.     Since  1933  he ! 
has  also  been  general  representative ]j 
here  of  Greater  Union  Theatres  of' 
Sydney,  Australia. 

Deal  With  Selznick 

Meanwhile  Rank  disclosed  that  therej 
has  been  effected  a  tentative  agree- 
ment with  David  O.  Selznick  to  joint-  ; 
ly  make  at  least  one  production  in 
London  in  1946,  that  late  date  having! 
been  arrived  at  because  of  a  lack  of 
British  studio  space.    This  production  i 
is  expected  to  be  distributed  through 
Rank's   contemplated   American  dis- 
tribution company.    (There  have  been 
reports  in  New  York  that  Rank  and 
Selznick  talked  over  a  term  releasing  ! 
arrangement  while  Rank  was  on  his 
recent  visit  in  the  U.  S.). 

Rank  admitted  that  he  had  also 
talked  with  Frank  Capra,  and  many  | 
other  American  distributors  when  he  j 
was  in  Hollywood,  with  a  view  to 
building  up  sources  of  Hollywood 
product  to  be  distributed  by  the  new 
company  along  with  his  British  re- 
leases ;  it  is  said  here  that  a  Capra 
deal  is  likely. 


Rank's  Canadian 
Setup  Completed 

Toronto,  July  26. — The  organiza-j 
tion  of  the  new   Canadian  distribu- 
tion set-up  announced  jointly  by  J. 
Arthur  Rank  and  his  Canadian  part-  • 
ner,    Paul    L.    Nathanson,  during 
Rank's  stay  in  Canada,  last  month, 
has  been  completed  and  the  company 
will  emerge  as  a  trade  factor  across  i 
the  Dominion  commencing  with  the; 
1945-46  season. 

Nathanson  confirms  the  formation; 
of  Eagle-Lion  Films  of  Canada,  Ltd., 
with  head  offices  in  Toronto,  and  the' 
appointment  of  Archie  J.  Laurie  as 
general  manager.  Laurie  is  scheduled 
to  move  to  the  new  set-up  on  August 
1  from  his  present  post  as  Republic's 
sales  manager  in  Canada. 

Monogram  Position 

Simultaneously  the  appointment  of 
Laurie  as  general  manager  of  Mono- : 
gram  Pictures  of  Canada,  Ltd.,  was 
announced.    Unconfirmed  reports  that 
Rank  had  bought  into  Monogram  of1 
Canada   were   heard    earlier    in    the ' 
week.       The     Monogram  branches 
across  Canada  will  operate  in  con- 
junction with  the  new  organization, 
but  separate  corporate  identities  will 
be  maintained.    Eagle-Lion  will  offer 
20  or  more  pictures  from  the  com- - 
bined  Rank  studios  in  Britain  and  a 
series  from  French  Gaumont,  for  the 
Quebec  territory.     Monogram  prod- 
uct will  be  distributed  as  usual. 

The    set-up    here    of  Eagle-Lion 
Films  of  Canada,  is  a  distinctively 
Canadian  operation,  it  was  said.  Fur-  1 
ther  executive  appointments  are  also 
scheduled  to  take  effect  in  August. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


\  i  -Tv  58.  NO.  20 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  MONDAY,  JULY  30,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


U.S.  Films  Help 
To  De-Nazify 
War  Prisoners 


Army  Has  Been  Secretly 
Re-educating  in  U.  S. 

Washington,  July  29. — Motion 
pictures  are  playing  an  important 
part  in  the  re-education  of  German 
prisoners-of-war  in  camps  in  this 
country  as  part  of  a  general  pro- 
gram which  the  Army  is  conduct- 
ing, it  was  learned  here  yesterday. 
Started  even  before  the  end 
of  the  war  in  Europe,  but  kept 
secret  so  that  the  Nazi  govern- 
ment would  not  learn  of  it  and 
take  retaliatory  steps,  the  War 
Department  publishes  a  daily  pa- 
per and  German  translations  of 
American  books  which  had  been 
barred  by  the  Nazis,  with  the 
assistance  of  carefully-selected 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


Large  SOEG 
Minority  Out 

Hollywood,  July  29.— About  40  per 
cent  of  the  Screen  Office  Employees 
'  Guild's  3,000  members,  according  to 
an  SOEG  count  (30  per  cent  accord- 
ing to  the  producers)  failed  to  report 

jU  for  work  Friday  after  a  vote  at  a 
stormy  meeting  the  night  before  had 
gone  891-666  against  obeying  Interna- 
tional president  L.  P.  Lindelof's  order 

'  ,  to  observe   the   picket  lines   in  the 

'ji,  studio  strike. 

.^jj    The  members  had  faced  a  dilemma, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Nelson  Is  Eastbound 
After  IMPPA  Meet 

Hollywood,  July  29. — Donald  Nel- 
|  son  will  fly  to  Washington  tomorrow 
<  on  his  first  trip  in  the  interest  of  the 
j  Society  of  Independent  Motion  Pic- 
J  ture  Producers  since  assuming  its 
-  presidency.  He  will  continue  subse- 
quently to  New  York. 

Guest  of  honor  Thursday  night  at  a 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Captain  Kidd" 
appears  on  page  4;  "Man 
From  Oklahoma,"  "W  a  1 1  z 
Time,"  page  6. 


Unger  Points  Up  17 
Fall-Winter  Films 

Chicago,  July  29. —  J.  J. 
Unger,  United  Artists  West- 
ern sales  manager,  and  Rud 
Lohrenz,  M  i  dw  e  s  t  district 
manager,  stressed  the  17  pic- 
tures for  release  between 
early  Fall  and  February  of 
next  year  at  the  conclusion  of 
a  three-day  meeting  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel  here  today. 


$100,000  Drive  to 
Honor  4UA's  Sears 


Independent  producers  releasing 
through  United  Artists,  as  well  as 
United  Artists,  Inc.,  as  a  tribute  to 
the  return  to  active  duty  of  Gradwell 
L.  Sears,  vice- 
president  in 
charge  of  dis- 
tribution, have 
c  o  n  t  r  i  b  - 
uted  $100,000 
to  be  used  for 
cash  prizes  in  a 
sales  contest  to 
be  called  the 
'Grad  Sears 
Drive.' 

The  contest 
will  get  under- 
way on  Aug.  4 
and  run  for  an 
18-week  period, 
ending  Dec.  1, 
1945.  UA,  here,  said  that  the  drive 
offers  the  greatest  amount  in  prize 
money  for  any  sales  contest  ever  of- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Gradwell  L.  Sears 


A  nglo-French 
Pact  Hinted 


Foreign  distribution  heads  of  the 
American  film  companies  believe  that 
the  British  and  French  governments 
have  recently  concluded  a  reciprocal 
trade  agreement  which  includes  mo- 
tion pictures  and  provides  for  British 
distributors  to  take  out  their  accumu- 
lated revenues  earned  in  France  while 
the  U.  S.  companies  find  their  funds 
frozen,  Motion  Picture  Daily  has 
learned.  J.  Arthur  Rank  is  understood 
to  have  had  a  hand  in  the  negotiations. 

The  existence  of  such  an  agreement 
has  entered  into  most  of  the  discus 
sions  of  the  foreign  distribution  heads 
who  are  seeking  a  way  to  re-enter  the 
French  market  and  is  understood  to 
have  helped  prompt  the  State  Depart 
ment  to  go  'full-steam'  ahead  in  its 
efforts  to  aid  the  U.  S.  industry  in 
foreign  markets. 


Few  Takers  for  U.  S. 
Surplus  Equipment 

Washington,  July  29. — The  Re- 
construction Finance  Corp.  has  cam- 
eras and  parts,  other  than  lenses, 
which  cost  the  Government  more  than 
$90,000,  for  sale  as  surplus,  but  so 
far  has  made  few  sales,  it  is  revealed 
here  in  a  report  on  operations  up  to 
June  30.  The  RFC  had  better  luck 
with  $12,937  worth  of  developing, 
printing  and  dark  room  apparatus  and 
accessories,  of  which  $9,335  worth  has 
been  sold  for  $6,009. 

Nearly  $1,000,000  worth  of  radio 
broadcasting  transmitting  apparatus 
is  available  for  purchase  as  surplus, 
the  report  showed. 


Reconversion  Brings  New 
And  Remodeled  Theatres 


Along  with  the  reconversion  of  gen- 
eral industry  that  has  been  in  prog- 
ress since  'V-E  Day,'  a  sharp  increase 
has  been  noted  in  building  of  new 
theatres  and  remodeling  of  old  ones 
throughout  the  country,  while  defi- 
nite plans  for  even  greater  activity 
along  these  lines  await  only  approval 
from  the  War  Production  Board. 

Changes  in  ownership  are  also  tak- 
ing place  at  accelerated  tempo,  with 
a  number  of  circuits  expanding  their 
holdings  or  new  owners  entering  ex- 
hibition. 

Some  of  these  developments  are  re- 
corded in  the  following  reports  from 
Motion  Picture  Daily  field  corre- 
spondents. 

St.  Louis,  July  29. — Fanchon  and 
(.Continued  on  page  8) 


WPB  to  Encourage 
Theatre  Building 

New  Orleans,  July  29. — Jack 
Corgan,  Dallas  theatre  archi- 
tect, said  here  that  War  Pro- 
duction Board  officials  in  Dal- 
las have  informed  him  their 
policy  will  be  to  foster  the- 
atre construction  as  a  means 
of  absorbing  labor  from  cut- 
back war  plants. 

He  came  to  New  Orleans 
with  plans  for  rebuilding  two 
of  Mrs.  Henry  Lazarus'  the- 
atres here,  the  Coliseum  and 
Crown. 


US  Aid  Abroad 
For  Our  Films 
Urgent:  Daff 

Found  Growing  Burdens 
During  7-Country  Tour 

The  time  has  come  for  the  Gov- 
ernment, through  the  State  Depart- 
ment or  some  other  appropriate 
agency,  to  deal  vigorously  with  the 
problems  con- 
fronting Ameri- 
can film  compa- 
nies in  their  ef- 
forts to  re-enter 
foreign  fi  1  m 
markets,  or 
handicaps  will 
develop  which 
will  not  be 
overcome,  de- 
spite the  ac- 
knowledged su- 
periority of  and 
public  demand 
for  American 
product,  Al 
Daff,  vice- 
president  of  Universal  International, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Al  Daff 


Eases  Control 
On  Equipment 


Washington,  July  29. — The  For- 
eign Economic  Administration  on 
Friday  took  further  steps  to  ease  con- 
trols on  export  of  American  products 
to  foreign  countries. 

A  total  of  151  commodities  were 
removed  from  the  individual  license 
procedure  and  placed  under  general 
license,  including  35mm  projectors, 
recording  and  reproducing  sound  sys- 
tems and  microphone  'booms'  for  stu- 
dios. 

Under  the  revised  regulations,  it 
will  be  possible  to  ship  these  items  to 
'K'  and  M'  destinations. 


Levy  on  Post-war 
Plans  for  Disney 

William  B.  Levy,  distribution  ex- 
ecutive of  Walt  Disney  Productions, 
left  at  the  weekend  for  England  by 
Pan  American  Clipper,  to  remain 
overseas  for  two  months  during  which 
he  will  visit  Disney  offices  in  London 
and  Paris  for  conferences  with  the 
company's  European  representatives 
and  lay  plans  for  post-war  distribu- 
tion of  Disney  product. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  July  30,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


J J.  UNGER,  United  Artists  West- 
•   ern    sales    manager,    left  New 
York  for  Los  Angeles  yesterday. . 
• 

Ruth  Ann  Koegel,  daughter^ol 
Otto  E.  Koegel,  of  the  law  firm  of 
Dwight,  Harris,  Koegel  and  Caskey, 
counsel  for  20th-Fox,  was  married  to 
Lt.  John  B.  Macreery  last  Thurs- 
day at  the  Koegel  home  at  Kaywood 
Farm. 

• 

Lt.  Stanley  A.  B.  Cooper,  USNR, 
owner  of  the  Lark  and  Sourwine 
Theatres,  Brazil,  Ind.,  who  returned 
recently  from  duty  in  the  Pacific,  has 
been  released  from  active  duty  and 
resumed  management  of  the  houses. 
• 

Sonny  Tufts  is  back  in  Hollywood 
after  completing  a  tour  in  behalf  of 
Paramount's  "Third  of  a  Century" 
celebration.  He  expects  full  recovery 
within  a  few  weeks  from  the  injury 
he  suffered  in  Atlanta. 

• 

Jack  Keegan,  buyer  and  booker  for 
United  Detroit  Theatres,  associated 
with  Paramount,  will  return  to  De- 
troit today,  following  a  New  York 
visit. 

Pfc.  Anthony  DiLorenzo,  for- 
merly of  the  Daly  circuit,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  is  home  from  Europe  on  a  30- 
day  furlough  before  leaving  for  the 
Pacific. 

William  Hollander,  advertising- 
publicity  director  for  B.  and  K.  Thea- 
tres, Chicago,  is  a  New  York  visitor, 
planning  to  return  to  Chicago  early 
this  week. 

Mabel  Drew  of  20th  Century-Fox's 
radio  department,  left  here  Friday  for 
a  two-week  vacation  in  Northern  Wis- 


Howard  Smith,  Broadway  actor, 
will  leave  here  for  the  Coast  at  mid- 
week to  fulfill  a  screen  commitment 
with  Warners. 

Dane  Clark,  Warner  star,  will 
leave  New  York  Wednesday  for  the 
Coast  following  six  weeks  of  appear- 
ances at  the  Strand. 

• 

Ray    Milland,    Paramount  star, 
left  here  Friday  by  Pan  American 
Clipper  for  England.    He  is  sched- 
uled to  return  in  about  three  weeks. 
• 

Rube  Jackter,  Columbia  assistant 
general  sales  manager,  returned  here 
from  Albany  Friday  and  went  to  Phil- 
adelphia for  the  weekend. 

• 

Allen  Wilson,  Republic  vice-presi- 
dent, entrained  at  Hollywood  Satur- 
day for  New  York. 

• 

Jack  L.  Warner  and  Charles 
Einfeld  are  due  in  Hollywood  from 
New  York  today. 

• 

Kay  Francis,  Monogram  actress, 
left  Hollywood  Friday  for  New  York. 


Tradewise  .  .  . 


By  8HERWIN  KANE 


\XT  IDESPREAD  optimism 
*  *  prevails  in  downtown 
^financial  circles  over  this  indus- 
try's postwar  business  prospects. 
Almost  without  exception  the 
-view  of  financial  authorities, 
many  of  them  specialists  in  mo- 
tion picture  financing,  is  that  the 
industry  is  destined  to  enjoy  ten 
years  of  probable  prosperity  and 
certain  profitable  operation  fol- 
lowing the  end  of  the  war. 

These  views,  naturally,  do  not 
concern  themselves'  with  the 
public  reception  with  which  any 
particular  productions  or  type  of 
productions  may : meet.  They  are 
concerned-  solely  with  the  reas- 
onable expectancy  for  both  do- 
mestic arid,  foreign  theatre  at- 
tendance, together  with  theas- 
sumption  that :  Hollywood  will 
gauge  .as  accurately  and  meet  as 
satisfyingly  the  entertainment 
requirements  of  the  public  in  the 
years  following  the  .war  as  it  has 
to  date.  - 

The  forecast  of  healthy  eco- 
nomic condition:-:  is  limited  to  a 
period  of  It)  years  after'  the  war 
only  because  that  wouldj  seem  to 
be  the  length  of  time  for  which 
a  prediction  may  be  made  now 
with  any  degree  jA  confidence. 
There  is  no  basis  on  which  a 
forecast  might  be  made  beyond 
that  period,  financial  sources 
say. 

Evidence  of  the  confidence 
which  banking  circles  have  in 
the  industry's  postwar  future  is 
being  demonstrated  convincingly 
from  month  to  month  in  the 
number  and  type  of  new  finan- 
cial arrangements  concluded 
with  film  companies. 

Not  many  years  ago,  virtually 
all  company  bank  loans  were 
short  term  arrangements,  the 
bulk  of  them  for  two-year  pe- 
riods. Today,  the  rule  rather 
than  the  exception,  is  a  loan  for 
eight  to  ten  years. 

One  large  refinancing  ar- 
rangement completed  recently  by 
one  of  the  major  companies  was 
for  a  period  of  10  years,  repay- 
able at  the  rate  of  $1,700,000  an- 
nually out  of  earnings.  This,  a 
financial  source  observed,  shows 
that  the  banks  involved  in  the 
loan  are  confident  that  the  com- 
pany's earnings  will  be  strong 
for  the  next  ten  years. 

Similar  evidence  of  banking 
confidence  in  the  industry's  post- 
war future  is  supplied  with  in- 
creasing frequency  from  month 
to  month.  Referring  to  another 
major  company,  a  financial 
source  observed  recently  that  it 


would  experience  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  obtaining  anything 
up  to  $50,000,000  from  banks. 
That  company's  current  indebt- 
edness is  down  to  $10,000,000. 
• 

Asked  whether  banks  are  con- 
sidering the  possibility  of  a  gov- 
ernment court  victory  on  the  is- 
sue of  affiliated  theatre  divorce- 
ment in  making  long  term  loans, 
one  financial  figure  familiar 
with  the  industry  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  but  added  that 
even  if  divorcement  should  be 
ordered  by  the  court  there  is  no 
reason  to  believe  that  it  could 
be  accomplished  in  less  than 
five  years  at  the  least.  He  point- 
ed out  that  financial  circles  be- 
lieve the  initial  trial  will  be  a 
lengthy  one ;  that  an  appeal  to 
the  Supreme  Court  is  certain 
and  that,  should  divorcement  ul- 
timately be  ordered,  a  reasonable 
period  of  years  would  be  allowed 
the  companies  in  which  to  effect 
the  divestiture. 

It  was  stated,  however,  that 
clauses  covering  the  eventuality 
of  theatre  divorcement  are  being 
included  in  most  new  financing 
arrangements  with  companies 
which  would  be  affected  by  di- 
vorcement. The  clauses,  it  was 
said,  provide  for  the  loan  be- 
coming the  responsibility  of 
whatever  parent  company 
emerges  following  the  divorce- 
ment, and  where  theatre  proper- 
ties have  been  posted  as  col- 
lateral for  loans,  provision  is 
made  for  continuance  of  the 
bank's  lien  pending  repayment 
of  any  outstanding  loan. 

Banking  men  give  the  very 
definite  impression,  however, 
that  with  the  type  of  financing 
being  done  today,  for  large 
amounts  and  for  fairly  long 
terms,  the  possibility  of  divorce- 
ment is  not  a  handicap  or  de- 
terrent. 

Stories  going  the  rounds 
about  J.  Arthur  Rank's  ex- 
pressed interest  in  acquiring  the 
Center  Theatre  from  Rockefeller 
Center  for  his  Broadway  show- 
case cannot  be  confirmed,  but 
are  interesting,  nevertheless. 
The  stories  have  it  that  Rank 
consulted  with  officials  of  the 
Center  during  his  recent  New 
York  visit  and  that  the  latter 
spent  a  lengthy  session  pointing 
out  such  deal-cooling  facts  as 
may  be  found  in  the  Center's 
past  experiences  as  a  film  thea- 
tre; its  proximity  to  Music  Hall 
competition ;  doubts  as  to  the 
lasting  satisfaction  of  the  pros- 


Coming 
Events 


Aug.  3-5  —  Producers  Releasing 
Corp.  sales  meeting,  Blackstone 
Hotel,  Chicago. 

Aug.  6  —  American  Federation  of 
Labor  executive  council  meet- 
ing, Chicago. 

Aug.  6-8 —  RKO  Eastern  _<Y?'es 
meeting,  Waldorf-Astoria  7  Nel, 
New  York.  ~nU' 

Aug.  10-12 — RKO  sales  meeting, 
Netherland  Plaza  Hotel,  Cincin- 
nati. 

Aug.  14-16  —  RKO  sales  meeting, 
Blackstone  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Aug.  15 — Distributors-WPB  meet- 
ing in  Washington  on  raw  stock 
quotas. 

Aug.  20-22  —  RKO  sales  meeting, 
Ambassador,  Los  Angeles. 

Aug.  21-23 — Allied  board  meeting 
and  meeting  of  Conference  of  In- 
dependent Exhibitors,  William 
Penn  Hotel,  Pittsburgh. 

Aug.  23 — Walt  Disney  corporate 
meeting  on  stock  transfers,  Hol- 
lywood. 


172  From  Loew's  Return 

Honorary  discharge  emblems  have 
been  placed  on  Loew-MGM-WHN's 
honor  roll  opposite  the  names  of 
the  172  men  and  women  who  have 
been  discharged  with  honor  from  the 
Armed  Services. 

The  500-pound  scroll,  which  has 
been  in  the  lobby  of  Loew's  State 
Building,  here,  since  the  war  started, 
bears  the  names  of  2,823  Loew- 
MGM-WHN  employees  now  in  serv- 
ice. Twenty-one  have  Gold  Stars 
opposite  their  names. 


pective  tenant  in  view  of  the 
necessity  for  a  minimum  10-year 
lease  at  high  rental  and  other 
"dissuaders." 

Rockefeller  Center  officials  de- 
cline to  comment  on  the  report. 

In  London,  Rank  said  he  still 
is  interested  in  obtaining  a 
Broadway  showcase  but  that  he 
did  not  plan  to  do  so  until  the 
raw  stock  supply  here  is  im- 
proved. 

•  • 

The  expectation  in  Washing- 
ton is  that  Eric  Johnston  may 
give  his  answer  to  MPPDA  this 
week.  If  he  says  "yes"  to  the 
MPPDA  presidency,  it  is  ex- 
pected that  he  will  establish 
headquarters  in  Washington, 
concern  himself  largely  with  in- 
dustry representation  there  and, 
early  in  his  tenure,  will  embark 
on  a  project  designed  to  make 
industry  and  the  public  conscious 
of  the  economic  importance  of 
motion  pictures  in  domestic  and 
foreign  commerce.  The  latter 
project,  it  is  said,  is  of  wide- 
spread interest  to  Washington 
and  meets  with  the  approval  of 
many  government  agencies  and 
officials. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quielsr 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor ;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subecription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


*     antU  picture 

fuii  of  &«* 


Produced  and  Directed  by  GUSTAV  MACHATV 

Screen  Play  by  ARNOLD  PHILLIPS  and  GUSTAV  MACHATV 
Based  on  an  original  idea  by  DALTON  THUMB!  > 


Starring 

JOHN  LODER 
JME  RANDOLPH 


MM  MORLEY 
NILS  ASTHER 


■C    Mz    1*  U 


W    I    C    T    II    R  I: 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  July  30,  1945 


Review 


"Captain  Kidd" 

(United  Artists-Benedict  Bogeaus) 

THE  lusty  saga  of  the  final  voyage  of  Capt.  William  Kidd,  wily,  cut-throat 
pirate,  who  even  succeeded  in  temporarily  outwitting  the  King  of  England 
with  his  machinations  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  Century,  has  been  woven 
into  an  exciting  and  entertaining  adventure  film  of  the  sea  by  Benedict  Bogeaus 
in  "Captain  Kidd".  Featuring  Charles  Laughton  in  the  title  role, — in  a  por- 
trayal which  will  recall  for  many  patrons,  his  memorable  Capt.  Bligh  in 
"Mutiny  on  the  Bounty" — as  well  as  Randolph  Scott  and  Barbara  Britton, 
this  is  a  film  which  possesses  appeal  for  the  family  trade  and  it  should  score 
well  at  the  box  office. 

Romance  and  adventure  are  combined  with  the  raw  drama  of  Capt.  Kidd's 
conniving  to  secure  a  coveted  title  and  take  up  the  respectable  life  of  a  country 
squire  after  his  nefarious  piracies  at  sea.  Directed  by  Rowland  V.  Lee,  from 
an  original  by  Robert  N.  Lee,  and  a  screenplay  by  Norman  Reilly  Raine,  most 
of  the  action  centers  around  Capt.  Kidd's  cunning  plot  to  plunder  a  ship  laden 
with  treasure  off  Madagascar,  bound  from  India  to  England,  while  feigning 
to  protect  her  from  pirates  under  the  banner  of  the  Royal  Navy.  The  scheme 
also  involves  the  disposition  of  the  remaining  members  of  his  former  band  of 
cut-throats  so  that  he  can  achieve  sole  possession  of  the  wealthy  booty  accumu- 
lated over  a  period  of  years  of  piracy  on  the  high  seas. 

The  scheme  goes  well  until  Scott,  son  of  Capt.  Kidd's  last  victim,  enters 
the  picture.  Bent  upon  clearing  his  father's  name,  Scott  outwits  Capt.  Kidd 
and  brings  him  to  justice.  The  romance  is  between  Scott  and  Miss  Britton, 
daughter  of  the  King's  Ambassador  to  India  who  falls  into  Capt.  Kidd's  hands. 

Others  in  the  cast  include  John  Carradine,  Reginald  Owen,  John  Qualen, 
William  Farnum,  Gilbert  Roland,  Sheldon  Leonard  and  Abner  Biberman. 

Bogeaus  has  surrounded  the  story  with  a  satisfactory  production  and  Lee's 
direction  maintains  action  and  suspense  while  highlighting  Laughton's  portrayal 
of  the  sinister  Capt.  Kidd.  Exhibitors  should  find  many  interesting  angles  in 
this  production  with  which  to  bring  in  the  customers. 

Running  time,  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  24. 

Milton  Livingston 


$100,000  Drive  to 
Honor  4UA's  Sears 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
fered  by  any  company  in  the  indus- 
try. Of  the  total,  approximately  65 
per  cent  will  be  awarded  managers 
as  well  as  salesmen  and  bookers  for 
sales  performances  on  individual  pro- 
ducer's product.  The  other  35  per 
cent  will  be  distributed  to  the  sales 
staff  for  the  best  over-all  performance 
on  all  UA  product.  Final  details  are 
being  worked  out  by  Carl  Lesermaiy 
general  sales  manager,  on  the  Coast. 

Films  Listed 

The  top  share  of  the  prize  money 
will  go  for  sales  efforts  on  the  fol- 
lowing individual  producer's  product: 
David  O.  Selznick's  "Since  You 
Went  Away,"  "I'll  Be  Seeing  You" 
and  the  soon  to  be  released  "Spell- 
bound";  Hunt  Stromberg's  "Guest  in 
the  House" ;  Bing  Crosby's  "The 
Great  John  L." ;  Edward  Small's 
"Abroad  With  Two  Yanks"  and 
"Brewster's  Millions" ;  Benedict  Bo- 
geaus' "Dark  Waters"  and  the  soon 
to  be  released  "Captain  Kidd" ;  Wil- 
liam Cagney's  "Blood  on  the  Sun" ; 
Andrew  Stone's  "Bedside  Manner" ; 
Lester  Cowan's  "Tomorrow  the 
World"  and  Ernie  Pyle's  "Story  of 
G.  I.  Joe" ;  Jack  Skirball's  "It's  in 
the  Bag"  and  "Guest  Wife,"  his  next 
release ;  Charles  R.  Rogers'  "Delight- 
fuly  Dangerous" ;  J.  Arthur  Rank's 
"Mr.  Emmanuel"  and  "Colonel 
Blimp" ;  David  L.  Loew's  "The 
Southerner" ;  also  the  "World  in  Ac- 
tion" and  "Daffy  Ditty"  short  sub- 
jects. 

Hanson  to  Continue 
In  Other  Companies 

Toronto,  July  29. — Oscar  R.  Han- 
son, retiring  president  of  Monogram 
Pictures  of  Canada,  said  here  yester- 
day that  while  he  is  not  in  a  position 
to  make  an  immediate  announcement 
regarding  developments  arising  from 
the  purchase  by  J.  Arthur  Rank  of  his 
interest  in  that  company,  he  intimated 
that  his  several  other  film  companies 
would  continue.  A  statement,  how- 
ever, will  not  be  available  until  his 
return  from  a  fishing  vacation  this 
week,  he  said. 

Hanson  was  definite  on  one  point, 
that  being  the  appointment  of  Harry 
J.  Kaufman,  former  general  manager 
of  Canadian  Monogram,  in  a  similar 
capacity  with  his  Fotonite  Distribu- 
tors, Ltd.,  effective  Aug.  22.  Hanson 
emphasized  that  the  Monogram  devel- 
opments were  carried  out  in  an  ami- 
cable manner. 


Weiss  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  29.  —  Radio 
Artists  Film  Guild,  Inc.,  has  been 
incorporated  to  conduct  a  business  in 
motion  picture  films  in  New  York. 
Incorporators  are  Harold  M.  Weiss, 
Leo  Whitehouse  and  Julia  G.  Marino. 
Weiss  and  Weiss,  New  York,  were 
incorporating  attorneys. 


Telraye  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  29.— Telraye 
Inc.,  has  been  incorporated  to  conduct 
a  theatrical-radio  agency  in  New 
York.  Incorporators  are :  Louis  W. 
Field,  Gabriel  Wartels  and  Frances 
Trauman,  New  York.  Louis  N.  Field 
was  incorporating  attorney. 


Industry  Leaders 
At  Sheehan  Rites 


Hollywood,  July  29. — Scores  of  in- 
dustry executives  and  studio  talent, 
technicians  and  plain  workers  yester- 
day morning  attended  a  solemn  high 
mass  at  the  Church  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  here  for  Winfield  R. 
Sheehan,  industry  pioneer  and  or- 
ganizer of  the  studios  of  the  old 
Fox  Film  Corp.,  who  died  Wednes- 
day afternoon  in  Hollywood  Hospital. 

Rev.  Edward  Whelan,  S._  J.,  pres- 
ident of  Loyola  University,  cele- 
brated the  mass.  Interment  was  in 
Hollywood  Cemetery.  Rosary  ser- 
vices were  held  Friday  night  at  the 
Cunningham  and  O'Connor  chapel. 

Pallbearers  were:  David  Butler, 
Jack  Gardner,  Dan  McElwaine,  Arthur 
Ungar,  George  Bagnall  and  Ted  But- 
cher. Among  the  honorary  pallbearers 
listed  were  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  Louis 
B.  Mayer,  Watterson  R.  Rothacker, 
David  O.  Selznick,  Sol  Wurtzel, 
Frank  Borzage,  Joseph  Scott,  Henry 
King,  B.  G.  DeSylva,  Charles  P. 
Skouras  and  Loyd  Wright. 


Sedgwick  Leaves  CWIB 

Toronto,  July  29. — Harry  Sedgwick, 
former  general  manager  of  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corp.,  has  returned 
to  his  Toronto  home  after  resigning 
as  manager  of  the  New  York  bureau 
of  Canada's  Wartime  Information 
Board,  which  is  now  expected  to  be 
dissolved. 


Exhibitors  in  Concerts 

Montreal,  July  29. — Sam  Fingold, 
H.  C.  D.  Main  and  Ralph  Dale,  co- 
partners of  Theatre  Amusement  Co., 
operating  theatres  in  Ontario,  have 
branched  into  the  promotion  field, 
under  the  title  of  Canadian  Concerts 
and  Artists. 


Washington  Sees  a 
Slash  in  Taxation 


Washington,  July  29.— -Tax  reduc- 
tions of  $18,000,000,000  to  $27,000,000,- 
000  in  the  first  year  after  the  defeat  of 
Japan  were  predicted  here  this  week- 
end by  Senator  Walter  F.  George  of 
Georgia,  chairman  of  the  Senate  Fi- 
nance Committee. 

George  added  that  tax  relief  must 
first  be  granted  to  corporations,  but  in- 
dicated that  individuals  as  well  would 
benefit  under  the  first  post-war  tax 
legislation.  He  did  not  go  into  detail 
regarding  the  various  types  of  taxes 
that  would  be  reduced  first,  but  there 
have  been  indications  in  other  quarters 
that  excise  taxes  paid  by  the  public 
directly,  such  as  the  theatre  admis- 
sions levy,  would  be  reduced,  in  line 
with  the  lower  national  income  which 
is  expected  to  follow  the  ending  of 
high-wage  war  production. 

Studies  already  are  being  made  of 
the  post-war  tax  situation,  Senator 
George  said,  and  the  Joint  Committee 
on  Internal  Revenue  Taxation  will 
continue  them  through  the  Congres- 
sional recess.  When  Congress  recon- 
venes, he  said,  both  the  Senate  and 
House  Tax  Committees  will  hold 
hearings,  the  Senate  probably  leading 
oft"  in  October. 

Federal  internal  revenue  collections 
from  all  sources  during  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1945,  were  $43,793,339,387,  or 
$3,674,519,579  more  than  the  previous 
year,  a  preliminary  statement  of  the 
Internal  Revenue  Bureau  discloses. 


Marble  City  Formed 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  29.— Marble 
City  Amusement  Corp.  has  been  in- 
corporated to  conduct  business  in  New 
York.  Incorporators  are :  Louis  M. 
Teitelbaum,  Gustave  W.  Sommer  and 
Anne  Mellusss,  New  York.  David  C. 
Broderick,  New  York,  was  incor- 
porating attorney. 


Gold  and  Lefkowitz 
Conclude  N.Y.  Meet 

The  final  session  in  a  series  of 
Eastern  regional  sales  meetings  for 
United  Artists  sales  staff  was  con- 
cluded at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  in 
New  York  over  the  weekend,  with 
Harry  L.  Gold,  Eastern  sales  man- 
ager, presiding,  assisted  by  district 
manager  Sam  Lefkowitz. 

Details  of  the  $100,000  ^-ad 
Sears  Drive,'  were  outlined  to  „  ^j^ch 
managers  and  salesmen  attetfcing. 
Other  highlights  included  a  discussion 
on  current  and  forthcoming  UA 
product  and  an  analysis  of  sales  pol- 
icy. Barry  Buchanan,  advertising- 
publicity  director,  addressed  the  dele- 
gates on  campaigns  which  have  been 
set  up  for  future  releases. 

Those  Present 

Attending  from  the  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Washington  ex- 
changes were :  New  York,  branch 
manager  Jack  Ellis,  assistant  branch 
manager  Edward  Mullen,  office  man- 
ager Abe  Dickstein,  and  salesman 
Dave  Burkan,  Richard  Perry,  Sam 
Rifkin,  George  Jeffrey,  William 
Schuster  and  Charles  Goetz;  Phila- 
delphia, branch  manager  Mort  Ma- 
gill,  and  salesmen  M.  Sherman,  R. 
Peckham,  M.  Koff  and  H.  Tyson; 
Washington,  branch  manager  Mark 
Silver,  office  manager  Elmer  Mc- 
Kinley,  and  salesmen  S.  Pike,  M. 
Siegel,  H.  Rose  and  J.  Price. 


Schnitzer  Will  Preside  at 
UA  Canadian  Meeting 

Toronto,  July  29. — Edward  M. 
Schnitzer,  United  Artists  home  of- 
fice executive,  will  arrive  here  to- 
morrow morning  to  preside  at  a 
United  Artists  three-day  Canadian 
sales  meeting  at  the  Royal  York  Hotel. 

Attending  the  sessions,  in  addition 
to  Canadian  sales  manager  Charles 
S.  Chaplin,  will  be  branch  managers 
and  salesmen  from  Calgary,  Montreal, 
St.  John,  Toronto,  Vancouver  and 
Winnipeg. 

Schnitzer  will  outline  the  com- 
pany's policies  on  forthcoming  product 
and  will  hold  individual  branch  man- 
ager meetings  on  current  product. 

The  delegates  will  attend  screen- 
ings of  several  new  releases,  includ- 
ing Benedict  Bogeaus'  "Captain 
Kidd,"  Lester  Cowan's  Ernie  Pyle's 
"Story  of  G.  I.  Joe,"  Constance  Ben- 
nett's "Paris  Underground"  and  Jack 
Skirball's  "Guest  Wife." 

Following  the  meetings,  Schnitzer 
will  visit  Montreal  prior  to  his  re- 
turn to  the  home  office  next  week. 


ITS  Gets  3  in  Hudson 

The  Community,  Warren  and  Star 
theatres,  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  owned  and 
operated  by  Frieder  and  Grossman, 
have  joined  Independent  Theatre 
Service,  effective  Aug.  1,  as  announced 
by  Lee  Y.  Newbury,  president  of  the 
organization.  This  raises  the  total 
number  of  theatres  to  58  for  which  In- 
dependent does  the  buying  and  book- 
ing. Al  Suchman  is  film  buyer  for 
the  group. 


Harry  Blake,  Jr.,  Dies 

Salt  Lake  City,  July  29. — Harry 
W.  Blake,  Jr.,  exhibitor  son  of  the 
manager  of  the  Studio  Theatre  here, 
died  near  Joplin,  Mo.,  where  the  elder 
Blake  had  been  visiting  him. 


%^  > 


Cuts  Quite  A 


'ft 


ft    ^        \\1    -M'.      W     »  C 


I 


When  it  comes  to  rendering  SERVICE  your 
Prize  Baby  certainly  lives  up  to  his  name 

*  *  *  84,020  shipments  is  his  weekly 
AVERAGE. ..and  that  doesn't  even  include 
the  THOUSANDS  of  shipments  involved 
in  the  distribution  of  trailers  for  War 
Bond  Drives,  Red  Cross,  March  of  Dimes 
and  similar  war-supporting  activities 

*  *  *  We're  mighty  proud  of  that 
precocious  youngster. ..and  it's  easy  to 
understand  why... because  84,020  ship- 
ments a  week...  is  positive  proof  that  he's 
making  good  at  SERVICING  the  Industry 
...in  a  BIG  way  ★  ★  *  You  can't  beat 
a  kid  who's  in  there  SHIPPING  all  the  time! 


6 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  July  30,  194 


Production  Is 
Still  Rising; 
47  Shooting 


Hollywood,  July  29.  —  Production 
activity  continues  to  rise.  Five  films 
were  completed  during  the  week,  and 
10  new  ones  were  started.  At  the 
weekend,  the  shooting  index  stood  at 
47,  a  substantial  increase  over  last 
week's  42.  The  production  scene  fol- 
lows : 

Columbia 

Started:  "Tars  and  Spars,"  with 
Marc  Piatt,  Alfred  Drake,  Janet  Blair, 
Jeff  Donnell,  Sidney  Caesar ;  "Voice 
of  the  Whistler,"  with  Richard  Dix, 
Lynn  Merrick,  Rhys  Williams. 

Shooting:  "The  Woman  in  Red." 

M-G-M 

Shooting:  "The  Yearling,"  "What 
Next,  Corporal  Hargrove?"  "Boys' 
Ranch,"  "Bad  Bascomb,"  "The  Hood- 
lum Saint,"  "Two  Sisters  from  Bos- 
ton," "The  Postman  Always  Rings 
Twice,"  "This  Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "Frontier  Feud." 

Started:  "Swing  Parade,"  with  Gale 
Storm,  Phil  Regan,  The  Three 
Stooges,  Will  Osborne  and  his  orches- 
tra; "Rainbow  Valley,"  with  Jimmy 
Wakely,  Lee  (Lasses)  White,  John 
James. 

Shooting:  "Suspense." 

Paramount 

Shooting:  "Blue  Skies,"  "The  Bride 
Wore  Boots,"  "Calcutta,"  "To  Each 
His  Own." 

PRC 

Finished:  "Romance  of  the  West." 

Started:  "The  Wife  of  Monte  Cris- 
to,"  with  John  Loder,  Lenore  Aubert, 
Charles  Dingle,  Fritz  Kortner,  Edu- 
ardo  Cianelli,  Martin  Kosleck,  Eva 
Gabor,  Fritz  Feld;  "How  Do  You 
Do?"  with  Bert  Gordon,  Harry  Von 
Zell,  Cheryl  Walker,  Ella  Mae  Morse, 
Frank  Albertson,  Claire  Windsor; 
"Danny  Boy,"  with  'Buz'  Henry,  Eva 
March. 

Republic  " 

Finished:  "Sheriff  of  Redwood  Val- 
ley." 

Shooting:  "Dakota,"  "Don't  Fence 
Me  In,"  "You'll  Remember  Me"  (Wil- 
liam Wilder). 

RKO  Radio 

Started:  "Tarzan  and  the  Leopard 
Men"  (Sol  Lesser),  with  Johnny 
Weissmuller,  Brenda  Joyce,  Johnny 
Sheffield,  Acquanetta. 

Shooting:  "Chamber  of  Horrors," 
"Cornered,"  "Men  Are  Such  Liars," 
"The  Kid  from  Brooklyn"  (Gold- 
wyn)  ;  "Heartbeat"    (Hakim- Wood). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Shooting:  "Smoky,"  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven,"  "The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Finished:  "Getting  Gertie's  Garter" 
(Small). 

Shooting :  "Diary  of  a  Chamber- 
maid" (Bogeaus)  ;  "Abilene"  (Lev- 
ey) ;  "Whistle  Stop"  (Nero)  ;  "Duel 
in  the  Sun"  (Selznick). 

Universal 

Started:  "Scarlet  Street"  (Diana 
Productions),  with  Edward  G.  Robin- 
son, Joan  Bennett,  Dan  Duryea,  Jess 
Barker,  Rosalind  Ivan,  Arthur  Loft, 


Reviews 


"Man  From  Oklahoma" 

(Republic) 

CREDIT  Frank  McDonald  with  a  directorial  job  that  reflects  keen  knowl- 
edge of  how  to  make  an  appropriate  picture  travel  at  top  speed.  "Man 
From  Oklahoma"  does  roll  along  the  familiar  path,  but  it  is  generally  well 
presented  and  should  serve  profitably  where  this  type  of  fare  is  rated  choice 
by  the  paying  public. 

The  picture  gives  about  equal  prominence  to  musical  numbers  and  outdoor 
melodrama  with  Roy  Rogers  (Trigger  is  with  him,  of  course)  handling  most 
of  the  chores.  The  songs  are  peppy  and  tuneful  and  there  are  plenty  of  them. 
Dale  Evans  and  the  "Sons  of  the  Pioneers"  contribute  several,  the  "Pioneers" 
teaming  with  Rogers.  Miss  Evans  *does  a  few  solo  numbers  and  one  with 
Rogers. 

The  singing  cowboys,  at  the  start,  are  victimized  by  a  bogus  radio  pro- 
ducer in  New  York.  The  boys  return  to  Cherokee  City,  Okla.,  minus  their 
cash,  and  find  the  town  all  set  for  the  annual  wagon  race ;  they  also  learn 
that  the  old  family  feud  between  George  (Gabby)  Hayes  and  Maude  Eburne 
has  again  been  touched  off.  Miss  Evans,  as  the  latter's  granddaughter,  and 
a  New  York  night  club  singer,  also  arrives  on  the  same  train.  Hayes  offers 
his  property  as  prize  for  the  winner  of  the  race  and  Miss  Eburne,  not  to  be 
outdone,  does  the  same,  neither  aware  of  the  value  of  the  land,  which  contains 
oil.  They  both  discover  this  along  with  Roger  Pryor's  plot  to  come  into 
possession  of  the  property  just  before  the  race.  They  join  forces  and  Rogers 
pilots  the  winning  wagon  in  spite  of  sabotage  by  Pryor's  confederate. 

Arthur  Loft,  Sam  Flint,  Si  Jinks  and  June  Bryde  also  are  in  the  cast.  John 
K.  Butler  wrote  the  original  screenplay  and  Louis  Gray  was  associate  pro- 
ducer. 

Running  time,  68  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  1. 

Gene  Arneel 


"Waltz  Time" 

(British  National- Anglo- American) 

London,  July  29 

TAKING  advantage  of  Britain's  current,  most-evident,  swing-back  from 
swing,  director  Paul  L.  Stein  essays  another  "Congress  Dances."  He  as- 
sembles for  his  purpose  some  notable  radiance,  namely,  Czigane  singers  Web- 
ster Booth  and  Anne  Ziegler ;  examples  of  budding  British  orchidaceousness  in 
Carol  Raye  and  Patricia  Medina ;  and,  up-and-coming  Peter  Graves,  who,  on 
a  considerable  feminine  audience-vote,  is  Britain's  nicest  gift  to  local  screens. 
Also,  the  famous  Richard  Tauber  makes  two  appearances  to  appropriate  mu- 
sical accompaniment,  once  as  a  wandering,  nevertheless  excessively  vocal, 
shepherd,  the  other  as  a  richly-surpliced  chorister  at  the  Vienna  Cathedral 
screen  nuptials  of  Graves  and  Miss  Raye.  Also,  there  is  an  ample,  melodi- 
ously lilting,  music-score  by  Hans  May,  composer  previously  of  some  40 
German  music-films.  There  are  also  sets  of  a  magnificence  rarely  attempted  in 
Britain's  studios. 

This  Paul  L.  Stein  song-film  tells  of  old  Vienna ;  tells  it  so  gracefully,  not  to 
say  efficiently,  that  it  will  enchant  the  majority  of  the  mulitude.  There  is  a 
Grand  Duchess  air  around.  British  audiences,  it  is  a  sure  bet,  will  lap  up 
this  sugary  morsel.  Stein,  indeed,  is  to  be  felicitated  on  having  made  an  as- 
sured success.  The  picture,  doctored  to  just  the  minutest  degree,  should  also 
flourish  in  American  neighborhood  houses. 

Running  time — 99  minutes.   Release  date  not  set.  Peter  Burnup 


Exodus  to  City  Hurts 
Suburban  Box  Offices 

Chicago,  July  29. — Business  is  off  in 
the  houses  operated  by  the  Sam  Myers 
Circuit,  located  in  the  exclusive  sub- 
urban areas  here.  Myers  explains, 
"Our  patrons  live  in  mansions  and  due 
to  the  inability  to  secure  household 
help,  most  of  them  have  vacated  their 
homes  for  the  duration." 


Krieg  Joins  Lord 

Saul  Krieg  has  resigned  from  the 
Paramount  home  office  exploitation 
department  to  join  Phillips  H.  Lord, 
producer  of  radio  programs,  includ- 
ing "Counterspy"  and  "Gang  Busters," 
as  publicity  manager. 


Samuel  S.  Hinds,  Charles  Kemper; 
"Down  by  the  Border,"  with  Kirby 
Grant,  Armida,  Fuzzy  Knight. 

Shooting:  "As  It  Was  Before," 
"Once  Upon  a  Dream,"  "Shady 
Lady." 

Warners 

Finished:  "Stolen  Life." 

Shooting:  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Night  and  Day." 


'Brooklyn  Eagle9  Cuts 
Strike  Ad  Charges 

Reconsidering  its  previous  decision 
to  charge  full  rates  for  film  advertise- 
ments published  during  the  recent  17- 
day  newspaper  deliverymen's  strike, 
the  Brooklyn  Eagle  has  decided  that 
film  advertisers  will  not  be  billed  for 
insertions  which  appeared  on  July  2,  3, 
and  5,  and  that  July  1  insertions  will 
be  charged  only  one-third  of  normal 
rate. 

The  Journal- American,  which  dis- 
played film  advertising  on  July  1,  2,  3 
and  17  only,  reports  that  it  will  make 
normal  charges  for  July  1  (Sunday) 
insertions,  and  charge  20  per  cent  of 
the  normal  rate  for  July  17  advertise- 
ments, with  July  2  and  3  advertise- 
ments not  to  be  billed. 

The  Wall  Street  Journal  will  charge 
50  per  cent  of  its  regular  rate  for  film 
advertisements  that  appeared  during 
the  strike  period :  July  1  through  17. 


Asks  Television  Permit 

The  Midland  Broadcasting  Co., 
Kansas  City,  has  filed  applications 
with  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission  for  new  experimental 
television  permits. 


U.S.  Films  Help 
To  De-Nazify 
War  Prisoner* 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

German  prisoners  in  a  special 
"workshop"  camp  in  Rhode 
Island. 

Under    arrangements    whic  Nefav, 
been  made  with  Hollywood  prouticeri 
16mm  prints  are  prepared  of  a  select 
ed  group  of  pictures,  which  are  put  oi,j 
a  circuit  of  the  150  main  prison  base  J 
and  some  300  branch  camps  in  th*1 
U.  S.    The  "POW's"  may  attend  th> 
pictures  or  not,  as  they  wish ;  an  adL 
mission  price  of  15  cents  is  charged 
the  only  'free'  show  was  the  exhibi 
tion  of  the  atrocity  pictures,  at  whicll 
attendance  of  all  "POW's"  was  mad' 
compulsory. 

Among  the  pictures  already  adoptei 
for    the    "POW's"    are:  "Captain 
Courageous,"     "Going     My  Way,'| 
"Here    Comes    Mr.    Lincoln,"  "Thd 
Sullivans,"    "His    Butler's  Sister, 
"Kitty   Foyle,"   "Stage   Coach"  anc 
"The  Westerner."    It  is  planned  als< 
to  show  pictures  based  on  the  fight 
ing  against  the  Japs,  which  will  in 
elude  "A  Guy  Named  Joe,"  "Thirt; 
Seconds  Over  Tokyo,"  "Guadalcana 1 
Diary,"  "Purple  Heart,"  "Gung  Ho' 
and  "Marine  Raiders." 

German  Films  Also 

The  War  Department  also  has  se 
cured  a  few  German  pictures,  show- 
ing Germany  as  it  was  before  the 
Nazis,  and  is  circuiting  some  of  the: 
documentary  films  from  the  U.  S.  Of- 
fice of  War  Information  and  othei 
Governmental  sources,  most  of  then 
connected  with  the  work  which  th( 
"POW's"  are  doing  in  this  country 

While  it  is  said  to  be  difficult  tc 
evaluate  the  effects  of  the  work,  Army 
officers  connected  with  the  progran 
believe  that  it  is  bringing  results,  anc 
point  out  that  toward  the  end  of  the 
war  many  of  the  suggestions  that  Ger- 
many capitulate  came  from  "POW's' 
who  had  seen  the  might  of  the  Allie; 
and  realized  the  hopelessness  of  the 
Nazi  cause. 

Both  the  German-language  newspa-' 
per  and  the  translated  books  are  de-; 
scribed  as  being  popular  with  the  pris- 
oners, and  attendance  at  the  fihr 
shows  is  very  good,  officers  said.  Nc 
effort  is  made  to  propagandize  by  pic- 
tures or  other  media,  it  being  believec 
that  the  "POW's"  were  so  saturatec 
with  German  propaganda  that  the) 
want  no  more.  Instead,  the  pictures 
books  and  paper  tell  the  truth  aboui 
the  United  States  and  the  prisoner; 
are  left  to  absorb  it  as  they  can. 


/.  Q.  Gross  Assigned 

I.  Q.  Gross,  who  recently  joinfid 
Warner  Bros.'  field  staff,  has  been  as- 
signed by  Mort  Blumenstock,  Easterr 
director  of  advertising-publicity,  tc 
the  Pittsburgh  and  Cleveland  terri- 
tories, beginning  today,  and  working 
under  supervision  of  Bill  Brumberg 
head  of  the  field  exploitation  crew. 

King  Gets  Record  Pact 

Hollywood,  July  29.  —  Directoi 
Henry  King  has  signed  a  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox term  contract  described  a; 
the  longest  ever  given  by  the  com- 
pany.   The  period  was  not  disclosed. 


(onday,  July  30,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


p.S.  Technicians  to 
*eek  Nazi  Secrets 


(Washington,  July  29. — More  than 
'f  KJ  technical  experts  from  a  score  of 
dustries  have  gone  or  will  go  to 
urope  to  ferret  out  German  industri- 
developments  which  for  years  were 
piously  guarded  by  the  Nazis  and 
ing  them  back  to  this  country  for 
o>sible  application  in  the  war  against 
jiojA^_Tid,  uP°n  tne  return  of  peace, 
~  where  possible  in  American 
Lilian  industry,  it  was  disclosed  here 
aturday  by  the  Foreign  Economic 
dministration. 

The  200  experts,  secured  by  various 
overnment  agencies  from  nearly  as 
J  any  different  companies,  are  operat- 
_:ljg  under  the  joint  Chiefs  of  Staff, 
ider  an  urgent  directive  to  search 
,-jJ.ut    industrial    processes,  inventions 
Jj  id  engineering  "know-how"  for  war, 
I  id  then  peace  production. 

Started  Before  Victory 

Some  of  these  men,  it  was  disclosed, 
re    actually    in    Germany  before 
rE-Day"  gathering  information  be 
ire  the  enemy  had  a  chance  to  de 
iWjtroy  techniques  or  equipment.  Some 
Already  have  returned  with  valuable 
"jliformation  which  will  save  this  coun- 
•  millions  of  dollars  and  years  of 
search    to    attain    results  already 
hicved  by  the  Germans.    The  devel 
nment  of  synthetic  rubber,  for  in 
i  tance,  is  expected  to  be  materially 
irthered    by    the    information  now 
J  vailable  from  Germany. 
•  J  Among    those    who    have  already 
•jlone   to    Germany,    FEA    said,  are 
nies  A.  Banca  and  C.  W.  Hansell 
>;j;f  RCA,  who  will  search  for  Nazi 
.  velopments  in  the  fields  of  communi 
-J-ations,  electronics,  etc. 


glasses  Turn  Day  to 
Wight  for  Drive-ins 

i  Miami,  July  29. — Milton  S.  Harris, 
,:nanager  of  the  Miami  Drive-in  The 
•;.tre,  reports  that  he  has  invented,  and 
';s  preparing  to  market,  eye-glasses 
P|iat  will  make  possible  the  operation 
p  Drive-ins  by  day. 

Patents,  already  applied  for,  will  be 
•ontrolled  by  Harris  and  Olin  W 
-iancock  of  Altec  Corp.,  which  will 
nuance  the  enterprise  jointly  with  E 
M.  Loew,  and  national  distribution 
rill  be  through  Joe  Hornstein,  Inc  . 
New  York,  with  a  Miami  branch 
leaded  by  Hal  Hornstein,  all  accord 
ng  to  Harris. 

The  plan  calls  for  a  pair  of  the 
glasses  to  be  loaned  to  each  patron  at 
tending  a  Drive-in  matinee. 


U.S.  Aid  Abroad  Is  Urgent, 
Daff  Reports  After  Tour 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

and  foreign  sales  supervisor,  stressed 
here  Friday. 

Returning  from  a  four-month  trip 
to  Egypt,  Greece,  Italy,  Portugal, 
Spain,  France  and  England,  Daff  re- 
peatedly recited  the  growing  disad- 
vantages under  which  American  film 
companies  are  finding  themselves  _  in 
most  European  and  other  foreign 
countries,  and  indicated  the  important 
need  of  U.  S.  help. 

With  the  United  States  granting 
enormous  credits  to  European  coun- 
tries, to  be  used  in  their  rehabilitation, 
the  American  motion  picture  industry 
simply  must  be  permitted  to  play  an 
important  role  in  this  rehabilitation, 
free  of  artificial  restrictions,  Daff  de- 
clared. British  pictures  are  going  into 
all  countries  of  Europe,  their  distribu- 
tors being  in  a  much  more  favorable 
position  than  American  distributors 
since  most  countries  of  Europe  have 
Sterling  credits  in  England  with 
which  to  buy  pictures,  while  they  do 
not  have  U.  S.  dollar  exchange,  he 
said,  pointing  out  that  foreign  exhibi- 
tors do  not  want  to  incur  debts  for 
the  future  by  playing  American  films 
and  not  being  able  to  pay  for  them. 

Daff  disclosed  that  seven  theatres 
in  Athens,  four  of  them  first-runs,  are 
already  playing  Russian  films  which 
they  manage  to  get  into  that  country 
by  "very  unorthodox  methods,"  while 
American  distributors  do  not  yet  en- 
joy the  advantage  of  sending  their 
films  into  Greece  on  a  commercial 
basis.    Daff  explained  that  he  believes 


the  Russians  have  released  eight  films 
in  Greece  to  date  and  have  another 
25  set ;  the  British,  22,  with  another 
17  going  in. 

Forty  American  films,  selected 
by  the  Office  of  War  Information 
and  used  under  the  Army's  Psy- 
chological Warfare  Division  op- 
erations, have  been  placed  on 
the  Greek  market,  by  the  Army, 
not  by  their  American  distrib- 
utors. 

Daff  described  the  native  industry 
in  Spain  as  being  in  a  "shocking 
state."  He  predicted  that  American 
film  companies  will  have  to  curtail 
their  releases  there  even  further  dur- 
ing the  coming  year  because  of  a  fall- 
ing off  in  native  Spanish  production 
with  a  resultant  unavailability  of  im- 
port licenses.  "The  people  want 
American  films  in  Spain,"  Daff  said. 

Conditions  are  bettering  in  Belgium, 
where  American  companies  are  now 
being  permitted  to  resume  commercial 
operations,  revealed  Daff.  He  also 
cited  some  return  to  normalcy  in 
Egypt  and  Portugal,  as  well  as  thea- 
tre building  in  Turkey  and  a  new 
amusement  center  embodying  a  first- 
run  theatre  in  Lisbon,  Portugal. 

"Exhibitors  in  France  are  anxious 
to  acquire  American  films  for  the 
new  season,  starting  at  the  end  of 
September,  but  there  does  not  seem 
to  be  any  possibility  of  this,"  Daff  de 
clared. 

Daff  emphasized  that  British  and 
Russian  pictures  are  going  into  for- 
eign markets  on  a  large  scale. 


Large  SOEG 
Minority  Out 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

with  the  guild  empowered  to  discipline 
them  if  they  returned  to  their  jobs 
and  with  Superior  Judge  Emmett  H. 
Wilson  having  warned  that  they 
would  be  subject  to  contempt  charges 
if  they  did  not.  Indications  Friday 
were  that  neither  Lindelof  nor  the 
judge  would  take  action  immediately. 

Although  some  studios  were  harder 
hit  than  others,  there  was  no  reported 
interference  with  production.  Pro- 
ducer representatives  read  the  follow- 
ing statement  to  SOEG  employees : 
"I  am  authorized  to  assure  you  that  no 
outside  influence  will  in  any  way 
jeopardize  the  employment  status  of 
those  who  continue  to  remain  on  the 
job.  Those  who  are  members  of 
SOEG  are  all  working  under  contract, 
and  as  long  as  you  live  up  to  the  terms 
of  the  agreement,  this  studio  will  live 
up  to  its  obligations." 

The  Screen  Publicists  Guild,  which 
had  been  scheduled  to  meet  on  the 
same  issue  Friday  night,  postponed 
the  session  until  Tuesday.  The  Screen 
Story  Analysts  Guild,  similarly  situ- 
ated, was  to  proceed  with  a  Friday 
meeting,  although  its  100  members  are 
not  generally  considered  important  in 
the  strike  picture. 


Kennedy  at  Premiere 

Philadelphia,  July  26. — John  B. 
Kennedy,  radio  commentator,  will  be 
:oastmaster  at  the  reunion  dinner  of 
■Jie  First  U.  S.  Marine  division,  vet- 
rans  of  Guadalcanal,  to  be  held  in 
:he  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel  on  Aug. 
7.  followed  by  the  world  premiere  of 
"'Earner's  "Pride  of  the  Marines." 


War  Board  Frees 
Radio  Equipment 


Washington,  July  29.— The  War 
Production  Board  has  lifted  its  re- 
strictions against  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  parts  for  radios. 

The  action  is  described  as  a  major 
step  in  the  reconversion  of  the  radio 
industry,  but  the  WPB  cautioned  con- 
sumers against  expecting  any  volume 
of  new  radio  sets  'in  the  near  future.' 
It  was  explained  that  manufacturers 
must  first  get  permission  to  make 
radios  and  then  obtain  the  necessary 
parts  and  materials. 

The  only  restrictions  on  the  pur- 
chase of  electronic  and  radio  parts, 
the  WPB  said,  are  those  contained  in 
inventory  limitations  of  priorities. 
Some  non-essential  equipment  is  still 
restricted.  This  includes  automatic 
phonographs,  record  players,  home  re- 
corders and  phonograph  amplifiers. 


'Paramount  Month' 
Western  Series  Ends 


'Anchors'  Sets  Mark 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  concluded  an 
initial  week  at  the  Capitol  Theatre  in 
Kew  York  with  close  to  $96,600  for 
a  new  record  gross  under  present 
Policy,  surpassing  the  $95,000  recorded 
three  weeks  ago  for  "Blood  on  the 
Sun." 


England  Heads  Alumni 

The  National  Harvard  Business 
School  Alumni  Association,  announc- 
ing the  result  of  its  election  of  offi- 
cers and  council  members  for  1945- 
46,  reports  the  election  of  Wilbur  B. 
England,  personnel  director  of  RKO 
Theatres,  as  president. 


Caruso  Life  to  Lasky 

Hollywood,  July  29. — Jesse  L.  Las- 
ky Prod,  has  bought  the  screen  rights 
to  Dorothy  Caruso's  "Enrico  Caruso, 
His  Life  and  Death,"  and  has  signed 
Joan  Fontaine  to  portray  the  singer's 
wife. 


Los  Angeles,  July  29. — A  meeting 
on  behalf  of  Paramount's  'One  Third 
of  a  Century'  celebration  and  a  re- 
ception for  exhibitors  in  this  territory 
who  have  been  Paramount  customers 
for  30  years  or  more,  held  here,  con- 
cluded the  series  in  the  Western  area. 
Cecil  B.  DeMille  attended  with 
Duke  Clark,  'Paramount  Month'  co- 
captain;  George  A.  Smith,  Western 
division  manager,  and  Del  Goodman, 
district  manager.  A.  R.  Taylor, 
branch  manager,  was  host  at  a  re- 
ception held  at  the  Variety  Club  in 
the  Ambassador  Hotel. 

Ishmael  White  Honored 

Ishmael  White,  sales  manager  at 
the  Los  Angeles  branch,  was  honored 
for  his  28  years  of  service  with  the 
company.  DeMille  presented  him  a 
commemorative  medal. 

Among  exhibitors  honored  were : 
Charles  Born,  Harry  L.  Nace,  Harry 
Dorsey,  Charles  Corcoran,  H.  J.  Sil- 
er,  Harry  Holland,  William  Martin, 
F.  C.  Martin,  C.  H.  Simmons,  Earl 
Calvert,  Nick  Diamos,  Mrs.  Foster 
Jackson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glenn  Harper, 
S.  B.  Steck,  John  Young,  Frank 
Grant  and  Les  Swope. 

Among  other  exhibitores  attending 
were :  Albert  Galston,  Jay  Sutton, 
Edward  Zabel,  William  Srere,  Gus 
Metzger,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  Pierson, 
Harry  Vinicoff,  Charles  Long,  John 
Young,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul 
Deitrich. 


[Waldorf;  'Abbott- 
Costello'  Tradeshows 

M-G-M  has  set  national  trade  show- 
ings for  two  pictures,  'Week-End  at  the 
Waldorf"  on  Aug.  10  in  all  exchange 
areas  except  Washington,  where  the 
screening  will  be  held  Aug.  13,  and 
"Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  in 
Hollywood,"  in  all  territories  on 
Aug.  21. 

"Week-End  at  the  Waldorf"  has  al- 
ready been  tradeshown  in  New  York 
and  Los  Angeles  and  no  additional 
screenings  are  scheduled  for  those 
cities.  It  will  have  its  world  prem- 
iere at  the  Music  Hall,  New  York. 
An  opening  date  has  not  been  set. 

No  release  dates  have  been  set  on 
either  picture. 


Nelson  Is  Eastbound 
After  IMPPA  Meet 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
meeting  of  the  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  Association,  Nel- 
son made  an  informal  address  on  the 
need  for  expansion  of  SIMPP'S  head- 
quarters. He  said  later  the  affair  was 
social  and  did  not  indicate  any  inten- 
tion on  anybody's  part  to  merge  the 
two  organizations. 


Ventura-Hoffberg  Deal 

Ray  Ventura,  who  has  been  visiting 
the  United  States,  has  concluded  a 
deal  with  J.  H.  Hoffberg  for  distribu- 
tion rights  for  the  U.  S.  and  Latin 
America  to  his  picture  "Tourbillon  de 
Paris,"  "Whirlwind  of  Paris,"  which 
features  Ventura  and  his  orchestra. 


Globe  Adding  284  Seats 

The  Globe,  Broadway  first-run 
house  operated  by  Brandt  Theatres,  is 
being  remodeled  and  its  seating  ca- 
pacity increased  from  1,416  to  1,700. 
The  work,  which  is  not  interfering 
with  regular  programs,  is  scheduled 
to  be  completed  by  Labor  Day. 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  July  30,  194 


Aces  of  Both  Wars 
At  'Eddie'  Opening 


Colubmus,  O.,  July  '29. — The  two 
leading  American  aces  in  the  Euro- 
pean Theatre  of  World  Wars  I  and 
II  will  be  here  for  the  first  time  on 
Aug.  1,  for  the  world  premiere  of 
"Captain  Eddie,"  and  the  38th  birth- 
day of  the  U.  S.  Army  Air  Forces. 
The  fliers  are  Capt.  Eddie  Ricken- 
backer,  ace  of  World  War  I  on  whose 
life  the  film  is  based,  and  Lt.  Col. 
John  C.  Meyer,  whose  TilVi  planes 
downed  in  World  War  II  tops  Rick- 
enbacker's  by  W/z. 

At  the  same  time  tribute  will  be 
paid  Rickenbacker,  now  president  of 
Eastern  Airlines,  for  his  contributions 
to  the  nation  and  aviation,  in  a  mes- 
sage from  Gen.  Henry  H.  (Hap)  Ar- 
nold, Commanding  General  of  the 
Army  Air  Forces,  which  will  be  read 
by  a  general  representing  him.  The 
events  will  take  place  at  a  luncheon 
in  Rickenbacker's  honor  at  the  Neil 
House. 

Among  20th  Century-Fox  officials 
who  will  attend  the  luncheon  and 
premiere,  prepared  by  20th's  exploi- 
tation department's  field  force,  work- 
ing with  local  civic  committees,  are : 
Spyros  P.  Skouras,  president ;  Tom 
Connors,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  and  Hal  Home,  direc- 
tor of  advertising-publicity. 


Reconversion  Brings  New 
And  Remodeled  Theatres 


Million  'Eddie'  Cards 

Columbus,  O.,  July  29. — One  mil- 
lion souvenir  cards  will  be  dropped 
from  the  sky  on  Columbus,  O.,  on 
Aug.  1,  during  the  homecoming  cele- 
bration for  Capt.  Eddie  Rickenbacker 
for  the  world  premiere  of  the  film 
based  on  his  life,  "Captain  Eddie," 
announces  Hal  Home,  director  of  ad- 
vertising-publicity-exploitation of  20th 
Century-Fox,  who  stated  that  citizens 
of  Columbus  had  expressed  a  desire 
for  souvenirs  of  the  premiere. 


Mexican  Business 
Increases  By  200% 

Mexico  City,  July  18. — Theatres 
are  among  this  city's  biggest  busi- 
ness grossers,  comparatively,  reveals  a 
report  by  the  civic  treasury  depart- 
ment, which  shows  that  current  aver- 
age monthly  gross  receipts  of  the  75 
theatres  in  this  city  of  nearly  2,000,- 
000,  is  $1,250,000,  compared  with  a 
monthly  average  of  $400,000  in  1941. 

The  department  attributes  this  in- 
crease to  more  theatres,  greater  inter- 
est on  the  part  of  the  public  in  film 
entertainment,  and  higher  admission 
prices.  Another  factor  is  more  Mexi- 
can pictures  on  exhibition,  and  their 
greater  popularity. 


Gordon  Film  Rights  Sold 

International  Theatrical  and  Televi- 
sion Corp.  has  closed  a  deal  with  Al- 
vin  Gordon  of  Contemporary  Films 
for  16  and  35  mm.  world  rights  to  a 
seven-reel  Kodachrome  feature  recent- 
ly completed  in  Mexico.  "My  Friend 
Pollito,"  which  is  the  English  title  of 
the  film,  is  said  to  be  the  first  full- 
length  outdoor  picture,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Westerns,  to  be  made  in 
Kodachrome.  Lupita  Tovar  will  ap- 
pear in  added  sequences  to  be  made 
in  Hollywood,  and  she  will  also  do 
both  the  Spanish  and  English  narra- 
tions for  the  dual  version  picture.  Miss 
Tovar  will  go  to  Mexico  City  in  Sep- 
tember to  appear  at  a  preview. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Marco  and  the  St.  Louis  Amusement 
Co.,  have  extensive  plans  for  remodel- 
ing and  improving  their  theatres  in  St. 
Louis.  Plans  for  a  new  neighborhood 
theatre,  the  Hampton,  to  be  built  in 
St.  Louis  Hills  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  $500,000  have  been  announced.  A. 
F.  and  Arthur  Stauder  are  architects 
for  the  theatre,  which  will  be  con- 
structed as  soon  as  building  restric- 
tions are  lifted. 

Meantime,  with  improvements  up  to 
$5,000  permitted  by  the  WPB,  it  is 
planned  to  carry  out  extensive  im- 
provements in  Fanchon  and  Marco 
first-run  houses,  including  the  Fox, 
Ambassador,  Missouri  and  St.  Louis. 
Improvements  will  include  redecorat- 
ing, new  seats  and  new  equipment. 

St.  Louis  Amusement  Co.  plans  to 
install  air  conditioning  systems  as  soon 
as  possible  in  all  of  its  neighborhood 
houses  which  do  not  have  such  equip- 
ment now,  and  to  make  other  im- 
provements. Several  of  the  theatres 
will  be  remodeled. 

New  Building  Plans 
Revealed  by  Friedl 

Minneapolis,  July  29.— John  Friedl, 
president  of  Minnesota  Amusement 
Co.,  Paramount  affiliate,  has  an- 
nounced that  the  circuit  will  start 
construction  of  new  theatres  in  Eau 
Claire,  Wis.;  Minot,  N.  D. ;  and 
Rochester,  Minn.,  as  soon  as  War 
Production  Boards  grant  permits. 
Theatres  are  also  being  planned  for 
Mankato  and  Austin,  Minn.,  and  pos- 
sibly neighborhood  houses  at  Larpen- 
teur  and  Snelling,  suburban  areas 
north  of  the  Twin  Cities  Midway 
area,  Friedl  said. 

First  on  Maco's  building  agenda 
will  be  the  Eau  Claire  house.  Also 
expected  soon  is  approval  of  an 
application  for  the  Rochester  thea- 
tre which  will  seat  1,200.  Friedl  in- 
dicated that  all  new  construction  de- 
pends, of  course,  on  availability  of 
materials,  seats,  carpets  and  other 
accessories. 

Recently  opened  was  the  Hays 
in  St.  Cloud.  Formerly  the  Grand, 
the  house  was  re-named  in  honor  of 
the  late  Theo.  L.  Hays,  who  was  a 
Maco  executive.  Fred  Schiplin,  St. 
Cloud  publisher,  presided  at  the  open- 
ing ceremonies  which  were  broadcast. 

Friedl  says  he  plans  general  -  im- 
provements in  many  other  houses  as 
necessary  materials,  supplies  and 
equipment  become  available.  He  sees 
indications  that  "things  are  loosening 
up  a  little  in  that  direction." 

WB  Plans  $80,000  for 
Chicago  Remodeling 

Chicago,  July  29.  —  No  postwar 
expansion  for  Warner  Theatres  in 
this  zone  is  contemplated,  Charles 
Ryan,  assistant  zone  manager,  re- 
veals. Extensive  remodeling  work 
will  get  underway  in  several  houses, 
however,  as  soon  as  materials  become 
available,  he  added. 

The  widening  of  the  street  on 
which  Warner's  Parthenon  in  Ham- 
mond, Ind.,  is  located  will  call  for  a 
$50,000  remodeling  job,  while  $30,000 
lias  been  set  aside  for  the  revamping 
of  the  Frolic,  Metropolitan,  and  Oak- 
land theatres,  here. 

E.  C.  Hoffman,  operator  of  the 
Calumet  Theatre,  Calumet,  Mich.,  has 
re-equipped  and  refurnished  his  house, 
installing   new   equipment,  projector, 


generator,  and  drapery.  Bill  Dassow, 
manager  of  National  Theatre  Sup- 
ply's office  here,  handled  the  job. 

Ellis  Buys  Sites  for 
Two  More  Theatres 

Philadelphia,  July  29.  —  Three 
more  post-war  theatres  for  the  city 
have  been  announced.  A.  M.  Ellis, 
head  of  the  Ellis  Theatres  Co.,  oper- 
ating an  independent  circuit  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  in  Southern  New  Jer- 
sey, announces  that  two  theatre  sites 
have  been  purchased,  each  to  have 
a  house  seating  800.  One  will  be 
located  in  West  Oak  Lane  section 
and  the  other  in  Germantown. 

Also  announced  is  the  construction 
of  a  proposed  Abbey  Theatre  in  the 
Northeast  section.  Benjamin  Rogos- 
alttsky  and  Morris  Katz,  new  to  the 
industry,  are  interested  in  the  new 
theatre,  retaining  David  Supowitz  as 
architect. 

New  House  in  Dallas, 
Others  Being  Built 

Dallas,  July  29. — The  new  Urban 
Theatre,  1,000-seat  Dallas  suburban, 
has  opened  with  a  stage  and  screen 
bill.  The  new  building,  replacing  the 
Urban  which  was  almost  completely 
destroyed  by  fire  about  18  months  ago, 
is  located  across  the  street  from  the 
old  site.  Albert  Cameron,  who  man- 
aged the  theatre  which  burnt  is  also 
serving  in  this  capacity  for  the  new 
house,  one  of  the  J.  G.  Long  theatres. 

V.  B.  Fitzhugh  has  been  granted  a 
building  permit,  to  erect  a  $75,000 
suburban  theatre  for  the  Maple 
Springs  housing  project.  Ground  was 
broken  last  week. 

Receiving  the  green  light  from  the 
War  Production  Board  with  a  permit 
to  erect  a  new  theatre  at  a  cost  of 
$110,164,  Interstate  Circuit,  has  al- 
ready started  breaking  ground  for  the 
new  suburban  house,  to  be  located  at 
Inwood  Road  and  Lovers  Lane. 

Lightman  to  Build  Two 

Memphis,  July  29.— M.  A.  Light- 
man,  head  of  Marco  Theatres,  an- 
nounces that  he  will  meet  the  drive-in 
theatre  competition  in  Memphis  and  in 
Little  Rock,  Ark.,  of  Barney  and  Dave 
Woolner,  by  building  outdoor  houses. 

New  House  Opens  Sept.  1 

Kosciusko,  Miss.,  July  29— W.  A. 
Prewitt,  Jr.,  of  Associated  Theatres 
is  building  a  new  theatre,  The  Pix, 
which  he  expects  to  open  around  Sept. 
1.  He  has  also  received  a  permit  from 
WPB  to  remodel  and  enlarge  the  Gay 
Theatre  in  Jackson. 

New  Ohio  House  Planned 

Willoughby,  O.,  July  29. — In  prep- 
aration for  starting  construction  of 
their  new  1,600-seat  Vine  Theatre, 
Scoville  Essick  and  Reif  Circuit  is 
razing  the  buildings  now  located  on 
the  property. 

$148,000  Century  Deal; 
FP-C  Revamps  Victoria 

Toronto,  July  29. — United  Century 
Theatres,  recently-formed  circuit,  with 
N.  A.  Taylor,  president,  and  J.  J. 
Fitzgibbons,  vice-president,  has  pur- 
chased the  Elgin  Theatre,  Ottawa,  for 
$148,000  from  Ottawa  Cinema,  Ltd. 
The  latter  company  also  has  sold  an 
Ottawa  theatre  site  to  Famous  Play- 
ers Canadian  Corp.  for  $55,000. 

Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.  is 


30  New  Theatres  Are 
Planned  for  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  July  29.— Con- 
struction of  30  theatres,  10 
here  and  the  rest  in  key  pro- 
vincial cities,  is  reportedly  be- 
ing planned  by  the  Cia.  Finan- 
ciera  Industrial  Cinematogra- 
fica,  S.A.,  the  financing  branch 
of  Filmex,  S.A.,  large  produc- 
er. Work  is  expected  to  start 
in  the  Fall,  simultaneously 
here  and  out  of  town.  fae 


remodeling  the  old  Victoria  Theatre 
in  the  downtown  business  district  tcl 
provide  office  accommodation  for  thej, 
enlarged  purchasing  and  constructior  | 
department  under  the  management  oil- 
Jules  Wolfe.  The  step  is  preparatory 
to  the  launching  of  an  extensive  FP-G+ 
post-war  theatre-building  program  ir<f 
the  Dominion. 


-1 


Albany  Drive-Ins  Merge, 
Including  New  ©ne 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  29.  —  Sarr|. 
Rosen  of  Fabian  Theatres,  and  Nei  [ 
Hellman  of  Hellman  Theatres,  jointh 
announced  the  meeting  of  their  Drive  i 
in  theatre  properties,  including  th<| 
Drive-in  on  the  Albany-Saratog;  i 
Road,  and  the  contemplated  Drive-ii 
on  the  Albany-Schenectady  Road. 

Bird  Acquires  Three 
Theatres  in  Vermont 

Albany,  N.  J.,  July  29.  — J.  W 
Bird,  owner  of  the  Arlington  Thea- 
tre, East  Arlington,  Vt,  has  bough' 
the  Modern  and  Colonial  in  Man- 
chester Depot,  and  the  Playhouse  ir 
Manchester,  Vt. 

New  Theatre  Company 
Formed  in  Virginia 

Chincoteaque,  Va.,  July  29.  —  Th< 
Chincoteague  Theatre  Corp.  has  beei 
chartered  to  construct  and  operat* 
motion  picture  theatres.  Officers  are 
Henry  Leonard,  president,  and  Ro: 
Twilley,  secretary-treasurer.  Direc 
tors  are :  Wyle  W.  Maddox,  Floy( 
Mason,  Howard  Merritt,  Fran! 
Showard,  Harvey  Mears,  Roy  Twil< 
ley  and  Henry  Leonard,  all  of  Chinco 
teague. 

Tri-City  Amusement  Co. 
Chartered  for  Exhibition 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  29.— Tri-Cit) 
Amusement  Co.,  Inc.,  has  been  in 
corporated  to  conduct  a  'business  it, 
motion  picture  exhibition.  Schwart; 
and  Frohlich,  New  York,  were  in-, 
corporating  attorneys. 


Mobile  Theatre  Planned 

Cleveland,  July  29. — Cleveland  ha; 
gone  into  competition  with  loca 
film  houses  with  the  launching  o 
"Showagon,"  an  entertainment  unit 
on  wheels,  a  truck  the  body  oi 
which  was  replaced  by  a  collapsibl< 
stage,  a  band  shell,  stage  lighting  anc 
a  public  address  system.  It  will  tou( 
the  city,  putting  on  shows  throughout' 
the  Summer.  Talent  is  being  securec 
through  neighborhood  competitions.  ^ 

East  Point  Plans  Two 

Atlanta,  July  29.  —  Plans  for  th< 
construction  of  two  community  thea 
tres,  one  at  Hapeville,  the  other  ir 
College  Park,  were  disclosed  by  Free 
C.  Coleman,  vice-president  of  Eas 
Point  Amusement  Co.  The  company 
already  owns  the  Fulton  in  HapevilU 
and  Park  in  College  Park.  Officer: 
of  the  firm,  beside  Coleman,  are  Oscai 
Oldknow,  president,  and  W.  K.  Jen 
kins,  treasurer. 


MOT0tf  PICTURE 

BAILY 


Alert, 

InteUiget 

ana      \ ' 

to  the^J 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

58.  NO.  21 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  JULY  31,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Less  Chances 
Of  Reciprocity 
Says  Capital 

Washington  Is  Ominous 
Over  British  Attitude 


#'  Washington.  July  30. — Etft'ec- 
?fiveness    of    the  Administration's 
^program  to  develop  new  post-war 
Reciprocal   trade   agreements  with 
I  oreign  countries  may  be  les->ened 
jts  a  result  of  the  change  of  govern- 
ment in  England,  it  was  indicated 
lere  today. 

State  Department  officials  are 
understood  to  be  studying  care- 
fully the  make-up  of  the  new 
Attlee-Labor  Government,  hop- 
ing  to   get   a   clue   from  the 
known  position  of  the  several 
individuals  on  various  questions 
as  to  how  the  English  govern- 
ment will  stand  on  important 
post-war  problems. 
The  first  impression  among  observ- 
ers in  Washington  is  that  the  new 
government  will  be  difficult  to  deal 
ivith,  foreign  tradewise.      This  may 
{.Continued  on  pane  5) 


Paramount  Is  Host  to 
Veteran  Showmen 


Paramount  was  host  at  a  reception 
it  the  Hotel  Pierre  here  yesterday  to 
iittropolitan  area  exhibitors,  many  of 
"whom  have  been  its  customers  since 
]the  founding  of  the  company  33  years 
,ago. 

The  reception,  together  with  a  meet- 
ing of  the  company's  New  York  ex- 
change personnel  which  preceded  it, 
nvere  the  last  of  a  series  which  have 
■'keen   held   in   all   exchange  centers, 
heralding'the  company's  one-third  of  a 
century  anniversary,  which  will  be  ob- 
(Continued  on  pane  5) 


Miller  Named  PRC 
District  Manager 


Albany,  N:  Y.,  July  30. — Joseph 
J.  Miller  has  resigned  as  Albany 
branch  manager  of  Columbia  to  be- 
come district  manager  for  PRC,  ef- 
fective tomorrow,  supervising  Albany 
(where  an  office  is  to  be  opened) 
Buffalo,  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati. 

Holbrook  Bissell,  Albany  territory 
salesman  for  the  past  18  months,  suc- 

< Continued  on  page  5) 


U.  N.  Cultural  Meet 
In  London  Nov.  1 

A  United  Nations  confer- 
ference  to  establish  an  inter- 
national cultural  and  educa- 
tional organization  will  open 
in  London  Nov.  1,  it  became 
known  yesterday. 

The  new  organization  is  ex- 
pected to  promote  interna- 
tional interchange  in  the 
fields  of  the  arts,  science, 
education  and  the  social  sci- 
ences, State  Department  offi- 
cials disclosed.  "In  a  world  of 
modern  radio,  press  and  elec- 
trical communication,"  said 
Archibald  MacLeish,  Assistant 
Secretary  of  State,  peoples 
can  no  longer  remain  ignor- 
ant of  each  other." 


SIMPP  Sets  Press 
And  Veterans'  Units 


Hollywood,  July  30. — The  Society 
of  Independent  M.  P.  Producers,  fol- 
lowing weekend  meetings  presided 
over  by  Donald  Nelson,  president,  is 
moving  to  set  up  a  publicity  organiza- 
tion wliicli  will  parallel  in  some  re- 
spects the  Public  Information  Com- 
mittee of  the  Association  of  M.  P. 
Producers  here,  and  also  is  establish- 
ing a  unit  to  handle  job  placements  of 
returning  veterans. 

The  new  publicity  organization,  not 
yet  named,  consists  of  publicity  direc- 
tors of  SIMPP  members.  Charles 
Daggett  was  appointed  chairman  of  a 
temporary  steering  committee  which 
will  report  later  this  week  on  a  list 
of  problems  peculiar  to  independent 
producers.  David  M.  Noyes  is  expect- 
ed to  head  the  new  veterans'  unit. 


RKO  to  Cut 

Its  Westerns 


Chicago,  July  30. — RKO  will  cur- 
tail production  of  Westerns  but  will 
continue  to  turn  out  medium-budgeted 
mystery  and  horror  features,  Charles 
W.  K  o  e  r  n  e  r, 
RKO  Radio 
vice  -  president 
i  n  charge  o  f 
production,  told 
Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily 
here  on  a  stop- 
over while  en- 
route  to  a  com- 
pany conference 
in  New  York. 

Problems  of 
the  returning 
veteran,  Koer- 
ner  stated,  will 
be  the  domi- 
nant theme  of 
post-war  RKO  productions.  He  indi- 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Charles  W.  Koerner 


Urges  Unification  of 
WPB,  OPA,  WMC 


Washington,  July  30.  —  One-man 
control  over  the  War  Production 
Board,  Office  of  Price  Administration 
and  War  Manpower  Commission,  to 
be  vested  in  the  director  of  War 
Mobilization,  was  recommended  today 
in  a  report  by  the  Senate  War  In- 
vestigating Committee. 

Need  for  a  strong  control  will  be 
marked  particularly  in  the  reconver- 
sion period,  it  was  declared,  and,  the 
report  added,  the  Government  should 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Story  Analysts  in  Strike; 
SOEG  Under  Trusteeship 


Hollywood,  July  30. — The  Screen 
Story  Analysts'  110  members  were  off 
the  job  today  following  a  weekend 
meeting  at  which  the  membership 
voted  to  comply  with  international 
president  L.  P.  Lindelof's  instructions 
to  respect  the  picket  lines  in  the  studio 
strike.  The  Screen  Publicists  Guild 
executive  committee  will  recommend 
similar  action  at  a  meeting  of  that 
group  tomorrow. 

Over  the  weekend  Lindelof  placed 
the  Screen  Office  Employees  Guild  in 
trusteeship,  with  Glenn  Pratt,  busi- 
ness manager,  in  authority.  Today  the 
members  were  notified  that  their  vote 
against  respecting  the  lines  was  with- 


out standing  and  that  violators  were 
subject  to  union  penalties.  SOEG  re- 
ported 70  per  cent  of  its  members  off 
the  job  today ;  the  producers  reported 
75  per  cent  working. 

Informed  quarters  understand  that 
Lindelof's  insistence  on  these  guilds' 
joining  the  strike  is  for  the  purpose  of 
strengthening  the  position  of  himself 
and  the  other  international  presidents 
when  they  go  into  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Labor  executive  council 
meeting  Aug.  6  and  demand  that 
Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
be  removed  from  power  unless  he  with- 
draws the  charters  he  has  issued  here 
since  the  strike's  start. 


Sees  Need  To 
Continue  Raw 
Stock  Quotas 

Manufacturers  Say  WPB 
Controls  Are  Necessary 

Any  move  which  would  lead  to 
the  dropping  of  the  present  War 
Production  Board  raw  stock  alloca- 
tions for  industry  users  during  the 
fourth  quarter,  starting  Oct.  1,  would 
probably  result  in  widespread  con- 
fusion, with  eligible  users  possibly  re- 
ceiving less  film  than  at  present  under 
allocations,  a  spokesman  for  raw  stock 
manufacturers  has  informed  Motion 
Picture  Daily. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  raw 
stock  manufacture  has  dropped 
during  the  current  quarter  due 
to  the  customary  Summer  vaca- 
tion and  the  manufacturers  are 
barely  managing  to  supply 
eligible  users  with  the  amount 
of  film  to  which  they  are  en- 
titled under  their  allocations. 
It  was  said  that  if  the  WPB  were 
to  drop  its  allocation  method,  manu- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Army  Film  Need  to 
Jump  Next  Year 


Washington,  July  30. — Army  raw 
stock  requirements  for  the  first  quar- 
ter of  next  year  will  be  sharply  in- 
creased unless  Japan  is  defeated  in  the 
meantime,  a  War  Department  spokes- 
man disclosed  here  today.  It  had  been 
indicated  that  requirements  for  the 
fourth  quarter  of  this  year  will  be 
"substantially"  below  present  levels. 

As  military  estimates  for  the  period 
just  ahead  reached  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board  and  were  said  to  come 
close  to  the  requirements  laid  down 
by  Stanley  B.  Adams,  director  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Holland  First  for 
New  Export  Corp. 


Plans  are  being  set  for  the  newly- 
chartered  industry  foreign  trade  asso- 
ciation, the  Motion  Picture  Export 
Association,  to  go  into  Holland  as  its 
first  undertaking.  The  association 
was  chartered  in  Wilmington,  Del., 
June  6  with  seven  film  companies  as 
initial  participants. 

Intention  of  the  State  Department 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  July  31,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


TOM  CONNORS.  20th  Century- 
Fox  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  and  William  C.  Gehr- 
ing,  Western  sales  manager,  have  re- 
turned to  the  home  office  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

A.  W.  Schwalberg,  International 
Pictures  general  sales  manager,  has 
arrived  in  Hollywood  from  New 
York;  with  him  is  Robert  Gold- 
stein, International's  Eastern  repre- 
sentative. 

• 

Arthur    Schwartz    attorney  for 
Fabian   Theatres,   and  councilor  for 
Gov.  Thomas  Dewey,  was  a  recent 
Albany  visitor,  from  New  York. 
• 

E.  J.  Mannix  of  M-G-M  is  back 
at  the  studio  from  New  York  follow- 
ing his  recent  return  from  the  Army- 
sponsored  European  visit  of  film  ex- 
ecutives. 

• 

Leo  Israel  of  the  20th  Century- 
Fox's  home  office  advertising  depart- 
ment, and  Mrs.  Israel,  are  observing 
their  21st  wedding  anniversary  today. 
• 

Walter  J.  Titus,  Jr.,  executive 
assistant  to  James  R.  Grainger,  Re- 
public Pictures  president,  is  visiting 
Midwest  exchanges. 

• 

Don  DeFore,  Paramount  star,  has 
returned  to  Hollywood  after  a  two- 
week  visit  in  New  York. 

• 

Murray  LaFayette,  district  pub- 
licity manager  for  20th  Century-Fox 
in  Albany,  is  en  route  to  the  Coast. 
• 

George  F.  Dembow,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  sales  of  National  Screen 
Service,  is  vacationing  in  Maine. 
• 

Abe  Schneider,  Columbia  home  of- 
fice executive,  is  in  Maine  on  a  vaca- 
tion. 

e 

Sam  Lefkowitz,  United  Artists 
district  manager,  is  due  in  Boston  to- 
day on  business. 


NBC  Video  Undamaged 

NBC's  television  transmitter  on  the 
85th-floor  and  the  antennas  atop  the 
tower  of  the  Empire  State  Building 
were  not  damaged  by  the  plane  crash 
on  the  building  Saturday,  it  was  an- 
nounced by  John  F.  Royal,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  television. 


Earl  Allvine  Returns 

Lt.  Earl  Allvine  has  been  honorably 
discharged  by  the  Navy  and  after  a 
two-week  vacation  will  return  to 
civilian  film  work.  He  had  been  edit- 
ing battle  films  at  the  Navy  Photo- 
graphic Science  Laboratory  at  Ana- 
costia,  District  of  Columbia. 


Pal  Setting  Plans 

Hollywood.  July  30. — With  one 
"Jasper"  Puppetoon  just  released  and 
three  others  ready,  George  Pal  is  now 
getting  set  on  his  1946-47  schedule  for 
Paramount  release. 


Flynn  30  Years  on 
Metro  Selling  Line 

Chicago,  July  30.— John  E.  Flynn, 
Western  sales  manager  for  M-G-M, 
is  celebrat- 
ing this  week 
his  30th  anni- 
versary with 
the  company 
and  its  prede- 
cessors. 

Following  his 
association 
with  Mutual 
Film  as  mana- 
ger and  with 
General  Film 
as  district 
manager,  he 
joined  Gold- 
wyn  Distribu- 
tion Corp.,  as 
managing  di 
rector  in  Australia  and  New  Zea- 
land, later  becoming  vice-president. 
After  the  merger  of  Metro  and  Gold- 
wyn,  he  became  M-G-M  district 
manager  on  the  West  Coast  and 
later  in  Chicago,  before  assuming 
his  present  title  in  Feb.  1943. 

Flynn  is  one  of  the  most  active 
film  leaders  here.  He  participates 
in  every  type  of  drive  undertaken 
by  the  industry. 


John  E.  Flynn 


Kalmenson  to  W.B. 
Coast  Sales  Meeting 

Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  man- 
ager for  Warner  Bros.,  left  yesterday 
for  the  Coast,  where  he  will  meet  with 
Jack  L.  Warner,  executive  producer, 
to  discuss  policy  matters  originated 
last  week  in  New  York. 

While  on  the  Coast,  Kalmenson  also 
will  attend  a  regional  meeting  being 
called  by  Henry  Herbel,  West  Coast 
district  manager. 


Pollock,  Theatrical 
Manager,  Dies  at  64 

John  Pollock.  64,  general  manager 
for  John  Golden  in  the  production  of 
plays,  and  brother  of  Channing  Pol- 
lock, playwright  and  author,  died 
Sunday  at  Lenox  Hill  Hospital,  here. 
He  was  former  Mayor  of  Leonia, 
N.  J.,  where  he  lived  at  11  Paulin 
Boulevard. 

Funeral  services  are  to  be  held  at 
two  P.M.  today  in  St.  Joseph's  Chapel 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
the  Transfiguration  (the  Little  Church 
Around  the  Corner). 


Wile's  Father  Dies 

Alfons  Wile,  73,  father  of  Bob  Wile 
of  Universal's  home  office  publicity 
department,  died  here  yesterday.  The 
elder  Wile  was  technical  representa- 
tive of  Schfenley  Co. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  at  3 
P.M.  today  at  the  Lexington  Avenue 
Chapel. 


Mme.  Jeritza  Sole  Heir 

Hollywood,  July  30. — Mme.  Maria 
Jeritza,  widow  of  Winfield  R.  Sheehan, 
industry  pioneer  who  died  here  last 
week,  is  the  sole  beneficiary  under 
terms  of  his  will,  read  today. 


More  Sponsors  Join 
Cohn  Testimonial 


More  of  the  industry's  leaders  are 
joining  the  list  of  sponsors  of  the  din- 
ner being  given  in  honor  of  Jack 
Cohn,  executive  vice-president  of 
Columbia  Pictures,  at  the  Hotel 
Waldorf-Astoria  on  Sept.  27.  The 
event  will  serve  as  the  springboard 
of  an  Anti-defamation  League-Ameri- 
can Jewish  Committee  fund-raising 
campaign. 

Among  those  who  have  added  their 
names  to  the  roll  are:  Nate  Blum- 
berg,  Harry  Brandt,  Billy  Rose, 
Charles  Schwartz,  Harry  Thomas,  S. 
H.  Fabian  and  Harrv  Kalmine. 


Release  of  Rank's 
'Blithe*  Is  Uncertain 

Chicago,  July  30. — Although  listed 
as  forthcoming  United  Artists  re- 
fuses, "Blithe  Spirit"  and  "A  Walk 
S*f  the  Sun"  were  not  discussed  at  the 
UA  regional  sales  meeting  which 
closed  as  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here 
yesterday.  J.  Arthur  Rank,  producer 
of  "Blithe  Spirit,"  told  reporters  when 
he  was  in  the  city,  last  month,  that 
the  picture  would  be  released  in  this 
country  in  1945.  but  J.  J.  Unger, 
\\  estern  division  manager  who  con- 
ducted the  meetings  here,  said  nothft, 
definite  is  scheduled  for  it.  V j  | 


SEG  Chartered,  Now 
Seeks  Recognition 

Hollywood,  July  30. — The  new 
Screen  Extras  Guild  received  its 
charter  from  the  Four-A's  in  a  cere- 
mony addressed  by  John  B.  Hughes 
and  Robert  Montgomery  last  night 
and  now  plans  to  seek  an  open-shop 
policy  from  the  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  Association,  which 
has  a  closed-shop  agreement  with  the 
Screen  Players  Union.  Also,  SEG 
will  petition  the  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  to  vacate  its  certifica- 
tion of  SPU  as  the  bargaining  agent 
for  extras  with  respect  to  the  major 
studios. 


Showmen's  Contest 
Set  on  'Tomorrow' 

Hollywood,  July  30. — To  augment 
the  sales  and  merchandising  campaign 
on  "Tomorrow  Is  Forever,"  William 
Goetz,  president  of  International  Pic- 
tures, has  called  for  suggestions  from 
exhibitors,  buyers,  bookers,  advertis- 
ing managers  and  theatre  circuit  heads 
throughout  the  country. 

"Since  it  would  be  unfair  to  seek 
this  help  without  some  reward  to 
you,"  Goetz  wrote,  "we  have  set  up 
100  prizes  including  a  total  of  $2,500 
in  cash  for  the  best  ideas." 


Nicaragua  Halves 
Its  Film  Duties 

Washington,  July  30. — The  Nica- 
raguan  government  has  decreed  a  re- 
duction of  50  per  cent  in  duties  and 
charges  on  motion  picture  film  im- 
ported into  the  country  for  a  period 
of  one  year,  it  has  been  reported  to 
the  Department  of  Commerce  by  Jule 
B.  Smith,  acting  American  commer- 
cial attache. 


Skouras  Benefit  Aircast 

Alexander  Brailowsky,  Russian 
pianist,  will  be  guest  artist  on  a 
coast-to-coast  broadcast  on  behalf  of 
Russian  War  Relief  on  the  weekly 
Skouras  Theatres  'War  Effort  Pres- 
entation' "This  Is  Our  Cause"  radio 
program,  Saturday  afternoon,  Aug.  4, 
over  the  WOR-Mutual  network. 


Harman  on  Feature 

Hollywood,  July  30. — "Man,  the 
Builder,"  first  of  Hugh  Harman's  fea- 
ture-length "Animaction"  films,  has 
gone  into  the  sketching  rooms. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


SECOND  BIG  WEEK 

THE  PICTURE  THAT  MAY 
CHANGE  YOUR  LIFE! 

The 

CHEATERS 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 
Starring 
JOSEPH  SCHILDKRAUT 

with 

BILLIE       EUGENE  ONA 
BURKE     PALLETTE  MUNSON 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


GOTHAM 


B' WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Joan  FONTAINE 
George  BRENT 

'The  AFFAIRS 
of  SUSAN' 


IN  PERSON 
MICHAEL 

O'SHEA 

LOW,  HITE 
&  STANLEY 


BETTY  HUTTON  • ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA 
in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The   Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of   PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Gofdwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Q^-Z^7 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke.  Advertising  Manager:  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London  Other  Ouigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23.  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


and  spec»w 


4. 


4 


?0re'niSt 


WHO  US 


Tuesday,  Ju  ty  31,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


RKO  Will  Cut  Production 
Of  Westerns:  Koerner 


Sees  Need  to  Keep 
Raw  Stock  Quotas 


Paramount  Is  Host  to 
Veteran  Showmen 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

|!  served    during     Paramount  month, 
I  Aug.  26  to  Sept.  29.    Hugh  Owen, 
I  New    York    and    Southern  division 
manager,  presided. 

Speakers  at  the  meeting  which  pre- 
ceded the  reception  included  Charles 
M.  Reagan,  vice-president  and  general 
j  sales  manager ;  Allen  Usher,  Claude 

I  'Jee,  R.  M.  Gillham.  Oscar  Morgan 
■^-=^1  Henry  Randel.  New  York  branch 

II  manager  and  reception  host.  Miss 
Kitty  Flynn,  New  York  booker  and  in 
the  company's  employ  for  28  years, 
was  honored  at  the  meeting. 

In  addition  to  prominent  Newr  York 
exhibitors,  among  those  present  at  the 
reception  were :  Barney  Balaban, 
Leonard  Goldenson.  Hugh  Owen, 
Leon  Xetter.  M.  A.  Lightman,  G.  B. 
J.  Frawley.  Al  Wilkie,  Gus  Eyssell, 
Si  Fabian. 

Miller  Named  PRC 
District  Manager 

(Continued  from  pope  1) 

ceeds  Miller  at  Columbia.  Bissell 
worked  in  the  Albany  zone  once  be- 
fore. He  also  served  in  Pittsburgh 
and  other  Midwest  cities.  A  second 
Columbia  salesman,  Eddie  Hochstim, 
is  scheduled  for  a  promotion  transfer 
to  St.  Louis.  Miller  will  have  head- 
quarters here  for  the  time  being. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


(Continued  from  pape  1) 
cated  that  his  reaction  in  this  connec- 
tion is  based  on  an  RKO  Gallup  poll 
taken  in  conjunction  with  a  forth- 
coming feature  dealing  with  that  sub- 
ject. 

Koerner  denied  that  Samuel  Gold- 
wyn  or  David  Selznick  will  buy  into 
RKO.  Goldwyn's  distribution  deal 
will  continue  until  June,  1946.  The 
recent  three-picture  purchase  from 
Selznick,  Koerner  explained,  also  in- 
cludes the  use  of  Selznick  stars  and 
directors,  including  Ingrid  Bergman 
for  "Notorious,"  to  be  directed  by  Al- 
fred Hitchcock,  and  Dorothy  McGuire 
and  Alan  Marshall,  for  "Some  Must 
Watch." 

Koerner  said  further  that  the  first 
of  two  pictures  to  be  made  jointly 
with  J.  Arthur  Rank,  British  film 
producer,  will  go  into  production  in 
London  before  March,  and  for  each 
picture  RKO  will  dispatch  a  producer, 
director,  writer  and  cutter,  plus  acting 
talent,  if  needed. 

The  policy  of  buying  pre-produced 
plays  will  be  continued,  Koerner 
states.  RKO  holds  picture  rights  to 
the  to-be-produced  "The  Play's  the 
Thing"  (Jed  Harris),  "The  Legend 
of  Sleepy   Hollow"    (Oscar  Serlin), 


H  ol  land  First  for 
New  Export  Corp. 

(Continued  from   pape  1) 

to  do  'everything  possible'  to  aid  the 
American  film  industry  to  re-establish 
itself  in  the  Netherlands  was  disclosed 
last  week  in  Washington. 

The  industry  is  faced  with  the  pos- 
sibility in  the  Netherlands  that  the 
film  monopoly  instituted  by  the  Dutch 
Government-in-Exile  during  the  war, 
may  be  raised  in  the  post-war  by 
the  permanent  government. 

Details  of  the  entrance  into  Hol- 
land under  the  export  association  are 
almost  worked  out  but  the  ability  of 
Columbia  to  participate  is  being  stud- 
ied. 

Reciprocity  Chances 
Seen  Less  by  Capital 

(Continued  from  pape  1) 

show  itself  in  slowness  to  talk  recipro- 
cal trade  agreements  or  elimination 
of  exchange  controls,  two  things  on 
which  the  American  film  industry  has 
put  much  dependence  to  pave  the  way 
for  prosperous  post-war  trade. 

Since  any  new  policy  which  En- 
gland may  adopt  with  respect  to  for- 
eign trade  is  likely  to  involve  motion 
pictures  as  well  as  other  products,  the 
situation  is  being  closely  watched  by 
the  film  industry. 


Urges  Unification  of 
WPB,  OPA,  WMC 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

"get  a  move  on"  in  preparing  for  the 
transition. 

Of  particular  interest  to  the  film  in- 
dustry, Mead  charged  that  our  inter- 
ests abroad  are  not  yet  receiving  suf- 
ficiently concentrated  attention,  and 
recommended  that  civilian  agencies 
dealing  with  foreign  governments  and 
peoples  "be  integrated  under  the  Sec- 
retary of  State." 


and  "Anything  Can  Happen"  (Max 
Gordon) . 

RKO  will  continue  to  expand  inter- 
nationally, Koerner  said,  revealing 
that  10  of  14  RKO  stages  have  al- 
ready been  completed  in  Mexico  City 
for  the  production  of  features  both 
in  Spanish  and  English,  to  be  released 
in  Spanish-speaking  countries  and  the 
United  States.  In  addition  to  its  own 
distribution  facilities  in  England,  the 
company  recently  made  a  tie-up  with 
French-Pathe  in  France,  Koerner  dis- 
closed.  

Koerner,  Lieber,  Wolff 
Are  Due  Here  Today 

Charles  W.  Koerner,  vice  president 
in  charge  of  production  of  RKO  Ra- 
dio Pictures  and  head  of  the  com- 
pany's studios  in  California,  will  ar- 
rive in  New  York  today,  accompanied 
by  Perry  Lieber,  studio  advertising- 
publicity  director,  and  Robert  Wolff, 
managing  director  of  RKO  Radio  Pic- 
tures, Ltd.,  and  RKO  Radio  British 
Productions,  Ltd,  in  London.  They 
will  remain  in  New  York  for  the  com- 
pany's regional  sales  meetings  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  Aug.  6-8. 

Wolff  for  the  past  ten  days  has  been 
conferring  with  Koerner  in  Holly- 
wood on  product  for  1945-46. 


Coburn  in  'Over  2V 

Due  to  an  error  in  telegraphic 
transmission  of  the  Hollywood  review 
of  "Over  21,"  published  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily  of  July  23,  Charles 
Coburn's  name  appeared  as  Charles 
Coames. 


(Continued  from  pape  1) 

facturers  would  be  obliged  to  supply 
film  to  all  buyers  who  might  not 
presently  be  eligible  for  film  under  the 
allocations.  The  manufacturers  have 
no  reserves  of  raw  stock  at  present 
and  it  was  indicated  that  there  is  little 
likelihood  of  building  up  reserves  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  fourth  quarter. 

WPB  action  in  calling  a  raw  stock 
meeting  in  Washington  for  Aug.  15 
to  discuss  fourth  quarter  allocations 
previously  gave  rise  to  the  belief  that 
the  allocation  method  would  be 
dropped  beginning  with  the  fourth 
quarter. 

Decision  as  to  the  dropping  of  raw 
stock  allocations  at  the  end  of  this 
quarl  ;r  will  not  be  announced  by  the 
War  Production  Board  until  Septem- 
ber, it  was  disclosed  last  week  by 
Adams. 

Army  Film  Need  to 
Jump  Next  Year 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

WPB  Consumers  Hard  Goods  Bu- 
reau, for  the  abandonment  of  alloca- 
tions, it  was  explained  that  the  pres- 
ent curtailment  is  due  to  the  rede- 
ployment of  forces. 

Although  military  officials  will 
meet  with  the  WPB  and  the  three  in- 
dustry advisory  committees  between 
Aug.  1  and  15,  the  Army,  it  is  under- 
stood, will  take  no  position  on  the 
abandonment  of  allocations  to  be  dis- 
cussed then,  since,  under  any  system, 
military  and  lend-lease  requirements 
will  be  filled  ahead  of  commercial  needs. 


******★★★★★★★ 
*  THE  B I GGESTnAVY  BELONGS  TO  THE  U.S. ...  * 


BIGGEST 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED... 


HE  HAS  SAVED 

60,000 


IN  WONDER  LAND 


MARRIAGES 

by  Charles  Dexter 

Michigan's  law  is  unique  because  it  tries  to  prevent 
divorce,  instead  of  making  it  easier.  Edward 
Pokorny,  "Friend  of  the  Court,"  an  official, 
under  state  law,  has  the  job  of  trying  to  reconcile 
couples  before  the  case  is  set  for  hearing.  He  is 
no  reformer  who  preaches  down  to  troubled  men 
and  women.  He  is  like  a  good,  old-fashioned 
father.  "I  have  no  cure-all  for  divorce,"  he  told 
me.  "I  merely  strive  to  do  my  best."  His 
"best"  has  saved  60,000  marriages. 


IS  IT  TOO  LATE  FOR 
THE  TRUTH  ? 


I  love  my  wife  and  baby  dearly.  I 
know  that  my  life  would  be  ruined  if  I 
should  become  separated  from 
them,  but  I  also  love  my  older  boy.  I 
yearn  to  tell  him  that  he  is  really  my 
son,  but  I  dread  the  effect  this 
would  have  on  my  wife,  because  I 
have  never  told  her  that  this  hand- 
some boy  she  and  her  first  husband 
adopted  before  I  married  her,  is  really 
my  son — I  never  told  her  that 
Paula's  people  had  my  schoolboy 
marriage  annulled.  Can  I,  dare  I, 
tell  them?  I  don't  know  what  to  do. 




Are  you  LOYAL  to  old  friends  ? 

by  Dorothy  Sara 

You  may  think  it  unsophisti- 
cated to  have  an  "old  friends 
are  best"  attitude,  but  loyalty  and 
kindness  do  not  go  out  of  fashion.  When 
a  crisis  has  to  be  met,  or  even  if  there  is  a 
minor  problem  to  be  solved,  the  new 
friend  can  be  helpful  and  understanding, 
but  the  old  friend  knows.  Shakespeare 
put  it  pretty  well: 
Those  friends  thou  hast,  and  their 

adoption  tried, 
Grapple  them  to  thy  soul  with  hoops 
of  steel. 


"Thank  God  he's  safe!"  I  cried  hys- 
terically. Mrs.  Nelson  crossed  to  me 
quickly.  "You  must  forget  him,"  she 
said.  "Stanley  is  married."  I  strove  desper- 
ately to  compose  myself.  "Stanley  is  married 
to  me,  Mrs.  Nelson.  We  were  married  secretly. 
This  Sara  Drake  is  an  impostor."  She  was  just 
about  to  say,  "I  don't  believe  it,"  when  Fred 
walked  into  the  room.  What  he  said  was  the  final 
proof.  "We've  found  that  Sara  Drake's  racket  was 
to  pretend  to  be  the  widow  of  a  boy  killed  in  action. 
She  did  it  for  the  insurance  and  the  monthly  pay- 
ments. News  that  Fred  is  alive  has  scared  her  off. 
Now  she'll  have  to  find  another  victim.  Wartime 
secret  marriages  are  making  rackets  like  hers  easy." 


>s  r 


True  Confessions  is  concerned  with  everything  that 
concerns  anybody.  Its  stories  and  articles  grow  from 
the  everyday  lives  of  average  people.  What  happens 
each  month  in  its  pages  has  happened  to  someone, 
maybe  to  you.  Each  issue  is  filled  with  experience — 
that  is  why  every  issue  is  helpful.  "Your  Magazine 
for  a  Better  Life"  is  not  just  a  claim  on  the  cover. 
Inside  the  covers  is  proof. 

True  Confessions 

Bought  at  newsstands  by  2,000,000  women  a  month 
for  the  living  service  it  gives 


FAWCETT  PUBLICATIONS,  INC.,  295  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y.  World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Magazines 


First  in 


MOTION  PICTl 


to  the 
Picture 
Industry 


tion 


SDAY,  AUGUST  1,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


pew  New  Runs 
Planned  for 
Midwest  Area 


Most  Post  -  War  Plans 
Call  for  Refurnishing 


By  SAM  HONIGBERG 
Chicago,  July  31.  —  No  danger 
of  post-war   overbuilding   in  this 
territory   is  expected,   a  Motion 
Picture  Daily  check-up  reveals. 
While  there  will  be  consider- 
able   remodeling,  refurnishing 
and    re-equipping   of  theatres, 
present  plans  do  not  call  for 
more  than  about  nine  additional 
structures.    At  the  same  time, 
at  least  three  existing  theatres 
here  will  be  torn  down  to  make 
room  for  other  business  ven- 
tures. 

Chief  reason  for  the  comparative 
'(new  building  inactivity,  according  to 
,fct  number  of  veteran  exhibitors  and 
leading  equipment  dealers  here,  is  that 
lithis  territory  is  already  fully  covered 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


Russia  Plans 
World  Circuit 


Plans  are  being  formulated  by  Rus- 
sia for  theatres  throughout  most  of 
the  world,  including  the  U.  S.,  under 
an  arrangement  whereby  Russia  will 
advance  funds  to  foreign  promoters  at 
low  interest  rates  on  long-term  re- 
payment on  condition  that  the  theatres 
will  run  at  least  15  per  cent  Russian 
films,  it  was  revealed  here  yesterday 
by  Al  Lowe,  United  Artists  general 
manager  in  South  Africa,  who  is  in 
New  York  from  Johannesburg. 

Lowe,  who  recently  completed  a  50,- 

(Continued  oil   page  8) 


No  U.  S.  Production 
After  War:  Sherwood 

Hollywood,  July  31. — The  Govern- 
ment will  not  continue  producing  pic- 

>  tures  after  the  war  because  it  "does 
not  consider  picture  production  its 
business."  Robert  E.  Sherwood,  former 
director  of  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion's overseas  division,  told  a  press 
conference  here  today.  He  held  that 
commercial  films  would  be  effective  in 

j  helping  clarify  postwar  conditions  in 
Europe,  adding :  "I  don't  think  we'll 
make  as  many  mistakes  as  we  did 
after  the  last  war." 


Four  Advance 
At  Republic 


The  expansion  of  his  executive 
staff,  to  implement  the  recently  estab- 
lished policy  of  consolidating  domes- 
tic and  foreign  sales  and  distribution, 
is  disclosed  by  James  R.  Grainger, 
president  of  Republic  Pictures,  and 
world-wide  sales  head. 

Coordination  of  all  Republic  sales 
under  Grainger,  who  is  also  president 
of  Republic  Pictures  International 
Corp.,  will  result  in  increased  scope 
in  the  activities  of  his  two  executive 
assistants,  Edward  L.  Walton  and 
Walter  L.  Titus,  Jr.  Walton,  assist- 
ant general  sales  manager  in  the  do- 
mestic market,  will  function  as  Grain- 
ger's aide  in  the  international  field  as 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


Newsreelers  Fly  to 
Europe  on  Friday 


Washington,  July  31. — The  tour 
of  the  European  Theatre  by  the  six 
newsreel  chiefs,  under  Army  sponsor- 
ship, will  start  earlier  than  originally 
intended,  their  Army  plane  taking  off 
Friday  morning  from  Washington, 
weather  permitting.  The  six  will 
arrive  here  Thursday  morning  for  a 
day  of  briefing  by  Army  officers. 
Making  the  trip  will  be  Walter 
Ament,  Pathe;  M.  D.  Clofine,  News 
of  the  Day ;  Thomas  Mead,  Univer- 
sal ;  Edmund  Reek,  20th  Fox  Movie- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Form  New  Company 
To  Handle  British 
Films  in  America 


Formation  of  a  new  national  dis- 
tribution company  to  handle  British 
pictures  in  this  market  has  been  com- 
pleted here,  it  was  learned  yesterday. 

The  new  company,  incorporated  in 
Albany  as  Four  Continents  Films, 
Inc.,  is  headed  by  Lou  Jackson  of 
London,  founder  of  Anglo-American 
Film  Corp.,  Ltd.,  who  brought  30 
British  productions  with  him  on  his 
recent  visit  to  the  United  States. 
Local  head  of  Four  Continents  Films 
is  Daniel  Frankel,  vice-president  and 
executive  director. 

The  new  company  will  select  a 
half-dozen  or  so  pictures  from  the 
group  of  30  which  Jackson  delivered 
here,  and  will  make  its  trade  debut 
with  the  small,  selected  list.  Believed 
to  be  among  the  initial  films  to  be  re- 
leased here  are  "Love  on  the  Dole," 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


'Capt.  Eddie'  Opens 
In  Columbus  Today 

Columbus,  O.,  July  31. — This  city, 
and  the  state,  are  ready  for  tomorrow's 
world  premiere  of  "Captain  Eddie," 
the  late  Winfield  Sheehan's  Eureka 
production,  based  on  the  life  and  ca- 
reer of  Capt.  Eddie  Rickenbacker,  re- 
leased by  20th  Century-Fox. 

The  exploitation  campaign,  under 
direction   of    Hal    Home,  embraced 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Allied  Documentary,  'True 
Glory, 9  Shown  in  London 


Hearst  Still  Bans 
Orson  Welles'  'Kane' 

Chicago,  July  31.  —  When 
William  Randolph  Hearst 
originally  blacklisted  the 
RKO-Orson  Welles  "Citizen 
Kane"  from  his  newspapers, 
he  apparently  did  not  intend 
to  limit  the  ban  only  to  the 
initial  engagements  following 
the  picture's  general  release 
in  1941.  The  other  day,  the 
picture  was  revived  by  James 
Jovan  in  his  Loop  Monroe 
Theatre  and  the  only  ad- 
vertising copy  permitted  in 
Hearst's  Herald  American 
was:  "Orson  Welles  in  a  Sur- 
prise Hit." 


The  Allied  armies'  most  ambitious 
documentary  film,  "The  True  Glorv," 
emerged  from  the  veils  of  secrecy  that 
have  enshrouded  its  preparation  for 
months  at  Pinewood,  in  England,  and 
was  shown  to  the  trade  and  press  in 
London  yesterday,  prior  to  the  pic- 
ture's opening  at  the  Warner  Theatre 
there  Fridav. 

In  New  York  yesterday  a  print  of 
the  picture  was  received  by  the  War 
Activities  Committee  from  Washing- 
ton and  was  privately  screened.  Pend- 
ing a  decision  on  WAC  distribution 
sponsorship  of  the  film,  no  invitations 
to  the  screening  were  issued  to  the 
American  trade  or  press. 

The  film,  edited  by  Garson  Kanin, 
American,  and  Carol  Reed,  Briton, 
with  a  script  written  largely  by 
Gerald  Kersh,  British  novelist,  now 
in  this  country,  represents  a  cutting 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Rank,  Selznick 
In  New  Joint 
ProducingUnit 

'Mary  Magdalene',  First, 
Will  Cost  $5,000,000 


J.  Arthur  Rank's  organization  in 
London  and  David  O.  Selznick's 
office  here  jointly  announce  that  ar- 
rangements have  been  completed  for 
the  association 
of  Selznick  and 
Rank  in  a  new 
English  produc- 
i  n  g  company, 
Selznick  Inter- 
national Pic- 
tures of  En- 
gland, Ltd.  Ne- 
gotiations, pend- 
ing for  a  long 
time  and  devel- 
oped during 
Rank's  recent 
visit  to  Holly- 
wood, were  con- 
cluded by  cable. 
Motion  Picture  Daily  reported  on 
July  27  that  a  Selznick-Rank  deal  was 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


David  O.  Selznick 


Week 's  Grace 
On  Trial  Data 


A  large  majority  of  the  informa- 
tion which  Robert  L.  Wright,  special 
assistant  to  the  U.  S.  Attorney  Gen- 
eral, is  seeking  from  the  five  dis- 
tributor-defendants in  the  New  York 
anti-trust  case  had  been  received  by 
last  night,  eve  of  the  Aug.  1  dead- 
line set  by  Judge  Augustus  N.  Hand 
at  the  hearing  on  July  10,  when 
Wright  revealed  his  intention  to  pres- 
ent a  prima  facie  case  based  on 
documents  alone;  and  the  answers  to 
all  of  the  Department's  interrogatories 
will  be  in  by  Aug.  8  at  the  latest,  a 
Government  spokesman  said  here  yes- 
terday. He  indicated  that  this  ar- 
rangement will  be  satisfactory,  since 
the  Department  is  satisfied  that  the 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "George  White's 
Scandals"  appears  on  page  4; 
"Johnny  Angel,"  "Jealousy," 
page  6. 


j 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  1,  194! 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  A.  SCULLY,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  Universal 
sales,  visiting  the  Coast  studio,  will 
return  to  New  York  in  about  two 
weeks. 

Tony  Stern,  Warner  booking  man- 
ager ;  Alan  Moritz,  Columbia  branch 
manager;  Sam  Galanty,  Columbia 
district  manager,  and  Bob  Ungerfeld, 
Universal  exploitation  representative, 
are  vacationing  at  Cape  Charles,  Va. 
• 

Thomas  J.  Connors,  30th  Century- 
Fox  distribution  vice-president,  Hal 
Horne,  director  of  advertising-pub- 
licity, and  Capt.  Eddie  Rickenbacker, 
flew  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  yesterday  for 
the  'Captain  Eddie'  premiere. 

• 

Arthur  Hirsch,  president  of  Con- 
solidated Theatres,  Montreal,  has  re- 
covered from  a  severe  illness  at 
Montreal  Jewish  General  Hospital 
and  is  recuperating  at  his  home  there. 
• 

William  B.  Levy,  Disney  Produc- 
tions distribution  executive,  has  ar- 
rived in  London,  by  Pan  American 
Clipper,  to  spend  two  months  in  the 
Disney  London  and  Paris  branches. 
• 

'Hank'  Linet  of  Universale  home 
office  advertising-publicity  department, 
left  New  York  yesterday  for  Balti- 
more, Washington  and  Philadelphia, 
returning  here  Friday. 

• 

Elizabeth  Carver,  in  charge  of 
Vanguard  Films'  Eastern  story  de- 
partment contacts  for  the  past  two 
years,  has  been  made  head  of  the  de- 
partment here. 

• 

Harry  C.  Arthur  of  F.  and  M. 
Stage  Shows,  Inc.,  left  New  York 
yesterday  for  Los  Angeles,  with  a 
three-day  stopover  in  his  home  city, 
St.  Louis.  . 

e 

Francis  William  Baker,  president 
of  the  Kinematograph  Renters  So- 
ciety, London,  has  sailed  from  Liver- 
pool for  New  York. 

• 

Allen  Wilson,  Republic  studio 
vice-president,  is  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood  and  will  return  there  Fri- 
day. 

• 

Tom  Guiman,  PRC  sales  repre- 
sentative from  the  home  office,  is  vis- 
iting in  Atlanta. 

• 

Merritt  Davis,  Southern  division 
manager  of  Republic  Pictures,  At- 
lanta, is  visiting  Tampa. 

Ike  and  Harry  Katz,  PRC  South- 
ern franchise  holders,  are  in  Chicago, 
from  Atlanta. 

• 

Joe  Roberts  of  the  Vanguard  pub- 
licity department,  here,  has  returned 
from  a  vacation. 

Betty  Hutton,  Paramount  star,  has 
left  New  York  by  plane  for  England 
for  an  eight-week  USO  tour. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


"Goodwill,"  he  defines,  "is  the 
evidence  of  confidence,  one  in 
the  other,  and  based  on  the  per- 
formance of  both.  It  is  not  a  one- 
way passage,  or  a  fair  weather 
experience,  but  a  reciprocal  un- 


to 


THE  dubious  will  doubt  it,  but 
*-  the  fair  will  acknowledge 
Bill  Rodgers  travels  further 
than  even  he  has  gdne  jn  setting 
up  the  expanded  sales  policy  im- 
der  which  M-G-M  product -is  to 

be  marketed.    His  plan  happerffVHerstanding  applicable  to  good 
fall    into    19   points,   which  'T^and  bad  conditions  alike  and  can 

only  be  lasting  where  the  sin- 
cerity of  purpose  is  an  accepted 
fact." 

■ 

Now,  the  words  are  fine. 
They  might  even  be  described  as 
somewhat  on  the  lofty  side,  yet 
mean  nothing  unless  backed  up 
with  the  intention  of  putting 
them  into  practice.  In  every  of- 
ficial and  formal  way,  Rodgers 
emphasizes  such  is  his  intention. 
If  a  top  bracket  attraction  flops 
in  a  given  situation,  policy  will 
not  prevent  its  being  reclassified 
into  a  lower  bracket.  The  slid- 
ing scale,  as  was  expected,  con- 
tinues without  change. 

Under  certain  conditions, 
demonstrated  as  to  facts,  a 
change  in  the  unit  figure  is  as- 
sured. In  situations  affected  by 
population  shifts,  industrial  ac- 
tivity or  other  economic  upsets, 
all  to  be  factually  established  as 
well,  subsequent  runs  are  prom- 
ised adjustments  which  will  lift 
preferred  playing  time  and  sub- 
stitute mid-week  dates.  When 
all  distributors  constantly  battle 
for  weekends,  this  can  be  signifi- 
cant. 


some  already  have  described  as 
Metro's  own  fair  trade  practice 
code.  It  could  be  called  that 
without  much  danger  of  contra- 
diction. 

The  fact,  however,  is  that 
these  19  points  are  not  all  new 
points,  suddenly  and  without 
warning  let  loose  upon  Metro's 
sales  force  and  the  exhibitor  at 
large.  Combining  them  into  one 
solid  presentation  at  this  time 
gives  them  a  complexion  which 
is  fresh  and  likewise  provides 
them  with  the  value  of  consoli- 
dation into  a  single  platform.  On 
it,  Metro  intends  to  stand. 

■ 

Its  planks  are  solid,  and  they 
appear  to  be  equitable.  These 
19  points,  it  should  be  under- 
stood, do  not  mean  Metro  pro- 
poses giving  its  business  away. 
Rodgers  is  on  public  record  sev- 
eral times  over  with  the  state- 
ment he  is  out  to  get  all  the  traf- 
fic will  bear.  That's  what  a  gen- 
eral sales  manager  is  for.  That's 
why  Nick  Schenck  maintains 
Rodgers  where  he  is.  That's 
why  Rodgers  wrote  such  a 
sweet,  long-term  deal  for  him- 
self in  the  days  not  so  far  back 
yonder  when  his  agreement  was 
about  to  run  out. 

But  doing  a  job  for  one's 
company  does  not  mean  the  club 
has  to  swing  ruthlessly  and 
without  letup.  It  need  not  allow 
for  a  hit-and-run  tactic  under 
which  the  customer  is  shorn  of 
his  britches  and  left  gasping  for 
breath  to  boot.  It  can  allow,  and 
it  should  allow,  for  mutual  ap- 
preciation of  the  problems  con- 
fronting both  buyer  and  seller 
and  a  realization  mistakes  are 
common  to  both  sides. 

In  private  conversation  and  in 
official  utterance,  Rodgers  has 
been  persistent  in  his  pursuit  of 
goodwill  for  his  company.  He 
has  been  submitted  to  good- 
natured  kidding  on  this  score 
from  one  direction  or  another, 
but  the  effect  on  the  measure  of 
his  persistence — and  his  effort 
— has  been  precisely  nil.  His  is 
the  kind  of  business  philosophy 
which  recognizes  that,  as  a  dis- 
tributor, he  is  out  of  business 
without  sustained  exhibitor  sup- 
port. But  he  also  feels  with  a 
pride  understandable  that  the  ex- 
hibitor finds  Metro  useful,  too. 


"We  do  not,  much  less  ex- 
pect, any  unfair  terms  or  ad- 
vantages. .  .  .  Our  branch  and 
district  managers  have  authority 
to  adjudicate  what  appear  to  be 
unintentional  errors ;  they  can, 
when  justified,  adjudicate  any 
business  contracts,"  read  por- 
tions of  this  statement  of  policy. 
The  established  customer  is  pro- 
vided protection  against  compe- 
tition in  the  form  of  new  thea- 
tres to  the  extent  such  theatres 
"are  not  to  be  given  assurance 
of  any  specific  availability."  Ne- 
gotiations with  new  theatres  will 
not  be  undertaken  until  they  are 
a  reality  "and  then  only  for  such 
run  and  product  as  is  then  avail- 
able." 

Of  particular  importance,  it 
seems  to  us,  is  Point  18.  It 
clearly  sets  forth,  "Runs  and  ac- 
counts are  not  to  be  changed, 
nor  applications  even  signed,  un- 
til after  complete  facts  are  first 
submitted  to  the  general  sales 
manager  .  .  .  and  then  such  pro- 
posed changes  are  not  to  be  act- 
ed upon  until  proper  authority  to 
do  so  has  been  received  from  the 
general  sales  manager." 


First  Reports  on 
Photoplay  Awards 


Bing  Crosby  and  Greer  Garson,  win 
ners  of  last  year's  Photoplay  gol< 
medal  awards  are  again  in  the  run 
ning  for  this  year's  honors,  accordiir. 
to  first  tabulations  revealed  by  Dr 
George  Gallup's  Audience  Researcl 
poll  of  the  public's  preferences  fc 
favorite  actor  and  actress  cr  194? 
Final  results  will  be  announc  .  r 
in  1946. 

The  five  most  popular  actresses  dur 
ing  the  first  six  months,  listed  alpha 
betically,  are:  Ingrid  Bergman,  Bett< 
Davis,  Judy  Garland,  Greer  Garson 
Betty  Grable. 

The  five  favorite  actors  for  the  sam< 
period,  listed  alphabetically,  are:  Gan 
Cooper,  Bing  Crosby,  Cary  Grant 
Bob  Hope,  Spencer  Tracy. 

Close  to  the  first  five  in  both  stai 
categories  are :  Humphrey  Bogart 
Van  Johnson,  Ginger  Rogers  aw 
Claudette  Colbert. 

Favorite  Films 

Of  those  pictures  released  nationalh 
during  December,  1944,  and  the  firs' 
five  months  of  1945,  and  seen  b\ 
enough  of  the  public  to  qualify  for  tht 
award,  the  following  were  those  en- 
joyed the  most,  also  listed  alphabeti- 
cally: "Keys  of  the  Kingdom"  (20tr 
Century-Fox),  "Meet  Me  in  St 
Louis"  (M-G-M),  "Music  for  Mil- 
lions" (M-G-M),  "National  Velvet' 
(M-G-M),  "Objective  Burma" ( (War- 
ner), "A  Song  to  Remember"  (Co- 
lumbia), "Thirty  Seconds  Over  To- 
kyo" (M-G-M),  "To  Have  and  Have 
Not"  (Warner),  "Winged  Victory'' 
(20th  Century-Fox). 

Of  those  pictures  which  have  not 
been  seen  by  enough  yet  to  qualify  for 
the  award,  but  which  are  likely  to  qual- 
ify by  December,  the  following  are 
those  which  have  been  most  enjoyed 
"Enchanted  Cottage"  (RKO),  "God 
Is  My  Co-Pilot"  (Warner),  "Thun 
derhead"  (20th  Century-Fox),  "To- 
morrow, the  World"  (Cowan-United 
Artists),  "Wilson"  (20th  Centurv- 
Fox).. 


Finestone  to  Coast 
On  Para.  Publicity 

Al  Finestone,  Paramount  home  of- 
fice trade  paper  contact,  is  being 
transferred  to  the  company's  studio 
publicity  department  under  George 
Brown,  director  of  studio  publicity. 
Finestone  will  leave  New  York  for 
the  Coast  Friday,  reporting  to  Brown 
on  Aug.  14.  No  successor  in  the  post 
here  has  been  announced  by  R.  M. 
Gillham,  advertising-publicity  director 
of  Paramount. 

Before   joining    Paramount,  Fine 
stone  was  managing  editor  of  Motion 
Picture  Daily  and  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  other  trade  papers. 


In  an  industry  where  "take" 
has  loomed  so  largely  in  the  pre- 
vailing order,  the  impression 
flowing  from  these  19  points  is 
that  Metro  will  not  forego  the 
taking,  but  that  it  will  also  will- 
ingly be  giving  when  the  facts 
dictate  the  justification. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  'Sherwin  Kane.  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  Presidant;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative:  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,- 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley 
Publicati  ons :  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  3t 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879,     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


GREAT  NEWS! 


- 

■ 


■ 


i.  58 


THE  BIG  3 
MEET  AT 
POTSDAM! 


! 


.»».!!.  "»  .,IM  J»-    I  III .  I»1IIMIIH»H.U.J4I 


—but  wait! 


Ginger  Rogers    Walter  Pidgeon    Lana  Turner    Van  Johnson 

THE  BIG  4 
WEEK-END 

AT  THE 
WALDORF! 


I 


mmm 


m 


(Great  News  as  usual  comes  from  M-G-M!) 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  1,  1945 


Warner,  Bernstein 
In  Stock  Transfers 


Philadelphia,    July    31.  —  Few 
transactions  in  the  securities  of  their 
own  corporations,  none  of  them  of 
great   importance,   were    reported  in 
June  by  officers  and  directors  of  mo 
tion   picture   companies,   it   was  dis 
closed  last  night  in  the  monthly  sum 
mary  of  the  Securities  and  Exchange 
Commission. 

The  largest  film  transaction  report 
ed  was  not  in  June,  but  in  May,  the 
sale  of  9,000  shares  of  Warner  com 
mon  stock  by  Albert  Warner,  leaving 
him  with  210,000  shares. 

The  largest  transaction  in  June  was 
the  sale  by  David  Bernstein  of  2,000 
shares  of  Loew's  common,  held 
through  a  corporation,  which  held  55,- 
150  shares  at  the  close  of  the  month 
In  the  same  company,  William  A, 
Parker,  Boston,  a  director,  reported 
the  sale  of  800  shares,  leaving  him 
with  1,000. 

Monogram  Deals 

In  Monogram  Pictures,  George  D. 
Burrows,  Los  Angeles,  officer,  report- 
ed the  sale  of  600  shares  of  common, 
leaving  him  with  33  shares ;  W.  Ray 
Johnston  reported  the  sale  in  May  of 
1,500  shares,  leaving  him  with  18,991 
shares,  and  Paul  Porzelt,  New  York, 
director,  bought  1,000  shares,  his  en- 
tire holdings  at  the  close  of  the  month. 

Other  reports  showed  the  acquisi- 
tion of  311  shares  of  Universal  com- 
mon by  Preston  Davie,  director, 
through  an  exercise  of  warrants,  giv- 
ing him  4,000  shares  of  stock  and  2,- 
409  warrants,  and  the  disposition  by 
gift  of  29  snares  of  Columbia  com- 
mon by  Jack  Cohn,  leaving  him  with 
38,396  shares. 

A  report  on  Columbia  Broadcasting 
showed  disposition  by  gift  of  100 
shares  of  Class  A  and  500  shares  of 
Class  B  stock  by  Samuel  Paley,  leav- 
ing him  with  9,000  shares  of  the  form- 
er and  23,000  of  the  latter. 

Reports  on  the  holdings  of  persons 
becoming  officers  or  directors  of  regis- 
tered companies  showed  that  Paul 
Porzelt  held  no  Monogram  securities 
when  he  became  a  director  on  May  22. 


Progress  Reported 
On  Operators'  Pact 

Negotiations  for  a  new  two-year 
contract  between  the  IATSE  Motion 
Picture  Machine  Operators  Local  No. 
306,  here,  and  the  film  companies  were 
resumed  at  a  conference  yesterday  be- 
tween representatives  of  the  compa- 
nies and  a  union  committee  headed  by 
Herman  Gelber,  president  of  306, 
at  the  office  of  Major  Leslie  Thomp- 
son of  RKO.  A  spokesman  for  the 
projectionists  reported  "progress 
made,"  but  completion  of  the  pact  was 
not  attained. 

The  union's  insistence  that  a  new 
provision  allowing  that  selection  of 
projectionists  for  the  companies  be  left 
up  to  the  Local  is,  reportedly,  the 
principal  point  to  be  decided.  The 
contract  covers  home  offices,  local 
studios  and  exchanges. 


Bud  and  Lou  Make  Up 

Baltimore,  July  31.  —  Bud  Abbott 
and  Lou  Costello,  playing  a  stage  en- 
gagement here,  called  a  press  confer- 
ence to  "emphatically"  deny  all  reports 
of  a  rift.  Abbott,  as  spokesman,  ad- 
mitted the  team  has  experienced  mis- 
understandings but  said  they  were 
never  of  any  consequence. 


Review 


"George  White's  Scandals" 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hollywood,  July  31 

|~~\  OUBTLESS  there  is  plenty  of  box  office  magic  still  in  the  famous  title 
here  made  available  for  motion  picture  marquees,  and  under  this  title 
the  same  George  White  has  produced  for  executive  producers  Jack  J.  Gross 
and  Nat  Holt,  a  film  that  flits  merrily  along  its  way  through  a  backstage  story, 
plus  onstage  production  numbers  in  plenty,  touching  many  a  high  point  and 
few  others.  It  is  light,  airy,  screenworthy  merriment,  appropriate  for  the  Sum- 
mer or  any  other  season. 

Joan  Davis  and  Jack  Haley  are  the  top  film  names,  but  there  are  plenty 
more.  Ethel  Smith,  the  organist,  is  in  there  swinging  the  console  in  a  manner 
to  delight  all  customers.  Gene  Krupa,  playing  himself,  is  all  over  the  picture, 
with  and  without  his  band,  turning  out  the  variety  of  'hot  licks'  that  has  made 
him  a  favorite  to  'hepcats.'  And  there  is  Rose  Murphy,  a  dusky  lady  with  a 
birdlike  voice  and  a  keen  way  with  the  piano,  for  a  specialty  that  whets  the 
taste  for  more. 

There  are  a  dozen  listed  song  numbers,  plus  some  unlisted  ones,  ranging 
from  "Life  Is  Just  a  Bowl  of  Cherries,"  from  an  early  "Scandals,"  to  "How 
Did  You  Get  Out  of  My  Dreams,"  a  new  one  by  Jack  Yellen  and  Sammy  Fain 
which  has  plenty  of  promise  for  the  air  lanes.  Dance  numbers,  staged  by 
Ernst  Matray,  are  up  to  snuff  in  every  particular,  and  a  routine  entitled 
"Who  Killed  Vaudeville"  is  rich  entertainment  in  its  own  right.  Krupa  and 
his  band  perform  several  specialty  numbers  that  cannot  miss  with  the  junior 
crowd. 

The  screenplay,  by  Hugh  Wedlock,  Howard  Snyder,  Parks  Levy  and 
Howard  Green,  from  a  story  by  Wedlock  and  Snyder,  concerns  a  pair  of 
comics — Miss  Davis  and  Haley — whose  romance  is  thwarted  for  a  while  by  the 
latter's  spinster  sister.  It  is  for  laughs,  but  firm  enough  to  sustain  the  faction 
which  insists  a  musical  must  have  a  story.  Felix  E.  Feist  directed,  keeping  a 
wide  assortment  of  material  under  control  at  all  times.  _ 

Running  time,  95  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaves 


Withhold  Legal  Move 
On  Office  Strikers 

Hollywood,  July  31.— With  the 
Screen  Office  Employees  Guild  still 
claiming  75  per  cent  of  its  members 
out  in  the  studio  strike  and  the -pro- 
ducers still  claiming  the  same  per- 
centage at  work,  the  latter  have  so  far 
refrained  from  invoking  the  expected 
legal  action  against  those  who  have 
left  their  jobs  on  instructions  from 
L.  P.  Lindelof ,  international  president. 

The  Screen  Publicists  Guild  is 
meeting  tonight  on  its  executive  com- 
mittee's recommendation  to  obey  the 
Lindelof  order,  and  there  has  been 
discussion  of  a  move  from  the  floor 
that  the  membership  desert  the  guild 
entirely.  The  producers  claim  that  no 
action  taken  by  the  publicists  could 
materially  alter  the  general  strike 
status. 


Wm.  Wyler  Back  at 
Goldwyn  Studio 

Hollywood,  July  31. — Col.  William 
Wyler,  for  the  past  three  years  in  the 
Army  Air  Forces,  returns  to  his  for- 
mer association  with  Samuel  Goldwyn 
to  direct  "Glory  For  Me,"  the  Mac- 
Kinlay  Kantor  novel  originally  written 
at  the  suggestion  of  the  producer.  Col. 
Wyler  had  directed  a  number  of  docu- 
mentary films  for  the  Army,  among 
them  the  most  important  of  which  was 
"Memphis  Belle." 


Goldwyn  Signs  Sherwood 

Hollywood,  July  31.  —  Robert  E. 
Sherwood,  for  the  past  four  years  di- 
rector of  the  overseas  division  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information,  has  been 
engaged  by  Samuel  Goldwyn  to  write 
the  screenplay  for  "Glory  for  Me," 
novel  by  MacKinlay  Kantor.  This 
will  be  Sherwood's  first  screenplay 
since  pre-Pearl  Harbor  days.  Gold- 
wyn plans  to  commence  screening 
Dec.  1. 


Prosperity  Seen  in 
U.S.  Building  Plans 

Washington,  July  31. — Indications 
of  postwar  prosperity  are  seen  here 
for  exhibition  in  a  report  by  the  De- 
partment of  Commerce  that  more  than 
$9,000,000,000  will  be  spent  during  the 
coming  12  months  by  American  man- 
ufacturers for  new  plants  and  equip- 
ment and  expansion  of  working 
capital.  As  translated  by  the  de- 
partment, this  figure  means  that  gen- 
eral industry  is  preparing  to  get  back 
into  peacetime  operations  on  a  big 
scale,  providing  jobs  and  wages  which, 
in  turn,  should  spell  bigger  audiences. 

In  addition  to  the  manufacturers' 
plans,  it  was  stated,  railroads  and 
utilities  will  spend  $1,500,000,000  on 
improvements,  much  of  which  will  go 
for  manufactured  products,  an  impor- 
tant offset  to  declining  war  produc- 
tion. 

The  department  made  no  attempt 
to  show  how  'industrial  expansion 
will  be  distributed  geographically. 


Sherman  'Hopalongs' 
Are  Not  Going  to  SGP 

Chicago,  July  31. — Johnny  Jones, 
president  of  Screen  Guild  Productions, 
who  returned  here  today  after  a  month 
in  Hollywood,  stated  that  no  deal 
has  been  made  with  Harry  Sherman 
for  a  resumption  of  the  "Hopalong 
Cassidy"  series  under  the  SGP  ban- 
ner. Robert  Lippert's  Action  Pic- 
tures remains  the  only  SGP  produc- 
tion firm,  having  made  "Wildfire" 
early  this  year,  with  "Northwest 
Trail"  scheduled  for  release  in  Sep- 
tember. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


"The  New  U.  S.  Frontier" 

(20th  Fox-March  of  Time) 

March  of  Time  delivers  in  its  long 
established  and  distinctive  style  a 
summary  account  of  our  chief  opera- 
tional base  in  the  South  Pac'  I* 
is  a  significant  and  forceful  ^Xf.sen-  j 
tation  of  the  subject  matter. 

Guam  is  our  new  frontier,  lost  to 
the  enemy  at  the  start  of  the  war,  I 
and  subsequently  recaptured,  as  the  ! 
film  shows.   The  short  depicts  the  im-  j 
portant  strategic  value  of  the  island,  j 
pointing  out  its  nearness  to  the  en-  , 
emy's  homeland  and  his  supply  routes.  ! 
in   addition   to   its   great  advantage 
to  the  U.  S.  as  a  supply  emanation 
point.  Running  time,  16  minutes.  Re- 
lease date,  Aug.  10. 


Test  Promotion  for 
Wallis  Production 


Ten  Boston  Drive-Ins 

Boston,  July  31.  —  Ten  Summer 
out-of-door  and  Drive-In  theatres  are 
now  operating  in  and  near  Boston. 
This  is  the  largest  representation  for 
the  'uncovered'  variety  yet  seen  in 
this  area. 


A  series  of  pre-release  engagements 
of  the  Hal  B.  Wallis  production,  "You 
Came  Along,"  has  been  set  up  to  test 
two  types  of  advertising-publicity 
campaigns,  R.  M.  Gillham,  Paramount 
advertising-publicity  director,  an 
nounces. 

Light  treatment  and  action  angles 
will  be  the  keynote  of  one  campaign, 
while  romance  will  be  the  predominat- 
ing theme  in  the  other,  Gillham  said. 
The  test  will  be  completed  in  advance! 
of  the  general  release  of  this  "Onej 
Third  of  a  Century"  anniversary  pic- 
ture on  Sept.  14. 

Lizabeth  Scott,  star  of  the  picture 
probably  will  make  personal  appear- 
ances in  advance  of  some  of  the  pre- 
release engagements,  for  local  radio 
appearances  and  to  lay  a  publicity 
foundation  for  the  campaigns.  One  of 
the  pre-release  engagements  will  open 
on  Aug.  17  at  the  Strand,  Scranton, 
Pa.  Others  set  are :  Paramount  Down- 
town and  Hollywood  theatres,  Los 
Angeles,  Aug.  2 ;  Keith's,  Baltimore, 
Aug.  10 ;  Newman,  Kansas  City,  Aug. 
15;  Denham,  Denver,  Aug.  17;  Para- 
mount, St.  Paul,  Aug.  16,  and  Radio 
City,  Minneapolis,  Aug.  17. 


Kodak  Is  Reopening 
Plant  in  Germany 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  31. — The 
Stuttgart,  Germany,  plant  of  Eastman 
Kodak  is  being  reopened  with  ap- 
proval of  the  Army  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  cameras  for  occupation  troops 
and  repair  of  fire  control  instruments, 
according  to  Thomas  J.  Hargrave, 
president  of  the  company. 

The  Stuttgart  plant  of  Kodak  is  in 
the  American-occupied  zone  and  is 
one  of  two  plants  in  Germany  owned 
by  the  company.  Damaged  by  bombs, 
the  plant  has  now  been  fairly  well 
repaired,  Eastman  reports  here. 


To  Aid  'Christmas' 

Norwalk,  Conn.,  July  31. — 
Proclamations  in  connection  with 
"  'Christmas  in  Connecticut'  Day"  to 
be  celebrated  here  Aug.  8  were  issued 
yesterday  by  both  Governor  Raymond 
Baldwin  and  Mayor  Robert  Oliver  of 
Norwalk.  The  Governor  will  take 
part  in  the  "Yuletide"  party  for  rede- 
ployed soldiers. 


Q/I7E/T... 

i  nd  yon  pick  up 
the  marbles! 


■ 


:0t ) 

a , 

3. 


xar- 
* 


COLUMBIA 


PICTURES  pre 


sents 


am 


:1 


par 


(001 


(M/ 


SIDNEY 


BUCHMAN 


Production 


u  0i«ybyR«,l,Go,aon  Directed 


by  CHARUS 


VIDOR 


OVER  21  times  funnier 
than  the  play  that  rocked  Broadway! 


KEEP  SELLING  WAR  BONDS! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  1,  194: 


Reviews 


"Johnny  Angel" 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hollywood,  July  31 

Y7"  OU  go  back  to  Walter  Wanger's  "Long  Voyage  Home,"  to  Warners' 
A  "Casablanca"  and  "To  Have  and  to  Have  Not,"  and  to  Elmer  Clifton's 
"Down  to  the  Sea  in  Ships"  to  get  an  over-all  feel  of  this  melodrama  about 
seamen  and  shore  folks,  and  none  of  those  precedents  are  precise  parallels. 
This  is  an  adventure  story,  starring  George  Raft,  with  Claire  Trevor  and 
Signe  Hasso  as  the  women  in  his  tragedy-ridden  life,  and  with  Hoagy  Car- 
michael  present  to  provide  important  character  relief  and,  in  an  all  too  short 
sequence,  a  'hot  spot'  of  piano-and-voice  in  the  lowdown  manner.  By  its 
departures  from  the  expected,  rather  than  by  formula,  does  the  picture  stand 
to  entertain  and  satisfy  audiences  drawn  by  the  billing  of  Raft  and  the  others. 

Scene  of  the  screenplay,  by  Steve  Fisher,  based  on  Frank  Gruber's  adapta- 
tion of  a  Collier's  Magazine  serial  by  Charles  Gordon  Booth,  is  principally 
New  Orleans,  to  which  port  Capt.  Johnny  Angel  (Raft)  brings  a  ship  on 
which  his  father,  and  others,  have  been  murdered.  Capt.  Angel  determines  to 
find  out  who  killed  his  father,  and  does  so,  despite  attempts  of  everybody 
concerned  to  conceal  the  truth.  This  process  of  detection  includes  making  love 
to  two  girls,  one  of  them  earnestly,  and  several  fights,  with  fist  and  gun,  with 
various  men. 

Produced  by  William  L.  Pereira,  for  executive  producer  Jack  J.  Gross,  and 
directed  by  Edwin  L.  Marin,  the  picture  progresses  for  long  stretches  without 
dialogue,  and  almost  entirely  in  what  is  professionally  referred  to  as  low-key 
photography.  This  arrangement  accentuates  suspense  and  maintains  interest 
steadily.  Others  in  the  cast  are  Lowell  Gilmore,  Marvin  Miller,  Margarey 
Wycherly,  J.  Farrell  MacDonald  and  Mack  Gray. 

Running  time,  79  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  W.  R.  W. 


"Jealousy" 

{Republic) 

NILS  ASTHER  and  Karen  Morley  are  victims  of  the  green-eyed  monster's 
torturing  spell  in  "Jealousy,"  a  story  of  love  and  murder  based  on  an 
original  idea  by  Dalton  Trumbo  who,  with  the  screen  play's  writers,  Arnold 
Phillips  and  Gustav  Machaty,  no  doubt  visualized  a  suspense-thriller  at  the 
outset.  Producer-director  Machaty's  finished  product,  however,  emerges  as 
something  less  than  that.  The  film  is  a  slowly-paced,  although  adequately 
entertaining  drama  of  emotion  which  evolves  into  a  not-too-puzzling  murder 

mystery.  V^HI  -  mSh> 

Asther,  an  effete,  unemployed  writer,  suspects  he  has  lost  the  love  of  his 
pretty  taxi-driver  wife,  played  by  Jane  Randolph,  who  has  fallen  in  love  with 
John  Loder,  a  physician.  Loder  reveals  his  love  for  Miss  Randolph  to  Miss 
Morley,  his  medical  partner,  who  secretly  has  loved  the  doctor  throughout  the 
many  years  of  their  professional  association.  Asther's  jealousy,  meanwhile, 
makes  him  increasingly  abusive  of  Miss  Randolph.  He  is  murdered  while  in 
a  drunken  stupor  at  their  home,  and  the  finger  of  suspicion  points  to  his 
wife  who  is  eventually  tried  and  convicted  of  murder.  She  is  given  a  prison 
term  of  20  years.  Loder,  believing  her  innocent,  marries  her  while  she  is 
in  prison,  and  shortly  afterward,  by  a  clever  ruse,  reveals  Miss  Morley  as  the 
true  murderer. 

Henry  Sharp's  photography,  Hanns  Eisler's  fine  original  score,  and  Hugo 
Haas  in  the  chief  supporting  role  contribute  enormously  to  the  picture's  enter- 
tainment value. 

Running  time,  71  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  July  23. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Several  Altec  Deals 
For  Service  Renewal 


Stanley  Pariseau,  district  manager, 
reports  renewals  for  Altec  service 
with  Fox  Intermountain  for  theatres 
in  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Utah  and 
Montana;  also  Sunnymount  Theatres, 
Inc.,  and  Noya  Theatres,  Inc.,  for 
eight  theatres  in  various  California 
locations.  Three  new  deals  include 
the  Pix,  Pixley,  Meralta,  Culver  City 
and  Barbara,  Los  Angeles. 

Henry  Moog,  Altec  district  mana- 
ger at  Atlanta,  announces  new  service 
deals  with  the  Lionel  Delacroix  The- 
atres of  Plaquemine,  La.,  the  Lorine 
Theatre,  High  Point,  N.  C.  and  the 
Miriam,  Pleasant  Hill,  La. 

Jack  Zern,  Dallas  district  manager, 
reports  11  new  service  deals  with  the 
following  theatres :  Fain  Theatre, 
Newton ;  Alameda,  San  Antonio ; 
Valley,  Muleshoe ;  Rio,  Lampasas ; 
Fain,  Woodsville,  and  River  Oaks 
Theatre,  Ft.  Worth,  all  of  Texas, 
and  Columbia  Theatre,  Anadarko ; 
Broncho,  Edmond ;  Arcadia,  Maud, 
and  the  Paramount  Theatre,  Dewey, 
all  of  Oklahoma. 

New  Altec  Service  deals  reported 
by  Bert  Sanford,  New  York  district 
manager,  include  the  Strand,  Marcel- 
lus ;  Millerton,  Millerton ;  Arrow, 
New  York,  and  the  Earl  Zimmers 
Theatre  at  Weedsport,  all  of  New 
York,  also  renewals  with  Keller  & 
Blakely  Theatres  in  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania. 

Bayne-Roland  Theatres  has  re- 
newed Altec  service  contracts  for  its 
theatres  in  Virginia  Beach,  Va.,  with 

D.  A.  Peterson,  Philadelphia  district 
manager,  who  also  reports  a  Rialto, 
Canton,  Pa.,  renewal. 

U  n  g  er  Presiding  at 
U.A.  Western  Meet 

Los  Angeles,  July  31. — United  Art- 
ists' Western  regional  sales  meeting 
will  open  at  the  Hollywood-Roosevelt 
Hotel  here  tomorrow,  with  J.  J.  Un- 
ger,  Western  sales  manager,  and  W. 

E.  Callaway,  district  manager,  presid- 
ing. 

Carl  Leserman,  general  sales  man- 
ager, now  in  Hollywood,  will  address 
one  of  the  sessions  here.  Delegates 
will  include  the  following:  Clarence 
Olson,  Homer  Hisey,  William  Riddle, 
Fred  Brown,  Denver;  Sid  Rose,  Wil- 
liam Warner,  John  Drum,  Henry 
Shields,  Lou  Fink,  Los  Angeles ;  Car- 
roll Trowbridge,  Ollie  Wog,  Joe 
Solomon,  Wilfred  McKendrick,  Salt 
Lake  City;  John  J.  O'Loughlin,  Thad 
Sheridon,  Ernest  Gibson,  San  Fran- 
cisco; A.  J.  Sullivan,  Morris  Segel, 
J.  Edward  Miller,  Paul  Hull,  Jack 
O'Bryan,  Seattle. 


Goetz  Quits  in  Canada 

Toronto,  July  31.— Jack  Goetz  has 
resigned  as  vice-president  and  board 
of  directors  member  of  Film  Labora- 
tory of  Canada.  Increased  activities 
in  the  Du-Art  Laboratories  of  New 
York,  of  which  Goetz  is  vice-presi- 
dent, necessitated  his  resignation 
from  the  Canadian  company. 


Koenig  Leases  to  Zinn 

Berk  and  Krumgold,  theatrical  real 
estate  brokers,  announce  that  they 
have  consummated  a  long  term  deal 
for  the  Gloria  Theatre,  Brooklyn,  for 
the  present  operator,  Samuel  Koenig. 
The  new  lessee  is  Walter  Zinn,  who 
contemplates  immediate  rehabilitation 
of  the  theatre. 


Dann  Succeeds  Gauld 
As  Odeon  Supervisor 

Montreal,  July  31. — Gordon  Dann, 
manager  of  the  York  Theatre,  Mon- 
treal, a.  unit  of  United  Amusement 
Corp.,  for  some  years,  has  resigned 
to  become  a  supervisor  of  the  eight 
Montreal  theatres  of  Odeon  of  Can- 
ada. He  succeeds  Don  Gauld  who  has 
been  transferred  to  Odeon's  head- 
office.  Prior  to  removal  to  Montreal 
Gauld  was  the  suburban  theatres  dis- 
trict manager  of  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.,  of  which  United  is 
an  affiliate. 


L.  J.  Allemann  Dies 

Word  has  been  received  here  of  the 
death  in  Los  Angeles  last  Friday  of 
Louis  J.  Allemann,  54,  who  was  a 
pioneer  member  of  S.  Barret  Mc- 
Cormick's  exploitation  staff  of  RKO 
Radio.  Allemann's  most  recent  as- 
signment was  with  Lester  Cowan  Pro- 
ductions on  "G.  I.  Joe."  Funeral 
services  will  be  held  in  Altoona,  Pa. 
Allemann  is  survived  by  his  wife,  a 
son,  Capt.  Louis  J.  Allemann  II,  and 
a  daughter,  Mrs.  Berdine  Devine. 


Classifications  on 
3  More  by  Legion 

Warners'  "Christmas  in  Connecti- 
cut" has  .been  placed  in  Class  B  by 
the  National  Legion  of  Decency. 
Placed  in  Class  A-II  are  Columbia's 
"Over  21"  and  M-G-M's  "Ziegfeld 
Follies.".. 


RKO-'This  Week'  Tie-in 

This  Week  Magazine,  with  a 
claimed  circulation  of  more  than 
6,000,000,  will  carry  a  double-spread, 
illustrated  article  on  the  making  of 
"China  Life  Line,"  one  of  the  RKO 
"This  Is  America"  shorts,  in  its  Aug. 
5th  issue.  The  article  was  written  by 
Ardis  Smith,  who  also  is  writer  of 
the  RKO  series. 


Famous  Resumes  Aug.  6 

Sam  Buchwald,  Paramount  general 
manager,  has  announced  that  produc- 
tion activities  on  the  company's  car- 
toons, interrupted  by  a  closing  of  stu- 
dios for  two  weeks  to  permit  of  gen- 
eral personnel  vacations,  will  resume 
at  Famous  Studios  on  Aug.  6. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  July  31 

RODDY  McDOWALL  will  have 
•  his  first  romatic  role  in  M-G-M's 
"Holiday  in  Mexico,"  which  will  be 
produced  in  Technicolor  by  Joe  Pas- 
ternak and  directed  by  George  r  '  ey. 
.  .  .  Universal  has  signed  £  lan 
Donlevy  for  one  of  the  two  top  male 
roles  in  "Canyon  Passage."  .  .  .  Ralph 
Murphy  has  been  signed  by  PRC  to 
direct  "How  Do  You  Do?" 

• 

Republic  has  signed  Leroy  Mason, 
veteran  character  actor,  to  a  term 
contract.  .  .  .  Dimitri  Tiomkin  has 
been  signed  by  the  King  brothers 
to  create  the  musical  score  for  "The 
Hunted,"  forthcoming  Monogram 
melodrama.  .  .  .  George  Kirby  has 
been  added  to  the  cast  of  Para- 
mount's  "Calcutta." 

• 

Charles  Hoffman  has  been  assigned' 
to  produce  "Happiness"  for  Warners',  , 
replacing  Philip  and  Julius  Epstein,  i 
previously  scheduled  to  produce  the  - 
property.  .  .  .  William  Wilder  has 
signed  Marjorie  Manners  for  his  Re-  , 
public  picture,  "You'll  Remember  Me."  \ 
.  .  .  Rhys  Williams  Iws  been  added  to  ■ 
the  cast  of  Columbia's  "Voice  of  the 
Whistler." 

• 

Van  Johnson  is  set  to  portray  the 
central  character  in  M-G-M's  "The 
Common  Sin."  .  .  .  Samuel  Goldwyn 
has  engaged  Fay  Bainter  for  a  fea- 
tured role  in  his  current  comedy, 
"The  Kid  from  Brooklyn."  .  .  .  John 
Ridgely  has  been  assigned  one  of 
the  top  roles  in  the  current  Warner 
picture,  "The  Man  I  Love." 
• 

"Manila  John,"  original  story  of  a 
fictional  U.  S.  Marine,  by  Julian  Ar- 
thur, has  been  purchased  by  Republic 
and  will  be  personally  produced  by 
Allen  Wilson,  studio  vice-president. 
The  story  is  based  on  conditions  in 
Manila  before  and  after  Pearl  Harbor 
and  during  the  Jap  occupation,  carry- 
ing through  to  General  MacArthur's 
return  to  the  Philippines.  The  pro- 
duction will  have  a  top  budget,  and 
will  go  before  the  cameras  within  90 
days. 

• 

M-G-M   has   signed   Rouben   Ma-  " 
moulian    to    direct    "Belle    of  New- 
York,"  Fred  Astaire  musical  which  ' 
Arthur  Freed  will  produce. 


WB  Fact-Film  Preview 

Carlos  P.  Romulo,  resident  commis- 
sioner of  the  Philippines  to  the  U.  S., 
will  sponsor  a  preview  of  the  new 
Warner  Bros,  documentary  film  in 
Technicolor,  "Orders  from  Tokyo," 
tomorrow  at  the  company's  home 
office.  Filmed  and  narrated  by  Capt. 
David  C.  Griffin,  USMCR,  liaison  of- 
ficer to  the  President  of  the  Philip- 
pines "Orders  from  Tokyo"  was  pro- 
duced in  cooperation  with  the  Philip- 
pine government  and  the  U.  S.  Of- 
fice of  Strategic  Services.  Gen. 
Romulo  will  be  host  at  a  reception 
in  the  Hotel  Astor  here,  following  the 
film's  preview. 

Zukor  Returns  Here 

Adolph  Zukor,  Paramount  chairman 
of  the  board,  has  returned,  from  Chi- 
cago where  he  attended  the  funeral 
of  his  brother-in-law,  Louis  Deutsch, 
76. 


I  Wednesday,  August  1,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


CA  to  Expand  in 
he  Postwar  Period 


Camden,  July  31.  —  Plans  for  im- 
roving  and  expanding  its  services  in 
he  motion  picture  field  was  one  of 
he  principal  topics  of  discussion  at 
10-day  conference  of  RCA  Service 

0.  officials  and  district  managers  held 
t  the  Sea  view  Country  Club,  Ab- 

1.  58.pening  the  sessions,  E.  C. 
l  al^r  president  of  the  company,  and 
AV.  L.  Jones,  general  manager,  declared 
that  a  major  portion  of  the  postwar 
f  lanning  of  the  organization  has  been 
c.irected  towards  service  operations  in 
the  film  industry.  Looking  forward 
to  equipment  improvements  they  de- 
clared that  the  highest  technical  pro- 
ficiency would  be  more  than  ever  re- 
quired in  the  future,  directed  towards 
helping  the  exhibitor  keep  his  equip- 
ment operating  at  maximum  efficiency. 

New  Test  Units 

Jones  disclosed  that  field  engineers 
will  be  equipped  with  new  test  units. 
The  use  of  this  equipment,  he  said, 
will  mean  more  accurate  and  thorough 
'I  checking  of  sound  systems  and  further 
w  improvement    in    detecting  potential 
1  sources  of  trouble.   Orders  for  this 
;  ;  equipment  have  already  been  placed. 
'I  It  will  become  available  as  soon  as 
•  ^manufacturing  conditions  permit. 
J]    Additional  personnel,  he  stated,  is 
already  being  added  to  provide  more 
complete  service  coverage  to  custom- 
ers and  increased  field  supervision  is 
i  being  set  up.  Field  training  programs 
i  will  be  expanded  in  the  future. 

During  the  theatre  discussion  period, 
.  Homer  B.  Snook,  manager  of  RCA 
i  Victor's    theatre    equipment  section, 
outlined  his  organization's  plans  for 
future  sales  activities. 

J.  G.  Wilson,  newly  appointed  oper- 
ating vice-president  of  RCA  Victor, 
addressed  the  service  managers.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  the  dis- 
trict managers  spent  a  day  at  the 
RCA  Research  Laboratories  at 
Princeton.  Frank  M.  Folsom,  RCA 
executive  vice-president  in  charge  of 
RCA  Victor  was  the  principal  speaker 
at  the  dinner  meeting  held  at  the  Ritz 
Carlton  Hotel,  Philadelphia,  which 
followed  the  Princeton  trip. 


Few  New  Houses  Planned 
For  Mid- West  Territory 


RKO-MBS  Contest 
On  'Falcon'  Series 

A  nationwide  tie-up  has  been  ar- 
ranged by  RKO  Radio  with  American 
Safety  Razor  Company  and  Mutual 
Broadcasting,  for  its  "Falcon"  series, 
tying-in  the  radio  program  of  the  same 
name. 

S.  Barret  McCormick,  RKO  Radio 
director  of  advertising-publicity,  dis- 
closes that  opportunities  for  mutual 
advertising  promotions  by  theatres  and 
radio  stations  are  to  be  provided,  with 
prizes  to  be  awarded  for  the  best 
campaigns,  to  be  shared  by  theatre 
managers  and  publicity  and  merchan- 
dising departments  of  participating 
radio  stations.  The  contest  will  con- 
tinue until  Dec.  31.  Contest  judges 
will  be  trade  paper  editors. 


Crosley  Hearings  Set 

Cincinnati,  July  31.— The  Federal 
Communications  Commission,  after  a 
general  hearing  by  the  full  Commis- 
sion,  instead  of  a  trial  examiner,  on  the 
;  proposed  sale  of  WLW  by  the  Crosley 
Corp.  here  to  the  Aviation  Corp.,  New 
York,  will  hear  oral  arguments,  Thurs- 
day, on  certain  questions  of  policy. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

with  theatres.  There  are  few  if  any 
towns  with  a  population  of  1,000  or 
more  in  the  tri-state  area  that  do  not 
already  boast  of  at  least  one  operating 
theatre. 

Leading  postwar  project  in  the 
Loop  is  planned  by  Balaban  and  Katz 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Lake  and 
State  streets,  where  a  first-run  thea- 
tre will  be  erected.  The  house  will 
replace  B.  and  K.'s  Apollo,  which  the 
circuit  will  lose  after  the  war  when 
that  site  will  be  used  for  a  new  bus 
terminal.  So  far,  no  building  details 
are. available  on  the  new  house,  but  it 
is  expected  that  the  latest  innovations 
will  be  incorporated,  including  fea- 
tures for  theatre  television. 

The  Publix-Great  -States  Circuit  is 
planning  a  first  run  house  and  outdoor 
garden  in  La  Salle,  Rapp  and  Rapp, 
local  architects,  are  currently  working 
on  the  plans.  Maurice  M.  Rubens, 
GS  division  manager,  states  that  many 
continental  features  will  be  incorporat- 
ed in  the  new  theatre. 

Fred  Anderson,  independent,  has 
had  plans  drawn  for  a  1,000  seat  house 
in  DeKalb,  to  go  up  as  soon  as  build- 
ing materials  become  available.  An- 
derson is  currently  operating  the 
Egyptian  and  Fargo  theatres  in  that 
town,  but  will  lose  control  of  them 
when  his  lease  expires.  Tom  Valos, 
Geneva,  exhibitor,  has  acquired  both 
properties. 

Alex  Kalafat.  exhibitor  in  Garrett. 
Cherubusco  and  Gas  City,  Ind.,  is 
building  a  1,000-seat  theatre  in  Lans- 
ing, 111.,  near  Hammond,  Ind.  The 
foundation  has  already  been  completed, 


but  actual  construction  will  not  begin 
until  after  the  war.  Bill  Dassow,  Na- 
tional Theatre  Supply  manager  here, 
has  secured  the  contract  for  equip- 
ment and  furnishings. 

The  Miami  Theatre  will  be  a  post- 
war addition  in  South  Bend,  Ind.  The 
house  is  partially  constructed,  its  com- 
pletion halted  by  the  war. 

Nat  Bernstein,  operator  of  four 
theatres  in  this  territory,  has  plans  for 
a  fifth  house  (Palm  Theatre)  to  be 
located  in  Miami  Beach.  It  will  be  a 
1,200-seat  house.  Blue-prints  are 
ready. 

The  Loop  will  lose  another  first  run 
house  after  "V-J  Day"  when  the 
Woods  Theatre  will  be  taken  over  by 
the  Franciscan  Fathers,  who  acquired 
the  building  several  years  ago.  A  sub- 
sequent-run house  in  the  Loop  slated 
to  close  is  the  290rseat  Astor  Theatre, 
which  has  been  taken  over  by  the  Tri- 
angle Restaurant  chain  to  expand  its 
next  door  eatery  after  the  war. 

Two  additional  projects  planned  for 
Chicago's  suburban  areas  include  a 
Drive-In,  to  be  constructed  by  the 
H.  and  E.  Balaban  Circuit  in  Melrose 
Park,  and  a  1,200-seat  theatre  in  Lib- 
ertyville  by  the  Sam  Myers-A.  J.  Bal- 
aban combine. 

Whether  new  theatres  will  mush- 
room in  the  several  war-born  com- 
munities near  here  is  not  yet  clear 
Some  exhibitors  contend  that  a  sub- 
urb like  Belleville,  111.,  where  hun- 
dreds of  new  homes  were  built  to 
accommodate  an  influx  of  war  work 
ers,  will  need  a  theatre  regardless  of 
local  plant  activities.  Due  to  the 
shortage  of  living  quarters,  they  feel 
that  the  homes  will  be  occupied. 


WLB  Approves  Air 
Technicians'  Rates 


Approvable  wage  rates  for  radio 
broadcast  technicians  employed  by 
radio  stations  in  the  Metropolitan 
New  York-North  Jersey  area  have 
been  tentatively  adopted  by  the  Re- 
gional War  Labor  Board,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  Thomas  L. 
Norton,  chairman  of  the  board. 

The  rates,  which  include  a  job 
definition,  are  for  a  40-hour  week  and 
range  from  a  minimum  starting  rate 
of  $47.50  a  week  to  a  rate  of  $75  a 
week  at  the  end  of  five  years  and 
thereafter.  The  area  to  which  these 
rates  aoplyr  is  defined  as :  New  York 
City,  Nassau,  Suffolk,  Westchester, 
Putnam,  Essex,  Hudson,  Union,  Pas- 
saic and  Bergen  Counties  in  the 
Northeast  corner  of  Warren  Town- 
ship in  Somerset  County,  Middlesex 
County  north  of  Piscataway  and  West 
of  South  Plainfield,  Morris  County 
Northeast  of  Kinnelon  and  Lincoln 
Park. 

Norton  emphasized  that  these  rates 
cannot  be  adopted  automatically.  Nor 
are  the  rates  set  by  the  board  an 
order  requiring  all  employers  to  pay 
them  as  minimum  wages. 

"These  approvable  rates,"  Norton 
said,  "are  the  tentative  tested  going 
rates  adopted  by  the  board  as  a  stan- 
dard for  judging  wage  adjustment  ap- 
plications. Thev  represent  the  maxi- 
mum which  the  board  may  approve  on 
the  basis  of  gross  inequity  with  rates 
paid  by  other  firms  in  the  area. 


Paramount  Plants 
Radio  Promotions 


Chicago,  July  31. — R.  M.  Gillham. 
Paramount  advertising-publicity  di- 
rector, arrived  here  today  to  set  de- 
tails for  the  start  of  12  Coast-to-Coast 
network  radio  shows  which,  he  has 
announced,  will  be  arranged  to  pro- 
mote Paramount's  'One  Third  of  a 
Century'  celebration  and  films  which 
the  company  will  release  during  that 
period. 

Radio  programs  already  lined  up 
include  the  "Vox  Pop"  show  on  CBS. 
Aug.  27;  the  "Quiz  of  Two  Cities" 
program  on  WGN,  Chicago,  and 
WOR,  New  York,  Sept.  2;  the  Ray 
Bolger  program,  CBS,  Aug.  17;  the 
Rise  Stevens  broadcast,  NBC,  Aug. 
20 :  the  "People  are  Funny"  show, 
NBC,  Aug.  24;  the  "Stars  Over 
Hollywood"  program,  CBS,  Aug.  25, 
and  others. 

An  international  aspect  will  be 
given  the  celebration  on  the  "Vox  Pop" 
Aug.  27  program,  which  will  originate 
before  an  audience,  mostly  service 
men,  on  a  sound  stage  at  Paramount's 
Hollywood  studios.  Betty  Hutton, 
who  has  left  on  an  overseas  USO 
tour,   will   be   cut   in   from  Europe, 


Retitle  Video  'Newsreel' 

Title  of  the  country's  only  tele- 
vision newsreel  has  been  changed  from 
"The  War  As  It  Happens"  to  Tele- 
newsreel,"  it  has  been  announced  by 
Paul  Alley,  NBC  television  newsreel 
editor. 


Grainger  Promotes 
Four  at  Republic 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

well.  Titus,  in  charge  of  domestic 
branch  operations,  becomes  general 
manager  of  world-wide  branch  opera- 
tions. 

Richard  W.  Altschuler,  who  goes  to 
Republic  International  from  his  post 
as  sales  manager  of  Consolidated  Film 
Industries,  has  been  appointed  foreign 
sales  manager,  assuming  his  duties  to- 
day. Altschuler  joined  Consolidated 
in  1927,  and  served  in  various  capaci- 
ties in  management  and  plant  opera- 
tion. Subsequently,  he  was  general 
manager  of  Columbia  Phonograph  and 
Brunswick  record  companies.  In  1938, 
he  became  associated  with  Republic  at 
its  North  Hollywood  Studios,  return- 
ing to  Consolidated  as  sales  manager 
in  1941. 

O'Gara  Appointment 

James  Vincent  O'Gara,  whose  ap- 
pointment to  Republic  International's 
staff  was  announced  recently,  has  been 
appointed  assistant  foreign  sales  man- 
ager. O'Gara  has  been  in  the  foreign 
field  for  seven  years,  and  was  form- 
erly associated  with  20th  Century- 
Fox  in  Chile,  Cuba  and  the  West 
Indies. 

Integration  of  domestic  and  foreign 
sales  activities  is  regarded  by  the  com- 
pany as  a  step  which  will  establish  a 
world-wide  operation  in  keeping  with 
Republic's  anticipated  plans  in  the  in- 
ternational market.  Such  plans  are 
already  charted,  and  will  be  effected 
as  soon  as  conditions  in  foreign  coun- 
tries permit.  Grainger  pointed  out  that 
the  merger  allows  for  valuable  ex- 
change of  both  ideas  and  personnel 
trained  for  both  markets. 

He  reported  also  that  Charles  Bruce 
Newbery,  recently  appointed  general 
manager  in  Australia,  New  Zealand 
and  India,  will  visit  the  studio  prior 
to  his  departure  to  his  new  post. 


Allow  Week's  Grace 
On  Trial  Information 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
companies   have   been   compiling  the 
data  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

Sept.  1  has  been  set  by  Judge  Hand 
as  a  deadline  for  Wright's  supplying 
the  distributors  with  the  documents 
on  which  he  intends  to  rely  during 
the  trial  starting  Oct.  8. 

There  will  be  no  delay  in  the  start 
of  the  New  York  trial,  a  Department 
spokesman  said  yesterday,  despite  the 
fact  that  the  Griffith  anti-trust  hearing 
will  be  resumed  in  Oklahoma  City 
definitely  on  Sept.  10.  Wright  is  said 
to  be  hopeful  that  the  Griffith  trial 
may  be  over  before  the  one  here  be- 
gins, and  he  is  understood  to  be 
prepared,  if  necessary,  to  seek  a  con- 
tinuance in  Oklahoma  City  if  that 
should  become  necessary. 


Butcher  Leaves  CBS 

Capt.  Harry  C.  Butcher,  USNR, 
vice-president  of  Columbia  Broadcast- 
ing, who  has  been  on  leave  with '  the 
Armed  Forces  serving  as  naval  aide 
to  General  of  the  Army  Dwight  D. 
Eisenhower,  has  resigned  his  post  with 
the  network,  according  to  Paul  W. 
Kesten,  executive  vice-president. 
Under  an  interim  arrangement,  Capt. 
Butcher  will  act  as  consultant  to  CBS 
on  public  relations  and  related  mat- 
ters. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  1,  194)1 


Form  New  Company 

To  Handle  British 
Films  in  America 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
which  originally  had  been  set  for 
United  Artists  distribution,  and 
"Waltz  Time,"  which  20th  Century- 
Fox  had  considered  releasing.  In  the 
latter  instance,  it  is  understood  that 
20th-Fox  will  handle  foreign  distrib- 
ution of  "Waltz  Time"  and  Four  Con- 
tinents Films  will  distribute  in  this 
country. 

At  the  outset,  it  is  reported,  Four 
Continents  will  sell  circuits  and  first 
runs  direct  from  New  York  headquar- 
ters and  will  grant  some  franchises 
to  regional  distributors.  Eventually, 
however,  the  new  company  plans  to 
establish  its  own  exchanges  around 
the  country  as  conditions  permit. 

Sam  Spring,  industry  attorney,  is 
a    director    of    the    new  company. 


Rank,  Selznick  in 
Joint  Production 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  the  offing.  Creation  of  the  company 
will  in  no  way  affect  Selznick's  pro- 
duction activities  or  interests  in  the 
United  States,  including  Vanguard 
Films,  the  Selznick  Studio,  and  Selz- 
nick's interest  in  United  Artists,  and 
these  will  continue  to  function  as  com- 
pletely separate  entities,  it  was  stated. 

Rank  will  be  named  chairman  of  the 
board  of  the  new  company,  with  Selz- 
nick in  complete  charge  of  production 
activities. 

Present  plans  contemplate  the  pro- 
duction in  England  of  three  pictures 
during  the  first  year,  with  the  first 
picture  to  go  before  the  cameras  next 
year. 

'Mary  Magdalene'  Abroad 

Selznick  will  go  abroad  to  produce 
the  first  picture,  "Mary  Magdalene," 
which  will  be  filmed  in  the  United 
Kingdom  and  in  the  Holy  Land  under 
Selznick's  personal  supervision.  He 
will  designate  other  producers  for  suc- 
ceeding films.  "Mary  Magdalene" 
will  be  filmed  in  Technicolor  on  a 
budget  of  more  than  $5,000,000,  with 
an  all-star  cast,  including  Ingrid 
Bergman  and  Joseph  Cotten,  the  an- 
nouncement stated. 

The  new  company  will  build  an 
Anglo-American  organization  with 
personnel  furnished  by  both  Selznick 
and  the  Rank  group.  It  is  planned  to 
use  British  technicians,  but  Selznick 
will  take  and  send  to  England  Ameri- 
can directors  and  stars,  from  both  the 
free-lance  field  and  those  under  con- 
tract to  him  and  his  enterprises. 

Distribution  arrangements  for  the 
pictures  were  not  disclosed. 


Toronto  Studio  for 
Nathanson,  Rank 

Toronto,  July  31. — First  steps  have 
been  taken  in  the  establishment  of  a 
new  studio  for  the  Nathanson-Rank 
Instructional  and  Sales  Productions, 
Ltd.,  the  main  office  of  which  is  under 
the  direction  of  Frank  O'Byrne,  here. 
The  studio  property,  under  develop- 
ment, is  located  on  The  Queensway 
in  New  Toronto,  a  suburb  a  few 
miles  west  of  Toronto. 


Allied  Documentary,  'True 
Glory, 9  Shown  in  London 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

job  that  reduced  6,500,000  feet  of 
film  to  about  8,000  feet.  '  The  original 
film  was  supplied  by  motion  picture 
units  of  the  American  and  British 
armies.  The  work  of  some  1,400 
cameramen  is  represented,  and  of 
that  number  32  were  killed,  16  re- 
ported missing  and  101  were  wounded. 

The  picture  is  described  as  the 
soldier's  story  of  the  war  from  the 
darkest  days  of  the  Allied  cause  to 
the  ultimate  defeat  of  Germany.  Re- 
viewing the  picture  from  London, 
Peter  Burnup,  Quigley  Publications' 
London  editor,  writes : 

"  'The  True  Glory'  is  a  magnificent 
testament,  forged  in  flames,  of  the  men 
of  many  lands.  It  lends  glory  to  the 
screen. 

"Aiade  from  the  work  of  camera- 
men of  all  Allied  nations,  it  tells  its 
story  simply,  as  though  the  soldiers 
themselves  were  recounting,  modestly 
and  in  asides,  the  tale  of  their  doings. 
Its  cumulative  effect  is  an  over- 
whelming picture  of  the  stupendous 
achievement  of  the  assault  of  Europe ; 
the  ultimate  casting  down  into  the 
dust  of  Hitler's  fantastic  empire. 

"It  starts  with  the  period  of  the 
democratic  peoples'  greatest  de- 
pression, against  a  background  of 
Britain's  fevered  labors  to  make 
proper  weapons.  There  follows  the 
arrival  of  American  soldiers,  the 
Teheran  Conference;  General  Eisen- 
hower's staff  shaping  its  plans  in 
small,  secret  rooms.  Details  are 
shown,  such  as  the  hazardous  ven- 
ture of  scientists  in  snatching  speci- 
mens of  the  Continent's  sandy  beaches 


destined  to  be  the  scene  of  the  blood- 
iest battles. 

"The  Nazi  general  staff  is  shown 
mocking  the  frail  hopes  of  breaching 
the  Western  Wall.  The  ordinary 
G.  I.  Joes  and  Britain's  own  troops  of 
the  line  are  depicted  being  developed 
under  grim  and  hitherto  unbelievable 
ardours  of  training  into  a  pattern  to 
fit  the  dramatic  assault  and  the  grim 
conflicts  through  Caen,  Falaise,  the 
Cherbourg  Peninsula,  Paris,  Arn- 
heim,  Eindhover,  the  Rhine  crossing 
and  so  to  Berlin. 

"The  picture's  directors,  though 
known  to  be  Carol  .Reed  and  Garson 
Kanin,  remain  anonymous.  Theirs 
was  a  cutting  rather  than  a  directorial 
job,  but  it  has  been  so  tactfully  and 
impressively  achieved  that  this  be- 
comes a  documentary  to  end  all  docu- 
mentaries. 

"General  Eisenhower  appears  pay- 
ing tribute  to  the  teamwork  of  the 
nations'  armies  and  workers,  eloquent- 
ly pleading  for  the  continuance  of 
that  teamwork  least  the  world  perish 
by  a  sword  of  its  own  fashioning. 

"This  is  a  picture  to  be  seen  by 
all  mothers  and  fathers  whose  sons 
are  mourned,  for  herein  is  the  justifi- 
cation for  their  sacrifice.  It  should 
be  seen,  too,  by  the  parents  of  those 
safely  returned  from  the  war,  for  no 
one  could  tell  their  story  so  eloquently 
as  it  i<=  told  in  this  film. 

"It  is  a  tribute,  moreover,  to  the 
32  cameramen  of  the  1,400  involved 
who  gave  their  lives  that  the  picture 
could  be  made.  Running  time,  83 
minutes." 


Newsreelers  Fly  to 
Europe  on  Friday 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tonews.;  A.  J.  Richard,  Paramount, 
and  Richard  deRochemont,  March  of 
Time. 

The  trip  will  run  between  three  and 
four  weeks,  the  itinerary  calling  for 
coverage  of  England,  France  and 
Germany,  with  five  days  in  London 
and  a  similar  period  in  Paris  to  con- 
duct their  own  affairs,  plus  a 
possible  side  trip  to  Italy,  which 
producer  executives  who  returned  re- 
cently from  Europe  found  one  of  the 
most    interesting   areas   they  visited. 

The  War  Department  schedule  will 
afford  newsreel  men  an  opportunity 
to  see  what  the  military  occupation 
and  military  governments  are  doing, 
how  redeployment  is  being  carried 
out,  and  the  facilities  provided  for 
rest  areas,  special  services  and  educa- 
tional programs. 

Meanwhile  the  studio,  home  office, 
exhibition  and  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee executives  who  recently  made 
a  tour  of  Europe  will  submit  a  re- 
port to  the  War  Department  this  week 
on  what  they  saw  and  the  conclusions 
they  reached.  The  report  is  being 
prepared  and  will  be  submitted  by 
Francis  Harmon,  executive  vice- 
chairman  of  the  WAC,  acting  for  the 
group. 

At  the  War  Department,  it  was  said 
that  the  film  leaders  report  will  be  a 
confidential  document,  not  to  be  re- 
leased, but  it  was  indicated  that  Har- 
mon, for  the  group,  might  later  issue 
a  report  for  the  benefit  of  the  indus- 
try. 


Russia  World-Wide 
Circuit  Is  Planned 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
000-mile  trip  by  plane  on  company 
business,  said  that  facilitation  of  Rus- 
sia's plans  will  be  arrived  at  through 
"modification"  of  the  political  aspects 
of  Russian  films. 

Russian  films  are  extremely  popular 
in  Palestine  today,  Lowe  said,  at- 
tributing their  success  to  the  fact  that 
a  large  percentage  of  the  people  now 
living  there  are  Russian-speaking  refu- 
gees. American  distributors  in  Pales- 
tine, on  the  other  hand,  are  confronted 
with  a  meagre  demand  for  American 
product.  A  similar  situation  prevails 
in  India  and  China,  he  said,  indicating 
that  a  possible  solution  lies  in  effect- 
ing closer  cooperation  among  Ameri- 
can companies  in  those  countries.  He 
lauded  American  Army  public  rela- 
tions officers  in  China  for  their  con- 
stant efforts  on  behalf  of  American 
distributors  in  their  attempts  to  break 
into  Chinese  markets. 

Lowe  said  that  of  South  America's 
375  theatres,  170  exclusively  show 
United  Artists  and  20th  Century-Fox 
releases,  with  the  remainder  of  the 
theatres  coming  under  control  of  the 
Schlessinger  interests  there. 


Extend  Sunday  Shows 

New  Haven,  July  31.  —  Herman 
Levy,  secretary  of  the  MPTO  of 
Connecticut,  discloses  that  Gov.  Ray- 
mond Baldwin  has  signed  a  bill  giv- 
ing cities  in  this  state  local  option  to 
extend  Sundav  theatre  operating  time 
from  one  P.  M.  to  11  :30  P.  M. 


4Capt.  Eddie'  Open- 
In  Columbus  TodaV 


(Continued  from   page   1)  • 

nearly  every  possible  medium.  Advanci 
selling  stunts  and  promotions  starte^ 
with  a  barrage  of  newspaper  publicit; 
blanketing  all  local  papers  with  front; 
page  and  other  breaks  which  hav< 
totaled  close  to  50,000  lines.  Tomor' 
row  has  been  proclaimed  "Csptaiia 
Eddie  Day"  by  Gov.  Frank  ].(  fchj 
and  local  Mayor  James  A.  Jfjjdes! 
Gov.  Lausche's  proclamation  was  reat 
by  him  over  the  Coast-to-Coast  "Wc| 
the  People"  broadcast,  over  CBS,  wit! 
Rickenbacker  heard  on  the  program  b} 
pickup  from  New  York.  Tomorrow! 
Gov.  Lausche  will  again  be  heard  oil 
a  Coast-to-Coast  network  Ted  Malon< 
show,  over  American  Broadcasting 
and  specially  moved  to  Columbus  fron 
its  New  York  headquarters  for  th( 
premiere. 

Today,  Rickenbacker  was  given  th( 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  by  Capita 
University,  here.  Other  civic  honor- 
paid  the  World  War  I  hero  includet 
the  naming  of  a  local  park,  'Captaii 
Eddie  Park.' 

City  Decorated 

Decorations  flood  the  city,  including 
flags,  bunting  and  20-foot  photo  blow- 
ups of  Rickenbacker  and  Fred  Mac-i 
Murray,  who  portrays  him  in  the  filmr 
on  the  State  Capitol  and  30  surround- 
ing buildings.  The  'Hat-in-the-Ring 
insignia  of  Rickenbacker's  World  Wai 
I  squadron  appears  atop  the  Capito 
building,  and  on  1,000,000  souvenii 
cards  dropped  from  planes  over  tht 
•city  and  surrounding  areas,  and  ir 
hundreds  of  store  windows  arounc 
town. 

Every  important  store  in  the  city 
has  devoted  full  window  space  to  tie- 
up  illustrations  and  decorations. 

Tomorrow,  Rickenbacker  will  leac 
a  parade  of  military  units  and  civit 
organizations,  while  bombers  fly  over- 
head. The  parade  will  pause  twice,  ti 
permit  him  to  receive  the  keys  to  the 
State  from  Gov.  Lausche  and  the  keys 
to  the  city  from  Mayor  Rhodes. 

Jack  Schlaifer,  20th-Fox  Central" 
division  sales  manager,  here  in  antici- 
pation of  the  "Captain  Eddie"  opening 
has  invited  the  following  exhibitors  and 
exchange  personnel  to  attend  the  cere- 
monies :  John  D.  Kalafat,  Meyer  Fine. 
M.  B.  Mooney  of  Co-operative  Thea- 
tres ;  Max  Lefkowitch,  M.  B.  Horwitz. 
Cleveland ;  Ed  and  Bill  Biggio,  Steu- 
benville  ;  Leo  Jones,  Upper  Sandusky  ;' 
Walter  Steuve,  Findlay;  Marvin  Har- 
ris, Toledo ;  A.  G.  Constant  and 
George  Delis,  Steubenville ;  also  Ray 
Schmertz,  Sam  Lichter,  Sanford  Gott- 
lieb and  Tom  Alley,  20th-Fox  sales- 
men ;  branch  manager  I.  J.  Schmertz. 


Dave  Prince  Dinner 
For  Liberated  Yanks 

Atlanta,  July  31. — Dave  Prince. 
Southeastern  district  manager  for 
RKO  Radio,  was  host  today  at  a 
private  screening  of  "Back  to  Bataan,'' 
followed  by  a  dinner  party  at  the 
Ansley  Hotel.  Guests  included 
Mayor  William  B.  Hartsfield.  Col. 
George  S.  Clarke,  technical  ad- 
viser for  the  picture;  Sgt.  Virgil  A. 
Greenaway,  one  of  the  prisoners  re- 
leased by  the  American  Rangers'  raid 
on  Cabanatuan  prison  camp ;  Staff 
Sgt.  Kenneth  Mize,  who  also  wa> 
released  from  the  prison  camn  and  a 
number  of  others  who  were  on  Bataan. 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAIW 


Alert, 

tntewgen 

and      \  \ 

Inmspens 

a^je 

to  the  rIJo 

tion 

Picture 

Industry 

).  58. 


NO.  23 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAYjQTjGUST  2,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


:0th-Fox  Sets 
-linimum  of  28 
<or  1945-1946 


ompany  Says  'There 
Vill  Be  More'  Coming 


Announcing  a  tentative  release 
:hedule  of  28  features  for  the  next 
2  months,  20th  Century-Fox  yes- 
krday  advised  its  sales  organiza- 
on  that  "there 
ndoubt- 
iflly     will  be 
iore." 

-  The  tenta- 
tive list  of  28 

nnounced  by 

tOm  1.  Con- 
nors, vice-presi- 
.ent  in  charge 

[  distribution, 

(eludes  nine 
i  c  t  u  r  e  s 

a  Technicolor, 

tie  of  which  is 

larrvl   F.  Za- 

uck's  "Wil- 

:in,"    which  is 

eing  generally  released  this  month ; 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Tom  J.  Connors 


One  Holdout  4Lab'  in 
r02  Contract  Drive 


Only  one  film  laboratory,  identity  of 
'.hich  was  not  disclosed,  remains  to 
!e  signed  to  a  new  labor  contract  by 
Vlotion  Picture  Laboratory  Techni- 
lians  Local  No.  702,  a  spokesman  for 
jhe  union  said  here  yesterday,  adding 
hat  an  agreement  with  this  company 
nay  be  reached  by  the  end  of  the 
veek. 

Contracts  signed  during  the  past 
veek  with  17  laboratories,  including 
^ovielab  for  the  first  time,  set  up  96 

<  (Continued  on  page  11) 


Industry  Will 
Handle  'Glory' 


"The  True  Glory,"  General-of-the- 
Armies  Dwight  D.  Eisenhower's  film 
report  on  the  conquest  of  Fortress 
Europe  from  "D-Day"  in  Normandy 
to  "V-Day"  in  Germany,  is  to  be  dis- 
tributed through  the  War  Activities 
Committee  of  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry, for  release  about  Oct.  1.  The 
83-minute  documentary,  jointly  pre- 
pared by  the  British  and  American 
Governments,  will  be  distributed  by 
Columbia  Pictures.  A  full  descrip- 
tion of  the  production's  preparation, 
personnel,  participants  and  contents 
appeared  in  a  Motion  Picture  Daily 
story  from  London  yesterday. 

A  special  committee  of  industry  ex- 
ecutives will  assist  in  promoting  and 
booking  the  film,  it  was  decided  at  a 
meeting  here  yesterday,  attended  by 
executives  of  the  distribution  compa- 
nies, the  WAC,  the  Army  and  the 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Peak  of  Prosperity 
Has  Passed,  Says  US 


Washington,  Aug.  1. — The  peak 
of  war  prosperity  has  been  passed  and 
national  income  now  is  on  the  down- 
grade, it  was  disclosed  here  today  by 
the  Department  of  Commerce. 

While  national  income  for  1945  will 
be  $160,600,000,000,  only  $200,000,000 
less  than  last  year,  it  will  probably  be 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


OWI  Concentrating 
Films  on  Pacific 

There  has  been  no  appre- 
ciable let-up  in  the  produc- 
tion of  films  for  the  Overseas 
Motion  Picture  Bureau  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information, 
according  to  a  statement  re- 
leased here  yesterday  by  Rob- 
ert Riskin,  its  recently  re- 
signed chief,  who  now  acts  in 
a  consultant  capacity  to  that 
Government  agency.  However, 
Riskin  states,  the  major  ef- 
fort of  the  Bureau  is  now 
directed  towards  the  Pacific 
area. 

Riskin  says  that  films  cur- 
rently being  produced  for  this 
purpose  are  being  dubbed  in 
27  languages. 


Fete  Rickenbacker 
At  'Eddie'  Opening 


Columbus,  Ohio,  Aug.  1. — Twenti- 
eth Century-Fox's  Eureka  Pictures 
Product,  "Captain  Eddie,"  had  its 
world  premiere  at  Loew's  Ohio  Thea- 
tre here  tonight,  climaxing  a  city-wide 
celebration  in  preparation  for  several 
weeks,  honoring  Captain  Eddie  Rick- 
enbacker, whose  life  is  portrayed  in 
the  film. 

Included  in  today's  functions  paying 
tribute  to  Rickenbacker,  a  Columbus 
native  son,  were  Governor  Frank  J. 
Lausche  of  Ohio,  Mayor  James  A. 
Rhodes  of  Columbus  and  Congress- 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


-  Publicists  at  Para., 
Columbia  on  Strike 


Hollywood,  Aug.  1. — Although  the 
J  Screen  Publicists   Guild  membership 
:  voted  last  night,  107  to  99,  to  ignore 
j  the  studio  strike  picket  lines  in  de- 
fiance of  international  president  L.  P- 
Lindelof's  orders,  the  organization's 
executive  committee  has  declared  the 
union  officially  in  compliance. 
Holding  individual  meetings  follow- 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Personalized  Promotions 
By  Distributors  Growing 


Chicago  Finds  Late 
Shows  Unprofitable 

Chicago,  Aug.  1.— Late  eve- 
ning shows  in  the  Balaban 
and  Katz's  United  Artists  and 
Garrick,  and  RKO's  Grand, 
first-run  Loop  houses,  have 
been  eliminated  following  a 
survey  which  indicated  that 
the  extra  business  does  not 
warrant  the  added  expendit- 
ures.- Midnight  shows  week 
nights  were  popular  when 
many  defense  plants  in  this 
area  operated  on  a  24-hour 
schedule.  Only  first-run  with 
a  late  schedule  continuing  in 
the  Loop  is  the  Woods. 


With  the  growing  number  of  impor- 
tant pictures  which  readily  lend  them- 
selves to  timely  big-scale  promotions, 
distributors  are  placing  more  and 
more  emphasis  on  supplying  exhibi- 
tors with  extended  exploitation  and 
promotional  service  to  aid  in  the  sell- 
ing job,  especially  for  first-run  en- 
gagements. One  result  is  the  gradual 
giving  way  of  press-book  service  to 
more  personalized  attention  on  pub- 
licity campaigns  with  field  men  of  dis- 
tributors spearheading  the  promotions. 

Exhibitors  service  departments  of 
film  company  advertising,  publicity 
and  exploitation  organizations  are 
growing,  and  many  film  companies  are 
expanding  their  field  staffs  to  provide 
even  more  personal  service. 

United  Artists  has  just  joined  in  the 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Silverstone, 
Youngman  1st 
Export  Heads 

Borthwick  Is  Treasurer; 
To  Act  1st  on  Holland 


Temporary  officers  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Corp.,  joint  project 
of  the  distributors,  were  elected 
here  yesterday,  as  follows :  Murray 
Silverstone,  20th  Century-Fox,  vice- 
president  ;  Gordon  E.  Youngman, 
RKO,  secretary ;  George  Borthwick, 
treasurer.  A  president  and  board 
chairman  will  be  named  later. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  board  will 
first  seek  approval  of  the  Federal 
Trade  Commission  in  Washington  be- 
fore naming  permanent  officers  and  a 
president  and  board  chairman,  and 
with  this  in  mind  it  has  already  in- 
structed its  attorneys  to  file  necessary 
papers  with  the  FTC  concerning  the 
corporation's  taking  immediate  action 
on  the  situation  in  Holland,  where  a 
Dutch  film  monopoly  created  during 
the  war  threatens  to  continue  in  the 
peace. 

Under  Federal  law,  American  busi- 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Plans  Court  Action 
Over  Memphis  Ban 


Hollywood,  Aug.  1. — Producer  Da- 
vid L.  Loew  today  retained  attorney 
David  Annenbaum  to  institute  court 
action  seeking  relief  from  the  Mem- 
phis Board  of  Censors'  banning  of  his 
film,  "The  Southerner,"  and  tele- 
graphed to  Donald  M.  Nelson :  "I 
urge  the  complete  support  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  with  you  at  its  head,  in  my 
fight  against  this  clear  violation  of  the 
freedom  of  the  press." 


Lloyd  Binford,  chairman  of  the 
Memphis  board,  has  stated  that  he 
banned  the  picture  "because  it  repre- 
sents Southerners  as  illiterate  mendi- 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


In  This  Issue 

Reviews  of  "Mamma  Loves 
Papa,"  "Radio  Stars  on  Par- 
ade," "Trail  of  Kit  Carson" 
appear  on  page  6;  "I'll  Be 
Your  Sweetheart,"  page  11. 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  Book- 
ing Chart  is  on  page  12. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  August  2,  1945 


600  U.  S.  Prints  Lost 
In  Barcelona  Blaze 

Cable  dispatches  reaching 
American  distributor  foreign 
departments  here  disclose 
that  a  huge  fire  of  unknown 
origin  has  swept  the  Barcelo- 
na free  port,  destroying  a 
special  film  storehouse  and 
approximately  600  prints  of 
virtually  all  American  com- 
panies. 


Duke  Clark  Feted 
By  Variety  Club 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  1. — Duke  Clark, 
Paramount's  Dallas  district  manager, 
was  guest  of  honor  at  a  banquet 
tendered  by  Variety  Club  Tent  No 
25  in  the  Ambassador  Hotel  here  this 
week.  Clark,  who  is  in  California  on 
a  transcontinental  tour  of  Paramount 
exchanges  to  outline  plans  for  the 
company's  "One  Third  of  a  Century" 
celebration,  helped  found  the  local 
Variety  Club  in  1941  when  he  was 
stationed  in  Los  Angeles. 

Speakers  at  the  banquet,  which  was 
attended  by  more  than  200,  included 
Charles  P.  Skouras,  Moz  Buries 
Ralph  Carmichael  and  Capt.  Kenneth 
MacCraig ,  who  has  just  returned 
from  duty  in  the  Pacific ;  George 
Topper  was  toastmaster. 

Appearing  in  the  show  which  fol 
lowed  the  dinner  were  Olga  San 
Juan,  Gil  Lamb  and  Bob  Graham 
Paramount  personalities ;  pianist  Ray 
Turner  assisted.  Arrangements  were 
made  by  a  committee  composed  of 
Dave  Bershon,  Al  Galston,  Oscar 
Oldknow,  Guy  Gunderson,  Jack  Ber- 
man  and  "Sugar"  Bocklage. 


Re-forming  Des  Moines  Unit 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  1. — The  possi 
bilities  of  reorganizing  the  Variety 
Club  here  were  discussed  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  Salesmen's  Club.  Ted 
Mendenhall  of  Paramount  presented 
the  idea  to  salesmen  and  exchange 
managers.  Committees  were  appointed 
to  find  headquarters  and  begin  or 
ganizational  plans. 


Col.  Stodter  on  New 
Overseas  Assignment 

Col.  Charles  S.  Stodter,  assistant 
chief  of  the  Army  pictorial  service, 
here,  will  leave  shortly  on  a  new  over- 
seas assignment,  according  to  the  Sig- 
nal Corps  photographic  center  at  As- 
toria, L.  I. 

When  the  Army  launched  its  train- 
ing film  program  in  1940,  Stodter, 
then  a  captain,  served  as  liaison  officer 
between  the  Army  and  the  Academy 
of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences. 


Personal  Mention 


Phila.  Record  for  'Joe' 

Phildelphia,  Aug.  1. — "Story  of 
G.  I.  Joe"  has  set  new  house  records 
daily  at  the  Warner  Fox  Theatre  here 
since  its  opening  last  Friday,  with  a 
$36,000  record  gross  indicated  for  the 
first  week.  Previous  record  was  set 
during  a  New  Year's  holiday  week. 
House  management  reports  that  more 
women  than  men  are  seeing  the  picture. 


MALCOLM  KINGSBERG,  RKO 
vice-president     and  treasurer, 
will  leave  Hollywood  for  New  York 
tomorrow  "on  the  Superchief. 
-  • 

Herb.-  Drake,,  formerly  publicity- 
advertising  director,  of  Orson  Welles' 
Mercury  Productions,  ifias  arrived  in 
Hollywood  from  New  York,  en  route 
to  the  Pacific  Theatre  as  a  naval  cor- 
respondent. 

Charles  Fitzgerald,  Proctor's 
Theatre,  Troy ;  Tom  Cargill,  Palace, 
Alban,  and  Guy  Graves,  city  man- 
ager in  Schenectady,  all  of  Fabian 
Theatres,  are  on  vacation. 

• 

Paul  Klinger,  manager  of  Loew's 
Strand,  Waterbury,  Conn.,  and  Mrs. 
Klinger,  are  observing  their  18th 
wedding  anniversary  and  are  vaca- 
tioning at  Lewistown,  Pa. 

• 

J.  H.  McNabe,  president  of  Bell 
and  Howell,  Chicago,  was  host  re- 
cently at  luncheon  for  106  discharged 
servicemen  employed  in  the  company's 
five  plants. 

• 

Sol.  Francis,  Monogram  home  of- 
fice representative,  and  Mrs.  Fran- 
cis report  the  arrival  of  a  baby  boy, 
John  Stephen,  in  an  Omaha  hospital. 
• 

Jack  Riggs,  Central  City,  Neb., 
Theatre  owner,  has  returned  home 
from  an  Omaha  hospital,  following  a 
leg  operation. 

• 

Buddy  Westmore,  makeup  man, 
and  Mrs.  Westmore  (Rosemary 
Lane)  have  become  parents  of  a 
daughter. 

• 

John  Sullivan,  Chicago  clerk  of 
the  American  Arbitration  Association, 
will  return  to  that  city  on  Monday 
from  a  vacation. 

• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  has 
returned  to  Atlanta  from  Chicago. 
• 

William  Hollander,  Balaban  and 
Katz  advertising  director,  has  returned 
to  Chicago  from  New  York. 

• 

Carl  Nedley,  M-G-M  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  is  visiting  in  Denver. 


LESTER  COWAN  will  leave  here 
tomorrow  for  Boston  and  De- 
troit and  will  continue  to  the  Coast 
from  the  latter  city. 

• 

George  A.  Smith,  Paramount  West- 
ern division  manager,  has  returned  to 
the  home  office  from  a  tour  of  his 
territory  on  behalf  of  the  company's 
'One  Third  of  a  Century'  meetings. 
• 

N.  E.  Savini,  president  of  Savini 
Films,  Atlanta,  and  Mrs  Savini,  have 
returned  there  from  a  New  York  visit 
with  Savini's  brother,  Bob,  head  of 
Astor  Pictures. 

• 

Doris  Weinberg,  daughter  of  Co 
lumbia's  Louis  Weinberg,  and  Mrs. 
Weinberg,  became  engaged  yesterday 
to  Corp.  Bernard  Loevner,  AAF,  of 
Woodmere,  L.  I. 

• 

Mrs.  Edna  R.  Carroll,  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Censor  Board  chairman, 
has  been  designated  a  judge  of  the 
'Miss  Philadelphia'  beauty  contest,  to 
be  held  this  month. 

• 

PFC  Harry  Anastasi,  former  of 
fice  employee  of  Quigley  Publications, 
is  in  New  York  on  furlough. 
• 

Anne  Gwynne,  Monogram  actress, 
will   leave   Hollywood   Aug.    10  for 
Mexico  City  to  make  a  picture  there. 
• 

Frank  Smith,  Paramount  manager 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  on  a  trip 
through  Idaho  and  Montana. 

• 

Stanley  J.  Mayer,  20th-Century- 
Fox  Des  Moines  manager,  is  observ- 
ing his  16th  year  in  that  post. 
• 

Harry  Goldberg,  Warner  Theatres' 
advertising-publicity  director,  will  be 
in  Philadelphia  tomorrow. 

• 

Harriet  Rich,  Monogram  booker 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  vacationing  in 
Canada. 

• 

Don  Walker  of  Warners'  Kansas 
City  exchange,  is  in  Omaha  for  a  few 
days.  • 
• 

Jules  Girden,  Warner  theatre  ex- 
ecutive, will  return  here  today  from 
Albany. 


WB  Manager  Shifts 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  1.  —  Man- 
agerial changes  at  first-run  Warner 
theatres  here  were  announced  with  the 
return  of  Lt.  Harold  Seidenberg  to 
the  company,  after  serving  with  the 
motion  picture  division  of  the  Signal 
Corps  of  Hollywood.  Seidenberg 
takes  over  at  the  Fox  with  Elmer 
Pickard  moving  to  the  Boyd  and 
Morris  Conners  going  from  the  Boyd 
to  the  Aldine.  Another  managerial 
change  here  has  Rube  Rabinowitz, 
out  of  the  Army,  taking  over  at  the 
Belgrade. 


Ask  Repeal  of  Cal.  Tax 

Chico,  Cal.,  Aug.  1. — Petitions 
bearing  1,050  names  asking  repeal  or 
a  referendum  of  Chico's  three-cent 
amusement  tax  have  been  filed  with 
City  Clerk  H.  H.  Hume.  Only  500 
signatures  were  needed. 


First  WB  Dischargee 

Edmund  Brown,  first  member  of  the 
New  York  Strand's  executive  staff  to 
enlist,  also  is  the  first  to  return  to  the 
theatre  following  his  discharge,  and 
has  been  appointed  assistant  manager 
by  Zeb  Epstin,  managing  director  of 
Warner's  Strand  and  Hollywood  here. 
Brown  was  chief  of  service  when  he 
joined  the  Army  in  1941.  He  served 
36  months  in  the  Pacific  with  the  15th 
Air  Force. 


'Comerford  Day*  in  Pa. 

Scranton,  Pa.,  Aug.  1.— 'Comer- 
ford  Day'  was  observed  at  the  Boys 
Club  Big  Brother  Camp  at  Dunn's 
Lake  in  observance  of  the  practice 
originated  in  1922  by  the  late  M.  E. 
Comerford,  founder  of  the  Comerford 
Circuit.  ' 


Raftery,  Leserman, 
Unger  at  UA  Meet 


Hollywood,  Aug.  1. — United  Art- 
ists' Western  sales  forces  opened  a 
three-day  1945-46  product,  policy- 
meeting  here  today  at  the  Hotel 
Roosevelt,  presided  over  by  J.  J. 
Unger,  Western  sales  manager,  and 
W.   E.   Callaway,   district  manager. 

Carl  Leserman,  general  sales  man- 
ager, outlined  the  $100,000  "G^Q 
Sears  Drive,"  and  George  BagnCoV 
vice-president,  discussed  pictures  in 
production  and  preparation.  Edward  C. 
Raftery,  president,  will  address  tomor- 
row's session. 

Present  for  the  meeting  are :  C.  K. 
Olson,  Fred  Brown,  Romer  Isey,  W. 
H.  Riddle,  of  Denver ;  Sid  Rose,  Hal 
Shields,  Bill  Warner,  Jack  Drum  and 
Don  Fink,  Los  Angeles ;  C.  E.  Trow- 
bridge, W.  W.  McKendrick,  Ollie 
Wog  and  Joe  Solomon,  Salt  Lake 
City;  Jack  O'Loughlin,  Ernie' Gibson, 
Harry  Runsinger  and  Thad  Sheridan, 
San  Francisco ;  A.  J.  Sullivan,  Paul 
Hull,  Jack  O'Bryan  and  Morrie 
Segel,  Seattle. 


F.  DeLodder  Funeral 
Services  Held  Today 

Detroit,  Aug.  1. — Funeral  services 
will  be  held  here  tomorrow  for  Fred 
DeLodder,  president  of  Cooperative" 
Theatres  of  Michigan  and  for  many 
years  a  leader  in  Michigan  Allied,  who 
died  yesterday  following  a  long  illness. 

DeLodder  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
Milly  Champagne ;  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
W.  A.  Geist,  and  a  son,  Staff  Sgt. 
Fred,  Jr.,  who  was  his  father's  busi- 
ness assistant  before  going  into  service. 
Rites  will  be  held  at  St.  Edwards 
Church  here. 


Court  Favors  F.  &  M. 
House  in  Lease  Issue 

St.  Louis,  Aug.  1.  —  A  temporary 
injunction  was  denied  the  Congress 
Investment  Co.  against  St.  Louis 
Amusement  Co.,  by  Circuit  Judge 
Waldo  Mayfield  here.  The  invest- 
ment company,  which  owns  the  Con- 
gress Theatre,  sought  to  restrain  the 
defendant  from  refusing  its  agents  ad- 
mittance and  from  removing  equip- 
ment. St.  Louis  Amusement  Co.,  sub- 
sidiary of  Fanchon  and  Marco,  has 
been  notified  that  its  lease  on  the  the- 
atre, which  expires  Aug.  31,  will  not 
be  renewed. 


Hirliman  Opens  Branch 

George  A.  Hirliman's  International 
Theatrical  and  Television  Corp.  has 
acquired  a  new  branch  office,  which 
will  be  entitled  International  The- 
atrical and  Television  Corp.  of  Mis- 
souri, in  St.  Louis.  Myron  Bresnick 
of  the  home  office,  will  remain  in  St. 
Louis  until  the  exchange  is  running. 


Allvine  Talk  on  Films 

The  use  of  motion  pictures  for  in- 
ternational understanding  will  be  the 
subject  of  a  talk  tonight  at  Pennsyl- 
vania State  College,  at  Penn  State, 
Pa.,  by  Glen  Allvine  who  will  show 
16mm.  films  of  the  San  Francsico 
conference. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane.  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday  .Sunday  and I  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,   Inc.,    1270   Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.     Telephone    Circle    7-3100.      Cable    address       Qmgpubco,_  New  York. 


Quigley,    President;    Red    Kann,    Vice-President;    Theo.    J.    Sullivan,    Treasurer;    Leo    J.     Brady,     Secretary;     Sherwin     Kane     Editor      James     P.     Cunningham  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  B'ureau,  624  South  Michigan    Ave.,    Sam    Honigberg.    Representative;    Hollywood   Burea u,    r-ostal    Umon    Lite  Blag 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,    Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,     Quigpubco    U>ndon       U*her  ^u,gley 
Publications:    Motion   Picture   Herald,   Better  Theatres,   International    Motion   Picture   Almanac,  Fame.     Entered  as  second  c  ass  matter,  bept.  li,   iy.58,  at  tne  post  omce 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  luc. 


Thursday,  August  2,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


10 


Short  Subject 
Review 


''Policing  Germany" 

^RKO-Pathe-"This  Is  America  Se- 
I  ries") 

This  newest  of  the  This  Is  America 
lefies,  produced  by  Frederic  Ullman, 
ipx  delves  into  the  matter  of  putting 
'  Vmany  back  on  its  feet  as  a  produc- 
Pfe  nation  at  peace.  It  is  the  topic 
bt  the  hour  and  the  coverage  here  is 
thorough  and  enlightening,  making  a 
iv  holly  acceptable  and  salable  short 
news  subject. 

Cologne  is  shown  to  be  an  excellent 
jxample  of  the  Allied  Military  Gov- 
ernment at  work.  The  city  is  a  mass 
pf  debris,  and  camera  work  here 
makes  it  all  the  more  effective.  As 
Hie  war  passes  the  natives  begin  to 
return,  American  occupation  forces 
Lvill  have  a  tremendous  job  in  weed- 
ing out  the  Nazis,  constructing  trans- 
ortation  and  communications  sys- 
handling  difficult  problems  of 
food,  education  and  medical  attention, 
the  subject  matter  shows. 

This  reel  is  an  important  one.  Run- 
ning time,  18  minutes. 


^*  terns, 


Weinberg  Preparing  2 
French  Films  for  US 

■X  Two  French  films,  hitherto  not 
seaffhown  in  the  U.  S.,  are  currently  be- 
.  .-!  ing  edited  and  titled  by  Herman  G. 

-[•Weinberg  for  American  premieres  in 
■rl'September.  They  are  "Whirlwind  of 
s.l  Paris,"  (Tourbillon  de  Paris),  star- 
liauring  Ray  Ventura  and  his  orchestra, 
rip/with  music  by  Paul  Misraki ;  and 
"The      Barge-Keeper's  Daughter" 

'  i  Education  du  Prince) ,  starring 
JfMLouis  Jouvet,  Elvire  Popesco,  Alerme 

t  Charpin,  Josette  Day  and  Robert 
|/f  Lynen.   Hoffberg  Productions  will  re- 

lllease  "Whirlwind  of  Paris"  and  Fa- 
"•jimous  International  Film  Co.  will 
release  "The  Barge-Keeper's  Daugh- 


WTRC  Joins  NBC  Sept.  1 

Radio  station  WTRC.  Elkhart. 
Ind.,  will  become  affiliated  with  Na- 
tional Broadcasting  Co.  as  a  supple- 
mentary station  to  the  basic  network, 
effective  Sept.  1,  according  to  Wil- 
liam S.  Hodges,  NBC  vice-president 
in  charge  of  stations.  WTRC  will 
become  the  153rd  station  in  NBC's 
network. 


WSVA  Joins  NBC  Web 

Radio  station  WSVA,  Harrison- 
burg, Va.,  has  become  affiliated  with 
National  Broadcasting  as  a  supple- 
mentary station  to  the  basic  network, 
according  to  William  S.  Hodges, 
NBC  vice-president  in  charge  of  sta- 
tion relations. 


j  Meyers  Back  to  NBC 

■■U     Leonard  D.  Meyers,  who  for  the 
I   l>ast  seven  months  has  been  on  ac- 
tive duty  with  the  Navy,  has  returned 
:  to  his  post  as  staff  writer  in  NBC's 
press  department,  here.     He  joined 
NBC  in  1942,  entered  the  Navy  in 
December,  1944,  and  received  an  hon- 
'  orable  discharge  last  month. 


Bock  Advanced  by  NBC 

Hollywood,   Aug.   1. — Harold  J. 
j  Bock  has  been  promoted  to  director 
of  public  relations  for  National  Broad- 
casting's Western  division. 


Radio  Board  Elects 
Pratt  and  Frazier 


Continuation  of  the  Radio  Techni- 
cal Planning  Board,  now  sponsored  by 
14  electronic  and  related  organizations, 
was  recommended  and  new  officers  for 
1945-46  elected  at  a  meeting  of  the 
RTPB  administrative  committee  in 
New  York. 

Under  the  custom  for  annual  rota- 
tion of  RTPB  officers,  Dr.  W.  R.  G. 
Baker,  director  of  the  RMA  engineer- 
ing department,  will  retire  as  chair- 
man of  RTPB  and  be  succeeded  by 
Haraden  Pratt  of  the  Institute  of  Ra- 
dio Engineers.  Other  new  RTPB  of- 
ficers are :  Howard  S.  Frazier,  direc- 
tor of  engineering  of  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Broadcasters,  vice-chair- 
man, succeeding  Dr.  A.  N.  Goldsmith 
of  the  Institute  of  Radio  Engineers ; 
Will  Baltin,  secretary-treasurer  of 
Television  Broadcasters  Association, 
as  treasurer,  succeeding  Bond  Geddes, 
RMA  executive  vice-president ;  and 
W.  H.  Crew  of  the  Institute  of  Radio 
Engineers  as  secretarv,  succeeding  W. 
B.  Cowlich  of  IRE. 

Much  RTPB  work,  on  facsimile 
and  many  other  special  radio  services, 
remains  uncompleted  even  though  the 
FM  and  television  allocations  have 
been  settled  by  FCC.  All  new  RTPB 
officers  will  take  office  on  Oct.  1. 


Video  in  Supporting 
Role,  Says  Markham 

Ann  Arbor.  Mich..  Aug.  1. — Tel- 
evision will  supplement  newspapers, 
radio,  the  theatre  and  motion  pictures, 
but  will  not  replace  them,  according 
to  George  E.  Markham,  manager  of 
WRGB,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Mark- 
ham expressed  this  belief  during  a 
two-day  symposium  on  television  and 
the  future,  conducted  by  the  Univers- 
ity of  Michigan. 

"The  capacity  for  entertainment  and 
education  is  unlimited,"  Markham 
said,  "and  while  television  will  not  be 
able  to  anticipate  all  newsworthy 
events  with  a  camera,  or  furnish  de- 
tails for  a  permanent  record,  it  will  be 
able  to  animate  certain  news  events 
to  make  them  entertaining  and  educa- 
tional." 


NBC  Television  Adds  2 

Howard  Corderey,  director-writer, 
and  Dorothy  Mathews,  scriptwriter- 
actress,  have  been  added  to  the  staff 
of  NBC's  television  department.  Cor- 
derey, who  produced  a  number  of 
films  for  industrial  concerns  and  has 
written  and  directed  radio  shows,  will 
be  a  production  assistant.  Miss  Mat- 
hews, wife  of  playwright  Donald 
Davis,  will  be  a  script  reader  for  NBC 
television. 


Video  Unit  for  Tests 

An  application  has  been  filed  with 
the  FCC  by  the  Paramount- All  en  B. 
DuMont  Laboratories  of  Passaic,  for 
permission  to  erect  and  operate  a  port- 
able mobile  experimental  television  re- 
lay station  to  operate  in  the  480  to  920 
megacycle  region,  for  experimentation. 


Raibourn  Is  Awards  Chief 

Paul  Raibourn,  president  of  Televi- 
sion Productions,  and  an  economist 
for  Paramount  Pictures,  has  been 
appointed  chairman  of  the  awards 
committee  of  the  Television  Broad- 
casters Association,  by  J.  R.  Poppele, 
president. 


RCA  6-Month  Net  Is 
Up  to  $5,677,190 


Consolidated  statement  of  income 
of  RCA  and  subsidiaries  with  com- 
parative figures  for  the  correspond- 
ing period  of  1944,  issued  this  week 
by  Brig.  Gen.  David  Sarnoff,  pres- 
ident, of  RCA,  show  a  total  gross 
income  from  all  sources  amounting 
to  $163,300,680  in  the  first  half  of 
1945,  compared  with  $156,166,006  in 
the  same  period  in  1944,  an  increase 
of  $7,134,674.  Provision  for  Federal 
income  taxes  amounted  to  $13,725,100 
for  the  first  half  of  1945,  compared 
with  $14,290,650  for  the  correspond- 
ing 1944  period,  a  decrease  of  $565,- 
550. 

Net  income,  after  all  charges  and 
taxes,  was  $5,677,190  for  the  first 
six  months  of  1945,  compared  with 
$4,440,214  in  1944,  an  increase  of 
$1,236,976.  The  portion  of  net  in- 
come resulting  from  war  production 
contracts  is  subject  to  renegotiation 
by  the  Government.  After  payment  of 
preferred  dividends,  earnings  appli- 
cable to  the  common  stock  for  the 
first  six  months  were  29.5  cents  per 
share,  compared  with  20.6  cents  per 
share  in  the  first  half  of  1944. 


Mark  Woods,  Other 
Radio  Men  to  Europe 

Mark  Woods,  president  of  Ameri- 
can Broadcasting,  has  accepted  an  in- 
vitation of  the  War  Department  to 
visit  Europe  in  the  company  of  other 
leading  industry  executives. 

The  group  will  travel  as  the  guests 
of  the  War  Department  and  will  ob- 
serve broadcasting  conditions  in  En- 
gland, France  and  Germany. 

Tentative  arrangements  call  for 
leaving  Washington  around  Aug.  15. 
The  group  is  expected  to  remain  over- 
seas about  23  days. 


Plan  Three  Baltimore 
Houses  After  Victory 

Baltimore,  Aug.  1. — At  least  three 
new  houses  will  be  erected  in  early 
post-war  days  in  Baltimore  county. 
The  Durkee  Circuit  owned  by  Frank 
H.  Durkee,  has  purchased  six  acres 
in  Parkville,  adjacent  to  Baltimore,  for 
an  800-seat  house. 

Owners  of  the  New  Essex  Theatre, 
namely  Louis  A.  and  Abraham  Cohen, 
are  having  plans  drawn  for  two  800- 
seat  houses,  one  at  Middle  River,  Md. 
and  one  at  Essex. 


Succeeds  His  Father 

Chicago,  Aug.  1. — Carl  Goodman, 
son  of  the  late  Julius  Goodman,  has 
returned  to  the  industry  as  active 
partner  in  the  Harrison  Goodman  cir- 
cuit here.  Goodman,  until  his  father's 
death,  gave  his  full  time  to  civilian 
work  for  the  Navy.  The  circuit  op- 
erates five  theatres  on  the  West  Side. 


KOB  Joins  Mutual 

Radio  station  KOB,  Albuquerque, 
N.  M.,  has  signed  an  affiliation  agree- 
ment with  Mutual  Broadcasting.  The 
station  operates  on  50,000  watts  dav- 
time  and  25,000  watts  at  night.  The 
permanent  link  is  expected  to  be  ready 
Sept.  1. 


Katz  in  New  CBS  Post 

Oscar  Katz,  assistant  director  of 
research  for  Columbia  Broadcasting, 
here,  has  been  named  associate  direc- 
tor of  research, 


RKO  Trailer  Hails 
Returning  Veterans 

Chicago,  Aug.  1.— RKO  The- 
atres  are  paying  screen 
tribute  to  the  returning  vet- 
eran in  the  form  of  a  special 
three-frame  trailer,  composed 
by  Milton  C.  Woodward,  RKO 
publicist,  here,  to  be  used  in 
all  RKO  theatres  for  an  in- 
definite period  starting  this 
week.  The  trailer  was  intro- 
duced by  RKO  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  last  week,  where  it 
elicited  editorial  comment 
from  local  newspapers. 


Petrillo  Loses  Court 
Issue  on  Recordings 

James  C.  Petrillo,  president  of  the 
American  Federation  of  Musicians, 
has  lost  a  legal  battle  in  his  fight  for 
jurisdiction  over  "platter-turners"  in 
radio  broadcasting  stations.  The  U.S. 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  here,  has 
ruled  that  National  Broadcasting  and 
American  Broadcasting  must  comply 
with  an  order  of  the  National  Labor 
Relations  Board  to  bargain  collective- 
ly at  all  their  stations,  except  Chi- 
cago, with  the  National  Association 
of  Broadcast  Engineers  and  Techni- 
cians. The  court  rejected  the  issue 
raised  by  the  AFM  that  the  associa- 
tion was  "a  company-dominated 
union." 


New  Warner  Toronto 
Building  Near  Ready 

Toronto,  Aug.  1.  —  Warners'  new 
exchange  building'  is  approaching 
completion  after  being  started  a  year 
ago  as  the  home  of  both  the  Canadian 
head-office  and  the  Toronto  branch. 
The  building  will  take  the  place  of 
present  quarters  in  the  Hermant 
Building,  a  move  from  which  is  made 
necessary  because  of  new  regulations 
of  the  Ontario  Government  prohibit- 
ing the  storage  and  handling  of  films 
in  a  place  where  other  lines  of  busi- 
ness are  conducted. 

The  new  Columbia  building,  on  an 
adjacent  site,  will  be  completed  at  a 
later  date  on  account  of  labor  and 
material  shortages  which  also  held  up 
the  Warner  place. 


Mrs.  Kalmus  in  New  Post 

Jane  Waring  Kalmus,  formerly  as- 
sociated with  Tom  Fizdale  as  as- 
sistant director  of  radio  and  previous 
to  that,  assistant  magazine  editor  in 
the  NBC  press  department,  has  joined 
the  Hutchins  Advertising  Agency  in 
charge  of  publicity  for  Philco.  Mrs. 
Kalmus  is  the  wife  of  Allen  Kalmus, 
NBC  television  news  editor. 


Requests  Station  Permit 

Milledgeville,  Ga.,  Aug.  1.  —  Jere 
N.  Moore,  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  Union  Recorder,  has  filed  an  ap- 
plication with  the  Federal  Radio 
Commission  requesting  permission  for 
a  new  standard  broadcasting  station 
here. 


121  Video  Applicants 

Washington,  Aug.  1.  —  Applica- 
tions for  permits  to  construct  com- 
mercial television  stations  number  121, 
the  Federal  Communications  Commis- 
sion discloses.  In  addition  three  con- 
struction permits  are  outstanding  and 
six  television  stations  are  licensed. 
FM  station  applications  exceed  400, 


WATCH  PHILLY  AUG.7th/  WORLD  PREMIERE- cuj  £our/ 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


— ^ 

Thursday,  August  2,  19'', 


Reviews 


"Mamma  Loves  Papa 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  1 

XT  ERE  are  60  minutes  of  comedy  designed  exclusively  for  the  followers  of 
A  1  Leon  Errol,  who  dominates  it  completely,  from  start  to  finish,  and  some- 
what more  than  half  of  the  time  with  an  all-out  demonstration  of  his  skill  in 
the  impersonation  of  a  comic  drunk.  It  is  as  good  or  as  bad,  as  screen  material, 
as  he  and  it  may  be  in  the  locality  and  theatre  for  which  it  is  considered. 

The  time  is  1905,  and  Errol  plays  a  meek  but  honest  office  worker  who 
gets  himself  appointed  playground  commissioner  by  a  fluke  and  is  instrumental 
in  thwarting  a  sale  of  faulty  playground  equipment.  A  weekend  house  party, 
reminiscent  of  the  Sennett  affairs  in  kind,  provides  occasion  and  latitude  for 
his  drunk  impersonation. 

Ben  Stoloff  produced,  for  executive  producer  Sid  Rogell,  and  Frank  Strayer 
directed,  from  a  script  by  Charles  Roberts  and  Monte  Brice,  all  of  these 
gentlemen  giving  Errol  complete  liberty  and  responsibility.  The  cast  includes 
Elizabeth  Risdon,  Edwin  Maxwell,  Emory  Parnell,  Paul  Harvey,  Charlotte 
Wynters  and  others. 

Running  time,  60  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 

"Radio  Stars  on  Parade" 

(RKO  Radio) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  1 

BEN  STOLOFF' S  production  fills  its  niche  in  that  category  comfortably 
enough  as  a  minor  offering  in  the  musical  field.  There  are  some  pleasing 
songs,  and  quite  a  bit  of  comedy,  none  of  it  novel,  to  be  sure,  but  of  the  slap- 
stick variety  that  can  be  counted  on  for  laughs  from  the  average  audience. 
Wally  Brown,  Alan  Carney  and  Frances  Langford  are  the  marquee  names, 
with  Ralph  Edwards  and  his  "Truth  or  Consequences"  radio  show,  and 
"Skinnay"  Ennis  and  his  band  adding  entertainment  and  exploitation  values. 

The  screenplay,  by  Robert  E.  Kent  and  Monte  Brice,  based  on  an  original 
by  the  former,  presents  Brown  and  Carney  as  partners  in  a  talent  agency,  posi- 
tions which  they  have  achieved  by  accident  rather  than  by  ability.  The  boys 
set  out  to  get  a  radio  job  for  Miss  Langford,  much  against  the  wishes  of  her 
gangster  admirer.  This  slender  plot  serves  to  introduce  a  series  of  song 
numbers,  the  most  familiar  of  which  are  "I  Couldn't  Sleep  a  Wink  Last 
Night,"  and  "That  Old  Black  Magic."  Leslie  Goodwin's  direction  is  in  the 
Mack  Sennett  style. 

Running  time,  69  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  Thalia  Bell 


"Trail  of  Kit  Carson" 

(Republic) 

Hollyzvood,  Aug.  1 

*  I "  HE  latest  Alan  Lane  starring  vehicle  shows  the  cowboy  as  a  man  of 
*■  brains  as  well  as  brawn.  The  film  combines  the  standard  elements  of  the 
Western  with  the  mystery  formula,  and  the  hero  must  rely  on  deductive 
reasoning  as  well  as  on  his  speed  on  the  draw  in  order  to  find  the  murderer 
and  send  him  to  the  gallows.  The  resulting  production  should  satisfy  Western 
fans,  as  well  as  those  who  like  a  little  logic  with  their  action. 

The  screenplay,  by  Jack  Natteford  and  Albert  Demond,  based  on  an 
original  by  the  former,  opens  with  an  effective  sequence  in  which  a  miner  is 
shot  and  killed  by  an  unseen  hand.  Later,  however,  when  the  body  is  found, 
carefully  planted  evidence  makes  it  appear  that  death  was  accidental.  Only 
Lane  doubts  the  coroner's  verdict,  and  single-handed  he  sets  out  to  prove  his 
theory.  A  rousing  barroom  brawl,  some  neat  shooting,  and  a  couple  of  chase 
sequences  lead  up  to  the  eventual  exposure  and  conviction  of  the  murderer. 
Lesley  Selander's  direction  is  able.  Stephen  Auer  functioned  as  associate 
producer. 

Running  time,  55  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set.  T.  B. 


Hollywood 


Churchwomen  Ask 
Careful  Selection 


Atlanta,  Aug.  1.  —  Declaring 
"thinking  adults  realize  that  certain 
corrective  measures  must  be  taken  to 
stem  the  tide  of  juvenile  delinquency," 
the  Woman's  Society  of  Christian 
Service  of  the  Collins  Memorial 
Methodist  Church  at  their  meeting 
called  for  a  more  rigid  censorship  of 
motion  pictures  shown  in  Atlanta. 

The  society  also  recommended : 
Publication  weekly  of  "unbiased  re- 
views and  evaluations"  of  all  pictures 
to  be  shown  for  the  first  time  in  At- 
lanta so  that  parents  may  be  guided 
in  their  selection  of  suitable  pictures 
for  their  children ;  the  showing  by 
neighborhood  theatres  of  more  films 
of  a  "constructive  and  elevating  na- 
ture" on  Saturdays ;  more  thorough 
and  careful  supervision  of  public 
parks  and  Drive-In  theatres ;  more 
wholesome  radio  programs  for  the  en- 
tertainment and  enlightment  of  youth. 

Mexicans  Would  Bar 
'Foreign9  Directors 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  1.  —  Both  the 
Motion  Picture  Production  Union, 
which  the  players  dominate,  and  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union,  are  moving  to  have 
film  direction  placed  exclusively  in 
charge  of  Mexicans.  This  action,  the 
unions  explain,  is  intended  to  prevent 
the  'foreignization'  of  Mexican  pic- 
tures. 

The  unions,  however,  declare  that 
they  have  no  'phobia'  against  'alien' 
directors  and  that  they  will  welcome 
to  Mexico  foreign  directors  who  pos- 
sess outstanding  ability,  provided  they 
can  make  a  'real  contribution'  to  Mexi- 
can productions  by  demonstrating  that 
they  comprehend  Mexican  themes, 
manners  and  customs. 

The  directors  union,  following  up 
this  move  and  defending  itself  against 
newspaper  criticism,  asserted  that  it 
had  approved  a  work  privilege  in 
Mexico  for  Alberto  Ratti,  Argentinian 
director. 

Mexican  Features  in 
Canadian  'Invasion* 

Montreal,  Aug.  1.  —  Canada  has 
felt  the  first  impact  of  an  'invasion' 
by  Mexican  films,  according  to  H. 
C.  Boulay,  director  of  the  Pan- 
American  League  of  Canada. 

Two  of  the  Spanish-language  pic- 
tures, "Silk,  Blood  and  Sand"  and 
"The  Life  of  St.  Francis,"  are  being 
distributed  in  the  Dominion  by  Al- 
liance Films,  of  which  Ray  Lewis  is 
president.  Another  group,  headed  by 
"The  Virgin  of  Guadalupe"  is  to  be 
released  by  Lyric  Masterpiece  Pro- 
ductions. 


Bank  Loans  $2,565,000 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  1. — The  Banco 
Cinematografico,  the  industry's  own 
bank,  here,  started  in  1939  by  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  film  business,  made 
loans,  credits  and  discounts  totaling 
$2,565,000  during  the  first  five  months 
of  this  year. 

Negrete  to  Form  Co. 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  1. — Jorge  Ne- 
grete, Mexican  acting  and  singing 
star,  announces  that  next  year  he  will 
start  his  own  company  here  for  pro- 
duction of  '  six  films.  Negrete  will 
play  the  lead  in  all  six. 


"Southerner'  Premiere 

Boston,  Aug.  1. — For  the  first  time 
in  many  years  a  United  Artists  pic- 
ture is  playing  M.  and  P.'s  de  luxe 
house,  the  Metropolitan,  here.  The 
world  premiere  of  UA's  "The  South- 
erner" was  held  today  at  the  Old 
South  Theatre,  while  at  the  Metropoli- 
tan "The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe"  was 
shown.  Manager  Don  Martin  of  the 
Old  South,  and  publicist  Phil  Engel 
of  United  Artists  planned  an  extensive 
promotional  campaign  for  "The  South- 
erner." 


Fisher  on  Thumper  Unit 

Cleveland,  Aug.  1.- — Ed  Fisher, 
Loew  theatre  publicity  director,  has 
been  invited  to  form  a  local  Tub 
Thumper  chapter  by  chief  Tub 
Thumper  Harry  Browning,  publicity 
director  for  M.  and  P.  Theatres. 


Hunt  Leaves  F-PC 

Toronto,  Aug.  1".— Resignations  of 
Harvey  Hunt  from  Famous  Players 
and  Joe  Plottel  from  Warner  Brothers 
have  been  announced  here.  Harvey, 
for  many  years  a  booker  at  the  F-P 
head  office,  here,  has  been  appointed 
assistant  to  Frank  Fisher,  chief  booker 
and  buyer  for  Odson  Theatres ;  Plot- 
tel has  not  announced  his  future  plans. 


To  Book  Foreign  Films 

Cleveland,  Aug.  1.  —  Leo  Green- 
berger  of  the  Community  circuit  will 
inaugurate  a  foreign-film  policy  in  the 
Mall  Theatre,  right  after  Labor  Day. 
He  is  now  negotiating  for  British, 
Russian  and  French  films.  Cleveland 
has  been  without  a  foreign  film  thea- 
tre for  two  years.  The  Mall  is  a 
double-deck  theatre ;  the  Upper  Mall 
has  a  subsequent-run  policy. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  1  « 

DAVID  NIVEN  has  signed  a  new  :j 
seven-year  contract  with  Samuel  |j 
Goldwyn,  and  will  return  to  Holly-,! 
wood  in  September ;  his  first  picture 
under   the   new   deal   will   be  "The 
Bishop's  Wife,"  based  on  the  Robest 
Nathan  novel ;   Teresa  Wright  wie 
play  the  title  role.  .  .  .  Nine-year-iv*  _.■ 
Dean  Stockwell  has  been  selected  for* 
a  leading  role  in  M-G-M's  "The  Green 
Years." 

• 

Faye  Emerson  has  been  assigned  a\ 
co-starring  role  with  Janis  Paige  and 
Zachary  Scott  in  "Dancing  With 
Tears,"  which  Alex  Gottlieb  will  pro< 
duce  for  Warners.  .  .  .  Fortunio  Bona\ 
nova  lias  been  chosen  by  Columbia  fo> 
an  important  part  in  "Hayfoot,  Straw-' 
foot,"  which  stars  Judy  Canova.  .  . 
Rita  Corday  has  had  her  RKO  con'' 
tract  renewed. 

• 

Sydney  Greenstreet  has  been  as 
signed  the  role  of  a  detective  ir 
"The  Verdict,"  which  William  Jacob; 
is  to  produce  for  Warners.  .  .  I 
Linda  Stirling  has  been  added  t( 
the  cast  of  "Dakota,"  currently 
shooting  at  Republic.  .  .  .  Mar:| 
Wolfers,  20-year-old  cover  girl,  has 
been  signed  by  Monogram  for  a  rol< 
in  "Swing  Parade." 

• 

Michael  Dunne,  who  scored  in  20tl 
Century-Fox's  "Junior  Miss,"  has  beeu 
assigned  by  that  studio  to  one  of  thel 
two  romantic  leads  in  "Doll  Face."  .  .  I 
Edward  H.  Griffith  has  been  signed  b}  i 
Phil    Ryan    Productions    to  direc 
"Perilous  Holiday,"  which  Columbia 
will  release.  .  .  .  George  'Gabby'  Haye: 
has  been  signed  to  a  long-term  con 
tract  by  RKO  Radio. 

• 

Carmel  Myers  has  been  engaged  in 
producer  Seymour  Nebenzal  for  a\ 
important  role  in  "Whistle  Stop."  .  .  \ 
Tom  d' Andrea  has  been  added  to  thi 
cast  of  "Never  Say  Goodbye,"  nou 
shooting  at  Warners.  .  .  .  Hugh  Her  ', 
bert  and  Dusty  Anderson  will  havi 
featured  roles  in  Columbia's  "Hail  h) 
the  Chief." 

• 

Producer    Herman    Schlom  has 
been  signed  to  a  new  contract  bj ; 
RKO.  .  .  .  Philip  Reed  will  have  one 
of  the  leading  roles  in  the  Pine:. 
Thomas  production,  "Hot  Cargo,' 
which  Paramount  will  release.  .  . 
Jonathan  Hale  has  been  selected 
for  a  featured  role  in  "Dakota,' 
which  Joseph  Kane  is  producing! 
and  directing  for  Republic. 


'U'  Plans  Miller  Drive 

Cleveland,  Aug.  1. — Cleveland  and 
Pittsburgh  Universal  offices  have  set 
October  as  "Dave  Miller  Silver  An-j 
niversary  Jubilee  Month,"  in  honor  oi 
Miller's  25th  year  with  the  company; 
starting  as  a  salesman  out  of  Cleve- 
land. For  the  past  ten  years  he  has 
been  district  manager  in  this  area.  i 


Fairleigh  to  Seattle 

Vancouver,  B.  C,  Aug.  1. — R.  E. 
W.  Fairleigh  of  Dominion  Theatrei 
Equipment,  has  opened  an  office  in 
Seattle,  and  will  make  that  city  his 
home.  Fairleigh,  who  will  operate  his 
local  branch  here  as  well,  is  also  the 
owner  of  the  Hollywood  Theatre,  here, 
now  leased  to  Famous  Players. 


IT'S  IN  THE  BAG! 


"Will  make  the  boxoffice 
ring  up  big  receipts." 

— HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


"Big  boxoffice." 

—  VARIETY 


"A  surefire  attraction  .  .  . 
has  what  it  takes  to  please 
audiences  everywhere." 

— MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


"Gripping  entertainment 
to  satisfy  young  and  old 
everywhere  ...  an  im- 
portant 'A'  attraction." 


-BOXOFFICE; 


■HP 


"Potent  boxoffice  ...  a 
big,  star-packed  show 
that  can't  miss." 

— DAILY  VARIETY 


"For  anybody's  theatre, 
any  place  or  time,  it's  top 
merchandise  .  excels 
most  top  attractions  from 
this  or  any  studio  .  .  .  it's 
got  everything." 

— MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


"Extra  money  in  the  bank 
for  every  theatre  that 
plays  it . . .  will  be  one  of 
the  top  boxoffice  grossers 
of  the  coming  season." 

—SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW 


"This  will  get  the  dough 
.  .  .  the  kind  of  show  for 
which  theatres  and  thea- 
tre goers  have  been  waif- 
ing. 

—  THE  EXHIBITOR 


J 


nil 

heatrt  3 

ice  i 

itett ! 

30  1 

here 


GINGER  ROGERS  •  WALTER  PIDGEON  •  LANA  TURN 

"WEEK 


7fT 


WITH 


VAN  JOHNSON 


EDWARD  ARNOI 


I 


PHYLLIS  THAXTER  ■  KEENAN  WYNN  •  ROBERT  BENCHLEY  •  ieon  ames  •  una  romay  •  samuei s 
*no  XAVIER  CUGAT  and  his  ORCHE5TRA  •  A  ROBERT  Z.  LEONARD  PRODUCTION 


Scrawl  "toy  by  Sam  and  Bella  Spawack  •  Adaptation  by  Owy  So  Hon  •  Svggatwd  by  a  Play 
by  Vlckl  ia«m  .  Dlractod  by  ROBMT  Z.  UONARD  .  Ptaducad  by  ARTHUR  HORNBIOW,  JR. 


L 


All  New  York's 
Fraternizing  with 

Twamount's 


Such  Crowds  — 
Such  Raves  — 
Such  A  Sendoff  — 
At  N.  Y.  Paramount 
World  Premiere 
Of  Paramount's 

One-Third-of-a-Century 
Sensation ! 


*»!5»Si««**5,^\ 


***** 


*V  "lot  ' 


a*1 


BETTY  HUTTON 

Arturo 

DeCORDOVA 

"INCENDIARY 
BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

with 

CHARLES  RUGGLES  •  ALBERT  DEKKER 
BARRY  FITZGERALD 

Directed  by  George  Marshall 

207  DATES  TO  DATE  FOR 
PARAMOUNT  WEEK,  SEPT.  2-8 


And  Mary  Phillips  ••  Bill  Goodwin        Edward  Ciannelli  .  The  Maxellos  .  Maurice  Rocco 

Original  Screen  Play  by  Claude  Binyon  and  Frank  Butler 

i  ) 


10 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Thursday,  August  2,  194 


More  Personalized 
Picture  Promotions 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


20th-Fox  Sets  Minimum  of 
28  Features  for  1945-'46 


trend  establishing  what  is  characterized 
as  a  new  exhibitor  promotional  serv- 
ice, and  several  distributors  have  been 
rendering  this  type  of  service  to  ex- 
hibitors on  a  growing  scale  for  some 
time.  M-G-M  rendered  also  85  vari- 
ous services  to  exhibitors  before  the 
war  curtailed  some  of  them,  but  those 
dropped  are  now  being  resumed  and 
others  are  being  added.  RKO  has  had 
considerable  success  with  its  exhibitor 
service  department.  Entire  campaign 
kits  are  made  available  to  exhibitors 
with  the  company's  field  men  aug- 
menting efforts  of  the  exhibitor  local- 
ly. The  company  is  providing  this 
type  of  service  on  almost  all  of  its 
films  rather  than  on  top  product  only. 

Large  Warner  Staff 

Warner  Bros,  is  one  of  the  compa- 
nies augmenting  its  field  forces  to  pro- 
vide more  personalized  service  for  cus- 
tomers. Paramount  prepares  cam- 
paigns on  top  pictures  with  its  field 
force  augmenting  the  campaigns  while 
similar  variations  are  provided  by 
other  companies. 

While  some  companies  have  direct- 
ed most  of  their  efforts  to  exhibitors 
in  large  cities,  several  are  now  aiding 
small  town  exhibitors  on  the  theory 
that  they  sometimes  require  more  help 
than  those  in  large  towns,  who  have 
publicity  and  exploitation  organiza- 
tions of  their  own. 


Peak  of  Prosperity 
Has  Passed,  Says  US 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
$5,500,000,000  less  in  the  last  half  than 
in  the  first  six  months,  when  it  reached 
a   record  $83,000,000,000,   it   is  esti- 
mated. 

Most  of  the  decline  will  be  in  sal- 
aries and  wages,  which  are  seen  as 
dropping  from  $57,900,000,000  in  the 
first  half  of  the  year  to  $54,000,000,000 
in  the  last  six  months.  Proprietors' 
profits  will  decline  only  slightly,  and 
for  the  year  as  a  whole  are  expected 
to  be  $500,000,000  above  the  $12,300,- 
000,000  recorded  last  year.  Net  cor- 
porate profits  are  expected  to  drop 
$900,000,000  from  last  year,  to  a  flat 
$9,000,000,000,  but  dividends  will  re- 
main at  the  1944  level  of  $4,500,000,000. 

The  drop  in  income,  it  was  pointed 
out,  will  not  be  as  sharp  as  the  figures 
indicate,  since  it  will  be  cushioned  to 
some  extent  by  reduced  tax  payments 
which  will  apply  to  the  lower  income. 

"Although  some  deflation  in  pro- 
duction and  income  will  occur  during 
the  last  six  months  of  this  year,  busi- 
ness conditions  and  profits  will  con- 
tinue favorable,"  the  Department  said. 

"How  far  the  decline  will  carry  will 
not  be  answered  this  year,  and  prob- 
ably not  in  1946,"  it  was  said. 


Colvin  on  Exhibit 

Chicago,  Aug.  1. — Ray  G.  Colvin 
of  Exhibitors  Supply  Co.,  St.  Louis, 
and  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Theatre 
Equipment  Dealers  Protective  Asso- 
ciation, was  here  to  line  up  exhibits 
for  the  association's  three-day  meet- 
ing at  the  Edgewater  Beach  Hotel  be- 
ginning Oct.  5. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

also    scheduled    for    August  release 
are :   "A   Bell  for   Adano,"  "Junior 
Miss"  and  the  British-made  Two  Cit- 
ies' film,  "The  Way  Ahead." 
Others  listed  are : 

September  release,  "Captain  Eddie," 
the  late  Winfield  R.  Sheehan's  Eu- 
reka Pictures'  production  of  the  life 
of  Capt.  Eddie  Rickenbacker,  and 
"Caribbean  Mystery,"  with  James 
Dunn  and  Sheila  Ryan. 

October  release :  "State  Fair," 
Technicolor  musical  by  Richard  Rog- 
ers and  Oscar  Hammerstein  II,  di- 
rected by  Walter  Lang  and  produced 
by  William  Perlberg,  co-starring 
Dana  Andrews,  Jeanne  Crain,  Dick 
Haymes  and  Vivian  Blaine ;  "House 
on  92nd  Street,"  directed  by  Henry 
Hathaway,  produced  by  Louis  de 
Rochemont,  with  William  Eythe  and 
Lloyd  Nolan ;  "And  Then  There 
Were  None,"  produced  and  directed 
by  Rene  Clair,  with  Barry  Fitzgerald, 
Walter  Huston,  Louis  Hayward,  Ro- 
land Young,  June  Duprez  and  others. 

'Sisters'  in  November 

November  release :  "The  Dolly 
Sisters,"  musical  in  Technicolor,  di- 
rected by  Irving  Cummings  and  pro- 
duced by  George  Jessel,  starring 
Betty  Grable  and  June  Haver,  with 
John  Payne,  Reginald  Gardiner  and 
others ;  "Colonel  Effingham's  Raid," 
comedy  drama,  produced  by  Lamar 
Trotti,  directed  by  Irving  Pichel, 
with  Charles  Coburn,  Joan  Bennett, 
William  Eythe  and  others. 

December  release :  "Dragonwyck," 
an  Ernst  Lubitsch  production,  direct- 
ed by  Joseph  Mankiewicz,  with  Gene 
Tierney,  Vincent  Price  and  Walter 
Huston ;  "Fallen  Angel,"  produced 
and  directed  by  Otto  Preminger,  with 
Alice  Faye,  Linda  Darnell,  Anne  Re- 
vere, Charles  Bickford  and  Bruce 
Cabot. 

January  release :  "The  Spider,''  di- 
rected by  Robert  Webb,  produced  by 
Ben  Silvey,  with  Faye  Marlowe  and 
Richard  Conte ;  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven,"  in  Technicolor,  directed  by 
John  Stahl,  produced  by  William 
Bacher,   with  Gene  Tierney,  Cornel 

Plans  Court  Action 
Over  Memphis  Ban 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

cants."  Gradwell  Sears,  United  Art- 
ists distribution  vice-president,  has 
stated  that  the  film  "pays  tribute  to 
the  dauntless  man  of  Southern  soil 
who  tries  to  make  something  out  of 
little"  and  declared  that  he  will  "press 
to  provide  the  production  with  the 
widest  market  available." 


Snodgrass  in  W.  E.  Post 

William  E.  Snodgrass,  formerly 
executive  vice-president  of  Dictograph 
Products  Co.,  has  joined  Western 
Electric  as  general  manager  of  that 
company's  hearing-aid  division,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  by  F.  R.  Lack, 
vice-president  of  Western  Electric. 


Making  Hospital  Film 

"As  Others  See  Us,"  hospital 
training  film,  has  been  placed  in  pro- 
duction by  Associated  Filmakers.  The 
cast  includes  Barbara  Joyce,  Nell 
O'Day,  Jerry  Carr  and  Jack  Effrat. 


Wilde,  Vincent  Price  and  Jeanne 
Crain ;  "Walk  in  the  Sun,"  with 
Dana  Andrews  and  Richard  Conte. 

February  release :  "Doll  Face," 
musical,  produced  by  Bryan  Foy,  with 
Carole  Landis,  William  Eythe,  Car- 
men Miranda  and  Vivian  Blaine ; 
"Enchanted  Voyage,"  produced  by 
Walter  Morosco,  directed  by  Lloyd 
Bacon,  in  Technicolor,  with  June 
Haver,  John  Payne  and  Charlotte 
Greenwood. 

March  release :  "Kitten  on  the 
Keys,"  Technicolor  musical,  produced 
by  George  Jessel,  directed  by  Gregory 
Ratoff,  with  Dick  Haymes,  Maureen 
O'Hara,  Harry  James  and  orchestra ; 
"American  Guerilla  in  the  Philip- 
pines," produced  by  Lamar  Trotti, 
directed  by  Bruce  Humberstone,  co- 
starring  John  Payne  and  Linda  Dar- 
nell. 

April  release :  "Cluny  Brown,"  in 
Technicolor,  produced  '  and  directed 
by  Ernst  Lubitsch ;  screenplay  by 
Samuel  Hoffenstein  and  Betty  Rein- 
hardt ;  co-starring  Jennifer  Jones  and 
Charles  Boyer  ;  "Chicken  Every  Sun- 
day," based  on  the  Broadway  stage 
comedy. 

'Smoky'  in  May 

May  release :  "Smoky,"  in  Techni- 
color, produced  by  Robert  Bassler, 
directed  by  Louis  King,  with  Fred 
MacMurray,  Anne  Baxter,  Lynn  Bari, 
'Randolph  Scott,  Bruce  Cabot  and 
John  Russell ;  "Claudia  and  David," 
produced  by  William  Perlberg,  co- 
starring  Dorothy  McGuire  and  Rob- 
ert Young. 

June  release :  "The  Razor's  Edge," 
based  on  the  Somerset  Maugham 
novel,  a  Darryl  Zanuck  production, 
directed  by  Henry  King,  screen  play 
by  Lamar  Trotti,  with  Alice  Faye. 
Maureen  O'Hara,  Gregory  Peck  and 
Clifton  Webb ;  "Shock,"  produced  by 
Aubrey  Schenck,  screen  play  by  Eu- 
gene Ling. 

July  release :  "Centennial  Summer," 
Technicolor  musical,  produced  bv  Otto 
Preminger,  with  Linda  Darnell.  Wil- 
liam Eythe,  Jeanne  Crain,  Cornel 
Wilde ;  "Dark  Corner,"  an  original  by 
Leo  Rosten. 

Ohio  Censor  Warns 
On  Stamp  Approval 

Columbus,  O.,  Aug.  1. — Exhibitors 
and  distributors  of  motion  pictures  in 
Ohio  who  fail  to  depict  the  Depart- 
ment of  Education's  stamp  of  approval 
(censorship)  shall  be  subject  to  a  fine 
upon  conviction  of  $25  to  $300  dollars, 
Kenneth  C.  Ray,  chief  censor  warns  in 
a  letter  to  film  men  in  the  state. 

Ray  states  that  instances  of  non- 
compliance with  the  law  have  occurred 
and  that  further  violations  will  be 
acted  upon.  The  official  stamp  must 
be  at  least  three  feet  in  length  on  each 
print. 


Stage  for  Berlin  Next 

Irving  Berlin  will  bring  a  stage 
revue  to  New  York  in  September 
after  completion  of  his  "Blue  Skies." 
Paramount  Technicolor  Production 
starring  Bing  Crosby.  Between 
chores  on  the  picture,  for  which  he 
has  written  four  new  tunes.  Berlin 
has  been  devoting  time  to  the  stage 
revue.  Berlin's  last  Broadwav  musical 
was  "Louisiana  Purchase."  Since  then 
he  did  the  film  "This  Is  The  Army." 


Industry  to  Handle' 
Eisenhower  'Glory'  ! 

(Continued  from  page   1 ; 

Office  of  War  Information,  and  held  at 
WAC  headquarters. 

After    the    meeting,    Col.  CurtL 
Mitchell,  chief  of  the  Pictorial  Sec-f 
tion  of  the  Army's  Bureau  of  Publi< 
Relations,  declared:  "Reports  that  re-l 
lease  of  "The  True  Glory"  in  the  U/T-l 
would  be  delayed  because  of  cert\^j 
expressions   in   the  commentary   are  f 
without  foundation.    Films  made  by  \ 
the  Government  and  released  through  I 
the  War  Activities  Committee  are  notn 
subject  to  the  Production  Code  Ad-/ 
ministration.     The  Army,  of  course, 
conforms  to  the  tenets  of  good  taste  hr 
the  editing  of  motion  pictures  of  docu-L 
mentary  importance." 

Col.   Mitchell  was  presumably  re- 
ferring  to  United  Press  reports  from 
Paris  that  "The  True  Glory"  had  been 
banned  by  the  MPPDA  because  of  the] 
mention  of  "hell"  and  "damn"  therein. 

Col.  Luther  L.  Hill,  deputy  chief  of 
the  Bureau  of  Public  Relations,  at- 
tended the  meeting  in  place  of  his '[ 
chief2  Maj.  Gen.  Alexander  D.  Surles/ 
who  was  required  to  remain  in  Wash- 
ington because  of  the  arrival  of  Sec-'" 
retary   of   War    Stimson   and   Gen.  'T 
Marshall,  Chief  of  Staff,  from  Europe 
last   night.     Accompanying  Colonels', 
Hill  and  Mitchell  from  Washington  j 
was  Taylor  Mills,  chief  of  the  OWI  f 
motion  picture  bureau. 

Committees  Named 

An  industry  committee  for  coopera-  ! 
tion  '  and  policy  in  the  handling  of 
"True  Glory,"  established  yesterday,  ] 
consists  of  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO ;  ) 
A.  Montague,  Columbia,  and  Francis  i 
S.    Harmon,    WAC.     A  promotion 
committee  is  made  up  of  Frank  Ros-  j 
enberg,  Columbia ;  Maurice  Bergman, 
Universal ;    Robert    Gillham,  Para- 
mount;    Silas    F.    Seadler,    Loew-  \ 
M-G-M,  and   Glenn   Allvine,   Public  \ 
Information  Committee. 

Constituting  the  committee  on  book- 
ings   are :    S.    H.    Fabian,    WAC ; 
Leonard  Goldenson,  Paramount ;  Har-  ; 
ry  Kalmine,  Warner  Brothers ;  C.  C. 
Moskowitz,   Loew's ;   Harry  Brandt;  , 
Lee  Newberry,  William  White,  Fox  I 
Theatres ;  Max  Weisfeldt,  Columbia.  ' 

George   J.    Schaefer,   chairman  of 
WAC,    presided    at  yesterday's 
luncheon-meeting.    Those  who  attend-  " 
ed  included :  Barney  Balaban,  Rath-  * 
von,  William  Michel,  William  Kupper,  ; 
Brandt,    Kalmine,    Dan  Michalove, 
Max    Cohen,    Newberry,    Goldenson,  ', 
Charles  Reagan,  H.  M.  Richey,  Berg- 
man,  Jack  Alicoate,  Montague,  Ros- 
enberg, White,  Harold  Mirisch,  Sol 
Schwartz,   Weisfeldt,   S.   H.  Fabian,  j 
Harmon,  Walter  T.  Brown,  Herman 
Gluckman,  Mary  Nossaman,  J.  Rob- 
ert Rubin  and  Moskowitz. 


Film  Classics  Drive  On 

Detroit,  Aug.  1. — Albert  Dezel, 
president  and  general  manager  of 
Film  Classics,  has  announced  that  a 
special  playdate  drive,  in  celebration  ■ 
of  the  company's  first  anniversary, 
this  month,  is  to  be  conducted  by 
Robert  Snyder,  Cleveland  manager, 
and  Calvin  Leeder  who  has  charge  of  j 
the  Cincinnati  office. 

First  program  to  be  booked  for  the 
anniversary  is  a  double  bill  of  "Hur- 
ricane" and  "Raffles"  now  playing 
at  the  RKO  Keith  Theatre,  Cincin- 
nati, and  slated  to  play  the  Allen,  ' 
Cleveland,  • 


•(Thursday,  August  2,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


||  ,Silverstone  Export 
ice-President 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

ess  cartels  are  permitted  to  operate 
r  export,  after  FTC  scrutiny. 
Also  completed  at  yesterday"s  meet- 
big  was  organizational  structure,  to 
rarry  out  the  basic  intention  of  pre- 
senting a  united  front  in  any  foreign 
Mjcountry   where   inequitable  situations 
l|  ay  arise  through  quotas,  taxation  or 
■  jiier  restrictions. 

» *i  Members  of  the  board  at  yesterday's 
I  meeting  included^  N.  Peter  Rathvon, 
RKO  ;  Youngman  :  Theodore  Hope  of 
ithe  law   firm  of   Donovan,  Leisure, 
Newton  and  Lumbard ;  Robert  Schless 
and    George    Weltner,    Paramount ; 
Silverstone ;  Major  Arthur  M.  Loew 
and  Joseph   Rosthal,   Loew-M-G-M ; 
Samuel  Schneider,  Warner  Brothers, 
LAI    Daff,     Universal  (representing 
Joseph  Seidelman),  and  Jack  Segal, 
Columbia    (representing  Joseph  Mc- 
Xonville).      It    is    understood  that 
,'cventually  the  organization  will  op 
( crate  with  a  rotating  presidency. 

Apparently  the  independent  compa 
nies  have  not  acted  yet  to  name  a 
representative  to  serve  on  the  board 
in  their  behalf,  although  provision  for 
such  representation  has  been  made  by 
sponsors  of  the  M.  P.  Export  Corp. 


!  New  Hours  Affect 
Ottawa  Attendance 


Ottawa,  Aug.  1. — The  war  brought 
a  trend  toward  staggered  industrial 
hours  of  employment  and  varied 
working  shifts  but  still  another  devel- 
opment is  noted  in  Ottawa,  Canadian 
Capital,  where  some  25  large  retail 
stores  have  announced  jointly  that 
their  establishments  would  be  closed 
all  day  Mondays  until  further  notice. 
On  other  week  days  all  stores  close  at 
six  P.  M.  including  Saturdays.  One 
result  has  been  the  transfer  of  some 
Saturday  matinee  patronage  to  Mon- 
days for  theatres. 

Earlier  closing  of  government  offi- 
ces daily,  following  the  cessation  of 
the  war  in  Europe,  has  also  stimulated 
late  matinee  trade  at  film  houses. 


One  Holdout  'Lab'  in 
702  Contract  Drive 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

new  job  classifications  and  call  for 
general  pay  increases,  severance  pay 
of  from  one  to  five  weeks,  depending 
on  length  of  service,  and  two  weeks' 
vacation  with  pay.  The  vacation 
clause  is  a  new  one  in  four  of  the 
contracts. 

The  pacts,  covering  some  1,800  em- 
ployes, are  for  a  two-year  period,  sub- 
ject to  reopening  for  further  negotia- 
tion at  any  time. 


New  Star  Incorporation 

Hartford,  Conn.,  Aug.  1. — Certifi- 
cate of  organization  has  been  filed 
with  the  Secretary  of  State  by  the 
Star  Film  Distributors  Corp.,  New 
Haven.  Incorporators  are :  Lewis 
Ginsburg  and  Bernard  Levy,  both 
:  New  Haven,  and  Gloria  Carli,  Am- 
ston,  Conn. 


Review 


'I'll  Be  Your  Sweetheart 


{General  Film  Distributors-Gainsborough) 

London,  Aug.  1 

DEMURELY  runs  a  credit-title  in  this  picture :  "And  introducing  Michael 
Rennie."  That  is  one  of  those  conscientious  British  under-statements, 
for,  to  many,  and  on  the  evidence  of  fan-demeanour  at  the  Gaumont-British 
opening  of  the  film,  Rennie's  introduction  to  the  screen  is  the  picture's  chief 
merit. 

Not  that  other  virtues  do  not  attach  thereto.  There  is,  for  example,  a  first- 
rate,  well-knit  story  concerning  the  battle  which  .raged  40  years  ago  between 
sheet-music  publishers  and  'pirate'  printers ;  an  old,  oft-told  tale  in  Tin 
Pan  Alley  hereabouts,  and  one  whose  bloody  battles — wordy  at  times,  but  on 
occasion  fought  out  mightily  with  fists  and  bludgeons — are  gustily  depicted  in 
the  film.  There  are  the  old  songs  of  the  era  which  will  draw  to  the  theatre 
the  middle-aged  and  elderly  and  set  them  nodding  reminiscently,  and  all  of 
which  will  remind*  the  young  that  folk-music  did  not  originate  with  Bing 
Crosby. 

There  is  also  Margaret  Lockwood,  who  gives  not  only  an  extreme  and  dis- 
creetly ladylike  performance,  but  who  also  shakes  a  hoof  disconcerting  to  all 
susceptible  beholders,  vocalising  the  while  in  equally  disconcerting  mode.. 

Producer  Louis  Levy  and  director  Val  Guest  have  succeeded  admirably 
and  precisely  in  recapturing  the  magic  of  London's  now-dead  music-hall, 
and  they  release  on  the  screen  all  of  the  rich,  ripe,  robust  nonsense,  the  ex- 
citing glamour,  of  which  it  was  compounded.  They  rate  another  success  mark 
in  Gainsborough's  now  familiar  success  saga.  And,  we  repeat,  they  introduce 
Michael  Rennie,  for  which  circumstance,  it  may  safely  be  prophesied,  Holly- 
wood in  due  time  will  be  grateful. 

Running  time,  104  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date  not 
set.  Peter  Burnup 


Publicists  at  Para., 
Columbia  on  Strike 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
ing  this  pronouncement,  Paramount 
and  Columbia  publicists  voted  to  ob- 
serve the  lines  and  did  not  report  for 
duty  this  morning.  Following  similar 
meetings  today,  20th  Century-Fox, 
RKO,  Warner,  Republic  and  Samuel 
Goldwyn  publictsts  returned  to  their 
posts  100  per  cent.  M-G-M  and 
Universal  each  reported  three  pub- 
licists out.  An  SPG  spokesman  said 
a  check-up  indicated  about  one-third 
of  the  membership  observing  the  lines, 
with  more  expected  to  join  following 
the  receipt  of  individual  telegrams 
from  the  international  union. 

SPG  has  assigned  members  to  the 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  strike 
strategy  committee  and  is  preparing 
to  join  the  other  striking  unions  in  a 
mass  picketing  demonstration  at  RKO 
tomorrow. 

Meanwhile,  Screen  Office  Em- 
ployees Guild  and  studio  reports  on  the 
observance  of  the  picket  lines  by  office 
workers  continued  to  conflict,  although 
the  guild  revised  its  figures  to  indicate 
52  per  cent  of  the  membership  out, 
while  the  producers  said  slightly  more 
than  75  per  cent  are  working. 


Join  'Marines'  Promotion 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  1— Northeast 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  American 
Legion,  and  seven  newspapers  embrac- 
ing the  northeast  section  of  Philadel- 
phia and  covering  a  population  of  over 
1,000,000  have  joined  in  the  program 
to  mark  the  world  premiere  of  War- 
ner's "Pride  of  the  Marines"  at  the 
Mastbaum  Theatre  on  Aug.  8. 


Fete  Rickenbacker 
At  Eddie  Opening 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

man  John  M.  Vorys,  appearing  at  a 
Chamber  of  Commerce  luncheon  at  the 
Neil  House,  a  network  broadcast,  wel- 
coming ceremonies  at  the  State  Capi- 
tol and  City  Hall,  and  a  double  trib- 
ute at  Lockbourne  Army  Air  Base, 
observing  "Air  Force  Day."  Rain 
caused  a  last-minute  cancellation  of  a 
scheduled  military  parade  in  the  late 
afternoon. 

Governor  Lausche  had  proclaimed 
this  as  "Captain  Eddie  Day."  The 
city  turned  out  to  pay  tribute  to  Rick- 
enbacker and  see  a  Hollywood  dele- 
gation which  included  George  Jessel, 
who  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies; 
Christy  Walsh,  who  was  associate  to 
the  late  Winfield  Sheehan,  producer 
of  the  film ;  Carole  Landis,  Peggy 
Ann  Garner,  James  Dunn,  Lloyd  No- 
lan and  Richard  Conte.  Twentieth- 
Fox  officials  present  included  Tom 
Connors,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  and  Hal  Horne,  adver- 
tising, publicity  and  promotion  head. 
Exhibitors  on  hand  included  Meyer 
Fine,  M.  B.  Horowitz,  John  Kalafat, 
Max  Lefkowitz  and  Milt  Mooney, 
Cleveland ;  R.  W.  Rhodes,  Akron ; 
George  Delis,  Canton ;  John  Heubner, 
Marion;  Lee  Jones,  Upper  Sandusky, 
and  Earl  Biggio,  Steubenville. 


New  Pasho  Theatre 

Hartford,  Aug.  1.  —  Ralph  Pasho 
has  opened  a  940-seat,  Colonial-styled, 
theatre,  called  the  Salem,  at  Nauga- 
tuck.  Gene  Pasho  has  been  named 
manager. 


Altec  Renews  Black  Hills 

Black  Hills  Amusement  Circuit  has 
renewed  agreements  with  Altec  Ser- 
vice Corp.  for  their  theatres  in  Ne- 
braska and  South  Dakota,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  Jack  Gregory,  Seattle  dis- 
tract manager  for  Altec. 


Davis  Names  Dervin 

Jack  Davis,  Republic's  New  En- 
gland district  sales  manager,  an- 
nounces the  appointment  of  Frank 
Dervin  as  sales  manager  of  the  com- 
pany's Boston  branch. 


Bruno  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  1. — Bruno  of 
Hollywood,  Inc.,  has  been  incorporated 
here  to  operate  a  business  in  motion 
pictures.  Anthony  J.  Bruno,  New 
York,  was  incorporator,  and  Nathan 
Kosseff  was  the  attorney. 


Travelogues  in  Making 

St.  John,  N.  B.,  Aug.  1. — An 
M-G-M  photographic  crew,  headed  by 
James  A.  FitzPatrick,  is  currently  en- 
gaged in  making  two,  and  possibly 
three,  travelogues  on  Nova  Scotia  un- 
der governmental  arrangement. 


BIGGEST 


LOCOMOTIVE  IS  OWNED  BY  THE  PENN.  R.  R. 


BIGGEST: 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED...  ★ 


< 

o 

z 
2 

o 
o 

►J 

I— I 

< 

w 

H 

y 
S 

o 
o 


WARNERS 

THE  CORN  IS 
GREEN 
Bette  Davis 
John  Dall 
Joan  Lorring 
D— 114  mins.  (419) 
fcRev.  3/29/45) 

— *  

CHRISTMAS  IN 
CONNECTICUT 
Barbara  Stanwyck 

Dennis  Morgan 
D— 101  mins.  (420) 

(Rev.  7/18/45) 

(September  1) 
PRIDE  OF  THE 
MARINES 
John  Garfield 
Eleanor  Parker 

UNIVERSAL 

THE  FROZEN 
GHOST 
D— 61  mins.  (9032) 

JUNGLE 
CAPTIVE 

D — 63  mins.  (9038) 

THE  NAUGHTY 
NINETIES 

Abbott  &  Costello 
Rita  Johnson 

C— 76  mins.  (9003) 
(Rev.  6/21/45) 

ON  STAGE 
EVERYBODY 
Jack  Oakie 

C — 75  mins. 
(Rev.  7/9/45) 

BEAUTIFUL 

CHEAT 
Bonita  Granville 
Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

C— 59  mins.  (9044) 

 ,  

THE  WOMAN 
. IN  GREEN 
Basil  Rathbone 
Nigel  Bruce 

D — 68  mins. 
(Rev.  6/21/45) 

EASY  TO 
LOOK  AT 
Gloria  Jean 
Kirby  Grant 

D— 64  mins.  (9045) 
(Rev.  7/27/45) 

UNCLE  HARRY 

George  Sanders 
Geraldine  Fitzgerald 
Ella  Raines 

LADY  ON  A 
TRAIN 

Deanna  Durbin 

David  Bruce 
Ralph  Bellamy 
CD 

1 

< 

STORY  OF 
G.I.  JOE 
(Lester  Cowan) 
Burgess  Meredith 

D — 1 1 1  mins. 
(Rev.  6/18/45) 

GUEST  WIFE 
(Jack  SkirbaU) 
Claudette  Colbert 
Don  Ameche 
C — 90  mins. 
Rev.  7/23/45 

THE 
SOUTHERNER 
(Loew-Hakim) 
Zachary  Scott 
Betty  Field 
D — 91  mins. 
(Rev.  5/2/45) 

CAPTAIN  KIDD. 
(Borgeaus  Prod.) 
Charles  Laughton 
Randolph  Scott 

D — 89  mins. 
(Rev.  7/30/45) 

THE  OUTLAW 
(Howard  Hughes) 
Jane  Russell 
Walter  Huston 

(Rev.  2/8/43) 

PARIS 
UNDERGROUND 
(C.  Bennett  Prod.) 
Constance  Bennett 
Gracie  Fields 
D 

20TH-FOX 

(July  Release) 
NOB  HILL 

(Color) 
George  Raft 
Joan  Bennett 
D — 95   mins.  (529) 
(Rev.  5/29/45) 

WITHIN  THESE 
WALLS 
Thomas  Mitchell 
Mary  Anderson 
D— (528) 
(Rev.  6/7/45) 

i 

(August  Release) 
A  BELL  FOR 
ADANO 
Gene  Tiemey 
John  Hodiak 
D— 103  mins.  (601) 
(Rev.- 6/20/45) 

WILSON 

(Special) 
Alexander  Knox 
Charles  Coburn 

D— 154  mins.  (602) 
(Rev.  8/2/44) 

JUNIOR  MISS 
Peggy  Ann  Garner 

Allyn  Joslyn 
C— 94  mins.  (603) 
(Rev.  6/13/45) 

THE  WAY 
AHEAD 

(British-made) 
David  Niven 
D— 106  mins.  (604) 
(Rev.  5/25/44) 

Sept.  Releases 
CAPT.  EDDIE 
Fred  MacMurray 

D — 107  mins. 
(Rev.  6/19/45) 

CARIBBEAN 
MYSTERY 
James  Dunn 

D — 65  mins. 
(Rev.  7/16/45) 

Q 
< 

O 
« 


►J 

PQ 


1  M- 


a.  a, 


fed- 


41  ^  0**~'  ■  - 

„ W 2  o  >>.» ■=  ♦ 
«Q^3<J  c  S  c  . 

u 


>  I  « 


1  a 
(2  oh 

8  o 

°-  .J 
52  < 


E  . 
> 


2  cJ 
O  ds      n  _ 

oo  SM  gcj 
5  <  a  5  c  > 

KM         I - 

t-l  p 


°<E°£> 


Hp* 

H  „  b  E  . 
—  -  -  —  > 

tn  41  u  \o  €1 
UJ      o  QQ  w 

>  K  I 

>  O 


"  rt  «    •  £  « 

O  O 


GO 

o.s 

J  E 


GO  _ 

>u  E  > 

si 


1  c  S 


5^g& 

2g  .O  E! 
goo  rt  «UD5 

S3  |i  w 

 u 


S  <  _  oi-*  u- 

!^  «S  rt  r  V 
g*«0  I  K 


O 


<  ^ 

o&  Si  fe^ 

GO 


MgoS  5 


GO^ 


0>  2&0  Sva 


Q  -  M 

g  §  S 
oo£  e  s  c 

o-^  [ 

go  n  J=  n  . 


< 

< 


o 
o 


GO 

o  <<!  n  " 

3         cM  «S 


Q<  u  "V 

D  W  s  2  > 
gffi  -ggi« 


™"3  — 

GO  «  .vo 

GO  A 


>  5  5!- 

<g|fS 

Q 


rtQSr, 


c  «; 


...   «  3 

o 


0&0  >  oj 


u  v 
•0«! 


'z  E"J 


3k 


<2  3  2^ 

Ol-l 

K  n- 


1?WiaW  a. 
2  |S 


GO  ««t 
X  ^ 


«2  j-"— 
3<-s  s" 

o 


5  AEQ« 


2<  S.S^- 
wO  c7« 


az>.s 

Qw  &E 


a 


■2  gas"* 
a  si  rt-g  .o 


oicq  — 

OH'--  23  »i^ 


Q 
W 

GO  g  fe. 

M  u  C 


oi  * 

CM  \ 

in  *-< 


«  O  up,  ^5- 
•S-jW  §  So;  > 


1T« 


■nGO  >,i;.5>9- 
.2«K  srag^ 

D.m"  o*goo  — 

"2^s!  i  > 

=  <<  OSo| 


PQ 

5 
_) 
o 
o 


GO  „ 

2*w°  5-5  | 

Om>5.°  E 

0<P2.Sl> 
m>J2  ;2  I 
MWfi  P 


°> 

Qo 

2H 

<o 
uo 

Oh 


►J  co 

4)  ™ 


Q 

Zgo 
<h 
K, 
o 


na  4i 


<  Z  -°  «  ?  ^  ^ 


UJf ,o  H_ 

Is 


.  u  ^  C 

k,<  3  c  «  ; 

ks  a  > 


GO 

P£ 

Z  g  : 

<  s- 

j  2  i 

<  Ol 
I" 


QO 


S  fi  in 

«p 

>  c  «  7  > 

f\  01  M  4J 

< 


Z0S  |«C 

w,  p  ™ 

>  Ut  T3  tlO 


JP£.2 


wo 
is 


s 


^  en 


IN 


be 


g  o 

< 


bo 


bo 

s 

< 


be 

s 

< 


■a 

!>0 


First  in 

Radio \l 

1  sws 

Accural 

and 

Impartial 

MOTION  PICTURE 


Alert, 

InteWgerv 

In^isDeU 

to  the^t 

tion 

Picture 

industry 

\  f  r  ^58.  NO.  24 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  AUGUST  3,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Top  Grosses 
For  8  Films 
In  Past  Week 


Field  Reports  Show  Six 
Others  Above  Average 

By  GENE  ARNEEL 

Eight  films  emerged  as  top 
money  makers  in  the  past  week, 
which  was  marked  by  considerable 
rainy  weather,  heat  and  humidity 
in  many  parts  of  the  country,  elements 
which  generally  help  business.  Five 
of  the  eight  scored  in  both  holdover 
and  new  engagements,  according  to  the 
reports  from  Motion  Picture  Daily 
key  city  correspondents. 

"Thrill  of  a  Romance"  and  "The 
Valley  of  Decision"  provided  the  most 
impressive  boxoffice  results  shown  in 
the  field  reports.  Other  strong  con- 
tenders include  "Nob  Hill,"  "The 
{Continued  on  page  10) 


First  Jap  Atrocity 
Films  for  Public 


Motion  pictures  of  the  Nazis' 
atrocities  in  Europe  have  been  here, 
and  for  general  purposes  of  public 
circulation,  are  gone ;  yesterday 
started  the  procession  to  the  Ameri- 
can people  of  films  on  Pacific  atroci- 
ties of  the  Japs,  when  100  U.  S.  mili- 
tary officials,  diplomats  and  members 
of  the  press  attended  a  special  show- 
ing of  "Orders  from  Tokyo,"  20-min- 
ute  Technicolor  documentary,  pro- 
duced by  Warner  Bros,  in  coopera- 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Veterans  to  Preview 
'Marines'  in  24  Cities 

In  addition  to  the  main  event  at 
the  Bellevue- Stratford  Hotel,  Phila- 
delphia, next  Tuesday  night,  special 
regional  previews  of  "Pride  of  the 
Marines"  will  be  held  by  Warners  si- 
multaneously in  at  least  24  cities  for 
First  Division  Marine  veterans  of 
"Guadalcanal  Day"  living  in  those  lo- 
calities. 

Majority  of  the  previews  will  be 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Dangerous  In- 
appears  on  page  7. 


truder 


Neighborhoods,  Too, 
Enjoy  Good  Grosses 

Previously  reported  heavy 
influx  of  visitors  to  New  York 
has  for  weeks  been  keeping 
downtown  New  York  grosses 
at  high  levels.  Now  come 
neighborhood  and  shore-line 
exhibitors  to  report  unusually 
heavy  business  for  Summer- 
time. 

The  weather  has  been  keep- 
ing many  at  home,  with  neigh- 
borhood houses  benefitting 
more  than  usual  for  this  pe- 
riod, while  those  who  are  at 
shore  resorts  are  taking 
double  doses  of  screen-fare 
because  rains  and  beaches 
don't  mix,  as  attested  to  by 
Jack  Harris  of  the  Reade  Cir- 
cuit. 


Chicago  Press  Will 
Not  Group  Film  Ads 

Chicago,  Aug.  2.  —  Local  news- 
papers have  turned  down  a  theatre  ad- 
vertising grouping  plan  formulated  by 
Allied  Theatres  of  Illinois,  president 
Jack  Kirsch  discloses. 

The  purpose  of  the  plan  was  to  run 
the  daily  advertisements  of  some  150 
Allied  theatre  members  under  one 
head,  similar  to  those  grouped  by 
circuits,  such  as  Balaban  and  Katz 
and  Warner  Brothers.  The  idea  is 
being  employed  in  Pittsburgh  news- 
papers by  members  of  Allied  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania. 

Local  dailies  are  reluctant  to  ac- 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Strike  May  Spread 
To  N.Y.;  Readers 
Balk  at  Re-routing 


The  New  York  home  office  readers 
chapter  of  the  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employees  Guild,  Local 
No.  1,  CIO,  yesterday  declared  op- 
position to  handling  story  material 
routed  either  directly  or  indirectly 
from  Hollywood  as  a  result  of  the 
studio  strike,  in  which  Coast  readers, 
and  many  other  unionists,  are  par- 
ticipating. 

The  declaration  was  made  at  a 
meeting  held  Wednesday  night  and 
reported  on  yesterday.  The  New 
York  chapter,  however,  is  not  au- 
thorized to  take  individual  action, 
and  consequently  has  petitioned  the 
SOPEG  executive  board  to  support 
its  stand  and  make  representations  to 
the  distributors. 

A  meeting  of  the  SOPEG  execu- 
tive board   has    been    set    for  next 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


British  Also  Face 
Strike  at  Studios 


London,  Aug.  2. — Workers  belong- 
ing to  the  National  Association  of 
Theatrical  and  Kine  Employees  are 
on  an  unauthorized  strike  at  the 
Gainsborough  Studio  today  following 
the  dismissal  of  their  shop  steward, 
who  allegedly  went  'over  the  head' 
of  the  studio  manager  in  negotiating 
a  standby  payment  of  five  dollars  per 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Fight  Flares  in  the  South 
Over  UA's  'Southerner9 


Atlanta,  Aug.  2. — Sharp  disagree- 
ment is  developing  among  Southern 
states  over  the  fitness  of  "The  South- 
erner" for  showing  in  the  South. 

Banned  in  Memphis  as  "a  disgrace 
and  a  reflection  on  the  South,"  the 
United  Artists- David  Loew  produc- 
tion will  be  shown  in  Atlanta  with  the 
full  support  and  commendation  of 
Christine  Smith,  Atlanta  censor,  she 
disclosed  here  today.  The  State  of 
Georgia,  parts  of  Florida  and  other 
areas  in  this  exchange  territory  usu- 
ally abide  by  decisions  of  the  Atlanta 
censor  board. 

"The  Southerner"  was  ordered  pro- 
hibited, in  harsh  terms,  from  showing 
in  Memphis  by  Lloyd  T.  Binford, 
chairman  of  the  censor  board  for  that 
city.  Binford  asserted  that  the  film 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


Lawton's  Signalmen 
Had  103  Casualties 

The  eight  photographic 
units  of  the  Signal  Corps  op- 
erating in  Europe  from  June 
1944,  to  May  1945,  under  Col. 
Kirke  B.  Lawton,  sustained  a 
total  of  103  casualties,  of 
which  18  were  killed  in  action, 
according  to  the  Signal  Corps 
photographic  center  at  As- 
toria, L.  I. 

Awards  and  commendations 
for  the  groups  numbered  598, 
with  the  163rd  Signal  Photo- 
graphic Company  listed  as  the 
most  highly  cited  unit. 


Goldman  Case 
Reversed  By 
Circuit  Court 


Hold  Sherman  Act  Was 
Violated;  Damages  Due 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  2.  —  The 
U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  here 
today  reversed  the  findings  of  U.  S. 
District  Court  Judge  William  H. 
Kirkpatrick  in  the  William  Goldman 
case,  which  ruled  that  Warner  Broth- 
ers Theatre  circuit,  major  distributors 
and  other  defendant  companies  had 
not  violated  provisions  of  the  Sher- 
man Anti-Trust  Act.  This  is  the  case 
in  which  the  Department  of  Justice 
intervened  on  the  appeal  as  a  friend 
of  the  court. 

The  Circuit  Court  opinion  held  that 
the  Sherman  Anti-Trust  Act  had  been 
violated  and  instructs  the  lower  court 
to  issue  a  decree  in  favor  of  William 
Goldman  Theatres,  Inc.,  of  this  city, 
and  to  fix  damages  suffered  by  Gold- 
man Theatres  after  an  investigation. 

This  suit  was  the  first  anti-trust 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Skirball -Manning 
In  Universal  Deal 


Hollywood,  Aug.  2. — Jack  H.  Skir- 
ball and  Bruce  Manning  have  signed 
a  contract  with  Universal  whereby 
Skirball- Manning  pictures  will  be  re- 
leased through  "U." 

The  unit's  first  production,  sched- 
uled to  go  into  production  early  in 
September,  will  be  "Genius  in  the 
Family,"  starring  Myrna  Loy  and 
Don  Ameche.  Manning  is  writing  the 
screenplay,  based  upon  the  novel  by 
Hiram  Percy  Maxim ;  Frank  Ryan 
will  direct.  The  second  production,  to 
follow  immediately  after,  will  be  a 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Newsreel  Executives 
Fly  to  Europe  Today 

Washington,  Aug.  2. — Having 
been  briefed  by  Army  officers  today, 
the  six  U.  S.  newsreel  executives  will 
leave  here  by  plane  tomorrow  morn- 
ing, weather  permitting,  for  a  three 
to  four  week  Army-sponsored  tour 
of  the  European  theatre,  on  an  itin- 
erary calling  for  coverage  of  En- 
gland, France  and  Germany,  with 
five  days  in  London  and  a  similar 
period  in  Paris  to  conduct  individual 
affairs. 

Making  the  trip  will  be  Walton 
(Continued  on  page  11) 


II 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  August  3,  1945 


Demands  Sale  of 
Pre-Nazi  Product 


Films  alleged  to  contain  Nazi  prop- 
aganda and  withdrawn  from  public 
sale  by  the  U.  S.  Alien  Property  Cus- 
todian, are  in  fact  90  per  cent  "en- 
tertainment and  musical  films,"  devoid 
of  "any  propaganda  whatever,"  the 
American  Civil  Liberties  Union  de- 
clares in  releasing  a  letter  urging 
that  the  withdrawal  be  reconsidered. 

The  ACLU  wrote  Alien  Property 
Custodian  James  E.  Markham  in 
Washington,  that  "it  is  not  apparent 
from  the  list  of  films  withdrawn  that 
any  of  them  fall  within  the  category 
of  German  or  Nazi  propaganda.  We 
have  seen  the  objections  made  to  the 
public  sale  of  these  pictures  which 
evidently  induced  your  office  to  with- 
draw them,  and  we  do  not  see  in  any 
of  the  statements  any  valid  reason 
for  so  doing.  We  are  therefore  led 
to  believe  that  the  protest  was  based 
on  misinformation  and  we  look  to 
your  office  to  correct  it." 

115  Before  Hitler 

The  ACLU  points  out  that  115  of 
the  withdrawn  pictures  were  produced 
in  Germany  before  Hitler's  rise  in 
1933,  and  that  another  100  were  pro- 
duced in  Vienna  before  Austria  was 
overrun  by  the  Nazis  in  1938,  and 
that  a  large  number  of  the  pictures 
were  written,  acted,  and  produced  by 
anti-Nazis  now  resident  in  the  United 
States;  It  was  also  pointed  out  rela- 
tive to  the  pre-Nazi  pictures  that  all 
of  them  were  "passed  by  the  censors 
in  New  York  State  between  1930  and 
1942,  and  all  of  them  reviewed  by  the 
U.  S.  Signal  Corps  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
and  about  half  of  them  by  the  Na- 
tional Board  of  Review."  The  letter 
says  "it  could  hardly  be  contended 
that  such  pictures  as  Johann  Strauss' 
'Gypsy  Baron,'  Offenbach's  'Bar- 
carolle,' 'The  Brothers  Karamazov', 
and  the  'Life  and  Love  of  Tchaikow- 
ski'.are  not  suitable  for  public  sale, 
and  yet  these  are  typical  titles." 


New  'Heart'  Hospital 
Is  Variety  Project 

Minneapolis,  Aug.  2. — Plans  for 
building  a  $325,000  heart-hospital,  de- 
scribed as  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the 
U.  S.,  are  announced  by  the  Variety 
Club  of  the  Twin  Cities  which,  in  ad- 
dition to  raising  the  initial  fund,  has 
guaranteed  to  underwrite  operation  to 
the  extent  of  $25,000  a  year.  Con- 
struction of  the  hospital,  which  will 
be  a  wing  attached  to  the  University 
of  Minnesota  Medical  School,  is  to 
begin  as  soon  as  materials  are  avail- 
able. 


'Rhapsody'  Showing  Set 

National  tradeshow  of  "Rhapsody 
in  Blue,"  Warner  Gershwin  musical, 
has  been  set  for  Monday,  Sept.  10. 
Picture  is  now  in  the  sixth  week  of 
its  pre-release  run  at  the  Hollywood 
Theatre,  New  York. 


21  Camp  Shows  Added 

Twenty-one  new  U  S  O-Camp 
Shows  have  arrived  overseas  since 
July  2,  seven  in  the  Southwest  Pacific, 
one  in  India-Burma  theatre  and  the 
rest  in  Europe. 


Personal  Mention 


ROBERT  M.  "GILLjOm,  Para- 
mount advertisirrgJpublie-ity  di- 
rector, is  expected  to  return  here  from 
Chicago  today. 

• 

Herb  Wheeler,  Warner  Theatres 
Chicago  district  manager,  has  been 
named  chairman  of  the  annual  Warner 
Club  outing,  to  be  held  at  the  State 
Park,  Waverly  Beach,  Tremont,  Ind.. 
Aug.  15. 

• 

Donald  Mack,  son  of  Irving 
Mack,  president  of  Filmack  Trailer 
Co.,  Chicago,  has  been  awarded  the 
Presidential  Citation  for  his  action 
with  the  Ninth  Air  Force  in  France. 
• 

Dick  Boyce,  son  of  Larry  Boyce 
of  RKO,  Salt  Lake  City,  left  recently 
for  Whitman  College  for  Naval  V-5 
training. 

Jules  Goldman,  Warner  Atlanta 
head  booker,  has  returned  there  from 
Miami. 

• 

Dave    Edwards,   manager   of  the 
Lawrence  theatres,   Salt  Lake  City, 
has  returned  there  from  Idaho. 
• 

Victor  Saville,  British  producer, 
has  arrived  in  New  York  from  Hol- 
lywood en  route  to  London. 

• 

David  Katz,  brother  of  Ike  Katz, 
PRC  Atlanta  manager,  is  the  father 
of  an  eight-pound  son. 

• 

A.  L.  Higgenbotham,  executive  of 
Dixie  Theatres,  New  Orleans,  is  visit- 
ing in  New  York. 

• 

Dave  Thomas,  manager  of  the  Cen- 
tre Theatre,  Salt  Lake  City,  is  vaca- 
tioning this  week. 

• 

John  W.  Mangham,  president  of 
Film  Classics,  Atlanta,  is  visiting  the 
New  Orleans  branch. 

c 

John   Rowberry,  operator  of  the 
Parks  and  Utah  Theatres,  Cedar  City, 
Utah,  is  visiting  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
• 

H.  C.  Fuller,  Sheffield  Republic 
Salt  Lake  City  manager,  is  in  Idaho. 


DR.  HERBERT  KALMUS,  presi- 
dent of  Technicolor  Corp.,  has 
returned  to  Hollywood  from  New 
York. 

• 

Larry  Lapidus,  son  of  Jules  La- 
pidus,  Warner  Eastern  division  sales 
manager,  has  been  appointed  to  the 
U.  S.  Navy  Signalmen's  School  at  the 
Great  Lakes  Training  Station,  Chi- 
cago. 

• 

Tracy  Barham,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Intermountain 
Theatres,  Salt  Lake  City,  is  expected 
to  return  there  from  an  Eastern  busi- 
ness trip  this  week. 

• 

Steve  Broidy,  Monogram  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
has  returned  to  the  studio  after  a 
week's  vacation  with  his  family  at  La- 
guna  Beach,  Cal. 

• 

Wilburt  Silverman,  booker  with 
the  Essaness  Circuit,  Chicago,  and 
Melva  Bernstein  will  be  married  in 
Chicago,  Aug.  19. 

• 

Charles  King,  booker  for  the 
Bach  Circuit,  Atlanta,  has  left  with 
his  family  for  two  weeks  at  Daytona 
Beach,  Fla. 

• 

Jules  B.  Willing,  Confidential 
Reports  manager  of  branch  operations, 
will  leave  here  over  the  weekend  for  a 
vacation. 

• 

Sam  Cohen,  United  Artists  foreign 
publicity  director,  will  round  out  13 
years  with  the  company  today. 
• 

Jerry  Jonas,  head  of  the  M-G-M 
checking  department,  was  in  Salt  Lake 
City  recently  from  New  York. 
• 

Zelma  Brookov,  Warner  Eastern 
talent  scout,  will  leave  today  for  an 
upstate  vacation. 

• 

Sir  Cedric  Hardwicke  has  arrived 
in  New  York  from  London. 

• 

Ed  Urschel,  M-G-M  auditor,  has 
been  in  Salt  Lake  City  for  several 
days. 


Contner  Company  to 
Make  Sound  Devices 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2. — Burgi 
Contner,  former  executive  and  board 
member  of  Cineflex  Corp.,  camera 
manufacturer,  is  one  of  the  principals 
in  Blue  Seal  Cine  Devices,  Inc., 
which  has  been  incorporated  to  manu- 
facture motion  picture  sound  and 
allied  equipment,  including  projectors. 
Herman  Sulken  was  incorporating 
attorney. 

An  office  and  factory  site  for  the 
new  firm  has  yet  to  be  selected,  in 
New  York  City. 


Peggy  Foldes  Returns 

Peggy  Foldes,  after  a  six-month 
leave  of  absence,  has  resumed  her  du- 
ties in  the  RKO  Theatres  home  office 
publicity  department,  where  she  has 
charge  of  information  and  photo- 
graphs about  vaudeville  in  the  cir- 
cuit's houses. 


English  to  Republic 
South  American  Post 

David  English,  of  Republic's  branch 
operations  distribution  division,  has 
been  appointed  special  home  office 
representative  in  South  America,  and 
will  leave  here  today  for  a  visit  to 
the  company's  branch  office  in  Brazil. 


Vogel  on  Exhibitor  Poll 

Hollywood,  Aug.  2.  —  A-Mike 
Vogel,  who  has  been  doing  product 
analysis  here  for  several  circuits, 
will  supervise  a  nationwide  poll  of 
exhibitors  on  exploitation  ideas  for 
International's  "Tomorrow  Is  For- 
ever." He  will  act  in  collaboration 
with  Irving  Rubine  and  Associates. 


Fehr  in  Publicity  Post 

Richard  Fehr  has  joined  the  Do- 
herty,  Clifford  and  Shenfield  agency 
as  director  of  publicity,  supplanting 
Robert  H.  King,  resigned. 


Par  amount's  Usher, 
Clark  to  Head  Home 

Allen  Usher,  Paramount's  Chicago 
district  manager,  and  Duke  Clark, 
Dallas  district  manager,  who  have 
completed  a  tour  of  the  country  on 
behalf  of  the  company's  'One  Third 
of  a  Century'  anniversary  celebra- 
tion, will  return  to  their  respective 
headquarters  this  weekend. 

Clark  wound  up  his  tour  in  Los 
Angeles  where  he  was  feted  by  the 
local  Variety  Club.     Usher  returns 

to  Chicago  from  the  East.     I  ig 

the  past  two  months  they  havj;  iet 
with  exchange  personnel  and  exhibi- 
tors in  all  31  exchange  centers. 


Editors  Elect  Wolfe 

Charles  Wolfe  was  elected  business 
representative  of  the  IATSE  Mo- 
tion Picture  Film  Editors  Local  No. 
771  at  a  meeting  presided  over  by 
Morrie  Roizman,  president. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation       Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano" 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century.  Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 

in  M-G-M's 

'VALLEY  of 
..  DECISION' 


IN  PERSON 


MPS 
RUTH  TERRY 


^^^YHUTT^r^Armj^O^EToRDOVA^ 

in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON — 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SP1TALNY 


Samuel  Go/cfwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


DARRYL  F.  ZANUCK'S 

WILSON" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  In  Technicolor 
Plus  on  Stage  —  DICK  HAYMES 


HELEN  FORREST 

BUY  MORE    p  /*>  V  Y    7th  Ave.  & 
BONDS       IX  W  A  I 


Extra!      JOE  BESSER 

th  Ave.  & 
50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley.  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quiglev 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23.  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


,N  TECHN.COUOR 

Directed  by 

HENRY  KING 


Written  by 

LAMAR  TROTTI 


WINNER  OF  60 ACADEMY  AWARDS! 


OUTSTANDING!  At  its  second  engagement,  ROXY,  New  York  City! 


popular- appeal  selling  campaign  from 


Century -Fox 


One  of  the  great  jj  motion  pictures  for 
which  Darryl^F.Zanuck  won 

the  IRVING  THALBERG  AWARD 
for  the  highest  consistent  standard 
of  achievement! 


TIMELY !  wassm 
GRIPPING! 


TECHN1CO 


Directed  by  Written  by 

HENRY  KING  LAMAR  TROTH 


DRAMATIC! 


POPULAR 

PRICES 


-The  Box-office  Event  of  the  Century  from 


CENTURY-FOX 


u 


Friday,  August  3,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


Review 


"Dangerous  Intruder 

(PRC) 

PRC  has  a  tidy  piece  of  "mystery"  merchandise  in  "Dangerous  Intruder." 
From  an  original  story  by  Philip  MacDonald  and  F.  Ruth  Howard,  and 
screen  play  by  Martin  M.  Goldsmith,  nicely  acted  under  Vernon  Keays'  direc- 
tion, it  is  a  film  that  can  provide  audiences  with  an  hour  of  unlagging  enter- 
tainment. The  narrative  involves  a  wealthy  household  headed  by  a  mentally- 
unbalanced,  homicidal  husband,  excellently  played  by  Charles  Arnt ;  his  wife, 
Fay  Helm,  whom  he  poisons ;  their  small  daughter,  convincingly  acted  by 
Jo  Ann  Marlowe,  and  Richard  Powers  in  the  role  of  Arnt's  brother-in-law. 

Into  this  family  circle  comes  a  job-seeking  actress,  played  by  Veda  Ann 
Borg,  who,  having  been  struck  by  a  car  driven  by  Arnt  while  thumbing  a  ride, 
is  given  freedom  of  his  home  until  she  recovers  from  her  minor  injuries.  While 
there,  however,  Miss  Borg  observes  strange  nocturnal  doings  by  Arnt,  followed 
usually  by  piercing  screams  from  his  wife.  Having  hit  upon  evidence  to  show 
that  Arnt  had  previously  murdered  his  aunt  for  the  wealth  which  went  to  his 
wife,  Miss  Borg  is  convinced  that  Arnt  has  poisoned  his  wife  to  obtain  the 
money.  Meanwhile,  a  romance  has  blossomed  between  the  actress  and  Powers. 
Their  joint  efforts  ultimately  result  in  murderer  Arnt's  apprehension,  but  not 
before  the  madman  has  also  killed  his  houseman  who  aided  Miss  Borg,  and 
almost  disposed  of  the  actress  herself. 

The  picture  carries  an  atmosphere  of  ever-increasing  suspense  until  things 
resolve  themselves  in  the  last  few  minutes  of  the  last  reel.  Martin  Mooney  is 
down  as  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  61  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  Sept.  21. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Hollywood 


PRC  Chicago  Meet 
Will  Open  Today 

Chicago,  Aug.  2. — The  sixth  an- 
nual PRC  regional  sales  meeting  will 
open  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here  to- 
morrow, with  sessions  for  district 
managers  and  individual  exchange 
staffs. 

Harry  H.  Thomas,  vice  president 
and  sales  manager,  will  open  the 
an=£ral  meeting  Saturday  and  will 
?**  >s  1945-40  product.  Others  on 
trtt* program  for  that  day  are  Henri 
Elman,  Chicago  franchise  owner ; 
Lloyd  Lind,  assistant  sales  manager, 
and  George  Gill,  Washington  fran- 
chise holder. 

'Forest'  Screening 

"The  Enchanted  Forest"  will  be 
screened  at  the  Surf  Theatre  Sat- 
urday afternoon,  followed  by  screen- 
ings of  "Song  of  Old  Wyoming"  and 
"Apology  for  Murder"  Sunday  morn- 
ing. On  Sunday  afternoon  the  clos- 
ing session  will  feature  talks  by  Dave 
Griesdorf,  general  manager  of  dis- 
tribution; Harry  Arthur,  St.  Louis 
franchise  holder ;  Arnold  Stolz,  East- 
ern publicty  manager,  and  Len 
Brown,  Racine,  Wis.,  exhibitor,  who 
has  played  every  PRC  picture  made. 

Leon  Fromkess,  PRC  president, 
will  not  attend,  the  studio  strike 
keeping  him  in  Hollywood. 

Device  Overcomes 
Photo  Display  Cut 

London,  Aug.  2. — In  order  to  make 
photo  enlargements  for  theatre  dis- 
play without  violating  the  wartime 
ruling  against  use  of  photographic 
p-ner  for  such  purposes,  Warners  has 
devised  a  new  plan  of  sensitizing  the 
entire  surface  of  disnlay  boards  and 
making  the  enlargements  direct  on  the 
boards.  The  'blowups,'  first  used  on 
"To  Have  and  Have  Not"  at  the 
Warner  Theater,  ranged  from  six  to 
seven  and  a  half  feet  high.  London 
had  not  seen  such  large  photos  since 
1942. 


Oscar  Dizon  Wins 
$1,000  NSS  Prize 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  2. — Oscar  Dizon, 
newly  appointed  manager  of  National 
Screen  Service  here,  has  been  awarded 
a  $1,000  cash  prize  for  being  the  lead- 
ing salesman  in  the  nation  for  the 
company  in  1944. 

Dizon  has  been  a  salesman  for  NSS 
for  two  and  one-half  years.  He  re- 
ceived his  promotion  here  last  month, 
following  the  advance  of  Lou  Patz 
to  the  Midwest  district  manager- 
ship. 


New  Altec  Agreements 

W.  Conner,  Cincinnati  district  man- 
ager of  Altec  Service,  announces  new 
agreements  with  Caldwell  Amuse- 
ment Co.'s  Roxy  Theatre,  Caldwell, 
0. ;  the  Grand,  West  Lafayette,  O. ; 
Hi-Land,  Louisville,  and  a  renewal 
for  service  with  the  Triangle,  Pitts- 
burgh. 


Runyon  Leaves  01 AA 

Hollywood,  Aug.  2. — Jack  W. 
Runyon  has  resigned  as  director  of 
radio  activities  for  the  Office  of  In- 
ter-American Affairs,  a  post  which 
he  has  held  for  three  years.  Runyon 
will  return  to  the  commercial  radio 
field. 


Mercy  Has  Building 
Plans  for  Theatres 


Yakima,  Wash.,  Aug.  2.  — Fred 
Mercy,  Sr.,  has  purchased  theatre  sites 
in  Naches  and  Selah  on  which  he  will 
erect  $60,000  theatres  as  soon  as  build- 
ing restrictions  are  lifted,  adding  that 
he  plans  additional  building  and  im- 
proving of  other  of  his  properties, 
including  an  expenditure  of  $100,000 
on  extending  and  remodeling  his  Pos- 
ter Building,  used  as  a  clubhouse  by 
the  American  Legion;  a  general  'face 
lifting'  for  the  Capitol  Theatre,  along 
with  interior  improvements  amounting 
to  $25,000;  a  new  theatre  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Lyric,  and  an  expendi- 
ture of  $65,000  in  improving  the  Lib- 
erty, Yakima  and  Roxy  Theatres. 

In  addition,  Mercy  signed  transfer 
papers  for  theatres  in  Pasco  and  Ken- 
newick,  which  he  recently  purchased. 
Jules  Levy  of  Chicago  and  J.  Gregory 
of  Kennewick  closed  the  deal  here 
with  Mercy. 


Conn.  Theatre  'Unsafe' 

Hartford,  Aug.  2.  —  Connecticut 
State  Police  Commissioner  Edward  J. 
Hickey,  who  started  on  a  personal  tour 
of  inspection  of  all  Connecticut  the- 
atres last  week,  has  announced  the 
first  cancellation  of  a  theatre  license 
"for  failure  to  comply  with  safety  reg- 
ulations after  proper  notice  to  the 
manager,"  at  the  Music  Box  Theatre, 
New  Britain,  operated  by  Amalga- 
mated Theatres,  New  Haven,  and 
managed  by  Joseph  Spivak.  It  was 
reported  that  the  booth,  an  exit  door, 
an  exit  obstruction,  and  excessive 
lobby  display  must  be  corrected. 


Kennedy  in  Harte  Post 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2.  —  Joseph 
Kennedy,  who  has  been  engaged  in 
the  motion  picture  business  for  25 
years,  is  new  chief  booker  here  -for 
Columbia  Pictures.  He  replaced  Karl 
Harte,  who  resigned.  Kennedy  booked 
for  General  Film  here  in  early  silent 
days.  He  was  also  with  General  Film 
in  New  York  and  New  Haven,  and 
was  with  Film  Booking  Offices, 
Loew's,  Prudential  and  Interboro. 


FCC  Approves  Sale 
Of  Crosley,  4-3 

Washington,  Aug.  2. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission 
today  approved  the  sale  of  Crosley 
Corp.  properties,  including  station 
WLW,  to  the  Aviation  Corp.,  but 
announced  that  it  would  send  recom- 
mendations to  Congress  for  legisla- 
tion dealing  with  unspecified  prob- 
lems which  were  uncovered  during 
consideration  of  the  deal. 

The  Commission's  action  followed 
brief  oral  argument  this  morning  on 
questions  developed  during  the  re- 
cent hearings.  Approval  was  voted 
by  Chairman  Porter  and  Commis- 
sioners Jett,  Denny  and  Wills, .with 
Commissioners  Walker,  Wakefield 
and  Durr  dissenting. 

The  Commission's  announcement  of 
its  action  stated  that  the  members 
were  unanimous  in  believing  that 
some  of  the  problems  involved  in  the 
Crosley  situation  warranted  legisla- 
tive action  and  said  that  the  majority 
and  minority  reports,  not  yet  pub- 
lished, would  be  sent  to  Congress 
for  its  consideration. 


$55,900,287  Crosley 
Sales  in  Six  Months 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  2. — The  Croslev 
Corp.  reports  net  sales  of  $55,900,287 
for  six  months  ended  June  30,  the 
largest  net  for  any  half-year  in  the 
company's  history.  This  compares 
with  net  sales  of.  $49,088,607  for  the 
first  six  months  of  1944. 

Net  profit  for  the  half-year 
amounted  to  $1,318,818,  equal  to  $2.42 
per  share  on  the  545,800  capital  shares 
outstanding,  after  provision  of  $612,- 
000  for  contingencies,  but  subject  to 
renegotiation  of  war  contracts.  This 
was  in  contrast  to  earnings  of  $2,- 
556,288,  or  $4.68  per  share  for  the 
comparative  period  of  last  year,  which 
also  was  subject  to  renegotiation. 

$100  Video  Set  Shown 

A  five-by-seven-inch  television  re- 
ceiver designed  to  market  for  $100  or 
less  was  demonstrated  at  a  dinner  in 
the  Hotel  St.  Moritz  here  yesterday 
by  Irving  Kane,  president  of  Viewtone 
Co. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  2 

JOAN  LORRING  and  Peter  Lorre 
will  be  teamed  in  Warners'  melo- 
drama, "The  Verdict,"  adapted  from 
the  novel  by  Israel  Zangwill,  "The 
Big  Bow  Mystery"  ;  Don  Siegel  will 
direct,  and  William  Jacobs  will  pro- 
duce. .  .  .  Nancy  Coleman  has  been 
signed  for  a  starring  role  in  PRC's 
forthcoming  romance,  "Once  and  for 
All." 

• 

Mona  Freeman  has  had  her  Para- 
mount contract  renewed.  .  .  .  George 
Sidney  will  direct  M-G-M's  Techni- 
color musical,  "Holiday  in  Mexico." 
.  .  .  Gene  Lockhart  has  been  added  to 
the  cast  of  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven," 
now  shooting  at  20th  Century-Fox. 
• 

Walt  Disney  has  signed  the  An- 
drews sisters  for  a  sequence  in  his 
new  production,  "Make  Mine  Music," 
which  will  be  released  through  RKO 
Radio.  .  .  .  John  Raitt,  singing  star 
of  the  New  York  stage  play, 
"Carousel,"  will  be  starred  by  PRC 
in  an  operetta  titled  "Night  Was 
Made  for  Music."  .  .  .  Another  mem- 
ber of  the  "Carousel"  company,  Jan 
Clayton,  is  set  for  the  lead  in  "Jenny 
Was  a  Lady,"  which  Sam  Marx  will 
produce  next  Winter  for  M-G-M. 
• 

Felix  Bressart  has  been  selected  by 
Frank  Borzage  for  an  important  role 
in  "Concerto,"  which  Borzage  will 
produce  and  direct  for  Republic.  .  .  . 
Joan  Barton  has  had  her  PRC  con- 
tract extended.  .  .  .  George  Tobias 
has  been  assigned  one  of  the  top  roles 
in  Warners'  "Dancing  With  Tears." 
• 

Margaret  O'Brien,  Elisabeth  Tay- 
lor and  Jane  Powell  will  be  teamed 
in  M-G-M's  "A  Date  With  Judy," 
adapted  from  the  radio  program  of 
that  name.  .  .  .  Walter  W anger  has 
signed  Susan  Hayward  to  a  seven- 
year  contract,  and  assigned  her  the 
lead  in  his  forthcoming  Universal 
picture,  "Canyon  Passage."  .  .  .  Joan 
Winfield  has  been  added  to  the  cast 
of  Warners'  "Night  and  Day." 


Trans- Atlantic  Chartered 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2.  —  Trans- 
Atlantic  Films,  Inc.,  has  been  incor- 
porated to  operate  a  motion  picture 
business  in  New  York.  Incorporators 
are :  Wm.  J.  Miller,  Astoria,  L.  I. ; 
Elizabeth  Wertheimer,  Brooklyn ; 
Jessie  W.  Capes,  East  Orange,  N.  J. 
Registrar  &  Transfer  Co.,  New  York, 
incorporated  the  company. 


Century  Films  Formed 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2.  —  Art  of 
This  Century  Films,  Inc.,  has  been  in- 
corporated to  conduct  a  motion  pic- 
tures business  in  New  York.  Incor- 
porators are  :  Walter  Wechsler,  Harry 
Fractenberg  and  Morris  Etkin,  New 
York  City.  Samuel  Yadell  was  in- 
corporating attorney. 


Kovac  Is  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2.  —  Reda 
Kovac  Films,  Inc.,  has  been  incor- 
porated to  do  business  in  New  York. 
Incorporators  are :  Reda  Kovac,  L. 
David  Weiss  and  Bernard  Smolo- 
witz,  all  of  New  York.  L.  David 
'  Weiss  was  incorporating  attorney. 


"""" 

The  picture  that  answers  what  every 
woman  wants  to  know  .  .  .  "how  does 
jealousy  begin  and  where  does  it 
d?" 


A  REPUBLIC  10th  ANNIVERSARY  PICTURE 

. . .  it's  got  that  Crowd  Appeal! 


Starring 

JOHN  10DCR  •  JAM  RANDOLPH 

„,„  with 

MO  Hit  y 

Produced  and  Dir, 


MLS  A  ST  HE  It 


GU^AV  MACHATY 

Pl°>  V  ARNOLD  HOURS  , 

0"d  GU^AV  MACHATY 


»<—don  an  .„•„„„,  ,. 


"""""ALTON  TRUMBO 


Friday,  August  3,  1945 

First  Jap  Atrocity 
Films  for  Public 


10 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Strike  May  Spread 
To  N.Y.;  Readers 
Balk  at  Re-routing 


Eight  Films  Win  Peak 
Gross  Honors  This  Week 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

Monday  night  to  consider  this  and 
other  matters  relating  to  the  strike. 

It  is  understood  that  two  home  of- 
fices either  have  already  received  or 
will  receive  story  material. 


NLRB  Hearings  on  Set 
Decorators  Concluded  • 

Hollywood,  Aug.  2. — National  Labor 
Relations  Board  hearings  on  the 
eligibility  of  voters  in  the  set  deco- 
rators' election,  key  issue  in  the  studio 
strike  now  involving  15  unions,  came 
to  an  end  tonight,  with  Frank 
Pestana,  Conference  of  Studio  Unions 
attorney,  entering  a  motion  for  the 
evidence  to  be  sent  to  Washington  in 
preference  to  accepting  the  finding  of 
trial  examiner  Robert  Denham,  who 
will  leave  for  Washington  tomorrow  to 
submit  evidence  to  the  Board  there. 

The  Screen  Office  Employees  Guild 
and  Screen  Publicists  Guild,  which 
joined  the  strike  officially  this  week, 
were  reported  reacting  as  individuals 
to  instructions  from  their  interna- 
tional headquarters.  Reliable  reports 
had  75  per  cent  of  the  SOEG  mem- 
bers at  work  after  more  of  them  re- 
turned to  the  studios  in  small  groups 
today,  while  SPG  president  George 
Thomas  said  the  walkout  of  22  pub- 
licists at  Warners  brought  the  mem- 
bership up  to  slightly  more  than  50 
per  cent  observing  the  picket  lines. 
All  publicists  remained  away  from 
Paramount  and  Columbia;  all  re- 
ported for  duty  at  20th  Century-Fox, 
and  a  survey  of  the  other  studios  in- 
dicated divided  allegiance. 

British  Also  Face 
Strike  at  Studios 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

day  for  four  men  in  the  organization. 

A  union  organizer  accepts  the  re- 
sponsibility for  having  given  wrong 
advice  to  the  steward  but  fears  that 
the  strike  will  spread  unless  he  is  re- 
employed. 

The  Association  of  Cine-Techni- 
cians is  taking  a  poll  of  the  workers 
on  the  question  of  ending  the  strike, 
and  a  meeting  of  representatives  of 
ACT,  the  producers  and  the  British 
Board  of  Trade  is  being  arranged. 

Bell  Gets  RKO  Feature 

Bell  Pictures  will  handle  national 
distribution  of  "The  Bandit  and  the 
Lady,"  featuring  Akim  Tamiroff, 
Fay  Bainter,  Margot  Grahame  and 
Eric  Blore.  The  picture  was  formerly 
distributed  bv  RKO  Radio. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Southerner,"  "The  Corn  Is  Green," 
"The  Great  John  L,"  "A  Bell  for 
Adano"  and  "The  Story  of  G.  I. 
Joe." 

"Thrill  of  a  Romance"  rolled  up 
total  business  estimated  at  $139,000  in 
five  key  cities,  Pittsburgh,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Chicago,  Cleveland,  and  Kan- 
sas City,  having  been  a  holdover  in 
the  last  two.  Average  for  the  five 
runs  is  $103,000.  The  film  provided 
the.  Fox,  San  Francisco,  with  $42,000, 
$14,000  over  par.  At  the  Stanley, 
Pittsburgh,  it  garnered  $29,000, 
against  a  $22,000  average. 

"The  Valley  of  Decision"  chalked 
up  enviable  holdover  scores  in  four 
cities  and  got  off  to  a  good  start  in 
an  initial  week  in  Omaha,  where  it 
drew  $13,000,  which  is  $4,000  over 
average.  A  fourth  week  in  Cleve- 
land, a  second  week  in  both  Boston 
and  Pittsburgh  and  a  moveover  week's 
run  in  St.  Louis  brought  $56,000, 
which  compares  with  an  average  of 
$47,600. 

'Joe'  Immediate  Hit 

"The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe"  immediate- 
ly registered  as  a  hit  in  two  key 
spots.  At  the  Fox,  Philadelphia,  the 
Ernie  Pyle  film  had  a  tremendous  first 
week  estimated  at  over  $35,000.  Here 
the  average  is  $20,500.  And  at  the 
Kieth's,  Baltimore,  it  went  $2,500  over 
average  with  a  gross  of  $17,000. 

"The  Southerner"  gave  two  thea- 
tres in  Boston  a  total  income  of  $20,- 
200  against  $16,800  par.  Also  play- 
ing two  houses  in  Boston,  the  Fenway 
and  Paramount,  "Nob  Hill"  grossed 
$23,000,  going  over  the  average  $21,- 
500  mark.  And  in  a  second  week  at 
the  Karlton,  Philadelphia,  it  drew  $7;- 
500,  also  over  the  average,  which  is 
$6,600. 

"The  Great  John  L."  had  a  sur- 

Mexicans'  Demands 
Hit  All  Companies 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  2. — Leading 
Mexican  producers  and  distributors 
are  included  with  the  10  American 
companies  operating  in  Mexico  in 
the  substantial  wage  increase  de- 
mands of  Section  One  of  the  National 
Cinematographic  Industry  Workers 
Union.  The  Mexican  companies  in- 
clude :  Panamerican  Films,  Film 
Trust,  Espana  -  Mexico  -  Argentina, 
Films  Mundiales,  Producciones  Raul 
de  Anda  and  Rodriguez  Bros. 

The  Federal  Board  of  Conciliation 
and  Arbitration  is  striving  to  avert 
a  strike. 


prisingly  big  sixth  week  at  the  Ma- 
jestic, Boston,  bringing  in  $16,500 
where  $11,000  is  average,  and  sub- 
stantial opening  weeks  in  Baltimore 
and  Cincinnati,  with  combined  re- 
ceipts of  $21,000.    Average  is  $18,500. 

"A  Bell  for  Adano,"  playing  two 
situations  in  Denver  with  "The  Beau- 
tiful Cheat,"  rang  up  a  peak  income 
of  $29,200  ($19,500  is  average),  and 
also  scored  at  the  Boyd,  Philadelphia, 
with  a  $25,000  gross,  $7,000  above 
par,  and  at  the  Albee,  Cincinnati,  with 
$17,000  for  the  week's  business,  $3,500 
over  average. 

"The  Corn  Is  Green"  gave  an  at- 
tractive boxoffice  performance  in  its 
opening  week  at  the  Metropolitan, 
Boston,  drawing  $27,500,  where  $23,- 
500  is  average.  In  a  second  week  in 
Omaha  and  a  moveover  week  in  Den- 
ver the  film  brought  total  business  of 
$13,250.  Average  for  the  two  spots 
is  $11,500. 

Limited  reports  from  fewer  than 
three  cities  reveal  above  average  busi- 
ness by  these  films  :  "Wonder  Man," 
"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  "Pil- 
low to  Post,"  "Out  of  This  World," 
"God  Is  My  Co-pilot"  and  "The 
Naughty  Nineties." 


New    Records    Are  Claimed 
For  Goldwyn's  'Wonder  Man' 

The  Samuel  Goldwyn  office  said 
here  yesterday  that  the  Mayfair  The- 
atre in  Asbury  Park  reports  the  first 
week  of  Goldwyn's  "Wonder  Man" 
has  broken  the  all-time  in-season  rec- 
ord, and  the  Hollywood  Theatre  in 
Atlantic  City  reports  that  the  second 
week  of  "Wonder  Man"  broke  its 
all-time  in-season  record  by  155  per 
cent. 

In  New  York,  "Wonder  Man"  has 
concluded  its  eighth  week  with  a 
gross  in  excess  of  its  fifth,  sixth  and 
seventh  weeks,  it  was  said. 

Veterans  to  Preview 
'Marines'  in  24  Cities 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

held  in  the  leading  local  hotel  under 
civic  auspices  headed  by  the  Mayor, 
and  the  veterans  will  be  honored  with 
a  dinner  and  other  ceremonies  preced- 
ing the  showings,  as  well  as  with  local 
broadcasts  of  the  events.  Pickups  from 
several  of  the  cities  will  be  part  of  the 
international  broadcast  originating 
chiefly  from  Philadelphia. 

Cities  set  for  "Marine"  previews  in- 
clude Albany,  Boston,  Buffalo,  Indi- 
anapolis, Louisville,  Cleveland,  Atlan- 
ta, Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Detroit, 
Memphis,  Chicago,  Dallas,  Seattle, 
Portland,  Los  Angeles,  San  Francisco 
and  San  Diego.  Plans  for  New  Or- 
leans, Washington,  New  Haven,  Den- 
ver and  Salt  Lake  City  are  expected 
to  be  completed  over  the  weekend,  and 
a  few  other  cities  may  be  added. 


Celebrate  Film's  Gross 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  2. — The  run  of 
Columbia's  "A  Song  to  Remember"  at 
the  Cine  Alameda,  pioneer  local  thea- 
tre, with  a  gross  of  more  than  $100,- 
000  in  three  weeks,  prompted  Emilio 
Azcarraga,  president  of  the  company 
that  operates  the  house,  and  Rafael 
Sevilla,  local  Columbia  manager,  to 
give  a  banquet  at  Ciro's  for  industry 
members. 


(Continued  from  page  \) 

tion  with  the  Philippine  Government, 
at  the  Warner  home  office. 

The  picture  tells  the  story  of  the 
destruction  of  Manila  by  the  Japs 
when  U.  S.  soldiers  entered  the  cap- 
ital city.  The  Japs  were  on  the  verge 
of  withdrawing  from  Manila  when 
the  first  American  soldiers  /  '^c-red 
the  city's  suburbs.  Filipif  )  na- 
tionals first  freed  from  the'  Jiemy 
believed,  for  a  time,  that  Manila 
might  be  left  intact.  But  then,  on 
'orders  from  Tokyo,'  the  city  was 
systematically  destroyed  and  its  citi- 
zens ruthlessly  and  wantonly  killed. 
The  two-reeler  shows  the  bloody  acts 
of  atrocity,  shows  women  and  chil- 
dren killed,  shows  the  heart  of  a  city 
reduced  to  rubble.  The  picture,  and 
others,  will  be  used  as  evidence  when 
the  Japs  are  brought  to  trial  for 
their  crimes. 

Telling  Shots 

Although  the  picture  contains 
many  bloody  shots,  the  full  horror  of 
the  war  is  often  brought  even  closer 
by  such  shots  as  a  group  of  nuns 
picking  their  way  through  their  bomb- 
torn  grounds,  a  small  boy  wandering 
through  the  debris  looking  for  his 
family,  a  mother  and  child  lying  dead 
before  a  religious  statue,  and  others. 

"Orders  from  Tokyo"  is  a  vivid 
and  startling  documentary,  one  that 
most  effectively  points  up  the  Fili- 
pino's role  in  America's  fight  in  the 
Pacific. 

Following  the  screening,  Gen.  Car- 
olos  P.  Romulo,  Commissioner  of  the 
Philippines  to  the  U.  S.,  was  host  at 
a  reception  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  at- 
tended  by   Capt.   David   C.  Griffith, 

arine  Corps,  who  photographed  and 
narrated  the  picture ;  Col.  Dean  Kalb- 
fleisch,  Commandant  of  Marines  at 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard;  Lt.  Col.  H.  L. 
Hemming,  Marine  Corps ;  Lt.  Lloyd 
Durant,  Navy ;  Comm.  Bob  Edge, 
Navy;  Capt.* Tim  Healy,  and  others. 
Norman  H.  Moray,  short  subjects 
sales  manager  for  Warners,  intro- 
duced Gen.  Romulo,  who  delivered  a 
brief  talk  on  Jap  atrocities  in  the 
Philippines. 

Goldman  Decision 
Reversed  on  Appeal 

(Continued  frotn  page  1) 

action  involving  a  center  city  theatre. 
Goldman  charged  conspiracy  to  pre- 
vent his  purchase  of  first  run  pictures 
for  his  Erlanger  Theatre,  which  he 
has  kept  dark  since  acquiring  the 
house  in  1940.  The  suit  was  original- 
ly filed  in  December,  1942. 

Kirkpatrick's  decision  in  the  lower 
court  was  handed  down  earlier  this 
year.  It  is  not  known  if  Warners 
and  distributor  defendants  will  appeal 
the  new  decision  to  the  Supreme 
Court. 

Goldman  is  a  former  general  man- 
ager of  the  Warner  circuit  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  operates  his  own  inde- 
pendent circuit  here  now. 


'Wilson'  at  Reopened  Erie 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  2. — Fabian's 
Erie  in  Schenectady  reopened  today 
with  "Wilson"  at  regular  prices.  The 
theatre  played  films  for  a  time  last 
Spring  after  the  legitimate  stage  sea- 
son ended. 


WANTED 
SALES  REPRESENTATIVES 

Discharged  veterans  with  former  motion  picture  distri- 
bution or  theatre  experience.  Must  own  car  and  be  free 
to  travel  in  protected  territory.  Liberal  commission  and 
expense  allowance.  Leads  furnished.  For  complete 
details,  write 

Box  261,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Rockefeller  Center, 
New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


Friday.  August  3,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


n 


Epstein's  Tinker-to- 
Evers-to-Chance 

OMAHA.  Aug.  2.— This  is 
probably  the  world's  most  in- 
direct method  of  giving  out 
passes,  but  it  is  working 
much  good  will.  Jack  Ep- 
stein, of  Epstein  Theatres 
here,  sends  passes  to  the 
service  boys  from  Omaha  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Spe- 
c\£\  Services  Officer  Sol 
—  er  of  Omaha,  who  is  sta- 
tiJ!.ed  in  Germany.  They  send 
them  back  to  Omaha  relatives 
for  their  use. 


Fight  in  the  South 
Over  6 Southerner' 


Skirball  -  Manning 
In  Universal  Deal 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

Technicolor  musical,  "Sunny  River," 
based  upon  the  Xew  York  stage  play 
by  Oscar  Hammerstein,  2nd,  and  Sig- 
■nund  Romberg.  Hammerstein  will 
collaborate  with  Manning  on  the 
screenplay.  Claudette  Colbert  will  be 
starred  in  the  third  production,  to  be 
made  on  the  Universal  lot. 

Offices  are  being  readied  at  Uni- 
versal's  studio  for  the  Skirball-Man- 
ning  organization,  including  Joseph 
Valentine,  cameraman ;  Lionel  Banks, 
art  director ;  Art  Siteman.  production 
manager,  and  Phil  Leonard,  assistant 
to  Skirball. 

W  illiam  Home  will  continue  to  be 
Xew  York  representative  for  Skirball 
in  the  Universal  office  in  Rockefeller 
Center.  Ben  Henry  will  continue  as 
London  representative. 


Newsreel  Executives 
Fly  to  Europe  Today 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Anient,  Pathe ;  M.  D.  Clofine,  News 
of  the  Day ;  Thomas  Mead,  Univer- 
sal ;  Edmund  Reek,  20th  Fox  Movie- 
tonews ;  A.  J.  Richard,  Paramount, 
and  Richard  deRochemont,  March  of 
Time. 

As  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  Wednesday,  the  War  Depart- 
ment schedule  will  afford  the  news- 
reel  men  an  opportunity  to  see  what 
the  military  occupation  and  military 
governments  are  doing,  how  rede- 
ployment is  being  carried  out,  and  the 
facilities  provided  for  rest  areas,  spe- 
cial services  and  educational  pro- 
grams. It  is  possible  that  a  side 
trip  to  Italy  may  be  incorporated  in 
the  tour. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

gives  the  impression  that  Southerners 
generally  are  "ignorant  white  trash." 

( Producer  Loew  yesterday  retained 
counsel  in  Hollywood  to  institute 
court  relief  from  the  Binford-Mem- 
phis  ruling,  and  telegraphed  Donald 
Nelson,  in  Washington,  as  head  of  the 
Society  of  Independent  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers,  urging  SIMPP's 
"complete  support"  in  the  fight  in  be- 
half of  his  production). 

On  the  other  hand,  Atlanta's  Miss 
Smith  declared  in  announcing  the  film 
would  receive  her  blessing  that  it 
probably  will  receive  a  special  en- 
dorsement from  civic  groups  interested 
"in  the  welfare  of  the  farmer."  Miss 
Smith  added  she  has  seen  a  preview 
of  the  picture  and  considers  it  "very 
good." 

The  story  depicted  by  the  Holly- 
wood version  of  "The  Southerner" 
deals  with  the  efforts  of  a  Texas  fam- 
ily to  convert  a  shanty  and  uncleared 
land  into  a  home  and  farm.  Referring 
to  the  shanty,  the  Memphis  censor 
said,  "Not  even  the  Negroes  in  the 
Arkansas  swamps  (adjacent  to  Mem- 
phis) ever  lived  in  such  a  house,  and 
I've  seen  some  mighty  squalid  ones. 

Fears  Fooling  North 

"The  people,  as  represented  by  the 
film,  are  common,  ignorant,  low-down 
white  trash,"  Binford  said.  "This  is 
the  idea  Northerners  will  get  of  the 
South.  They  see  a  disgraceful  film 
like  this  and  they  don't  know  any 
better. 

"They  (the  Northerners)  not  only 
think  we're  common,  they  think  we're 
fools.  In  the  motion  picture,  the  man 
gave  up  a  good  job  to  become  a  tenant 
farmer,  and  when  he  has  a  chance  to 
go  back  to  the  city  when  his  crop  is 
destroyed,  he  doesn't  do  it." 

Binford  reflected  that  he  had  "made 
a  mistake"  several  years  ago  when  he 
authorized  the  showing  in  Memphis  of 
that  "inexcusable"  play,  "Tobacco 
Road."  and  said  he  vowed  at  the  time 
he  would  "never  let  another  picture  or 
play  that  reflects  on  the  Southern 
farmer  be  shown  in  Memphis." 


'Rhapsody'  Promotion 

August  issue  of  Columbia  Promo- 
tion Xezi-s.  official  publication  of  Co- 
lumbia Records,  is  a  special  Gershwin 
number,  with  practically  the  entire 
contents  devoted  to  Warners'  "Rhap- 
sody in  Blue."  to  be  distributed  to 
thousands  of-  dealers  throughout  the 
country,  and  detailing  exploitation 
plans  for  tieups  with  local  exhibitors 
in  connection  with  "Rhapsody"  play- 
dates. 


Chicago  Press  Will 
Not  Group  Film  Ads 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

cept  such  advertisements  at  this  time 
due  to  the  tight  space  situation  on 
amusement  pages.  A  regrouping  of 
advertisements  from  their  present  for- 
mat, amusement  page  editors  explain, 
would  demand  more  space  than  is 
available   at  present. 


S.  W.  Ford  Reopens  Lyric 

Atlantic  City,  Aug.  2.  —  After 
six  months  of  inactivity  caused  by 
fire.  S.  William  Ford  has  reopened 
his  Lyric  here.  The  front  and  lobby 
remains  the  same,  but  the  entire  in- 
terior has  been  rebuilt  and  redeco- 
rated. Ford  has  operated  the  house 
for  25  years. 


Parking  Rule  Eased 

Buffalo,  .  Aug.  2.  —  The  Buffalo 
Board  of  Safety  has  approved  an 
amendment  reducing  the  restricted 
parking  areas  in  front  of  theatres  by 
the  width  of  the  theatre  entrance  in 
each  case.  The  former  ordinance 
banned  parking  within  15  feet  on  each 
side  of  an  entrance. 


Ban  For  Polio  Siege 

Atlanta,  Ga.  Aug.  2.  —  The  three 
theatres  in  Dalton,  owned  by  the  Mar- 
tin Circuit,  have  been  requested  by 
authorities  to  ban  admission  of  all 
children  under  16  years  of  age  until 
sometime  in  August  in  view  of  an  in- 
fantile paralysis  outbreak  there. 


fj  WATCH  THE  PAPERS 
/  FOR  THE  STORIES  ON 
II  WARNER'S  CONNECTI- 
CUT XMAS  PARTY  AUG.8! 

What  a  send-off t 


great  photography: 

SUPREME 

NEGATIVE  FILM 

—its  fine  grain,  smooth 
gradation,  and  high 
quality  make  the  most 
of  your  good  work. 


An 


SCO 


A  DIVISION  OF  GENERAL  ANILINE 
'   &  FILM  CORPORATION 


BINGHAMTON  •  HOLLYWOOD  •  NEW  YORK 


KEEP  YOUR  EYE  ON  ANSCO— 

FIRST  WITH  THE  FINEST 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


S5 


NEW  YORK,  U.  SC^T  MONDAY,  AUGUST  6,  1945 


NO.  25 


TEN  CENTS 


uly  Average 
grosses  Rose 
n  Key  Spots 

lower  War  Plant  Pace 
^ave  Time  for  Films 


Aided  by  a  sharp  break  in  the 
■at  wave,  and  by  rainy  weather, 
Jiich  kept  people  away  from  the 
;aches,  average  weekly  grosses  per 
eatre  in  some  135  key-city  first-run 
>uses  soared  upward  last  month,  ac- 
rding  to  Motion  Picture  Daily 
•Id  correspondents'  reports. 

Another  factor  helping  box- 
offices  was  the  "kick-back"  in 
production  at  many  war  plants, 
pending  reconversion,  which 
gave  war  workers  more  time  for 
relaxation  and  opportunities  to 
spend  some  of  their  accumulat- 
ed savings  in  film  attendance. 

The  second  week  of  July  averaged 
'.3,089  per  house,  highest  since  the 
eek  ending  last  March  2-3,  while 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


1KO  Meeting 
3pens  Today 


First  of  four  RKO  Radio  regional 
icetings  on  new  product  will  begin 
ere  today  with  a  three-day  session  at 
ne  Waldorf-Astoria,  presided  over  by 
led    Depinet,    president.    N.  Peter 

athvon,  president  of  RKO,  will  ad- 
Tess  the  delegates  today,  marking  the 
lauguration  of  the  company's  14th 
eason. 

Also  on  the  program  are  Phil  Reis- 
aan,  vice-president  in  charge  of  foreign 

(.Continued  on  page  8) 


Mexico  Strike 
By  Aug.  13 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  5. — Unless  the 
Federal  Board  of  Conciliation  and 
Arbitration  succeeds  in  conversations 
that  have  been  started  with  a  view  to 
averting  a  strike,  10  American  film 
companies  doing  business  in  Mexico 
probably  will  be  closed  about  Aug.  15, 
for  they  flatly  refuse  to  allow  a  30  per 
cent  pay  increase  demanded  by  the 
employes.  The  workers  are  members 
of  Section  No.  1  of  the  National  Cine- 
matographic Industry  Workers  Union, 
Mexico's  original  film  labor  organiza- 
tion. 

It  is  understood  that  the  American 
companies  based  their  refusal  on  the 
contention  that  their  business  in  this 
country  is  now  50  per  cent  less  than 
heretofore  because  of  what  is  described 
as  a  remarkable  increase  in  the  popu- 
larity of  Mexican  pictures. 

SOEG  Leaders  Face 
Contempt  Charges 

Hollywood,  Aug.  5. — Alleging  vio- 
lation of  his  temporary  restraining 
order  df  July  24,  which  enjoined 
Screen  Office  Employees  Guild  leaders 
from  "calling  or  inciting  a  strike"  or 
otherwise  disregarding  the  no-strike 
clause  in  the  guild's  contract,  Superior 
Judge  Emmet  H.  Wilson  on  Friday 
issued  contempt  -  of  -  court  citations 
against  Glen  Pratt,  SOEG  business 
representative  ;  Lillian  Hurwitz,  presi- 
dent ;  two  assistant  business  agents, 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Stern  Named  PRC 
West  Coast  Head 


Chicago,  Aug.  5. — Harry  Stern, 
'RC  Los  Angeles  branch  manager, 
as  been  appointed  West  Coast  dis- 
rict  manager,  with  salesman  Sidney 
.ehman  promoted  to  Stern's  former 
■ost,  it  was  announced  by  general 
ales  manager  Harry  H.  Thomas  at 
he  concluding  session  of  the  com- 
any's  three-day  regional  sales  meet- 
ng  at  the  Blackstont  Hotel  here 
oday. 

PRC  will  open  an  office  in  Des 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Newsreel  Chiefs  to 
Europe  with  Army 

With  London  the  first  stop, 
newsreel  executives  Walton 
Ament,  RKO  Pathe;  M.  D. 
Clofine,  News  of  the  Day; 
Thomas  Mead,  Universal;  Ed- 
mund Reek,  Movietonews;  A. 
J.  Richard,  Paramount,  and 
Richard  de  Rochemont,  March 
of  Time,  left  Washington  by 
plane  for  an  Army-sponsored 
tour  of  England,  France,  Ger- 
many, and,  possibly,  Italy. 

A  Motion  Picture  Daily- 
Harris  &  Ewing  photo  of  the 
newsreelers  just  before 
boarding  the  plane  appears  on 
Page  5. 


Outlook  Not  Bright 
For  Building  Items 


Washington,  Aug.  5. — Construc- 
tion materials  and  components  con- 
tinue tight  and  are  likely  to  remain 
so  for  several  months,  it  was  disclosed 
by  the  War  Production  Board  in  a 
report  on  the  situation  released  here. 

The  effects  of  the  end  of  the 
European  War  are  not  yet  apparent 
in  the  general  supply  situation,  the 
WPB  said,  and  while  it  forecast  im- 
provement in  the  availability  of  sup- 
plies it  added  that  "several  months 
may  elapse  before  more  materials  act- 
ually appear  on  the  shelves  of  suppli- 
ers or  in  the  yards  of  distributors." 


New  Markets  Seen  from 
Allies9  German  Control 


Washington,  Aug.  5. — Allied  con- 
trol of  German  industry,  including  ex- 
port and  import  trade,  may  open  up 
new  markets  for  United  States  motion 
picture  and  equipment  producers,  ob- 
servers in  Washington  believe,  follow- 
ing study  of  the  'Big  Three's'  report 
on  the  Berlin  parley. 

The  nine  economic  principles  laid 
down  in  that  report  provide  for  control 
of  German  foreign  trade  and  of  scien- 
tific groups,  research  and  experimental 
institutions,  laboratories  and  other  fa- 
cilities connected  with  economic  activi- 
ties, and  elimination  of  cartels. 

These  measures  are  expected  to  open 
up  to  American  exporters  European 
markets,  particularly  for  motion  pic- 
ture equipment,  in  which  they  have 
been  barred  or  restricted  under  an 
agreement  entered  into  in  1930  by 
leading   German   and   United  States 


manufacturers,  providing  a  division  of 
markets. 

Just  what  and  how  much  Germany 
will  be  permitted  to  export  will  be  de- 
termined in  the  future. 

Exportation  of  German-produced 
motion  pictures  is  held  unlikely  to  be 
permitted  until  the  country  has  been 
thoroughly  de-Nazified,  a  task  which 
may  require  years.  Production  for  exhi- 
bition within  the  country  probably  will 
be  restricted  and  carefully  supervised. 
Imports  of  pictures  will  be  allowed  to 
provide  necessary  entertainment  for 
the  German  public,  as  well  as  for  edu- 
cational purposes,  but  it  is  likely  that 
each  of  the  four  occupying  powers 
will  favor  its  own  pictures  for  show- 
ing in  its  respective  zone,  and  no  ar- 
rangements have  yet  been  made  re- 
garding the  interchange  of  such  films 
between  zones. 


Circuit  Court 
Voids  Jackson 
Park  Decision 


$360,000  Award  is  Set 
Aside;  Appeal  Planned 


Chicago,  Aug.  5. — The  U.  S. 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  here  on 
Friday  reversed  a  decision  of  the 
Federal  District  court  in  the  Jack- 
son Park  Theatre  anti-trust  suit  which 
had  awarded  owners  of  the  theatre 
treble  damages  of  $360,000  from  Bala- 
ban  &  Katz,  Warner  Theatres  and 
several  major  distributors. 

The  Circuit  Court  judges, 
William  M.  Sparks,  J.  Earl 
Major  and  Sherman  Minton, 
who  heard  the  case  on  appeal 
last  April,  ruled  that  the  plain- 
tiffs had  presented  no  proof 
which  warranted  payment  of 
damages. 

Thomas  C.  McConnell,  plaintiff  at- 
torney, will  appeal   the  case  to  the 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Mull  Goldman 
Case  Appeal 


A  decision  as  to  whether  or  not 
Warner  Theatres  and  11  other  defen- 
dants, including  major  distribution 
companies,  will  appeal  to  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  from  the  Philadelphia 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  decision 
holding  that  the  Sherman  Anti-Trust 
law  had  been  violated  in  the  William 
Goldman  Theatres  case  may  not  be 
reached  for  30  days  or  more,  defense 
attorneys  here  said  at  the  weekend. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  a  decree 
giving  effect  to  the  reversal  of  U.  S. 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


New  Shorts  Series 
For  United  Artists 


Hollywood,  Aug.  5. — United  Artists 
will  add  short  subjects  to  its  new  sea- 
son release  schedule'  under  a  five-year 
deal  providing  for  12  "Daffy  Ditty" 
subjects  annually,  George  L.  Bagnall, 
vice-president,  told  the  company's  re- 
gional sales  meeting  here  at  the  week- 
end. 

The  meeting  was  addressed  by  Ed- 
ward C.  Raftery,  U.A.  president,  and 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Monday,  August  6,  194! 


Personal 
Mention 


STANTON  GRIFFIS,  Paramount 
executive  committee  chairman, 
who  recently  resigned  as  Red  Cross 
commissioner  for  the  Pacific  Ocean 
area,  will  arrive  in  New  York  tomor- 
row from  Los  Angeles. 

• 

James  R.  Grainger,  Republic  Pic- 
tures president,  left  New  York  yester- 
day for  Mexico  City,  after  which  he 
will  go  to  the  company's  Hollywood 
studios  for  conferences  with  H.  J. 
Yates,  Sr.,  Republic  board  chairman. 
• 

Jack  Osserman,  RKO  Radio  gen- 
eral manager  for  South  America,  ar- 
rived here  from  Hollywood  yesterday 
to  attend  the  regional  sales  meetings 
in  the  Waldorf-Astoria  before  return- 
ing to  South  America. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal's  Western 
sales  manager,  left  here  yesterday  for 
the  Coast  for  meetings  with  W.  A. 
Scully,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  who  is  now  at  the 
studio-. 

• 

David  Palfreyman,  head  of  the 
theatre  relations  and  title  registration 
departments  of  the  MP  PDA,  here, 
left  over  the  weekend  for  a  vacation 
at  Angola,  Ind.,  his  home  town. 
• 

Jules  Levey  of  Warner  Theatres 
and  Herman  Goldberg  of  WB's  ex- 
change purchasing  and  maintenance 
department,  will  leave  New  York  to- 
day for  Indianapolis. 

• 

James  Allen,  assistant  to  Charles 
Einfeld,  Warner  publicity-advertising 
director,  returned  to  Hollywood  over 
the  weekend,  from  New  York. 
• 

Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  Warners'  play- 
date  department,  will  leave  New  York 
tonight  for  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Min- 
neapolis and  Kansas  City. 

• 

Trem  Carr,  Monogram  production 
vice-president  and  executive  director, 
has  left  Hollywood  for  a  10-day  vaca- 
tion at  Del  Mar,  Cal. 

• 

John  Beck,  Jr.,  International's 
general  manager,  will  arrive  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood  today  for  two 
weeks  of  conferences. 

• 

Herbert  Vreeland  Fecke,  adver- 
tising manager  of  Motion  Picture 
Daily,  is  vacationing  on  his  estate  at 
Harrison,  N.  Y. 

• 

Beatrice  Ross,  Republic's  home  of- 
fice trade  press  liaison,  has  left  here 
for  a  week's  vacation  in  Montreal. 
• 

Harry  M.  Warner,  president  of 
Warner  Brothers,  will  arrive  back  in 
Hollywood  today,  from  the  East. 
• 

Abe  Lastfogel,  president  of  USO 
Camp  Shows,  Inc.,  left  New  York  for 
California  Friday. 

Sam  Bronston,  producer,  is  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 


Tradewise 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


Vy  ITH  only  60  daWrntj 

*  vening  before  the  *ct 
uled  start  of  trial  of  the  Gqjv 
ernment's  New  York  anti-trust" 
suit  against  the  industry,  no  talk 
of  prospects  of  a  new  consent 
decree  is  to  be  heard  from  either 
side.  Both  sides  continue  pre- 
paring industriously  for  the 
lengthy  court  session  starting 
Oct.  8. 

Checking  up  with  some  of  the 
defense  counsel  the  other  day, 
we  learned  that  the  subject  of  a 
new  decree  is  so  far  from  their 
thoughts  nowadays  that  we  were 
obliged  to  open  the  discussion  of 
it  ourselves.  The  response  was 
the  same  as  it  was  months  ago 
when  the  government's  propos- 
als for  a  new  decree  were  last  ad- 
vanced ;  that  is,  that  so  long  as 
the  Department  of  Justice  insists 
upon  theatre  divorcement  as  a 
requirement  for  a  decree,  there 
can  be  no  decree. 

• 

One  observation  was  made 
which  is  illustrative  of  how  re- 
mote in  the  minds  of  attorneys 
are  considerations  of  a  new  de- 
cree. It  was  the  opinion  of  one 
attorney  that,  even  should  the 
Department  waive  its  insistence 
upon  theatre  divorcement,  it  still 
would  be  next  to  impossible  for 
defendant  companies  to  agree  on 
a  new  consent  decree. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  should 
the  Department,  for  example, 
agree  to  something  in  the  nature 
of  a  status  quo  for  affiliated 
theatre  ownership,  the  agree- 
ment would  be  implemented  by  a 
wide  variety  of  prohibitions  and 
restrainers  which  would  deprive 
companies  of  freedom  of  action 
in  maintaining  and  protecting 
their  existing  theatre  invest- 
ments to  an  extent  that  the  in- 
vestments themselves  would  be 
jeopardized. 

• 

All  of  the  thought  and  all  of 
the  action  in  defense  legal  cir- 
cles, accordingly,  is  being  direct- 
ed toward  preparation  for  trial, 
as  we  assume  it  is  within  the 
Department,  also.  Indications 
are  that  a  more  or  less  uniform 
defense  will  be  prepared.  This 
does  not  mean  that  individual 
cases  will  not  be  prepared  by  in- 
dividual defendants,  but  that  an 
over-all  pattern,  based  on  indus- 
try history,  development  and 
practices,  will  emerge  and  will 
be  applicable  to  all  defendants. 
•  • 

The  N.  Y.  Daily  News,  hav- 
ing its  say  last  week  on  the  ban- 
ning of  "The  True  Glory"  by 
the  United  Press,  offered  the 


following  bit  of  nonsense :  "For 
r  .;the  guidance  of  the  Hays  crowd 
*'c)pherd  riders  on  movie  morals," 
[  said  the  News,  "when  they  come 
to  pass  on  'The  True  Glory',  we 
would  like  to  point  out  that  a 
lot  of  our  boys  in  this  war  have 
not  only  learned  the  commoner 
swear  words  but  have  even 
coined  some  new  ones — and  that 
most  of  us  at  home  know  that 
this  has  been  going  on.  We  feel 
it  will  be  safe,  therefore,  for 
Hays  to  let  The  True  Glory'  be 
shown  here." 

For  the  guidance  of  the  News 
crowd  of  herd  riders  on  public 
intelligence,  it  may  be  pointed 
out  again  that  the  Production 
Code  Administration  does  not 
"pass  on"  any  government  films 
and,  therefore,  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  "The  True  Glory" 
being  shown  here.  Also,  it  may 
be  pointed  out  to  the  News' 
crowd  of  herd  riders,  none  of 
whom,  it  may  be  safely  said,  had 
seen  the  picture  they  wrote 
about,  the  expletives  to  which 
their  editorial  had  reference  are 
not  any  part  of  G.I.  dialogue  in 
the  picture.  The  films  were 
silent  films.  The  dialogue  was 
fabricated  by  a  former  Holly- 
wood film  man  for  the  narrator, 
who  does  not  appear  in  the  pic- 
ture. 

•  • 

Indications  are  that  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  head  of  RKO,  will  be 
named  the  first  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Export  Corp., 
once  the  new  organization  has 
been  approved  by  the  Federal 
Trade  Commission.  The  office 
probably  will  be  filled  by  other 
company  presidents,  on  a  rotat- 
ing basis,  subsequently. 

• 

From  Boston  comes  the  story, 
widely  circulated  there,  that  the 
Majestic  and  Tremont  theatres 
in  that  city  have  been  combined 
in  an  operating  pool  with  Har- 
ry Brandt,  head  of  the  I.T.O. 
of  New  York,  in  charge  of  op- 
erations. If  correct,  it  repre- 
sents, insofar  as  we  are  aware, 
Brandt's  first  venture  outside 
the  New  York  metropolitan 
area. 

• 

Local  reports  are  that  the  set- 
tlement of  the  anti-trust  suit 
brought  by  Hillside  Amusement 
Co.,  operator  of  the  Mosque, 
Newark,  involved  a  payment  of 
$100,000;  that  while  elimination 
of  clearance  was  the  principal  is- 
sue, the  Mosque  will  continue  to 
play  three  days  after  its  Warner 
competition  in  Newark. 


Warners  to  Rebuild 
Bombed  UK  Studio 


Ernest  Royls,  in  charge  of  sourv 
activities  at  Warners'  studio  in  Ted 
dington,  England,  before  the  plant  ws 
destroyed  by  German  rocket  bomb- 
has  arrived  in  this  country  to  confe 
with  Warner  officials  and  make  a  sur 
vey  of  American  equipment  in  antici 
pation  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  B^'tis 
studio  as  soon  as  materials  ar  d 
available.  — 

Royls  will  leave  on  Wednesday  foi 
the  Coast  to  talk  with  Jack  L.  Warner 
executive  producer,  and  Col.  Natharj 
Levinson,  head  of  Warner  engineering 
and  sound  activities.  On  his  way  West! 
Royls  will  stop  off  at  the  Eastmaij 
Kodak  plant  in  Rochester  and  tha 
General  Electric  plant  in  Schenectady 
to  get  a  line  on  their  latest  develop-^ 
ments  pertaining  to  the  motion  picture 
and  television  fields. 

Survey  being  made  by  Royls  wil 
take  in  exhibition  as  well  as  product 
tion.  He  already  has  conferred  in  NevJ 
York  with  Frank  E.  Cahill,  Jr.,  direcj 
tor  of  sound  and  projection  for  War  J 
ner  Theatres. 


Radio  Reconverted 
By  1st  '46  Quarter 

Washington,  Aug.  S. — ReconversJ 
ion  of   the   radio   industry   will  bJj 
easier  and  quicker  than  that  of  an\|j 
other  major  industry,  it  was  predictecH 
here   Friday   by   Melvin    E.  KarnsB 
new  director  of  the  War  Productioifl 
Board's  radio  and  radar  division.  Bar-B 
ring  unforseen  military  developments 
Karns    said,    the    industry    will  b< 
authorized  to  undertake  civilian  pro 
duction  during  the   final  quarter  o 
this  year  at  a  rate  of  approximate!} 
one-half  its   pre-war  output  and  ii 
the    first    quarter    of    1946    will  b< 
practically  back  at  full  pre-war  pro 
duction. 


Columbia  Film  Hit 
By  British  Strike 

London,  Aug.  5. — Gainsborough  em 
ployees  who  went  on  strike  Thurs- 
day following  the  dismissal  of  the  shoi 
steward  and  were  still  out  at  the 
weekend,  had  been  engaged  at  tht 
Denham  Studio  on  Columbia's  "Re- 
member the  Unicorn." 

A_  conciliation  meeting  before  the 
British  Board  of  Trade  is  being  ar- 
ranged. 


Upton  Quits  B-K  Post 

Chicago,  Aug.  S.  —  Elmer  C.  Up-| 
ton,  Balaban  and  Katz  comptroller  fori 
25  years,  has  resigned  to  give  fulB 
time  to  the  general  managership  of  the' 
circuit's  television  station,  WBKB.! 
He  is  succeeded  as  comptroller  by  Cl 
L.  Burndahl,  auditor  with  Price  Wat-I 
erhouse. 


'Jones*  Opener  $6,624 

"Along  Came  Jones"  grossed  $6,6241 
on  its  opening  day  at  the  Palace  The- 
atre in  Chicago,  to  set  an  all-timea 
record  for  a  weekday  opening  at  theii 
theatre,  International  Pictures'  NevJ 
York  office  reported  here  on  Friday,  i 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigleyj 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  || 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News!; 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldgjj 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup.  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigleyj 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  Jl 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


\ 


^1°  gcteeW 


The  eye-and-earful  show 
sensation  of  the  season!... 
A  dazzling  musical  merry- 
go-round  spinning  with 
reckless  rhythm,  thrill- 
styled  stepping,  top 
tunes  and  romance 
on  the  riotous 
side!... 


BETTEJANE 


r  ;<  o  TERRY  •  HOLLIDAY  •  TRYON  •  GREER 
Mfii2       GENE  ETHEL 

Produced  by  GEORGE  WHITE  .  Directed  by  FELIX  E.  FEIST    fgURg,  and         ^yyy |  Swim 


Screen  Play  by  HUGH  WEDLOCK,  HOWARD  SNYDER,  PARKE  LEVY  and  HOWARD  GREEN 
Dance  Numbers  Created  and  Staged  by  ERNST  MATRAY 


PICTURES 


Organic 

LIT Ht  S 


Monday,  August  6,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


In  the 
Mailbag 


Newsreelers  on  War  Tour 


Motion  Picture  Daily  Photo  by  Harris  &  Ewing 

Six  newsreel  executives,  accompanied  by  two  Army  officers,  left 
Washington  at  the  weekend  for  an  Army-sponsored  tour  of  England, 
France,  Germany,  and  possibly  Italy,  to  be  gone  from  three  to  four 
weeks,  following  the  recent  Army-tour  made  by  production,  distri- 
bution and  exhibition  leaders.  As  previously  reported  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily,  the  War  Department  schedule  will  afford  the  newsreel 
men  an  opportunity  to  see  what  the  military  occupation  and  mili- 
tary governments  are  doing,  how  redeployment  is  being  carried  out, 
and  the  facilities  provided  for  rest  areas,  special  services  and  educa- 
tional programs. 

Shown  in  the  exclusive  photo  above,  taken  as  the  party  was  about 
to  board  their  plane  for  the  Washington  takeoff,  are  (reading  from 
left  to  right):  Edmund  Reek,  of  Movietonenews;  Richard  de  Roche- 
mont,  March  of  Time;  Capt.  James  F.  Aichmy  and  Col.  Curtis 
Mitchell,  Bureau  Public  Relations,  War  Department ;  Tom  Meade, 
Universal;  M.  D.  Clohne,  News  of  the  Day;  Albert  Richard,  Para- 
mount News;  Walton  Ament,  Pathe. 


Editor,  Motion  Picture  Daily  : 

New    York    State's  gratifying 
achievement  in  exceeding  its  enor- 
mous Seventh  War  Loan  quota  of 
S3.959.000.000  by  more  than  82  per 
cent   is   in  no  small  measure  at- 
tributable  to   the   magnificent  co- 
t^Spn  given  us  by  the  daily  busi- 
nefOLipers. 
Considering    the    seriousness  of 
I  vour  production  problem,  what  with 
I  the  manpower  shortage  and  restric- 
i  tions  on  paper  and  other  essential 
|  materials,  we  are  especially  appre- 
ciative of  your  allocation  of  much 
!  valuable  space  to  news  and  pictures 
I  publicizing  our  plans  and  the  pro- 
gress of  various  business  and  pro- 
fessional groups  during  the  drive. 

On  behalf  of  the  War  Finance 
Committee  for  New  York,  I  wish 
to  thank  you  and  your  associates 
for  seeing  us  through  an  unusually 
long  campaign,  thereby  helping  to 
combat  the  lethargy  on  the  part  of 
the  bond  buying  public  which  might 
have  followed  V-E  Day. 
Thank  you  again  for  your  great 
I  help. 

Sincerely  yours, 
Frederick  W.  Gehle 
State  Chairman,  New  York, 
Treasury  Department, 
War  Finance  Committee 


I  Projectionists  on 
Coast  Get  Raise 


Hollywood,  Aug.  5—  IATSE  pro- 
jectionists in  Southern  California  will 
receive  an  hourly  increase  of  about  10 
cents  and  vacations  with  pay  under 
terms  of  a  new  two-year  contract 
agreed  upon  and  soon  to  be  submitted 
to  the  War  Labor  Board. 

The  raise  would  bring  the  projec- 
tionists up  to  the  ceiling  under  the 
Little  Steel  formula,  retroactive  to 
July  1,  the  expiration  date  of  the  old 
contract.  Projectionists  employed  regu- 
larly for  a  year  or  more,  up  to  five 
years,  would  receive  a  week's  paid 
vacation ;  over  five  years,  two  weeks. 


Negotiations  Hit  Snag 
In  Talks  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  Aug.  5. — Negotiations  for 
a  new  agreement  between  the  Chicago 
,1/  Moving    Picture    Operators  Union, 
,!  Local  110,  and  circuit  and  independent 
i, 'i  exhibitors  are  not  progressing  satis- 
'i  i  factorily,  it  was  learned  at  the  week- 
end.  The  present  agreement  expires  at 
1 1|  the  end  of  the  month. 

A  spokesman  for  the  circuits  said, 
1 1  "We  are  a  long  way  from  closing  a 
1  deal."  It  is  reported  that  the  projec- 
:  tionists   are   seeking   a  big  increase 
!|>  from  their  present  wage  scale,  which 
ranged  from  two  to  three  dollars  per 
I  hour.  An  offer  of  a  raise  of  three 
cents  per  hour  was  turned  down  by  the 
/ ' .  union. 


Radio  Guild  Supported 

The  Hollywood  chapter  of  the 
Radio  Directors  Guild  has  wired  its 
support  of  the  New  York  chapter's 
recent  affiliation  with  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor.  Members  are 
"in  complete  sympathy  and  under- 
standing with  aims  and  proposals  of 
the  New  York  chapter,"  a  resolution 
stated. 


Army  Film  on  Japs 
Slated  for  Theatres 

The  Office  of  War  Information  is 
expected  to  turn  over  the  Army 
orientation  film,  "Know  Your  Enemy, 
Japan,"  to  the  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee this  week  for  consideration  for 
nationwide  showings.  The  picture 
runs  50  minutes  and  was  produced  by 
Col.  Frank  Capra. 

"Know  Your  Enemy,  Japan"  con- 
tains a  good  deal  of  Japanese  film  ob- 
tained from  the  Alien  Property  Cus- 
todian. 

SOEG  Leaders  Face 
Contempt  Charges 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

two  lot  stewardesses,  and  Ray  Gal- 
ston,  general  organizer  of  the  Painters 
International,  ordering  them  to  show 
cause  by  Aug.  13  why  they  should  not 
be  adjudged  guilty. 

SOEG  members  have  been  divided 
in  their  allegiance  to  the  guild's  order 
against  crossing  the  picket  lines  in  the 
21-week-old  studio  strike,  with  latest 
reports  indicating-  nearly  80  per  cent 
on  the  job.  The  Screen  Publicists- 
Guild  reported  105  members  on  strike, 
while  the  producers  said  85  were  out. 


On  Coast  to  Stay 

Hollywood,  Aug.  5. — IATSE  In- 
ternational has  established  a  perma- 
nent West  Coast  headquarters  at  6636 
Hollywood  Boulevard,  with  vice-pres- 
ident Roy  M.  Brewer  in  charge. 


Reagan  Lists  First 
Block  for  Paramount 

Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount 
vice-president  in  charge  of  sales,  has 
announced  that  the  company's  first 
feature  block  for  1945-46  will  consist 
of  "Duffy's  Tavern,"  based  on  the 
radio  show  of  the  same  title,  with 
Bing  Crosby  and  Betty  Hutton ;  "The 
Lost  Weekend,"  with  Ray  Milland, 
produced  by  Charles  Brackett  under 
Billy  Wilder's  direction;  "Love  Let- 
ters," produced  by  Hal  B.  Wallis  and 
starring  Joseph  Cotten  and  Jennifer 
Jones,  and  "Follow  That  Woman,"  a 
Pine-Thomas  production. 

Branch  managers  have  been  re- 
quested by  Reagan  to  set  up  trade 
screenings  for  "Duffy's  Tavern"  and 
"The  Lost  Weekend"  on  Aug.  16,  and 
for  the  latter  two  films  on  Aug.  17. 


New  Video  Test  Series 

James  W.  Fly,  former  FCC  chair- 
man, will  be  a  participant  in  a  pre- 
amble to  the  opening  program  of  a 
new  CBS  experimental  television 
series  on  education  over  WCBW  to- 
morrow night.  The  series  is  designed 
to  probe  the  potentialities  of  nation- 
wide dissemination  of  education  and 
culture  through  the  combination  of 
television  and  educational  films. 


Usher  Feted  Today 

Chicago,  Aug.  5.— Allen  Usher, 
Paramount's  Midwest  district  man- 
ager, will  be  given  a  party  by  the  Chi- 
cago exchange  tomorrow. 


Mull  Goldman 
Case  Appeal 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

District  Court  Judge  William  H. 
Kirkpatrick,  who  dismissed  the  Gold- 
man suit  last  April,  will  have  to  be 
entered  by  the  court  first  and  that 
defendants  will  have  90  days  thereafter 
in  which  to  file  an  appeal  with  the 
Supreme  Court. 

Meanwhile,  under  the  Circuit  Court's 
directions,  Judge  Kirkpatrick  may  set 
hearings  to  determine  the  amount  of 
damages  which  may  be  due  Goldman. 
Defendants  have  the  right  to  a  jury 
trial  in  connection  with  the  latter. 

In  filing  his  original  suit,  Nov.  9, 
1940,  Goldman  said  he  had  leased  the 
Erlanger  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  at  an 
annual  rental  of  $12,000  and  claimed 
inability  to  obtain  first  run  product  for 
the  house  despite  offers  of  rentals 
higher  than  distributors  had  received 
from  Warners.  Goldman  asked  injunc- 
tive action  against,  and  treble  damages 
of  $1,350,000  from,  the  defendants. 

Loss  Not  Determined 

In  the  Circuit  Court  decision,  writ- 
ten by  a  visiting  jurist,  District  Court 
Judge  Paul  C.  Leahy  of  Wilmington, 
Del.,  the  court  said  the  Goldman  com- 
pany "unquestionably  suffered  loss," 
but  added  that  "we  have  no  means  of 
knowing  the  extent  of  that  loss."  It 
returned  the  case  to  Judge  Kirkpatrick 
for  the  injunctive  relief  originally 
sought  and  determination  of  damages. 

"The  form  of  decree  we  leave  to  the 
court  below  after  it  has  made  inquiry 
into  the  damages  question,"  decision 
said. 

"We  conclude  from  plaintiff's  evi- 
dence," the  Circuit  Court  said,  "that 
there  existed  an  illegal  intent  to  re- 
strain. The  plaintiff's  evidence  shows 
there  was  a  concert  of  action  in  what 
has  been  done  and  that  this  concert 
could  not  possibly  have  been  sheer 
coincidence." 

Joining  in  the  opinion  were  Judge 
John  Biggs,  Jr.,  senior  judge  of  the 
Third  Circuit,  and  Judge  John  J. 
Parker  of  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Defendants  named  in  addition  to 
Warners  included  Loew's,  Paramount, 
RKO  Radio,  20th  Century-Fox,  Co- 
lumbia, Universal  and  LTnited  Artists. 

Circuit  Court  Voids 
Jackson  Park  Verdict 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Supreme  Court,  it  has  been  learned. 

The  plaintiffs  contended  they  had 
lost  $120,000  since  1936  because  of 
an  alleged  conspiracy,  and  on  March 
9,  1944,  U.  S.  District  Judge  Michael 
L.  Igoe  awarded  triple  damages. 

Defendants  in  the  case  were  Par- 
amount, Warners,  Loew's,  RKO,  20th 
Century-Fox,  Balaban  and  Katz,  War- 
ner Brothers  Circuit  Management 
Corp.,  Warner  Brothers  Theatres, 
Inc.,  and  Vitagraph,  Inc.  Plaintiffs 
were  Mrs,  Florence  B.  Bigelow,  Mrs. 
Martin  B.  Korber,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. ; 
John  E.  Bloom,  Toledo,  and  William 
C.  Bloom,  all  children  of  Edward 
Bloom,  who  built  the  Jackson  Park 
in  1938. 


Binford  Bans  'Dead  End' 

Memphis,  Aug.  5. — Lloyd  T.  Bin- 
ford,  chairman  of  the  Memphis  Board 
of  Censors,  has  banned  the  reissje  of 
"Dead  End"  because  "it  migh+  influ- 
ence boys  to  be  gangsters." 


SAVAGERY,  THRILLS,  DRAMA 


Exploitation  picture  spelled  with  a  capital  El"    -HOLLYWOOD  REPORTER 


'China's  heroic  struggle  accurately  projected  in  this  substantially  produced  action  drama.'  ; 

-BOXOFFICE 


IN  "CHINA'S  LITTLE  DEVILS"! 

"One  of  Monogram's  most  impressive  offerings!"   -  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


"  Full  of  suspense,  superior  acting  and 
unusual  drama.  Has  a  bang-up  climax." 

-SAN  FRANCISCO  EXAMINER 


"Tells  of  the  Chinese  children  who  harassed  the 
Japs  with  such  effect  that  the  enemy  put  a  price 
on  their  heads.  There's  impact  and  power  in  the 
passages  of  conflict."  -MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  August  6,  1945 


Average  Grosses  in  July 
Rose  at  Key-City  Spots 


Depinet  Opens  RKO 
Meeting  Here  Today 


Foreign  Filmgoers 
Eye  U.S.:  Cohen 


"In  spite  of  signs  which  would  in- 
dicate that  the  American  industry  will 
face  strong  competition  in  the  post- 
war world  market,  foreign  filmgoers 
continue  to  evidence  an  almost  fanati- 
cal interest  in  Hollywood  pictures  and 
the  activities  of  American  film  per- 
sonalities," it  was  pointed  out  here  by 
Samuel  Cohen,  foreign  publicity  di- 
rector of  United  Artists,  who  reveals 
that  in  the  three  months  following 
'V-E  Day,'  requests  for  Hollywood 
news  have  poured  in  from  foreign 
publications  in  practically  every  cor- 
ner of  the  globe. 

Cohen  stated  that,  in  order  to  sat- 
isfy the  insistent  worldwide  demand 
for  Hollywood  information,  UA  has 
resumed  publication  of  its  foreign 
news  bulletin,  Behind  the  Screen  in 
Hollywood,  and  at  present  is  servicing 
186  newspapers  and  magazines  in  27 
countries.  That  motion  picture  news 
is  the  greatest  international  common 
denominator  of  human  interest,  he 
said,  has  been  proven  by  various  sur- 
veys made  in  recent  years. 

Stern  Named  PRC 
West  Coast  Head 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Moines,  under  the  direction  of  Mike 
Lee,  former  Monogram  Kansas  City 
branch  manager,  who  will  also  have 
charge  in  Omaha,  and  offices  will  like- 
wise be  opened  in  Albany  and  New 
Haven,  Thomas  added. 

At  today's  session,  Thomas  dis- 
cussed selling  plans  for  the  50  pic- 
tures to  be  released  by  PRC  during 
1945-46.  In  addition  to  the  titles 
revealed  by  president  Leon  Fromkess 
in  New  York  last  month,  Thomas 
mentioned  "Apology  for  Murder," 
"The  Wife  of  Monte  Cristo,"  "Danny 
Boy,"  "Detour"  and  "Club  Havana." 
PRC  also  is  contemplating  a  series  of 
Ellery-Queen  mysteries  in  addition  to 
films  based  on  radio  serials  and  nov- 
els. 

Thomas  will  leave  here  on  Tues- 
day for  Hollywood  to  observe  cur- 
rent production  activities.  En  route 
back  to  New  York,  he  will  make 
stopovers  at  Western  and  Midwest- 
ern PRC  exchanges. 

PRC  Chartered  for 
Upstate  Operations 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  5.— The  PRC- 
Albany-Buffalo  Exchange  Corp.  has 
been  incorporated  to  conduct  a  film 
business  with  headquarters  in  Buffalo. 
Phillips,  Nizer,  Benjamin  &  Krim, 
New  York,  were  incorporating  at- 
torneys. 

This  is  to  be  the  corporate  setup 
for  new  operations  by  PRC  in  Albany 
and  Buffalo  districts.  PRC  purchased 
the  franchise  which  Bernie  Mills,  for- 
merly of  Albany,  and  Jack  Berkson, 
of  Buffalo,  held.  Joseph  J.  Miller,  for 
20  years  Columbia  manager  in  Albany 
and  Buffalo,  is  the  new  PRC  district 
manager  under  a  change  effective 
several  days  ago.  PRC  has  a  Buffalo 
office  and  is  to  open  one  in  Albany, 
as  previously  reported. 


Films  in  Ambassador 

The  Ambassador  Theatre,  legitimate 
house  on  West  49th  Street,  here,  has 
been  taken  over  from  the  Schuberts 
by  Joseph  and  Sam  Siritzky  and  will 
be  used  for  first-run  films. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

averages  during  the  other  weeks  of 
last  month  were  all  above  the  $17,000 
mark,  which  had  not  been  hit  once 
during  June.  The  figures,  moreover, 
ran  from  several  hundred  to  several 
thousand  dollars  ahead  of  July,  1944, 
a  spread  that  has  been  maintained 
throughout  this  year. 

"The  Valley  of  Decision"  was  the 
outstanding  grosser,  according  to  the 
correspondents'  reports,  followed 
closely  by  "The  Corn  Is  Green." 
Other  top  moneymakers  included : 
"The  Call  of  the  Wild,"  "Nob  Hill," 
"The  Clock,"  "Those  Endearing 
Young  Charms,"  "Along  Came  Jones," 
"Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "Out  of  This 


1945  -  Average 

Week  No.  of     Total  Per 

Ending  Theatres  Gross  Theatre 


Jan.  5-6    136  $2,828,300  $20,796 

Jan.  12-13    133  2,393,400  17,995 

Jan.  19-20    136  2,289,400  16,826 

Jan.  26-27    149  2.543,400  17,069 

Feb.   2-3    148'  2,534.300  17,123 

Feb.  9-10    144  2,506,700  17,407 

Feb.  16-17    141  2,491,800  17,672 

Feb.  23-24    143  2,448,000  17,118 

March  2-3    134  2,462,100  18,373 

March  9-10    144  2,448,700  17,000 

March  16-17    152  2,530,500  16,648 

March  23-24    144  2,248,900  15,687 

March  30-31    137  2,123,100  15,446 

April  6-7    129  2.293,900  17,782 

April  13-14    138  2,268,600  16,349 

April  20-21    123  1,893,700  15,395 

April  27-28    137  2,179,500  15,908 

May  4-5    132  2,141,000  16,219 

May   11-12    123  2,166,400  17,613 

May  18-19    141  2,390,000  16,950 

May  25-26    127  2,052,800  16,163 

June  1-2    119  1,902,700  15,989 

June  8-9    128  2,020,800  15,788 

June  15-16    136  2,266,600  16,666 

June  22-23    125  1,903,400  15,227 

June  29-30    119  1,952,800  16,410 

July  6-7    132  2,248.900  17,371 

July  13-14    143  2,586,800  18,089 

July  20-21    131  2,271,300  17,384 

July  27-28    123  2,156,100  17,529 


Casanave  Buys  Four 
For  Showing  Abroad 

Charles  L.  Casanave,  president  of 
Casanave  Pictures,  has  purchased  four 
David  Selznick  productions :  "Inter- 
mezzo," "The  Prisoner  of  Zenda," 
"The  Adventures  of  Tom  Sawyer"  and 
"The  Garden  of  Allah" — for  showing 
in  France,  Switzerland,  Belgium  and 
North  Africa.  The  films  were  prepared 
with  French  sub-titles  before  the  war, 
and  will  eventually  be  dubbed. 

All  of  the  pictures  had  previous 
showings  in  the  four  countries,  except 
"Intermezzo,"  which  played  only  in 
Switzerland  and  Belgium.  It  is  likely 
that  the  films  will  be  dubbed  in  Ger- 
man also  for  showing  in  German- 
speaking  sections  of  Belgium,  Casa- 
nave said. 


W  arner  Executives 
To  'Marines'  Dinner 

Warner  home  office  executives 
who  will  attend  tomorrow  night's 
First  Marine  Division  reunion  din- 
ner and  preview  of  "Pride  of  the 
Marines"  at  the  Bellevue-Stratford 
Hotel  in  Philadelphia  include  Jos- 
eph Bernhard,  Mort  Blumenstock, 
Harry  M.  Kalmine,  Arthur  Sach- 
son,  Jules  Lapidus,  Harry  Gold- 
berg, Larry  Golob  and  Bill  Brum- 
berg. 

Ted  Schlanger,  Everett  Callow 
and  other  officials  of  the  Warner 
Circuit  in  Philadelphia  also  will  be 
present. 


World,"  "A  Medal  for  Benny,"  "Dil- 
linger,"  "Conflict,"  "Back  to  Bataan" 
and  "Where  Do  We  Go  From  Here?" 

Better-than-average  business  was 
scored  by :  "Blood  on  the  Sun,"  "The 
Great  John  L.,"  "Wonder  Man,"  "A 
Song  to  Remember,"  "Imitation  of 
Life" — and  "East  Side  of  Heaven" — 
(reissue  double  bill),  "Junior  Miss," 
"Son  of  Lassie,"  "A  Thousand  and 
One  Nights,"  "The  Naughty  Nine- 
ties," "Salty  O'Rourke,"  "China  Sky," 
"A  Bell  for  Adano"  and  "On  Stage, 
Everybody." 

Composite  key-city  box-office  re- 
ports for  1945,  to  date,  compared  with 
the  corresponding  weeks  of  1944,  fol- 
low : 


1944  Average 
Week  No.  of     Total  Per 

Ending  Theatres  Gross  Theatre 


Jan.  7-8    117  $2,417,700  $20,664 

Jan.   14-15    134  2,040,700  15.229 

Jan.  21-22    149  2.311,400  15,513 

Jan.  28-29    147  2,365,200  16,090 

Feb.   4-5    153  2,512,200  16,419 

Feb.  11-12    137  2,220,000  16.204 

Feb.  18-19    155  2,459,800  15,870 

Feb.  25-26    161  2,760.100  17,144 

March   3-4    147  2,397,100  16,307 

March  10-11    147  2,463,400  16,758 

March  17-18    153  2,661,100  18,761 

March  24-25    150  2,487.700  16,585 

March   31 -Apr.    1  152  -3.025,000  13,329 

April  7-8    153  2,340,600  15,298 

April  14-15    143  2,506,800  17,530 

April  21-22    148  2,564,200  17,326 

April  28-29    130  2,090,900  16,084 

May   5-6    143  2.238.700  15,655 

May  12-13   146  2,338,700  16,018 

May  19-20    162  2,417,000  14,926 

May   26-27    155  2,349,400  15,157 

June  2-3    143  2,242,500  15,683 

June  9-10    141  1,938,000  13,752 

June   16-17    135  1,934,400  14,322 

June  23-24    136  2,002,800  14,726 

June  30- July  1...  126  2,178,300  17,288 

July  7-8    145  2,490,900  17,178 

July  14-15    144  2,228,500  15,478 

Tuly  21-22    148  2,321,400  15,685 

July  28-29    135  2,245,400  16,632 


New  Shorts  Series 
For  United  Artists 

(.Continued  from   page  1) 

Carl  Leserman,  general  sales  manager. 
Raftery  described  the  company's  pro- 
duction plans  as  the  strongest  in  its 
history,  pointing  out  that  in  addition 
to  announced  Hollywood  product,  seven 
British  pictures  would  be  released, 
headed  by  "Caesar  and  Cleopatra," 
"Blithe  Spirit"  and  "Henry  V." 

"Our  three  owner-members  (Charles 
Chaplain,  Mary  Pickford  and  David 
O.  Selznick)  and  all  our  affiliated  pro- 
ducers are  active,"  Raftery  declared, 
adding  that  UA  will  release  25  pic- 
tures during  1945-46,  with  14  of  them 
now  completed  or  shooting. 

Leserman  discussed  sales  policy  and 
described  conduct  of  the  $100,000 
Gradwell  L.  Sears  sales  drive  now  in 
progress.  The  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City, 
San  Francisco  and  Seattle  exchanges 
were  represented  at  the  meeting. 


RKO's  Julian  Arrives 

Charles  O.  Julian,  RKO  Radio 
manager  in  India,  arrived  here  at  the 
weekend  from  Bombay.  This  is  his 
first  trip  to  the  U.  S.  in  many  years. 
He  was  RiKO  Radio  manager  in 
Japan  prior  to  Pearl  Harbor,  and  since 
1940  has  managed  the  India  office. 


John  Kearney  Dies 

John  L.  Kearney,  74,  character 
actor,  died  Friday  in  French  Hos- 
pital here. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
distribution;  Robert  Mochrie,  general 
sales  manager;  Maj.  L.  E.  Thompson; 
Walter    Branson,    Western  division 
sales  manager;  R.  J.  Folliard,  captain 
of  the  'Depinet  Drive' ;  Frederic  Ull- 
man,  Jr.,  president  of  RKO  Pathe ; 
Robert   S.  Wolff,   manager  for  the- 
United   Kingdom ;   J.   C.   OssermaL"  ) 
manager    for    Latin    America,  art-..> 
Charles   Julian,   manager   for  India. 
A.   A.    Schubart,   branch  operations 
manager,  will  call  the  roll. 

'On  Town'  Tonight 

The  meetings  will  be  attended  by 
other  home  office  and  theatre  execu- 
tives, key  sales  personnel  in  Eastern 
cities  and  representatives  of  indepen- 
dent producers.  Tonight  the  visitors 
will  be  guests  of  the  company  at  the 
musical  show,  "On  the  Town,"  at  the 
Martin  Beck  Theatre. 

Scheduled  to  attend  the  conference, 
besides  those  mentioned,  are :  Nat 
Levy,  Eastern  division  sales  manager ; 
Harry  Michalson,  short  subjects  sales 
manager ;  M.  J.  Poller,  assistant  to 
Mochrie ;  Frank  Drumm,  assistant  to 
Levy ;  Harry  Gittleson,  assistant  to 
Branson ;  Gus  Schaefer,  district  man- 
ager, Boston;  Charles  Boasberg,  Met- 
ropolitan district  manager,  and  S. 
Barret  McCormick,  director  of  adver- 
tising and  publicity.  From  Hollywood 
will  be  Charles  W.  Koerner,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production,  and 
Perry  Lieber,  studio  advertising  and 
publicity  director. 

International  Delegation 

Representing  International  Pictures 
will  be  A.  W.  Schwalberg,  general 
sales  manager ;  Robert  Goldstein, 
Eastern  representative ;  Arthur  Jeff- 
rey, Eastern  publicity,  and  Ben  Select- 
man, manager  of  the  contract  depart- 
ment. Representing  Samuel  Goldwyn 
will  be  James  Mulvey,  general  man- 
ager ;  William  J.  fieineman,  sales 
manager,  and  Ben  Washer,  Eastern 
publicity.  Exchange  managers  will  at- 
tend from  New  York,  Boston,  New 
Haven,  Philadelphia,  Buffalo  and 
Washington. 

Three  other  RKO  meetings  will  be 
held :  Cincinnati,  Netherland  Plaza 
Hotel,  Aug.  10-12;  Chicago,  Black- 
stone  Hotel,  Aug.  14-16,  and  Los  An- 
geles, Ambassador  Hotel,  Aug.  20-22. 


RKO    Radio    Makes  Many 
Studio  Improvements 

Hollywood,  Aug.  5. — RKO  Radio 
has  completed  a  number  of  studio  con- 
structional readjustments  for  facili- 
tating production  operations  on  its 
1945-46  schedule,  and  necessitated  by 
wartime  limitation  on  new  building. 

Improvements  include  changes  in 
the  sound  reverberation  room  to  make 
possible  the  re-recording  of  an  or- 
dinary sound  track  to  gain  almost  any 
required  audible  effect,  and  doubling 
the  size  of  the  art  department  to  in- 
corporate private  offices  for  art  direc- 
tors. In  addition,  a  foundation  was 
laid  for  an  addition  to  the  ladies' 
wardrobe,  the  camera  machine  shop 
was  moved  to  the  camera  building, 
and  space  in  the  directors  building 
was  utilized  to  enlarge  the  sound  de- 
partment by  3,200  square  feet. 

Changes  were  also  made  in  the  fan 
room,  messenger  department,  re- 
search department,  the  RKO  Ranch, 
and  more  than  $30,000  was  also  spent 
in  modernizing  the  RKO  Pathe  studio. 


SO  THAT  HE  WHO 
RUNS   MAY  READ! 


v)t)L 


International  Motion  Picture 
Almanac  is  designed  for  speedy  refer- 
ence —  to  provide  authentic,  up-to-the- 
minute  finger-tip  information  on  any  and 
every  phase  of  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness. 

Look  at  any  issue  of  the  Almanac  and 
you  will  not  only  find  it  well  thumbed 
from  use  but  always  within  easy  reach  of 
its  owner,  for  the  Almanac  is  a  treasure 
trove  of  statistical  industry  information 
that  is  exhaustive  in  its  scope  and  unim- 
peachable in  its  authority. 

The  new  1945-46  International  Motion 
Picture  Almanac  is  now  on  the  Press 
and  in  keeping  with  these  changing  times 
it  will  present  a  greater  compilation  of 
facts  and  figures  than  ever  before  — 
everything  with  which  to  check  the  past 
and  chart  the  future. 


Edited  by  TERRY  RAMSAYE 

RESERVE  YOUR  1945-46 
MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC  NOW! 

$3.25  Postpaid  in  U.  S.  A.,  $5  Elsewhere 


QUICLEY  PUBLICATIONS 


ROCKEFELLER    CENTER,  20 


NEW  YORK 


OP 


OFFICIAL  U.  S. 


Movies  are  "good  medicine". 

Movies,  in  generous  doses  repeated  frequently,  are 
valuable  therapy. . .  speed  many  a  wounded  man 
through  convalescence  to  recovery  by  taking  his  mind 
off  his  understandable  worries . . . 

In  hospitals  abroad,  and  here  at  home,  movies  are 
shown  as  often  as  possible . . .  are  flashed  on  ceilings  to 
entertain  bed  patients . . .  are  presented  in  lounges  for 
"ambulatory"  cases.  Literally,  movies  are  "just  what 
the  doctor  ordered" — another  noteworthy  contribution 
of  the  motion  picture  industry. 


Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 
FORT  LEE  CHICAGO  HOLLYWOOD 


One  of  a  series  0f 
advertisements  by 
KODAK  testifying  to 
the  achievements  of 
the  movies  at  war 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DALLY 


Alert, 

JnteUigei 

ik^Je 

tothe^J 

gtion 

Picture 

Industry 

\TOL.  58.    NO.  26 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST  7,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Grosses  Hold, 
Despite  Clear 

N.Y.  Weekend 

1st  Runs  Here  Weather 
Competition  of  Beaches 

While  New  York's  first  warm 
and  sunny  weekend  in  four  weeks 
sent  crowds  to  nearby  beaches,  first- 
run  theatres  are  generally  continu- 
ing to  draw  heavy  receipts  this  week. 
Vacations  at  home  and  the  influx  of 
tourists  combined  with  inclement 
weather  and  the  absence  of  any  heat 
wave  since  the  end  of  June,  are  all 
giving  theatres  some  of  their  best 
grosses  in  years. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  a  stage  bill 
featuring  Paul  Whiteman  and  his  or- 
chestra, with  Lionel  Kaye  and  John- 
nie Johnston,  continue  to  give  the 
Capitol  record  receipts ;  a  terrific 
$99,000  is  expected  for  the  third  week 
to  surpass  first  and  second  week 
figures.  Business  for  the  first  four 
days  of  the  third  week  ran  ahead  of 
the  previous  two  weeks   which  saw 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Weiner  Named  9th 
Division  Manager 

Harry  Weiner  has  been  promoted 
to  the  post  of  division  manager  in 
charge  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Southern  New  Jersey,  according  to 
an  announcement  made  here  yesterday 
by  A.  Montague,  general  sales  man- 
ager of  Columbia.  Weiner  will  make 
his  headquarters  in  Philadelphia. 

In  assuming  his  new  position. 
Weiner  becomes  part  of  the  company's 
group  division  managers,  now  num- 
bering nine,  who  coordinate  with 
Montague  in  the  handling  of  national 
sales  problems  and  policy.  Weiner 
went  to  Columbia  in  1926  as  manager 
of  the  Philadelphia  branch,  a  position 
he  has  held  until  now. 


WE  Equipment  Line 
For  Postwar  Export 

A  line  of  more  than  40  types  of 
theatre  and  related  equipment  has 
been  set  already  by  Western  Elec- 
tric Export  Corp.,  of  which  E.  S. 
Gregg  is  operating  vice-president,  for 
export  abroad  now,  and,  principally, 
in  the  postwar  period. 

Included  are  theatre  sound  systems, 
loudspeakers,  ticket  choppers,  stage 
lighting,  special  effects  machines,  rec- 
tifiers, music  stands,  curtains  and  cur- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Little  Equipment  is 
Coming  Back  from 
Europe  as  Surplus 

Washington*,  Aug.  6. — Very  little 
of  the  motion  picture  equipment  now 
held  by  the  Army  in  Europe  is  likely 
to  be  classified  as  surplus  in  that 
theatre,  because  of  Army  procedure, 
it  was  indicated  here  today. 

Because  of  the  fact  that  cameras 
are  considered  the  personal  equipment 
of  the  men  who  use  them,  it  is  believed 
that  most  of  that  type  of  equipment 
will  come  back  to  the  states  and  be 
declared  surplus  when  turned  in  upon 
the  discharge  of  the  men. 

It  is  expected  that  similar  treatment 
will  be  accorded  much  of  the  projec- 
tion equipment,  which  is  generally 
handled  by  crews  operating  as  units. 

Just  how  this  particular  problem 
will  be  handled  by  the  Army  has  not 
yet  been  worked  out. 


Depinet  to  Outline 
RKO  Product  Today 


Ned  E.  Depinet's  announcement  of 
the  product  to  be  distributed  by  RKO 
Radio  during  1945-46  will  be  the 
highlight  of  today's  sessions  in  the 
company's  three-day  New  York  re- 
gional sales  meetings  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel  here.  This  morning 
the  delegates  will  see  one  of  the  new 
season's  pictures,  "Spanish  Main,"  at 
the  Normandie  Theatre. 

Depinet  will  make  his  talk  at  this 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Allied  Anticipates 
More  Trust  Actions 

Washington,  Aug.  6. — Allied 
States  Association,  in  a  bulle- 
tin issued  to  members  and  the 
press  from  its  national  head- 
quarters here,  declares  that 
the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Ap- 
peals decision  holding  that 
the  Sherman  Anti-trust  law 
had  been  violated  in  the  Gold- 
man Theatres  case  in  Phila- 
delphia, against  Warners  and 
distributors,  is  "a  green  light" 
to  which  a  number  of  inde- 
pendents have  been  looking 
forward  in  order  to  file  trust 
suits  of  their  own. 


Atlas  Film  Holdings 
At  $13,711,933 


Film  company  stocks  and  warrants 
in  the  portfolio  of  Atlas  Corp.,  as  of 
June  30,  had  a  total  value  of  $13,711,- 
933,  based  on  market  quotations  of 
that  day,  compared  with  $14,218,046 
on  June  30,  1944,  while  radio  securi- 
ties held  at  the  end  of  the  first  half 
of  this  year  totaled  $1,337,875,  against 
$1,128,312  at  the  same  date  last  year, 
according  to  a  report  to  stockholders 
from  Floyd  B.  Odium,  president,  re- 
leased for  publication  today. 

Total  assets  of  Atlas  Corp.  had 
risen  to  $74,394,255  at  the  close  of  the 
first  six  months  of  1945,  representing 
a  growth  of  $4,700,000  since  the  first 
of  the  year  and  of  $6,500,000  since  the 
same  date  a  year  ago.    This  apprecia- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Setting  Candy  Concessions 
For  Theatres  for  Post  War 


Eastman  Aided  New 
Bomb  Production 

Washington,  Aug.  6. — Firms 
in  many  industries,  including 
the  film  industry,  played  a 
part  in  the  development  of 
the  atomic  bomb  which  Presi- 
dent Truman  announced  to- 
day has  been  brought  into  ac- 
tion against  Japan. 

Included  in  the  group  of 
companies  which  built  and  are 
operating  plants  where  the 
bombs  are  manufactured,  is 
Tennesse  Eastman  Co.,  sub- 
sidiary of  Eastman  Kodak, 
which  produces  the  material 
for  acetate  and  X-ray  films. 


Exhibitors  and  concessionaires 
continue  to  keep  theatre  candy  and 
popcorn  stands  open  in  the  face  of 
diminishing  supplies,  and  both  cir 
cuits  and  independent  owners  are  al- 
ready studying  the  most  advantageous 
method  of  these  operations  in  the  post 
war. 

Many  will  continue  present 
arrangements  with  concession- 
aires, but  many  others  will 
make  the  selling  of  candy  and 
popcorn  part  of  their  own  op- 
erations. 

New  difficulties  are  occasioned  by  a 
further  drop  in  fourth  quarter  candy 
allocations  to  37y2  per  cent  of  pre-war 
totals.  Also,  the  corn  crop  is  expected 
to  be  30  per  cent  less  than  normal  be 
cause  of  excessive  rains.  Seasoning 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


U.  S.  Films  in 
France  Will 
Last  2  Months 


Worn-Out  Prints,  Import 
Stalemate  Create  Crisis 


Most  American  film  companies  in 
France  will  be  operating  'in  the  red,' 
if  at  all,  by  the  end  of  September 
unless  something  is  done  immedi- 
ately to  enable  them  to  get  new 
films  and  prints  into  the  country, 
foreign  department  spokesmen  here 
predict. 

The  reason  is  most  prints 
now  in  use  in  France  are  almost 
worn  out  and  new  prints  can- 
not be  obtained  nor  can  import 
licenses  for  new  films  be  se- 
cured. 

M-G-M  is  said  to  be  in  a  better 
position  than  others,  and  may  be  able 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Mark  Hellinger  and 
Universal  In  Deal 


Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — Mark  Hellin- 
ger, writer  and  producer,  will  join  the 
growing  list  of  producers  at  Universal 
Studios  this  week  when  he  moves  his 
Mark  Hellinger  Productions  to  that 
lot  for  exclusive  rele?co  b  -  Universal 
under  a  long  term  deal.  Hellinger  has 
been  with  Warner  Brothers  for  the 
past  eight  years,  except  for  two  short 
periods,  one  a  jaunt  around  the  world 
last  year  as  a  war  correspondent.  His 
first  production  for  Universal  has  not 
been  announced,  but  will  be  from 
among  several  =tory  prooerties  he  is 
bringing  to  the  new  affiliation.  He 
will  continue  the  writing  of  original 
stories. 


Eagle -Lion  Names 
Five  Branch  Chiefs 

Toronto,  Aug.  6. — Appointment  of 
five  branch  managers  of  Eagle-Lion 
Films  of  Canada,  Ltd.,  effective  im- 
mediately, is  announced  at  the  com- 
pany's head  office  here.  I.  H.  Allen 
is  appointed  to  the  Toronto  branch ; 
Irvin  Sourkes,  Montreal ;  Sam  Jacobs, 
St.  John,  N.  B. ;  David  Brickman, 
Winnipeg,  A.  E.  Rolston,  Vancouver. 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Pride  of  the 
Marines"  appears  on  page  7. 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Tuesday,  August  7,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


WILL  H.  HAYS,  president  of 
the  MPPDA,  returned  to 
Hollywood  yesterday,  from  New 
York,  to  resume  a  visit  interrupted 
by  the  necessity  of  coming  back  here 
for  a  special  MPDDA  meeting. 
• 

Malcolm  Kingsberg,  RKO  vice- 
president  and  treasurer,  returned  to 
New  York  yesterday  from  Holly- 
wood. 

• 

Ben  Serkowich,  advertising  man- 
ager of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  New 
York,  is  renewing  old  friendships  in 
his  home  at  Omaha. 

• 

Ben    Katz,    Universal's  Midwest 
publicity  manager,  is  vacationing  for 
two  weeks  at  Paw-Paw  Lake,  Mich. 
• 

Lizabeth  Scott,  Hal  Wallis  star, 
will  arrive  in  Kansas  City  today,  from 
Hollywood,  for  personal  appearances. 
• 

Harry  H.  Thomas,  PRC  general 
sales  manager,  is  due  in  Hollywood 
tomorrow  from  Chicago. 


AFL  Heads  Await 
Walsh  in  Chicago 


Chicago,  Aug.  6. — William  Green, 
American  Federation  of  Labor  presi- 
dent, attending  an  executive  council 
meeting  at  the  Drake  Hotel  here, 
said  today  that  the  studio  strike  is- 
sue will  be  threshed  out  as  soon  as 
Richard  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
arrives.  He  will  telephone  Walsh  in  a 
day  or  so  to  ascertain  the  date. 


SOEG    Restraining  Order 
Converted  to  Injunction 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6.  —  Superior 
Judge  Emmett  H.  Wilson  today  con- 
verted to  a  preliminary  injunction  his 
July  24  order  restraining  members  of 
the  Screen  Office  Employees  Guild 
from  calling  a  strike.  It  will  stand 
pending  a  trial  for  which  no  date  has 
been  set. 

The  producers,  claiming  production 
at  a  higher  level  than  before  the  studio 
strike  was  called,  said  75  per  cent  of 
the  SOEG  members  were  on  their 
jobs,  while  the  union  claimed  1,137 
outside  the  picket  lines  and  1,211  in- 
side. All  31  Screen  Publicists  Guild 
members  employed  by  20th  Centurv- 
Fox  again  reported  for  work,  while 
Paramount's  31  and  Columbia's  14  re- 
mained away.  Other  studios  claimed 
a  majority  of  their  publicists  present, 
for  an  overall  total  of  123  working 
and  84  out. 


Finestone  Is  Delayed 

Alfred  Finestone,  Paramount  New 
York  trade  press  contact,  who  is 
transferring  to  the  company's  Cali- 
fornia publicity  department,  under 
George  Browne,  has  delayed  his  de- 
parture from  New  York  due  to  the 
strike  of  West  Coast  publicists.  He 
is  currently  vacationing. 


Grosses  Hold  in  Spite  of 
Clear  New  York  Weekend 


(CoiftiiiuwU-from  papc  1) 

$97,270  recordecrWir  &e  second  week 
and  $96,600  Tp>^theS^J^ 

"Incendiary  Blonqte^-^andva  stage 
show  featuring  Phil  Spihfcw  and  his 
all-girl  orchestra  is  giving  'the  Para- 
mount heavy  receipts,  with  $81,000 
expected  for  a  second  week,  following 
an  outstanding  initial  week  of  $90,- 
000.  The  Strand  is  also  drawing  top 
money  with  a  combination  of  "Christ- 
mas in  Connecticut"  and  a  stage  bill 
highlighting  Erskine  Hawkins  and 
his  orchestra  and  the  Charioteers,  the 
theatre  expecting  to  gross  $72,000 
for  a  second  week,  following  a  big 
initial  week's  $79,000. 

"A  Bell  for  Adano"  is  continuing 
to  draw  heavily  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  in  its  fifth  week,  with  $112,500 
expected  following  a  big  $121,000  for 
the  fourth  week.  The  Hollywood, 
Astor,  Palace  and  Rivoli  are  counting 
big  on  holdovers.  "Rhapsody  in  Blue" 
is  headed  for  a  heavy  sixth  week's 
gross  over  $41,000,  which  will  equal 
or  surpass  the  fifth  week's  receipts 
of  over  $41,000.  "Wonder  Man"  is 
continuing  to  do  standout  business  in 
a  ninth  week  at  the  Astor,  with  $41,- 
000  expected  following  an  eighth 
week's  gross  of  over  $45,000.  "Along 
Came  Jones"  is  holding  up  splendidly 
at  the  Palace,  with  $30,000,  or  better, 
expected  for  a  third  week,  following 
a  heavy  second  week's  $37,000.  "Jun- 


ior Miss"  is  expected  to  bring  over 
$20,000  for  an  eighth  week  at  the  Ri- 
voli, following  a  seventh's  take  of 
$23,000. 

"Don  Juan  Quilligan"  is  drawing 
strongly  in  a  second  week  at  the  Vic- 
toria, with  $14,000  expected  following 
an  initial  week's  $22,000.  "The  Great 
John  L."  is  showing  fine  stamina  at 
the  Globe  with  $14,000  expected  for 
a  fifth  week ;  it  will  continue,  de- 
ferring the  opening  of  "The  South- 
erner." Fourth  week's  receipts  went 
to  $15,600. 

The  return  of  "Wilson,"  at  popular 
prices,  will  probably  give  the  Roxy  a 
satisfactory  $72,000  for  a  second  week 
following  an  initial  week's  $80,000. 
"Captain  Eddie"  will  open  there  to- 
morrow with  a  stage  show  which  will 
include  Phil  Silvers  and  Professor 
Lamberti.  "Why  Girls  Leave  Home" 
is  bringing  heavy  receipts  to  the 
Gotham ;  a  strong  $13,000  is  expected 
for  the  initial  week.  Second  and 
final  week  for  "The  Cheaters" 
brought  $6,700. 

"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights"  is 
holding  up  well  in  its  fourth  week  at 
the  Criterion,  with  about  $20,000  ex- 
pected following  the  $24,000  recorded 
for  the  third  week.  "The  Frozen 
Ghost"  will  make  way  for  "West  of 
the  Pecos"  at  the  Rialto  Friday  after 
drawing  $10,000  for  a  first,  with 
$6,500  indicated  for  a  second  week. 


Complete  Signing  of 
Lab  Worker  Pacts 

Final  agreement  in  the  series  of 
contracts  negotiated  by  the  IATSE 
Motion  Picture  Laboratory  Technic- 
ians Local  No.  702  and  filr^  processing 
laboratories  in  the  East,  was  signed 
here  yesterday.  Producers'  Labora- 
tory was  the  final  signer. 

The  contracts,  which  provide  for 
wage  increases  and  other  benefits  for 
some  1,800  laboratory  workers,  have 
already  been  submitted  to  the  War 
Labor  Board  for  approval. 


Rule  Against  Roach 
On  Film  Classics 

In  the  arbitration  case  of  Film 
Classics  against  Hal  Roach,  Judge 
Botein,  of  Supreme  Court  here,  yes- 
terday denied  an  application  by  Roach 
to  expunge  from  the  notice  of  arbitra- 
tion a  demand  by  Film  Classics  that 
the  arbitrator  to  be  selected  by  Roach 
be  impartial,  according  to  a  Film 
Classics  spokesman. 

The  Film  Classics  arbitration  in- 
volves claims  for  delivery  of  several 
features  and  short  subjects. 


SAG-SEG  Agreement 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild  and  the  newly  chartered 
Screen  Extras  Guild  have  signed  an 
interchangeability  of  membership 
agreement  under  which  SEG  mem- 
bers, on  payment  of  half  the  normal 
SAG  dues,  may  perform  work  in  the 
latter's  field. 


$400,000  Budget  for 
International  Film 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — An  advertis- 
ing and  exploitation  budget  exceeding 
$400,000  has  been  announced  for  In- 
ternational Pictures'  forthcoming 
RKO-Radio  release,  "Tomorrow  Is 
Forever."  Record  budget  for  this  in- 
dependent company  was  approved  at 
meetings  held  here  with  William 
Goetz,  Leo  Spitz,  A.  W.  Schwalberg, 
Bob  Goldstein,  John  LeRoy  Johnston, 
director  of  publicity-advertising,  and 
John  Krimsky  of  the  Buchanan 
agency. 

Goetz  announces  that  Orson  Welles 
will  direct  and  star  in  the  next  Inter- 
national picture  to  enter  production  and 
that  S.  P.  Eagle  has  been  signed  to 
produce. 


RCA  Service  Names 
Brown  District  Head 

An  RCA  Service  Co.  promotion  in 
the  theatre  department  is  that  of  E. 
T.  Brown,  who  has  been  appointed 
theatre  service  field  supervisor  for  the 
Chicago  district.  Brown  for  many 
years  was  a  theatre  service  engineer 
in  the  New  Orleans  area. 


UA  Films  to  Oriental 

Chicago,  Aug.  6. — Owing  to  the 
large  backlog  of  films  held  by  Bala- 
ban  and  Katz,  which  heretofore  has 
had  first  call,  locally,  on  United  Art- 
ists product,  all  UA  films  in  current 
release  have  been  sold  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Oriental  Theatre. 


'Marines'  Opens  in 
Philadelphia  Today 


Philadelphia,  Aug.  6. — In  con- 
junction with  the  U.  S.  Marine  Corps 
observance  of  "Guadalcanal  Day",  a 
reunion  of  400  First  Marine  Division 
veterans  will  be  held  here  tomorrow 
evening  at  the  special  world  premiere 
of  Warner  Brothers'  "Pride  of  the 
Marines",  which  will  have  its  showing 
in  the  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel.  Th/ 
public  premiere  of  the  film  is  sched- 
uled for  Wednesday  at  the  Mastbaum. 

In  addition  to  the  special  showing, 
the  "Guadalcanal  Day"  celebration 
here  will  incorporate  the  welcoming  of 
25  First  Division  Marines  by  the 
Mayor  in  the  morning,  to  be  followed 
by  an  outdoor  celebration. 

A  half  hour  Coast-to-Coast  radio 
broadcast  with  a  special  two-way 
hook-up  with  Okinawa  will  be  a  fea- 
ture. 


Tentative  'Tokyo'  Date 

"Orders  from  Tokyo,"  Technicolor 
two-reeler  produced  by  Warners  in 
cooperation  with  the  Philippine  Gov- 
ernment and  the  Office  of  Strategic 
Services,  will  be  nationally  released 
on  or  about  Aug.  18. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation       Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano'' 

GENE  TIERNEY  .  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 

in  M-G-M's 

'VALLEY  of 
DECISION' 


IN  PERSON 


'ScafDAVIS 
RUTH  TERRY 


BETTY  HUTTON  - ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA 
in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

'ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Qu-gpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  'J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley 
Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.     Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


1\ 


...  1  he  picture  that  explores  new  horizons  of  lusty  romance,  bold  adventure, 
mighty  action  and  flaming  thrill!  ...  all  a  part  of  the  sweeping  story  of  a 
wild,  free  roamer  who  lived  by  the  sword  at  his  side  and  the  heart  on  his 
sleeve  —  until  he  met  his  match  in  a  red-headed  ball  of  feminine  fight  and  fire! 


'  mentf 


t 


MAURE0T  WAITER, 


HE1EID  OMLEZAK 


A  FRANK  BORZAGE 


PRODUCTION 
BINNIE  BARNES  - JOHN  EMERY 


BARTON  MacLANE  •  FRITZ  LEIBER 
J.  M.  KERRIGAN   •  NANCY  GATES 
JACK  LaRUE  •  MIKE  MAZURKI 
IAN  KEITH 
Executive  Producer  ROBERT  FELLOWS 
Associate  Producer     STEPHEN  AMES 
Directed  by  FRANK  BORZAGE 

Screen  Play  by 
George  Worthing  Yales  and  Herman  J.  Mankiewicz 


will  be  reached  by  RKO's  tre- 
mendous advertising  campaign 
on  "THE  SPANISH  MAIN"! 
FULL  PAGES,  most  of  them  in 
four  colors,  in : 

LIFE  -  SATURDAY  EVENING 
POST  •  McCALL'S  •  WOMAN'S 
DAY  •  TIME  •  NEWSWEEK 
TRUE  STORY  -  RED  BOOK 
LIBERTY  •  FAMILY  CIRCLE 
PIC  and  the  Entire  Fan  List! 


b  nil  or  half-page  four-color  cartoon-strip  ads  in  the  comic 
or  magazine  sections  of  ALL  of  the  following  newspapers  (one 
or  more  insertions) : 


ALABAMA 

Birmingham  News-Age  Herald 
Mobile  Press-Register 

ARIZONA 

Phoenix  Republic 

ARKANSAS 

Little  Rock  Ar.  Democrat 
Little  Rock  Ar.  Gazette 

CALIFORNIA 

Fresno  Bee 

Long  Beach  Press  Telegram 
Los  Angeles  Examiner 
Los  Angeles  Times 
Oakland  Tribune 
Pasadena  Star-News 
Sacramento  Bee 
Sacramento  Union 
San  Diego  Union 
San  Francisco  Chronicle 
San  Francisco  Examiner 

COLORADO 

Denver  Post 

Denver  Rocky  Mt.  News 

(also  "Parade"  in  Rocky  Mt.  News) 

CONNECTICUT 

Bridgeport  Herald 
Bridgeport  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Hartford  Courant 

DELAWARE 

New  Haven  Register 
Waterbury  Republican 

DIST.  OF  COL. 

Washington  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Washington  Star 
Washington  Times  Herald 

FLORIDA 

Jacksonville  Times-Union 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times-Union) 
Miami  Herald 
Miami  News 
Tampa  Tribune 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta  Constitution 
Atlanta  Journal 
Savannah  News 


ILLINOIS 

Chicago  Herald-American 
Chicago  News 
Chicago  Sun 

(also  "Parade"  in  Sun) 
Chicago  Times 
Chicago  Tribune 
Peoria  Journal-Star 
Rockford  Star 

INDIANA 

Evansville  Courier-Press 
Ft.  Wayne  Journal-Gazette 
Ft.  Wayne  News-Sentinel 
Hammond  Times 
Indianapolis  Star 
South  Bend  Tribune 
Terre  Haute  Tribune-Star 

IOWA 

Des  Moines  Register 

KANSAS 

Wichita  Beacon 
Wichita  Eagle 

KENTUCKY 

Louisville  Courier-Journal 

LOUISIANA 

New  Orleans  Times  Picayune 
Shreveport  Times 

MAINE 

Portland  Sunday  Telegram 
(also  "Parade"  in  Sun.  Tel.) 

MARYLAND 

Baltimore  American 
Baltimore  Sun 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston  Advertiser 
Boston  Globe 
Boston  Herald 
Boston  Post 

New  Bedford  Standard-Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Stan.  Times) 
Springfield  Union  &  Rep. 
Worcester  Telegram 

MICHIGAN 

Detroit  Free  Press 

(also  "Parade"  in  Free  Press) 
Detroit  News 
Detroit  Times 
Grand  Rapids  Herald 


MINNESOTA 

Duluth  News  Tribune 
Minneapolis  Tribune 
St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press 

MISSOURI 

Kansas  City  Star 

St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat 

St.  Louis  Post  Dispatch 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha  World  Herald 

NEW  JERSEY 

Newark  Call 
Newark  Star-Ledger 

(also  "Parade"  in  Star  Ledger) 
Trenton  Times 

NEW  YORK 

Albany  Times  Union 
Brooklyn  Eagle 
Buffalo  Courier-Express 
New  York  Daily  News 
New  York  Herald  Tribune 
New  York  Journal  American 
New  York  Mirror 
Rochester  Democrat  &  Chronicle 
Syracuse  Herald-American 

(also  "Parade"  in  Her.  Amer.) 
Syracuse  Post-Standard 
Utica  Observer-Dispatch 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

Charlotte  News 
Charlotte  Observer 
Winston-Salem  Journal  Sentinel 

OHIO 

Akron  Beacon-Journal 

(also  "Parade"  in  Beacon  Jnl.) 
Canton  Repository 
Cincinnati  Enquirer 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer 
Columbus  Dispatch 
Dayton  Journal  Herald 
Dayton  News 
Toledo  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Youngstown  Vindicator 

(also  "Parade"  in  Vindicator) 

OKLAHOMA 

Oklahoma  City  Oklahoman 
Tulsa  World 


OREGON 

Portland  Oregonian 
Portland  Oregon  Journal 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Erie  Dispatch-Herald 
Philadelphia  Inquirer 
Philadelphia  Record 
Pittsburgh  Press 
Pittsburgh  Sun-Telegraph 
Reading  Eagle 
Scranton  Scrantonian 

RHODE  ISLAND 

Providence  Journal 

TENNESSEE 

Chattanooga  Times 
Knoxville  Journal 
Knoxville  News-Sentinel 
Memphis  Commercial  Appeal 
Nashville  Tennessean 

TEXAS 

Dallas  News 
Dallas  Times-Herald 
El  Paso  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Ft.  Worth  Star 
Houston  Chronicle 
Houston  Post 
San  Antonio  Express 
San  Antonio  Light 

UTAH 

Salt  Lake  City  Deseret  News 
Salt  Lake  City  Tribune 

VIRGINIA 

Norfolk  Virginia  Pilot 
Richmond  Times-Dispatch 
Roanoke  Times 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle  Post-Intelligencer 
Seattle  Times 

Spokane  Spokesman  Review 
Tacoma  News  Tribune 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

Charleston  Gazette 
Charleston  Mail 
Charleston  Herald-Adv. 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee  Journal 
Milwaukee  Sentinel 


Tuesday,  August  7,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


American  Seating 
Net  Is  $264,295 

American  Seating  Co.,  which  makes 
j  theatre  chairs,  and  other  lines,  had 

a  net  profit  of  $264,295  for  the  first 
I  six  months  of  1945,  compared  with 

$143,812  for  a  similar  period  in  1944, 
j  or  $1.19  per  share  for  1945,  compared 

with  65  cents  for  1944. 
L    Net  sales  for  the  first  six  months 

./Staled  $7,257,732,  compared  with 
;  ^6,015,686  for  1944.     Provisions  for 

taxes    for    the    1945    period  totaled 

$848,000,  compared  to  $291,000. 


Atlas  Film  Holdings 
At  $13,711,933 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tion  indicated  a  value  of  $24.34  per 
share  for  the  common  stock  of  the 
companv.  compared  with  $21.98  at  the 
end  of  '1944. 

Only  change  in  the  volume  of 
Atlas'  film  holdings  during  the  year 
occurred  in  Walt  Disney  six  per  cent 
cumulative  preferred,  with  8,000  addi- 
tional shares  acquired,  bringing  the 
total  from  22,850,  valued  at  $354,175 
on  June  30,  1944,  to  30,850,  valued 
at  $678,700  12  months  later. 

RKO  common  held  by  Atlas  stood 
at  1.329,020  shares  on  both  dates, 
listed  at  $12,459,562  at  the  end  of  this 
June,  compared  with  $13,290,200  a 
year  earlier,  while  327,812  RKO  op- 
tion warrants  with  a  value  of  $573,- 
671  were  held  on  both  dates. 


German  Film  Studio 
Operated  by  U.  S. 

Press  dispatches  from  Munich,  dis- 
close that  the  U.  S.  Government  has 
taken  over  operation  of  the  Bavarian 
Filmkunst  at  Grupenwald,  said  to  be 
the  largest  motion  picture  plant  left 
intact  on  the  European  Continent, 
which  is  being  made  ready  exclusively 
for  printing  documentaries. 


Review 


'Pride  of  the  Marines" 


{Warner  Brothers) 

Hollyivood,  Aug.  6 

HERE  is  told,  in  two  hours  flat  and  with  manifest  fidelity  to  recorded 
facts,  the  story  of  Al  Schmid,  Marine,  a  hero  of  Guadalcanal  whose 
defense  of  a  jungle  outpost  and  subsequent  experiences  were  celebrated  in 
newspaper,  magazine  and  radio  accounts  early  in  the  war.  John  Garfield,  in 
the  title  role,  is  the  cast  name  of  marquee  significance,  and  the  production, 
by  Jerry  Wald,  and  direction,  by  Delmer  Daves,  are  up  to  those  craftsmen's 
standards.  Perhaps  the  most  dependable  calculation  of  box  office  value  is 
to  be  had  from  consideration  of  the  title  and  the  factual  nature  of  the  principal 
material. 

As  scripted  by  Albert  Maltz,  from  a  Marvin  Borowsky  adaptation  of  a 
book  by  Roger  Butterfield,  the  story  of  Al  Schmid  opens  some  time  before 
the  attack  on  Pearl  Harbor.  A  Philadelphia  steel  worker,  he  falls  in  love 
with  a  girl  (Eleanor  Parker)  and  becomes  engaged  to  her  just  before  joining 
the  Marines.  A  fearless  fighter,  he  holds  a  machine  gun  position  against 
overwhelming  odds  and  is  blinded  by  a  grenade.  When  he  learns,  after  hos- 
pitalization, that  he  probably  will  not  regain  his  sight,  he  resolves  to  remain 
away  from  home  and  sweetheart.  By  a  ruse  he  is  brought  into  her  presence, 
however,  and  she  convinces  him  she  needs  him  as  much  as  he  needs  her. 

Apart  from  its  strictly  factual  story,  told  with  color,  vigor,  and  pathos, 
the  picture  undertakes  to  cover  a  good  deal  of  ground,  principally  by  means 
of  dialogue  in  which  hospitalized  soldiers  discuss  such  matters  as  post-war 
unemployment,  the  G.  I.  Bill  of  Rights,  racialism,  tolerance,  world  unity, 
and  the  political  obligation  of  veterans  who  will  hold  public  office  in  future 
years.  These  discursive  sequences  interrupt  the  flow  of  the  story  less  produc- 
tively than  a  number  of  stimulating  comedy  scenes  featuring  the  volatile 
and  voluble  Dane  Clark.  Others  in  the  cast  are:  John  Ridgely,  Rosemary 
DeCamp.  Ann  Doran,  Ann  Todd,  Warren  Douglas,  Don  McGuire,  Tom 
D'Andrea,  Rory  Mallinson  and  Stephen  Richards. 

Running  time,  120  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


US  Films  in  France 
Will  Last  2  Months 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

to  operate  in  France  for  another  90 
days,  it  is  said. 

The  French  Government  is  seek- 
ing to  impose  new  regulations  which 
would  seriously  reduce  the  number 
of  dubbed  American  films  distributed 
in  France.  These  regulations  would 
require  French  exhibitors  to  give 
native  French  product  eight  out  of 
every  13  weeks  of  playing  time,  with 
only  five  weeks  remaining  for  Ameri- 
can, British,  Russian  and  other 
product.  The  regulations  would  allow 
only  20  weeks  of  playing  time  annually 
for  films  sent  in  by  the  Americans, 
British,  Russians  and  others.  It  is 
pointed  out  these  regulations  would  be 
more  severe  than  those  imposed  upon 
the  American  industry  by  the  Argen- 
tine government. 


Wood  Negotiates 
For  Six  Annually 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — If  current  ne- 
gotiations are  consummated,  New 
World  Productions,  headed  by  Sam 
Wood,  will  make  six  a  year  based  on 
the  "Johnny  Fletcher"  detective  stor- 
ies bv  Frank  Gruber. 


MITCHELL  MAY,  Jr. 

CO.,  INC. 

INSURANCE 
• 

Specializing 
in  requirements  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Industry 

75  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
510  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Angeles 


Arthur  Kane  Funeral 
Services  on  Coast 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — Funeral  ser- 
vices for  Arthur  S.  Kane,  Sr.,  71, 
pioneer  film  executive,  who  died  at 
the  Motion  Picture  County  Home 
here  two  weeks  after  an  abdominal 
operation  at  St.  Vincent's  Hospital, 
were  held  Friday  at  Pierce  Bros. 
Chapel,  with  cremation  following. 

Kane  entered  show  business  with 
the  Crawford  Amusement  Co.  at  the 
turn  of  the  century  and  was  associated 
with  General  Films,  Famous  Players, 
Harold  Lloyd,  Charles  Ray,  United 
Artists,  Select  Pictures  and  Realart 
before  retiring  in  1935.  His  widow 
and  two  sons  survive. 


New  Tabloid  Makes 
Bow  in  Hollywood 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — The  Holly- 
wood Independent  Citizens  Committee 
of  Arts,  Sciences  and  Professions  has 
entered  the  publication  field  with 
Hollyzvood  Independent ,  an  eight-page 
tabloid,  distributed  to  the  membership 
and  selected  organizations.  Editor 
Hollister  Noble  said  the  present  pol- 
icy contemplates  acceptance  of  suit- 
able advertising  and  circulation  by 
subscription  and  news  stand. 

The  first  edition  features  articles  by 
California  Attorney  General  Robert 
W.  Kenny,  Assemblyman  Albert 
Dekker  and  others,  on  anti-Facist 
themes. 


Services  for  Mrs.  Brod 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  6.  —  Private 
funeral  services  were  held  today  at 
Pierce  Brothers  Chapel,  Beverly 
Hills,  for  Mrs.  Charlotte  Jessel  Brod, 
70,  mother  of  George  Jessel,  who  died 
here  Saturday.  Also  surviving  are 
Mrs.  Brod's  husband  and  a  daughter. 


WE  Equipment  Line 
For  Postwar  Export 

(Continued  from  paqe  1) 

tain  controls,  sound  recorders,  file 
editing  machines,  color  wheels,  slide 
projectors,  projector  mechanisms,  pro- 
jector magazines,  fans,  loud-speakers, 
electric  changeovers,  lenses,  theatre 
fixtures,  vacuum  tubes,  microphones, 
screens,  non-synchronous  turntables, 
lamps,  splicers,  rewinds,  spare  parts, 
film  tables  and  cabinets,  fire  shutters, 
fire  extinguishers,  projector  bases, 
film  reels  and  cases,  carbons,  dimmers, 
portable  projectors,  sand  urns,  and 
other  items. 

The  company  now  has  branches  in 
100  foreign  cities,  Gregg  revealed  here 
yesterday. 


*   BIGGEST  THEATRE 


******* 
IS  RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL  * 


Lawler  a  Producer 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6.  —  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  has  promoted  special  tal- 
ent agent  Andy  Lawler  to  a.  producer- 
ship.  His  first  assignment  will  be 
"Lonely  Journey." 


Hornblow  Picks  Next 

Hollywood,  Aug.  6. — "Cass  Tim- 
berlane,"  by  Sinclair  Lewis,  will  be 
Arthur  Hornblow,  Tr.'s.  next  for 
M-G-M. 


BIGGEST 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED... 


****** 


*      *      *      *  * 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

1600  BROADWAY,  N.  Y.  19       Circle  6-6686 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  7,  194' 


Setting  Candy 
Concessions 
For  Post  War 


(Continued  from    page  1) 

and  shortening  used  in  popcorn  con- 
tinues tight  and  the  paper  shortage 
makes  packaging  a  mounting  problem. 
Further,  the  sugar  shortage  is  expect- 
ed to  continue  for  as  long  as  two 
years  after  the  defeat  of  Japan. 

While  shying  away  from  estimating 
dollar  volume  of  candy  and  popcorn 
sales  in  theatres,  it  is  known  to  run 
as  high  as  $1,000,000  annually  for  one 
circuit  of  100  theatres  ;  circuit  spokes- 
men point  out  that  sales  are  made 
to  one  out  of  every  3.2  patrons,  in 
many  places. 

New  corn-popping  machines  are 
reaching  the  market  which  can  pop 
corn  in  theatre  lobbies  rather  than 
have  owners  rely  on  outside  popping. 

Circuits  and  exhibitors  planning  to 
take  over  operation  of  candy  and  pop- 
corn concessions  in  their  theatres  after 
the  war  where  they  did  not  operate 
before,  are  now  studying  new  equip- 
ment in  stands  and  machinery  for  pop- 
ping, and  intend  to  inject  showman- 
ship into  their  displays  to  increase 
sales  over  and  above  those  now  made 
by  outside  concessionaires. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L..  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK  :  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Depinet  ,to  Outline 
RKO  Product  Today 


(Continued  from  pai/c  1) 
afternoon's  session.  Gary  Cooper,  pro- 
ducer-star  of   International's  "Along 
Came  Jones,"  will  be  a  guest. 

Addressing  the  delegates  yesterday, 
Major  L.  E.  Thompson  announced 
that  1,650  former  employees  of  RKO 
have  entered  the  Armed  Forces  to 
date.  Thompson  said  that  22  are  re- 
ported killed  in  action,  two  held  as 
prisoners  ,of  war  in  Japan",  five  are 
missing  in  action,  and  60  were  wound- 
ed. Ninety-four  have  received  hon- 
orable discharges.  Twenty-three  of 
the  1,650  are  women. 

Fifty-four  of  RKO  Radio's  sales 
organization  are  still  in  the  Armed 
Services,  it  was  disclosed  by  Depinet. 

Depinet  announced  that  following 
the  company's  series  of  small  regional 
sales  meetings,  a  meeting  will  be 
held  for  Canadian  representatives,  in 
September,  at  the  Windsor  Hotel, 
Montreal,  with  RKO  Radio  home  of- 
fice executives  in  attendance  and  rep- 
resentatives of  the  various  exchanges 
headed  by  L.  M.  Devaney,  Canadian 
Division  sales  manager. 

Depinet  introduced  John  Whitaker, 
formerly  a  director  of  the  company, 
newly  appointed  a  vice-president. 

Rathvon  on  Europe 

President  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  who 
recently  made  an  overseas  trip  with 
other  film  leaders,  on  invitation  of 
General  Eisenhower,  spoke  of  the  gen- 
eral agreement  everywhere  of  the  es- 
sential role  to  be  played  by  motion 
pictures  in  the  morale  rehabilitation 
of  Europe. 

Outlining  RKO  Pathe's  short  sub- 
ject production  plans,  Frederic  Ull- 
man,  Jr.,  president,  stated  that  the 
company  planned  to  produce  137  short 
subjects  to  be  released  in  1945-46. 

The  schedule  provides  for  104  is- 
sues of  Pathe  News,  13  "This  Is 
America"  two-reelers,  13  one-reel 
Sportscopes,  and  seven  Flicker  Flash- 
backs. 


Home  Office  Contingent  to 
Attend  Cincinnati  Meet 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  6. — Home'  office 
executives,  in  addition  to  branch  man- 
agers and  field  men,  expected  to  at- 
tend the  three-day  regional  sales  meet- 
ing at  the  Netherland  Plaza  here,  Aug- 
ust 10-12,  are :  Ned  E.  Depinet,  A. 
A.  Shubart,  M.  G.  Poller,  Robert 
Mochrie,  Harry  Michalson,  Nat  Levy, 
S.  Barret  McCormick  and  Terry 
Turner. 


Trenton  Polio  Ban 
Affects  Theatres 

Trenton,  Aug.  6. — A  resolution 
imposing  an  infantile  paralysis  quar- 
antine, barring  children  under  16 
years  old  from  theatres  and  other  pub- 
lic places,  has  been  adopted  by  the 
City  Commission  here.  Dr.  William 
E.  Mountford,  city  health  officer, 
asked  the  commission  to  act.  . 


To  Reissue  'Sonata' 

English  Films,  here,  has  acquired 
reissue  rights  for  the  United  States, 
and  Canada,  to  the  Pall  Mall  Pro- 
duction, "Moonlight  Sonata,"  star- 
ring Ignace  Jan  Paderewsk'i.  The 
reissue  will  again  play  the  Little  Car- 
negie Theatre,  New  York  City,  in 
two  weeks. 


In  Connecticut  tomorrow  unique  state-wide 
Christmas  party  for  re-deployed  soldiers! 
Starting  Warners'  national  release  of 
Barbara  Stanwyck.  Dennis  Morgan  and 
Sydney  Greensfreet  in  'Christmas  In 
Connecticut'!  Stories  and  pictures  in 
the  papers,  broadcasts  over  the  networks! 
Big  Show  -  Big  Showmanship  -  Warners  ! 


First  in 

/Radio  \N 

Accurate 

and 

Impartial 

MOTION  PICTURE 

DAMLY 


VOL. 


J  58. 


NO.  27 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  8,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


37  or  More 
From  RKO  in 
'45-46  Plans 


Compares  With  30  Films 
Released  This  Season 


Thirty-seven   or    more  features 
are  scheduled  for  distribution  by 
RKO     Radio     during  1945-46, 
against  30  in  the  current  year,  ac- 
cording   to  an 
announce- 
ment  made  yes- 
terday   at  the 
Hotel  Waldorf 
Astoria  by  Ned 
E.    D  e  p  i  n  e  t, 
president,   at  a 
regional  sales 
meeting. 

Producing  the 
majority  of  the 
pictures  at  its 
cwn  studios, 
RKO  Radio 
will  also  offer 
product  of  in- 
ciepent  produc- 
Samuel    Goldwyn,  International 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Ned  E.  Depinet 


Scullv  Calls  Five 

J 

Universal  Meetings 


A  series  of  regional  sales  meet- 
ings for  discussions  of  1945-46  pro- 
duct and  policy  was  announced  here 
yesterday  by  W.  A.  Scully,  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager 
of  Universal.  The  meetings  will  be 
attended  by  divisional  sales  man- 
agers, district  managers,  branch  man- 
agers, salesmen  and  representatives  of 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


1,500  Veterans  at 
'Marines'  Previews 


Philadelphia,  Aug.  7. — More  than 
1.500  veterans  of  Guadacanal  attended 
special  previews  of  Warners'  "Pride 
of  the  Marines"  tonight  here  and  in 
25  other  key  cities  as  the  climax  of 
the  first  reunion  of  the  First  Marine 
Division. 

General  A.  A.  Yandegrift,  Marine 
Corps  commandant,  attended  a  din- 
ner at  the  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel, 
with  John  B.  Kennedy  as  master  of 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Green  Shifts 
Strike  Stand 


Hollywood,  Aug.  7. — Reversing  the 
position  he  has  maintained  heretofore 
with  respect  to  the  Conference  of  Stu- 
dio Unions  strike  against  the  major 
studios,  American  Federation  of  Labor 
president  William  Green  today  invited 
IATSE  president  Richard  F.  Walsh 
and  international  representative  Roy 
M.  Brewer  to  meet  with  him  in 
Chicago  Friday  in  an  "endeavor  to 
find  a  solution  to  the  Hollywood 
situation,"  Brewer  revealed  tonight 
before  boarding  the  Superchief.  Walsh, 
he  said,  "will  leave  Xew  York  for 
Chicago  tomorrow." 

Brewer  said  in  statement :  "While 
we  do  not  hold  much  hope  for  a  set- 
tlement at  this  late  date,  the  IATSE 
is  now.  always,  ready  and  willing  to 
try  to  find  such  a  solution,  if  one  can 
be  found  that  is  consistent  with  our 
responsibilities  to  our  members  and 
to  the  industry,  and  which  will  assure 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Rose  Set  to  Start 
Three  in  England 


London.  Aug.  7. — David  Rose, 
Paramount  managing  director  for 
Great  Britain,  said  today  he  would 
start  three  films  here,  each  budgeted 
at  $800,000,  as  soon  as  studio  space 
can  be  obtained. 

Believing  that  all  the  raw  stock  de- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Canada  to  Continue 
Ban  on  Buildings 

Ottawa,  Aug.  7.  —  Permits 
under  the  War  Measures  Act 
are  not  being  granted  for  the 
erection  of  theatres  or  other 
civilian  structures  in  Canada, 
with  the  exception  of  small 
houses  or  of  buildings  essen- 
tial for  important  develop- 
ments, it  is  formally  an- 
nounced by  C.  D.  Howe,  Min- 
ister of  Reconstruction  in  the 
Dominion  Government.  Be- 
cause of  his  formal  declara- 
tion in  Ottawa,  the  building 
of  new  theatres  is  apparently 
indefinitely  postponed. 


6,564,102 
Warner  Net 


Warner  Bros,  and  subsidiaries  re- 
port for  the  nine  months  ended  May 
26,  an  operating  profit  of  $6,564,102, 
after  provision  of  $12,470,000  for  Fed- 
eral taxes  and  after  a  $420,000  provi- 
sion for  contingencies.  The  net  for 
the  same  nine  months  in  1944 
amounted  to  $5,048,951,  after  provi- 
sion of  $14,200,000  for  Federal  taxes 
and  after  a  provision  of  $850,000  for 
unrealized  losses  on  fixed  assets,  less 
estimated  tax  benefits  resulting  there- 
from. 

The  profit  for  the  nine  months  of 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Newsreels  to  Tell  Atom 
Bomb  Story  8  Days  Late 


The  newsreels  next  Tuesday  will 
show  belated  pictures  of  two  of  the 
three  "hidden  cities"  in  the  $2,000,- 
000,000  atomic  bomb  project. 

The  War  Department  in  Washing- 
ton furnished  still  photographs  of  the 
project  to  newsreels  at  noon  Monday, 
at  the  same  time  that  the  White 
House  issued  President  Truman's 
statement  revealing  the  bombing  of 
the  Jap  city  of  Hiroshima  by  an 
atom  bomb  possessing  the  destructive 
power  of  20,000  tons  of  TNT.  But 
there  was  no  motion  picture  footage 
available  for  the  newTsreels,  the  War 
Department  "covering"  the  reels 
merely  by  issuing  formal  permission 
for  them  to  photograph  exteriors  only 
of  the  plants  at  Oak  Ridge,  Tenn., 
where  Eastman  Kodak  participated  in 
the  project,  and  at  Richland  Village, 
Wash. 


Had  the  War  Department  made 
motion  picture  footage  available  at 
the  same  time  it  issued  stills  to  the 
press,  the  newsreels  at  least  would 
have  been  able  to  incorporate  it  in 
the  reels  made  up  yesterday  and 
issued  to  some  key  theatres  starting 
today.  As  the  matter  was  handled, 
however,  the  reels  were  placed  in  the 
delayed  position  of  having  to  start  out 
for  their  material  late  Monday  or 
yesterday  morning,  assigning  either 
staff  or  free-lance  cameramen  whom 
they  use  regularly  in  the  vicinity  of 
both  the  Tennessee  and  Washington 
projects,  then  rushing  negatives  to 
New  York  laboratories  for  the  issues 
made  up  tomorrow  and  released  to 
some  key  theatres  starting  at  the 
weekend,  with  general  release  for  the 
U.  S.  by  next  Tuesday,  eight  days  fol- 
lowing the  newspaper  stories. 


Arthur  Suit 
Is  Dismissed 
In  St.  Louis 


Duncan  Rules  New  York 
Court  Has  Jurisdiction 


St.  Louis,  Aug.  7. — U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Judge  Richard  M.  Duncan  to- 
day dismissed  the  injunction  and 
damage  suit  filed  by  Harry  Arthur, 
Jr.,  and  the  St.  Louis  Amusement 
Co.  against  the  American  Arbitration 
Association  and  the  major  film  com- 
panies, charging  violation  of  the 
Sherman  Anti-Trust  -Act. 

Judge  Duncan  ruled  that  the 
New  York  District  Court  has 
co-ordinate  jurisdiction,  and  al- 
though its  decree  setting  up  a 
board  of  arbitration  "is  con- 
siderably broader  than  any  case 
I  can  find,"  the  decree  is  valid 

(Continued  on  page  3) 

U.S.  Not  Pressing 
On  Answer  Deadline 


Apparently  satisfied  that  distributor- 
defendants  in  the  New  York  anti-trust 
case  are  making  every  effort  to  assem- 
ble and  provide  the  information  it  de- 
sires, the  Department  of  Justice  plans 
no  move  at  this  time  to  force  the  dis- 
tributors to  meet  the  delayed  deadline 
set  for  today  for  turning  over  all  in- 
formation, it  was  learned  here  yester- 
day. The  original  deadline  was  Aug. 
1  and  was  postponed  to  today. 

Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  Assistant 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Elliott  Leaves  WPB, 
Joins  House  Group 


Washington,  Aug.  7.  —  Resigna- 
tion of  William  Y.  Elliott,  War  Pro- 
duction Board  vice-chairman  for  civil- 
ian requirements,  effective  Aug.  15, 
was  announced  here  todav  bv  the 
WPB. 

Elliott,  who  will  become  staff  con- 
sultant  to  the   special   House  Com- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "The  Strange 
Affair  of  Uncle  Harry"  ap- 
pears on  page  6. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  8,  194 


Personal 
Mention 


JAMES   A.   MULVEY   will  leave 
Hollywood  for  New  York  today 
after  conferences  with  Samuel  Gold- 


Andrew  W.  Sch walberg,  general 
sales  manager  of  International  Pic- 
tures, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Hollywood  studio  conferences;  Rob- 
ert Goldstein,  Eastern  representa- 
tive, will  leave  Hollywood  for  the 
East  on  Saturday. 

• 

Evelyn  Coleman,  assistant  to 
Steve  Edwards,  Republic  publicity 
director,  has  returned  to  New  York 
after  a  four-week  visit  to  the  com- 
pany's Hollywood  studios. 

• 

Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  United 
Artists  home  office  sales  executive, 
returned  to  New  York  yesterday  from 
the  company's  Canadian  sales  meet- 
ing. 

• 

Lou  Brown,  Loew's  New  England 
publicity  director,  has  left  Hartford 
with  Mrs.  Brown  for  a  two-week 
vacation  in  Washington  and  Balti- 
more. 

• 

Elmer  Lux,  RKO  Buffalo  mana- 
ger, and  Bernard  KrIanze,  RKO 
district  manager  at  Cleveland,  were 
on  a  circuit  sales  mission  in  the  Al- 
bany territory. 

• 

Larry  Cowen,  Upstate  publicity 
director  for  "  Fabian  Theatres  and 
manager  of  Proctor's  Theatre,  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  is  vacationing  in  New  York, 
his  home  town. 

e 

Harris  Silverberg,  National 
Screen  Service  Chicago  manager,  left 
there  Monday  for  a  two-week  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Saul  J.  Ullman,  general  mana- 
ger of  Fabian  Upstate  theatres,  is  in 
New  York  this  week  for  home  office 
conferences. 

• 

George  Landers,  E.  M.  Loew  The- 
atres'   Hartford    manager,    has  re- 
turned to  his  post  from  a  two-week 
vacation  with  his  family  in  Maine. 
• 

Frank  Bruner,  Warner  South- 
west field  representative,  will  leave 
Dallas  today  for  Houston. 

• 

J.  H.  Thompson  of  Martin  and 
Thompson  Theatres,  Atlanta,  and  his 
family  are  visiting  Sea  Island,  Ga. 
• 

Hardie  Meakin,  RKO  assistant 
division  manager  at  Cincinnati,  is  in 
Washington. 

• 

Howard  Levinson,  Warner  Broth- 
ers attorney,  here,  is  vacationing  in 
the  Adiiondacks. 

• 

Al  Kolitz,  RKO  Radio  Cleveland 
branch  manager,  has  returned  from 
Cincinnati. 

• 

Hugh  Martin  of  Martin  Theatres, 
Columbus,  Ga.,  is  visiting  Atlanta. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


'  |  'HE  American  G^vil  Liber- 
ties  Union,  whicJj^TOco^  de- 
fended Bundists  on  ^he  Iffp^fj^  ii 

civil  liberties  acknowledgSr*>iio  * 
lines,  is  being  consciously  oW 
otherwise  naive  in  its  effort  to 
persuade  the  Alien  Property 
Custodian  to  reintroduce  the 
sale  of  the  hundreds  of  German 
and  Austrian  films  accumulated 
in  that  Government  agency's 
hands.  The  argument  revolves 
chiefly  around  its  assertion  that 
115  of  the  withdrawn  films  were 
produced  in  Germany  before 
Hitler  obtained  power  in  1933 
and  another  100  in  Austria  be- 
fore the  Nazis  took  over  five 
years  later.  Therefore,  the 
ACLU  protests,  they  are  not 
and  could  not  be  interlarded 
with  propaganda. 

As  effective  a  retort  as  any 
which  has  come  to  light  is 
the  position  of  five  members 
of  Congress  who  object  on  the 
ground  a  film  reflecting  a  pleas- 
ant Germany  can  make  friends 
for  that  defeated  enemy  pre- 
cisely as  American,  or  any  other 
make  of  motion  picture,  accom- 
plishes the  same  result.  They 
can  imagine  no  reason  why  sym- 
pathy for  Germany  ought  to  be 
a  matter  of  national  concern,  or 
interest,  at  this  time. 

This   might  be   carried  one 
step  further : 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine 
any  American  theatremen  fool- 
hardy enough  to  book  a  German 
film  at  this  time. 

■  ■ 

Looking  down  the  private 
road  of  their  future  activities, 
Warner  spokesmen  have  consid- 
erable to  remark  about  the  in- 
dustry and  public  relations.  In 
total,  the  opinion  is  that  much 
remains  to  be  done,  all  of  it  bet- 
ter. They  think  they  can  do  it, 
although  a  method  is  yet  to  be 
divulged. 

The  answer,  just  possibly, 
nestles  in  a  few  remarks  made 
by  Major  Albert  Warner  in  a 
talk  before  his  district  mana- 
gers and  exploitation  men  in 
New  York  some  weeks  ago.  He 
spoke,  and  was  duly  reported, 
but  nobody  apparently  paid  fur- 
ther attention.  But  there  could 
be  significance,  plus  a  tipoff,  in 
this : 

"We  are  not  just  in  the  enter- 
tainment business  any  more.  We 
have  an  important  public  re- 
sponsibility to  bear  in  mind  as 
well.  There  is  a  big  morale  job 
for  us  to  do  when  peace  comes 
just  as  there  is  while  the  war  is 
on,  and  it  is  up  to  all  of  us  to 
pitch  in  and  do  it." 


And  a  tipoff  in  this,  maybe: 
The  exploitation  force  is  that 
no  longer.  Field  public  rela- 
tions staff  is  its  monicker  now. 

■  ■ 

-  Joe  Blumenf eld's  new  four- 
ply  first-run  setup  in  Los  An- 
geles and  Hollywood  gets  going 
today.  Backbone,  if  not  exclus- 
ive product,  will  be  United  Art- 
ists on  single  bill  at  prevailing 
key-run  admissions.  The  dis- 
tributor is  interested  for  reasons 
earlier  outlined:  Producer  sen- 
sibilities, meaning  largely  un- 
happiness  and  discontent  when 
the  latest  creation  does  not  un- 
fold promptly  and  generously 
for  admiring  Hollywood  to  com- 
pliment. There  are  film'  rentals, 
also. 

The  story  here,  it  is  now  ven- 
tured, is  not  complete  and  may 
not  be  for  a  time.  To  consider 
are:  (1)  Charles  P.  Skouras, 
(2)  his  Fox  West  Coast  The- 
atres so  dominant  in  Los  An- 
geles and  the  surrounding  area 
and  now  (3)  four  new  runs.  It 
was  not  so  long  ago  when  an 
inquiring  reporter  asked  Grad 
Sears  about  sparks  off  the  emery 
wheel.  Saying  nothing  he  mere- 
ly shrugged  his  shoulders  with 
a  decided  "I  don't  know"  tilt. 

Quite  expressive,  'though. 

■  ■ 

As  Jules  Levey  continues  in 
production — he  is  in  the  throes 
of  "Abilene"  now — it  seems  he 
can't  help  reverting  to  the  days 
when  he  was  an  exhibitor  as 
chief  film  buyer  for  the  RKO 
circuit.  The  throwback  is  ex- 
tended enough  to  transport  him 
all  the  way  from  Formosa  and 
Santa  Monica  in  Hollywood  to 
Toronto  where  he  is  principal 
figure  in  plans  for  a  batch  of 
new  theatres,  wartime  restric- 
tions unbending. 

Someone  describes  this  as  a 
"post-war  nest  egg."  Which  is 
no  compliment  to  production. 

■  ■ 

Passing  the  word  to  the  sell- 
ing crew  about  the  deal  under 
which  Moss  Hart  will  conceive, 
write  and  direct  an  original. 
New  Dynamo,  house  organ  of 
the  20th  Century-Fox  distribu- 
tion department,  observes : 

"It  will  be  the  most  important 
production  undertaken  by  Mr. 
Zanuck.  That,  the  studio  con- 
cedes." 

Nice  of  the  «tudio. 

■  I 

Those  persistent  reports  about 
a  new  Loew  theatre  on  the  east 
side  of  6th  Avenue  somewhere 
between  54th  and  56th  Sts.  per- 
sist. 


14  from  Field  at 
Astor  Meetings 

Eastern  franchise  holders  of  Astot 
Pictures  will  meet  today  and  to- 
morrow at  the  New  York  home  office 
to  discuss  product  planned  for  1945- 
46,  including  several  new  major  com- 
pany reissues. 

Among  those  who  will  attend  are : 
Joe  Levine  of  Embassy  Pictures.  Bos- 
ton; Eleanor  Paradeis,  Par^-o  Ex- 
change, Buffalo ;  Moe  Ke  and 
Joe  Felder,  Astor  Place  i  .<  Ex- 
change, New  York;  Max  Shulgold. 
Crown  Film,  Pittsburgh ;  Max  Jacobs, 
Imperial  Pictures,  Cleveland ;  Jack 
Zide,  Allied  Films,  Detroit ;  John 
Colder,  Hollywood  Exchange,  Phila- 
delphia ;  Teddy  Shull,  Astor  Pictures, 
Washington.  The  meeting  will  be 
presided  over  by  R.  M.  Savini,  pres- 
ident of  Astor. 

Following  the  meeting,  Jacques 
Kopfstein,  vice-president  of  Astor,  will 
leave  for  Chicago,  where  a  meeting  of 
Western  managers  will  be  held,  at  the 
Hotel  Continental,  on  Friday  and  Sat- 
urday, attended  by  Henri  Elman,  Cap- 
itol Exchange,  Chicago ;  Julian  King, 
Film  Classics,  Des  Moines  and  Kan- 
sas City ;  Andy  Dietz,  Astor  Pictures, 
St.  Louis ;  Charles  Koehler,  Astor 
Exchange,  Milwaukee ;  Nat  Wolfe. 
Commercial  Film  Exchange,  Denver.' 


Sornik  to  Maxon  as 
Theatre  Architect 

Maurice  D.  Sornik  has  been  re- 
tained as  consultant-designer  for 
amusement  field  projects  of  Maxon 
Associates,  architects  and  industrial 
designers,  "in  anticipation  of  a  rise 
in  theatre  building,"  the  company  dis- 
closes. Sornik's  initial  project  will 
be  a'  series  of  remodeling  jobs  for 
Rapf  and  Ruden  Theatres,  here. 

Sornik  was  until  recently  in  part- 1 
nership    with    Ben    Schlanger,    with  | 
whom  he  had  been  designing  theatres 
and  remodeling  projects  for  the  post- 
war. 


Julia  Dorn  Heads  UA 
Radio  Department 

Julia  Dorn,  formerly  with  Young 
and    Rubicam,    has    been  appointed 
manager  of  United  Artists'  home  of- 
fice   radio    department,    it    was  an- 
nounced yesterday  by   Barry   Buch-  i 
anan,  UA  advertising-publicity  direc- f 
tor.     Miss   Dorn  has   handled  both 
writing   and   production    assignments ! 
for  the  advertising  agency  for  the  past : 
three  years.     Prior  to  that,  she  was  I 
with  the  Theatre  Guild.    At  UA  she 
succeeds  Martin  Starr,  who  recently  | 
resigned. 


Griffis  Returns,  No  Plans 

Stanton  Griffis,  on  leave  as  Para- 
mount's  executive  committee  chair- 
man, has  arrived  in  New  York  from'l 
Los  Angeles.  Recently  returned  from 
Hawaii  where  he  had  headquarters  as 
Red  Cross  Commissioner  for  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean  area,  Griffis  resigned  that 
post  on  July  15  after  having  served 
about  one  year. 

Asked  when  he  expects  to  return 
to  active  duty  with  Paramount  and 
resume  his  other  business  activities, 
Griffis  said  he  has  no  plans. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York,  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin 
Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News 
Fditor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Ave.,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg., 
William  R.  Weaver.  Editor:  I  ondon  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley 
Publications-  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies.  10c. 


Wednesday.  August  8,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Arthur  Suit 
Is  Dismissed 
In  St.  Louis 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

and  the  suit  here  should  be  dis- 
missed. 

Thl  58-iintiffs,  representing  32  St. 
Louis  -^rtatres.  had  asked  that  an  in- 
junction be  granted  to  restrain  the 
hearings  of  the  AAA  and  that  triple 
damages  be  asked  against  the  defend- 
ants totaling  $285,000. 

"There  is  no  yardstick  to  direct  the 
court  as  to  reasonable  clearance," 
Judge  Duncan's  opinion  stated,  and 
this  suit  deals  with  a  "highly  compli- 
cated and  difficult  phase"  of  the  film 
industry.  However,  in  view  of  the 
Xew  York  Court's  ruling,  which  is 
\alid,  "this  court  is  without  authority" 
to  act. 

In  the  motions  to  dismiss,  the  de- 
fendants alleged  thai  the  plaintiffs 
were  seeking  to  use  the  St.  Louis 
court  as  a  court  of  appeal  from  the 
New  York  decision. 

There  was  no  announcement  by  the 
plaintiffs  as  to  whether  they  will  take 
further  action,  but  attorneys  for  the 
defendants  said  previously  that  if  the 
motion  to  dismiss  was  sustained,  it 
would  probably  end  the  litigation  here. 
The  court,  in  its  opinion,  made  clear 
that  in  cases  involving  courts  of  co- 
ordinate jurisdiction  it  is  the  accepted 
practice  not  to  interfere. 

Specifically,  the  suit  alleged  that  the 
arbitration  board  cut  the  clearance 
time  at  the  Apollo  theatre  here  from 
one  month  to  one  week.  As  a  result 
the  plaintiffs  alleged  $95,000  losses  in 
patronage. 


U.S.  Not  Pressing 
On  Answer  Deadline 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom  Clark, 
has  been  in  communication  with  the 
defendants  by  mail  and  most  of  the  in- 
formation he  has  requested  has  been 
turned  over  to  him ;  the  information 
relates  to  distribution  revenues  going 
back  some  10  years. 

Meanwhile,  independent  producers 
have  started  to  assemble  information 
relating  to  domestic  distribution  of 
their  films  by  the  eight  distributor  de- 
fendants, dating  back  to  Jan.  1,  1935. 
Xew  York  representatives  of  the  inde- 
pendents were  served  with  subpoena5 
last  Friday  by  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice to  produce  this  information  for 
the  trial  in  the  suit,  which  will  get 
underway  in  Federal  District  Court 
here  Oct.  8.  Among  independents 
whose  distribution  contracts  are  un- 
der subpoena  are :  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
Walt  Disney.  Edward  A.  Golden, 
Hunt  Stromberg.  Jack  H.  Skirball. 
Edward  Small,  Andrew  Stone.  James 
Cagney.  David  Loew. 

The  subpoenas  ask  for  all  written 
agreements  made  since  Jan.  1,  1935. 
with  Loew's.  Paramount,  RKO.  War- 
ner Bros..  20th  Century-Fox,  United 
Artists.  Columbia  and  LTniversal,  re- 
lating to  domestic  distribution  of 
films  produced  by  the  independents  as 
well  as  all  correspondence  and  other 
information  which  relates  to  the  per- 
formance or  negotiation  of  such  agree- 
ments. 


RKO  Planning  to  Release 
37  or  More  in  '45-46 


(Continued  from   pace    1 ) 

Pictures,  Walt  Disney,  Frank  Ross 
and  Sol  Lesser. 

One  hundred  and  seventy-five  short 
subjects  will  be  distributed,  including 
Pathe  News,  the  "This  Is  America" 
series,  Walt  Disneys,  "Headliner  Re- 
vivals," Edgar  Kennedy  and  Leon  Er- 
rol  two-reel  comedies,  "Sportscopes," 
Ray  Whitley  musicals  and  "Flicker 
Flashbacks." 

Technicolor  will  be  used  for  six  or 
more  features  and  for  the  Disneys. 

Features  Listed 

Among  features  listed  by  Depinet 
for  the  new  season  were :  "The  Span- 
ish Main"  in  Technicolor  with  Paul 
Henreid,  Maureen  O'Hara  and  Wal- 
ter Slezak,  directed  by  Frank  Bor- 
zage  with  Robert  Fellows  as  execu- 
tive producer ;  "The  Bells  of  St. 
.Mary's"  produced  and  directed  by  Leo 
McCarey,  co-starring  Bing  Crosby 
and  Ingred  Bergman ;  "The  Robe,"  a 
Frank  Ross  production  in  Techni- 
color, directed  by  Mervyn  LeRoy ; 
"The  Strange  Adventures  of  Sinbad," 
in  Technicolor,  to  be  produced  by  Ste- 
phen Ames ;  "Heartbeat,"  starring 
Ginger  Rogers,  to  be  directed  by  Sam 
Wood  and  produced  by  Robert  and 
Raymond  Hakim ;  "The  Great  Ans- 
wer," also  to  star  Miss  Rogers ;  "No- 
torious," co-starring  Cary  Grant  and 
Ingrid  Bergman,  to  be  produced  and 
directed  by  Alfred  Hitchcock;  "A 
Very  Remarkable  Fellow,"  starring 
Grant,  to  be  produced  by  Harriet 
Parsons. 

Samuel  Goldwyn  will  present  four 
features :  "Wonder  Man"  and  "The 
Kid  From  Brooklyn,"  both  in  Tech- 
nicolor and  both  starring  Danny 
Kaye ;  "The  Bishop's  Wrife,"  probably 
starring  Teresa  Wright ;  and  "Earth 
and  High  Heaven." 

International  will  be  represented 
by  "Tomorrow  Is  Forever,"  co-star- 
ring Claudette  Colbert,  Orson  Welles 
and  George  Brent ;  "Up  Front  with 
Maudlin,"  and  "Along  Came  Jones," 
produced  by  Gary  Cooper  and  star- 
ring Cooper  and  Loretta  Young. 

Disney  will  release  "Make  Mine 
Music"  and  re-release  "Pinocchio." 

Others  on  Schedule 

Also  to  be  released  by  RKO  will 
be :  "Cornered,"  co-starring  Dick 
Powell  and  Walter  Slezak,  with 
Adrian  Scott  producing ;  "If  This  Be 
Known,"  also  starring  Powell ; 
"Thanks,  God,  I'll  Take  It  from 
Here,"  a  Jesse  Lasky-Mervyn  LeRoy 
production,  with  LeRoy  directing,  to 
co-star  Claudette  Colbert  and  John 
Wayne ;  "All  Kneeling"  and  "All 
Brides  Are  Beautiful,"  to  star  Joan 
Fontaine ;  "Man  Alive"  and  "Galves- 
ton," to  star  Pat  O'Brien,  with 
Adolphe  Menjou  and  Ellen  Drew  co- 
starred  in  the  former  and  Walter 
Slezak  co-starred  in  the  latter ; 
"Johnny  Angel"  co-starring  George 
Raft,  Claire  Trevor  and  Signe 
Hasso ;  "George  White's  Scandals," 
co-starring  Joan  Davis  and  Jack 
Haley ;  "Sing  Your  Way  Home,"  with 
Haley ;  "The  Calico  Kid,"  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Eddie  Cantor  and  to  co-star 
Cantor  and  Miss  Davis;  "Some  Must 
Watch."  to  be  produced  by  Dore 
Schary  and  directed  by  Robert  Siod- 
mak.  with  Dorothy  McGuire,  George 
Brent    and    Ethel    Barrvmore  co- 


starred  ;  "Sister  Kenny,"  to  star  Ro- 
salind Russell ;  "Badman's  Terri- 
tory," to  star  Randolph  Scott. 

Others  are :  "First  Yank  Into  To- 
kyo," with  Tom  Neal,  Barbara  Hale 
and  Marc  Cramer ;  "Desirable,"  to 
co-star  Joan  Bennett  and  George 
Brent,  with  Yal  Lewton  producing  ; 
"Deadline  at  Dawn"  with  Susan  Hay- 
ward,  Paul  Lukas  and  Bill  Williams  ; 
"Lady  Luck,"  with  Robert  Young, 
Frank  Morgan  and  Barbara  Hale. 

Additional  Films 

Also  on  the  1945-46  schedule  are : 
"Who  Is  My  Love,"  with  Myrna  Loy 
and  Paul  Henreid ;  "They  Dream  of 
Home" ;  "Meet  Dick  Tracy,"  with 
Morgan  Conway ;  "Tarzan  and  the 
Leopard  Man,"  with  Johnny  Weiss- 
muller,  Brenda  Joyce  and  Johnny 
(Boy)  Sheffield,  a  Sol  Lesser  produc- 
tion to  be  directed  by  Kurt  Neuman ; 
"The  Falcon  in  San  Francisco,"  with 
Tom  Conway,  Rita  Corday  and 
Sharyn  Moffett ;  "Mama  Loves 
Papa,"  with  Leon  Errol,  Elisabeth 
Risdon,  Edwin  Maxwell  and  Emory 
Parnell ;  "Riverboat  Rhythm,"  with 
Errol,  Glenn  Vernon,  Joan  Newton 
and  Frankie  Carle ;  "Radio  Stars  on 
Parade,"  with  Wally  Brown,  Alan 
Carney  and  Frances  Langford ; 
"Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland,"  with 
James  Warren ;  "Ding  Dong  Wil- 
liams," with  Richard  Korbel ;  "A 
Game  of  Death,"  with  John  Loder,  Au- 
drey Long  and  Edgar  Barrier ;  "Isle 
of  the  Dead,"  with  Boris  Karloff  and 
Ellen  Drew,  to  be  produced  by  Val 
Lewton ;  "Hotel  Reserve,"  with  James 
Mason  and  Lucie  Mannheim  and 
others. 

Robert  Mochrie,  RKO  Radio  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  at  earlier  sessions, 
gave  the  field  forces  selling  terms  and 
instructions  on  new  season's  product, 
and  subsequently  stressed  the  quality 
of  product  being  received  from  inde- 
pendent producer  affiliates,  including 
Goldwyn,  International,  Disney  and 
Lesser,  the  latter  being  cited  for  his 
'Tarzan'  pictures. 

Large  Advertiser 

S.  Barret  McCormick,  director  of 
advertising-publicity,  told  the  dele- 
gates yesterday  that  the  company  was 
the  largest  user  of  advertising  space 
in  the  combined  trade  press  for  the 
first  six  months  of  the  year.  He  out- 
lined media  of  magazines  and  news- 
papers to  be  utilized  for  next  sea- 
son's attractions.  Terry  Turner,  in 
charge  of  the  exploitation  field  staff, 
explained  to  the  sales  staff  how  the 
department  was  organized  to  aid  both 
them  and  exhibitor  customers  in  the 
merchandising  of  pictures.  Perry 
Lieber,  publicity  director  of  the  stu- 
dio, outlined  the  talent  being  devel- 
oped by  the  company.  Among  new- 
comers listed  were :  Bill  Williams, 
Bob  Mitchum,  Barbara  Hale,  Law- 
rence Tierney,  Russell  Wade  and 
Jane  Greer. 

R.  J.  Folliard,  captain  of  the  re- 
cent. 'Ned  Depinet  Drive,'  reported 
on  results  of  the  operation.  Ralph 
Austrian,  president  of  RKO  Tele- 
vision Corp.,  reviewed  television  de- 
velopments of  the  past  year,  declar- 
ing :  "The  commercial  aspects  of  tele- 
vision have  proven  that  television  will 
to  a  large  extent  employ  the  use  of 
film   technique."      Leon  Bamberger, 


Few  FM  Radios  Seen 
Ready  Before  '46 

Manufacture  of  frequency-modula- 
tion and  television  radio  sets  on  a  ma- 
jor scale  is  not  expected  before  1946, 
although  some  FM  receivers  may 
come  off  the  assembly  lines  in  time 
for  Christmas  shopping,  according  to 
a  survey  by  the  New  York  Times. 

War  Production  Board  officials  re- 
veal that  manufacturers  of  radio  re- 
ceiving units  will  likely  be  free  to  re- 
sume production  of  sets  for  civilian 
use  by  September,  it  was  said ;  how- 
ever, the  volume  produced  will  be 
limited  in  the  last  quarter  of  this  year 
by  continuing  shortages  of  some  com- 
ponent parts  and  manpower  problems. 

Radio  sets  that  may  be  available  for 
distribution  this  Fall  will  be  similar  in 
the  main  to  pre-war  models,  but  their 
cost  will  be  from  20  to  35  per  cent 
higher  than  those  sold  in  1941,  with 
most  of  them  to  be  smaller  models  of 
the  existing  amplitude  -  modulation 
type. 


Elliott  Leaves  WPB, 
Joins  House  Group 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

mittee  on  Post-War  Economic  Pol- 
icy and  Planning  and  who  will  go  to 
Europe  immediately  with  members  of 
the  commitee,  will  be  succeeded  by 
deputy  vice-chairman  A.  C.  Hill,  one- 
time secretary  to  the  Senate  Com- 
merce Committee  and  executive  officer 
of  the  National  Recovery  Adminis- 
tration. 


Scully  Calls  Five 
Universal  Meetings 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  advertising  and  publicity  depart- 
ment. 

First  of  the  meetings,  all  of  which 
will  be  presided  over  by  Scully,  will 
be  in  Los  Angeles,  Aug.  10-11;  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Aug.  14-15 ;  Chicago, 
Aug.  22-23;  Cincinnati,  Aug.  25-26 
and  New  York,  Aug.  28-29. 


sales  promotion  head,  told  of  the  plans 
of  his  department. 

Leo  Samuels,  Walt  Disney  execu- 
tive, discussed  Disney's  "Make  Mine 
Music,"  the  reissue  of  "Pinocchio," 
and  "Uncle  Remus."  Frederic  Ullman, 
Jr.,  president  of  RKO  Pathe,  outlined 
some  ef  the  "This  Is  America"  series. 

Al  Sindlinger  of  Audience  Re- 
search, dealt  with  the  scientific  man- 
ner of  determining  motion  picture 
values  and  public  interest. 

Malcolm  Kingsberg,  treasurer  of 
the  company,  made  a  brief  business 
talk.  A.  W.  Schwalberg,  general 
sales  manager  of  International  Pic- 
tures, and  William  Heineman,  general 
sales  manager  of  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
also  addressed  the  meeting.  George 
Dembow  of  National  Screen,  dis- 
cussed promotional  accessories  and 
other  products  of  his  organization. 

M.  H.  Aylesworth  gave  a  brief  talk. 
Among  other  speakers  were :  Emer- 
son Foote,  of  Foote,  Cone  and  Beld- 
ing,  agency  handling  the  RKO  Radio 
account  and  John  Hertz,  Jr.,  of 
Buchanan  and  Co.,  agency  handling 
the  Samuel  Goldwyn  and  Interna- 
tional accounts. 

The  final  sessions,  today,  will  be 
devoted  to  district  meetings,  presided 
over  by  Gus  Schaefer,  Northeastern 
district  manager ;  R.  J.  Folliard, 
East,  and  Charles  Boasberg,  Metro- 
politan district. 


SUGAR! 

Never  in  the  history  of  films  has  any  company 
had  so  many  hits!  More  on  the  way! 


MM 


MM 


SUGAR! 

ANCHORS 
AWEIGH 

in  Technicolor 


NEW  CAPITOL,  N.  Y.  RECORD 
AS  2nd  WEEK  TOPS  1st. 
ONE  OF  THE  BIGGEST 
HITS  OF  ALL  TIME! 


MM 


MM 


SUGAR ! 

VALLEY  OF 
DECISION 

THE  HOLD-OVER 
CHAMP  OF  1945! 
BIG  CITIES,  SMALL 
TOWNS -TERRIFIC! 


SUGAR ! 


"THRILL  OF 
A  ROMANCE 

in  Technicolor 

SETTING  NEW  ALL- 
TIME  HOUSE  RECORDS. 
SENSATIONAL 
AUDIENCE  HIT! 


MM 


SUGAR ! 


MM 


MM 


SON  OF 
LASSIE 

in  Technicolor 

ASTOUNDING  GROSSES! 
BEATS  "LASSIE  COME  HOME 
AND  OTHER  TOP 
ATTRACTIONS! 


P.  S.  And  you  haven't  seen  anything  until  you  see  "WEEK-END  AT  THE  WALDORF"! 


E  SWEET  ONES  COME   FROM  M*G*M! 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  8,  194: 


Review 


"The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle  Harry" 

(Universal-Charles  K.  Feldman) 

CHARLES  K.  FELDMAN  has  achieved  a  swell,  top-notch,  suspense-packed 
murder-melodrama  in  transferring  "Uncle  Harry,"  former  Broadway  stage 
play,  to  the  screen.  While  considerable  discussion  is  likely  to  result  from 
the  unusual  ending,  a  contrived  twist  which  enables  romance  to  triumph  where 
justice  would  have  been  frustrated  and  a  guilty  man  permitted  to  escape  pun- 
ishment, exhibitors  will  most  likely  find  their  customers  more  satisfied  with 
the  happy  ending  of  the  film.    It  should  score  at  the  box  office. 

Producer  Joan  Harrison  has  turned  in  another  excellent  package  of  dramatic 
entertainment,  which  is  tops  in  melodrama.  Featured  are  George  Sanders, 
Geraldine  Fitzgerald,  Ella  Raines  and  Sara  Allgood.  Robert  Siodmak's  direc- 
tion is  splendid  in  unfolding  the  story  of  kind,  easy-going  Harry  Quincy,  who 
is  deprived  of  happiness  with  the  woman  of  his  choice  by  the  willful  conniv- 
ing of  his  young,  invalid  sister.  Emphasis  is  on  the  sordid  goings-on  in  the 
Quincy  home,  and  tense,  swift-paced  drama  is  maintained  throughout,  despite 
a  lack  of  action  in  the  story. 

Full  credit  must  go  to  Stephen  Longstreet  for  his  fine  screenplay,  while 
Keith  Winter  adapted  the  Thomas  Job  play.  Sanders  turns  in  a  grand  per- 
formance as  the  mild-mannered  Uncle  Harry.  The  Quincys  are  the  oldest 
family  in  the  small  New  England  town  and  Harry  lives  a  rather  sheltered 
existence  with  his  two  sisters,  Miss  Fitzgerald  as  the  invalid  and  Moyna 
Maggill  as  an  unhappy  widow. 

Harry  falls  in  love  with  Miss  Raines,  New  York  fashion  expert  for  the 
mill  where  Harry  works,  when  she  arrives  at  Corinth.  Craig  Reynolds  as 
John  Warren,  owner  of  the  mill,  a  widower  with  a  child,  is  also  in  love 
with  her,  but  Harry  wins  out.  It  is  then  that  Miss  Fitzgerald,  seeing  her  very 
placid  existence  as  an  invalid  threatened,  starts  her  scheming  to  prevent  the 
marriage  of  her  brother  to  Miss  Raines.  She  succeeds  and  when  Harry  dis- 
covers the  truth,  he  is  driven  to  kill  her.  By  a  miscarriage  in  his  plan,  his 
sister,  Miss  Maggill,  is  the  victim  of  the  poison,  but  Miss  Fitzgerald  is  charged 
with  the  crime.  It  is  an  impossible  situation  since  Miss  Fitzgerald  sees  a  way 
to  make  her  brother  suffer  for  the  rest  of  his  life  by  sacrificing  herself,  espe- 
cially since  Miss  Fitzgerald  has  already  decided  to  marry  Warren.  The  script 
writers  step  in  here  and  it  develops  that  Harry  only  dreamed  that  he  poisoned 
his  sister.    Miss  Raines  returns  to  him  and  they  elope. 

Others  in  the  fine  cast  include  Samuel  S.  Hinds,  Harry  von  Zell,  Ethel 
Crimes  and  Judy  Clark.  Milton  H.  Feld  was  executive  producer.  Miss  Fitz- 
gerald is  properly  perverse  and  effective  and  Miss  Raines  is  appealing  and 
attractive.  Results  are  good  in  all  departments. 

Running  time,  80  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  17. 

Mii.ton  Livingston 


4IA'  Scouts  Action 
By  AFL  in  Chicago 


Los  Angeles,  Aug.  7. — "One  thing 
should  be  clear  after  these  21  weeks 
(of  the  studio  strike)  :  the  IATSE 
does  not  intend  to  be  coerced  into  a 
settlement  which  will  be  detrimental 
to  its  interests,  or  to  the  people  who 
have  stuck  with  it  during  this  fight," 
the  IATSE  declared  in  a  bulletin  re- 
leased here. 

Speculating  as  to  what  possible  ac- 
tion the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  executive  council  can  take 
in  its  current  Chicago  meeting  against 
the  IATSE,  the  bulletin  stated: 
"An  appraisal  of  what  effect  the 
AFL  meeting  might  have  on  the 
strike  holds  forth -the  possibility  of  a 
demand  on  the  part  of  the  Federation 
that  the  charters  issued  (by  the 
'IA')  in  the  name  of  the  painters  and 
carpenters  be  withdrawn.  Such  a  de- 
mand, however,  would  have  to  be 
made  on  the  basis  of  a  conflict  in 
title,  as  the  AFL  has  never  endeav- 
ored to  tell  its  unions  what  type  mem- 
bers they  may  take  into  their  local 
unions. 

Sanction  Unlikely 

"Another  action  which  they  could 
take,  but  which  is  not  likely,  would 
be  to  give  official  sanction  to 
the  strike.  Such  an  action  would  be 
a  violation  of  the  policy  which  the 
AFL  has  pursued  over  many  years, 
in  taking  sides  in  a  jurisdictional 
squabble.  As  far  as  taking  any  ac- 
tion which  would  force  the  IATSE 
out  of  the  AFL,  or  suspend  their  char- 
ter, this  is  impossible  under  the  laws 
of  the  Federation  and  no  such  action 
could  legally  be  taken.  If  such  ac- 
tion were  taken,  in  disregard  of  the 
law,  the  unions  now  supporting  the 
TA'  in  the  studios  have  only  recently 
reiterated  their  determination  to  stand 
firm,  and  to  fulfill  their  contractual 
obligations  to  the  studios.  So,  it  be- 
comes clearly  evident  that  the  Chi- 
cago meeting  will  have  no  more  bear- 
ing on  the  strike  insofar  as  the  indi- 
vidual worker  is  concerned  than  did 
the  Chicago  meeting  of  July  6." 

Green  Shifts  Position 
On  Hollywood  Strike 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

an  end  to  the  policies  carried  out  by 
the  CSU,  which  have  undermined  the 
AFL  and  the  IATSE." 

Indications  that  Green's  under- 
taking is  unilateral  in  character  ap- 
peared well  founded  in  the  failure  of 
CSU  president  Herbert  Sorrell  or 
other  strike  strategy  committee  mem- 
bers to  have  received  parallel  invita- 
tions up  to  a  late  hour  tonight.  Un- 
til making  this  move,  Green  had  rested 
on  his  declaration,  made  early  in  the 
strike,  disavowing  the  CSU  action  and 
ordering  strikers  to  remove  AFL 
insignia  and  abandon  its  use  in  all 
particulars. 

SPG  Trusteeship 

•  Strike  activity  locally  was  high- 
lighted by  an  order  from  Painters  In- 
ternational Representative  Joseph  L. 
Clarke  placing  the  Screen  Publicists 
Guild  under  trusteeship  of  SPG 
president  George  Thomas.  In  tele- 
grams to  individual  SPG  members, 
notice  was  given  that  all  publicists 
who  continue  to  disregard  picket  lines 
after  Thursday  noon  will  be  subject 
to  union  penalty.  Producers  today  re- 
ported yesterday's  count  on  publicists 
in  and  out  virtually  unchanged. 


Backs  Readers  on 
Story  Balk  Here 

The  executive  board  of  the  Screen 
Office  and  Professional  Employees 
Guild  has  upheld  the  position  taken  by 
the  New  York  Readers  Chapter  of  the 
Guild  objecting  to  handling  storv 
material  routed  directly  or  indirectlv 
from  Coast  studios  to  home  of- 
fices because  of  the  Hollywood  studio 
strike,  but  will  not  authorize  any  ac- 
tion pending  discussions  of  the  matter 
with  the  film  companies,  and  then 
presenting  the  results  before  an 
SOPEG  general  membership  meeting. 

Meanwhile  the  New  York  readers 
will  remain  at  their  jobs  while  a  spe- 
cial SOPEG  committee  undertakes  to 
iron  out  the  issue  with  home  office 
representatives.  The  executive  board 
has  called  a  special  membership  meet- 
ing for  some  time  next  week  to  vote 
upon  the  matter.  Committee  mem- 
bers are  Herman  Liveright,  vice- 
chairman  of  SOPEG  and  a  Paramount 
reader,  chairman ;  Grace  Walsh  of 
RKO,  secretary  to  SOPEG;  Arthur 
Hoff ,  Columbia  reader ;  Jane  Parker, 
Paramount  reader ;  Alice  Goodman, 
Loew's  reader;  John  Cunniff  of 
Loew's  exchange,  and  a  member  of 
the  SOPEG  executive  board;  Mrs. 
Ellen  Davidson,  Guild  representative, 
and  Sidney  Young,  secretary-treasur- 
er of  Local  h 


'Vines'  Screenings  Set 

M-G-M's  "Our  Vines  Have  Tender 
Grapes,"  starring  Edward  G.  Robin- 
son and  Margaret  O'Brien,  will  be 
tradeshown  on  Friday,  Aug.  17,  in  all 
exchange  areas,  except  New  York 
and  Los  Angeles,  where  it  was 
screened  on  July  18. 


1,500  Veterans  at 
'Marines'  Previews 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ceremonies,  and  spoke  over  119  ABC 
stations  on  a  program  that  included  a 
pick-up  from  Guadalcanal.  At  City 
Hall,  Sgt.  Al  Schmid,  local  boy  on 
whose  heroism  the  film  is  based,  as- 
sisted Mayor  Samuel  in  welcoming 
400  veterans  here.  Other  prominent 
guests  included  Gov.  Martin  and  Brig. 
Gens.  R.  L.  Denning  and  G.  Thomas. 

Warner  home  office  executives  on 
hand  included  Joseph  Bernhard,  Harry 
M.  Kalmine,  Mort  Blumenstock, 
Harry  Goldberg,  Arthur  Sachson, 
Jules  Lapidus,  Larry  Golob,  Charles 
Steinberg  and  Bill  Brumberg,  while 
the  local  Warner  group  was  headed 
by  Ted  Schlanger,  Everett  Callow, 
John  Turner  and  Bill  Mansell. 

The  advance  campaign  was  carried 
out  under  the  direction  of  Blumen- 
stock, Eastern  advertising-publicity 
director,  in  association  with  Gold- 
berg, head  of  theatre  advertising-pub- 
licity, and  Callow,  Philadelphia  zone 
advertising-publicity  chief. 


Veto  Union  Affiliation 

After  hearing  arguments  for  affilia- 
tion from  the  stage  and  electrical 
workers'  unions  of  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Labor  and  of  the  communi- 
cations union  of  the  Congress  of  In- 
dustrial Organizations,  the  National 
Council  of  the  National  Association  of 
Broadcast  Engineers  and  Technicians 
has  adopted  a  resolution  asserting  the 
organization's  intention  of  remaining 
independent,  Clarence  A.  Allen,  secre- 
tary-treasurer, reports. 


$6,564,102 
Warner  Net 

(Continued  from  page   1 ) 

1945  is  equivalent  to  $1.77  per  share 
on  the  3,701,090  shares  of  common 
stock  outstanding,  compared  with 
$1.36  per  share  for  the  corresponding 
period  last  year. 

Subsequent  to  May  26,  the  ^«vmpany 
old  its  investment  in  the  \k  of 
Decca  Records,  Inc.,  at  a  i.~rprofit 
of  approximately  $1,350,000,  after  pro- 
vision for  Federal  taxes,  which  profit 
is  not  included  in  the  statement  of 
profit  and  loss  for  the  nine  months 
ending  May,  1945,  as  issued  from  the 
home  office  here  yesterday. 

Gross  income,  after  eliminating  in- 
ter-company transactions  for  the  nine 
months  amounted  to  $105,437,879, 
compared  with  $105,839,366  for  the 
same  period  one  year  ago. 

$66,432,636  Assets 

Current  assets,  including  cash  of 
$17,808,701,  amounted  to  $66,432,636 
as  of  May  26,  1945,  against  current 
liabilities  of  $31,430,574.  The  state- 
ment listed  $2,287,344  in  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment bonds.  Released  produc- 
tions, at  cost ;  less  amortization, 
were  worth  $7,807,305 ;  productions 
completed,  but  not  released,  at  cost, 
were  listed  at  $22,323,226 ;  produc- 
tions in  progress  and  charges  to  future 
productions,  at  cost,  amounted  to 
$8,367,526. 

Current  and  working  assets  of  sub- 
sidiaries operating  in  foreign  terri- 
tories amounted  to  $6,790,461.  Land 
assets,  at  cost,  were  listed  at  $49,- 
912,878 ;  buildings  and  equipment  were 
valued  at  $85,106,800,  _  less  $42,444,- 
732  reserves  for  depreciation.  Lease- 
holds, buildings  and  equipment  on 
leased  properties,  at  cost,  amount  to 
$21,069,087,  less  $12,149,187  reserves 
for  depreciation  and  amortization. 
Goodwill  was  listed  at  $8,821,076. 

Teacher  Group  Hears 
Allvine  on  Films 

Glen  Allvine  of  the  Public  Infor- 
mation Committee,  urged  teachers  to 
participate  through  their  educational 
groups,  in  the  London  Educational  and 
Cultural  Organization  of  the  United 
Nations  next  November,  while  speak- 
ing on  "The  Use  of  Films  in  Explain- 
ing the  World  Security  Conference  to 
School  and  Community  Groups"  be- 
fore 400  school  teachers  studying 
audio-visual  aids  at  Pennsylvania 
State  College,  recently. 

Rose  Set  to  Start 
Three  in  England 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

sired  will  be  available  within  six 
months,  he  hopes  to  make  at  least  three 
pictures  during  the  coming  season,  with 
"Crying  Out  Loud"  and  "Whenever 
I  Remember"  filmed  first.  Ray  Mil- 
land  will  come  to  England  to  star  in 
one  of  the  series,  beginning  in  Janu- 
ary ;  Olivia  De  Havilland  will  also 
be  here,  and  Robert  Cummings  is 
likewise  available,  Rose  said,  adding 
that  he  is  trying  to  get  Carol  Reed  as 
well. 


RKO  Gets  Fund  Short 

The  National  War  Fund  short  sub- 
ject for  1945,  titled  "Furlough,"  will 
be  released  to  the  theatres  beginning 
Aug.  23,  through  RKO  Radio. 


o 


:  - 


Earle  Theatre,  Washington,  D.  C— As  we 
go  to  press,  well  on  its  way  to  record  high ! 
76%  of  audience  are  women! 


4 


Keiths,  Baltimore,  broke  all  boxoffice 
records  for  the  past  eleven  months! 


Lester  Cowa  n  presents  ERNIE  PYLE'S  "Story  of  G.I.  JOE"  starring  Burgess  Meredith  as  Ernie  Pyle  with  Robert  Mitchum  as  The  Captain  — Freddie  Steele  i 
The  Sergeant  and  Wally  Cassell  as  The  Private  •  Directed  by  William  A.  Wellman  •  Screenplay  by  Leopold  Atlas.  Guy  Endore  and  Philip  Stevenson  •  Released  thru  United  AftlS' 


MOTION  PICTURE 


Alert, 

InteUigei 

;aftje 

to  the^J 

Gjtion 

Picture 

industry 

r.  Otr 


58.  NO.  28 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  AUGUST  9,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


War  Factors 
Speed  End  of 
Film  Control 


Raw  Stock  Rationing 
To  Be  Ended  Shortly 


Washington,  Aug.  8. — Recent 
developments  in  the  Pacific  war, 
which  promise  to  eventuate  in  an 
early  capitulation  by  Japan,  were 
seen  in  Washington  today  as  provid- 
ing the  final  factor  necessary  to  a  de- 
termination by  the  War  Production 
Board  to  abandon  raw  stock  alloca- 
tions Sept.  30. 

The  Board's  decision  to  lift  controls 
on  film  is  expected  to  be  announced 
after  meetings  next  week  with  indus- 
try advisory  committees  of  the  film 
manufacturers,  industrial  producers 
and  entertainment  producers. 

Disclosing  that  the  dropping  of 
controls  was  under  consideration, 
Stanley  Adams  of  WPB  some  weeks 
ago  said  allocations  could  be  aban- 
doned when  an  additional  30,000,000 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


UA  Seeking  Lease 
On  Winter  Garden 


United  Artists  is  negotiating  for  use 
of  the  Winter  Garden,  legitimate  thea- 
tre at  1634  Broadw:ay,  Lee  Shubert, 
who  controls  the  house,  confirmed  here 
yesterday.  It  is  understood  that  UA 
is  seeking  the  Garden  on  a  year's  lease 
and  would  use  it  as  an  outlet  for 
American  films  and  for  J.  Arthur 
Rank's  British  productions,  taking  over 
in  September  and  offering  Rank's 
"Henry  V"  as  the  first  program. 

Shubert  on  Saturday  leased  the  Am- 
bassador Theatre  for  a  period  of  not 
less  than  five  years  to  Joseph  and 
Sam  Siritzky.  Legitimate  theatre  cir- 
cles view  such  developments  with  mis- 
giving because  of  the  shortage  of 
houses  for  the  forthcoming  season's 
stage  shows. 


PCCITO  Quarterly 
Meet  Set  for  Aug.  14 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — A  quarterly 
trustees  meeting  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Conference  of  Independent  Theatre 
Owners  will  be  held  Aug.  14-16  at 
the  Benson  Hotel,  Portland,  Ore.  Fol- 
lowing the  meeting,  Robert  H.  Poole, 
executive  secretary,  and  Hugh  Bruen, 
treasurer,  will  proceed  to  Pittsburgh 
to  attend  the  Allied  board  meeting 
there  on  Aug.  20-24. 


1st  Film  Theatre 
To  Honor  War  Dead 

Blanchard,  la.,  Aug.  8.— This 
is  the  first  community  in  the 
country,  so  far  as  is  known,  to 
make  plans  for  erecting  a 
memorial  theatre  to  honor 
the  war  dead  of  the  present 
conflict.  The  town,  with  only 
250  population,  will  open  a 
municipal  motion  picture 
house  to  be  known  as  the 
'Memorial  Theatre.' 


Singles  for  Cities, 
Doubles  Elsewhere 


Des  Moines,  Aug.  8.  —  A  survey 
conducted  by  The  Register  and  Trib- 
une discloses  that  city  folk  in  Iowa 
prefer  single  bills,  while  the  farm  pop- 
ulation is  more  favorable  toward 
double  features. 

Seventy-seven  per  cent  of  those  in- 
terviewed replied  "Yes"  to  the  ques- 
tion "Do  you  go  to  the  Movies?" 
The  survey  showed  that  54  per  cent 
are  ardent  theatregoers,  while  46  per 
cent  are  irregular  attendees. 

Bing  Crosby  won  top  honors  as 
screen  favorite  with,  strangely  enough, 
more  men  favoring  him  than  women. 
Spencer  Tracy  was  second.  About  39 
per  cent  of  those  interviewed  did  not 
have  a  favorite.  On  the  heroine  list, 
Greer  Garson  was  first,  Bette  Davis 
second,  and  Claudette  Colbert  third. 

As  to  favorite  pictures,  "Going  My 
Way"  was  tops,  with  "Since  You 
Went  Away"  second,  and  "Thirty 
Seconds  Over  Tokyo"  third. 


Walsh  to  See 
AFL  Leaders 


Richard  F.  Walsh,  international 
president  of  the  IATSE,  left  New 
York  yesterday  for  Chicago  where 
he  will  discuss  the  Hollywood  strike 
situation  with  the  American  Federa- 
tion of  Labor's  executive  council  to- 
morrow. 

Walsh  told  Motiox  Picture  Daily 
here  yesterday  that  the  AFL  execu- 
tive council  had  discussed  the  Holly- 
wood jurisdictional  dispute  on  Mon- 
day and  William  Green,  AFL  pres- 
ident had  asked  him  to  go  to  Chicago 
to  discuss  the  situation.  There  are 
no  developments  as  far  as  he  knows, 
Walsh  declared. 

Walsh  had  previously  asked  the 
council  what  would  happen  insofar  as 
a  strike  settlement  is  concerned  were 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Studios  Discharge 
Striking  Analysts 


Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — The  major 
studios  tonight  telegraphed  striking 
members  of  the  Screen  Story  Analysts 
Guild  that  their  employment  has  been 
terminated  because  of  failure  to  report 
for  work.  All  members  of  the  guild 
had  been  out  until  yesterday,  when 
11  returned  at  M-G-M.  Two  Screen 
Publicists  Guild  members  today  re- 
ported for  work  at  Columbia,  where 
all  14  regularly  employed  had  been 
out.    SPG    members    observing  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Speed  News  of  Foreign 
Film  Equipment  Needs 


Washington-,  Aug.  8.  —  News  of 
motion  picture  and  equipment  condi- 
tions in  foreign  countries,  possible 
opportunities  for  American  exporters 
and  similar  matter  of  'importance  to 
the  U.  S.  film  industry  will  move 
through  the  Department  of  Commerce 
quicker  and  in  greater  volume  as  a 
result  of  a  cutting  of  red  tape  which 
has  been  ordered  by  Secretary  of 
Commerce  Henry  A.  Wallace. 
.  Much  of  the  information  from 
abroad  now  received  is  restricted  be- 
cause of  security  or  other  considera- 
tions, but  Department  officials  be- 
lieve that  the  need  for  such  control 
no  longer  exists  and  are  working  with 
the  State  Department  on  a  quick 
lifting  of  restrictions  not  actually 
necessarv  for  militarv  reasons. 


A  great  deal  of  material  which  will 
be  of  value  in  post-war  film  and  equip- 
ment trade  abroad  is  reaching  Nathan 
D.  Golden,  chief  of  the  motion  picture 
unit  of  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and 
Domestic  Commerce,  and  every  effort 
will  be  made  to  pass  this  along  to  the 
industry  quickly,  it  was  said  here. 

Golden  pointed  out  that  the  film 
industry,  particularly  the  equipment 
branch,  will  be  in  a  better  position 
in  foreign  trade  after  the  war  than 
for  many  years,  because  of  the  prac- 
tical elimination  of  Germany  as  a 
competitor.  England  will  probably  be 
the  major  competitor  in  post-war 
trade,  Golden  said,  but  that  competi- 
tion will  be  less  difficult  because  the 
political-commercial  tie-ups  will  be 
absent. 


Export  Corp. 
Will  Have  a 
Full-time  Head 


Headquarters  Will  Be 
Established  in  Europe 


The  increasing  number  of  prob- 
lems, both  present  and  potential, 
confronting  American  film  compa- 
nies in  attempts  to  reestablish  them- 
selves in  foreign  markets  has  resulted 
in  a  decision  by  the  companies  to 
make  the  position  of  head  of  the  re- 
cently established  Motion  Picture  Ex- 
port Corp.,  a  full-time  job. 

This  takes  the  place  of  early 
suggestions  under  which  the 
presidency  would  be  held  by 
top-ranking  industry  executives 
on  a  rotating  basis.  The  head  of 
the  export  association  will  prob- 
ably make  his  headquarters  in 
Europe  and  be  in  active  charge 
of  the  functioning  of  the  or- 
ganization from  there. 
The  selection  of  temporary  officers,  ■ 
including    Murray    Silverstone,  20th 

(Continued  on  page  6) 

SIMPP  Aids  Fight 
On  Memphis  Bans 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8.— David  Loew 
has  been  assured  of  the  complete  sup- 
port of  the  Society  of  Independent 
Motion  Picture  Producers,  if  and 
whenever  it  may  be  required,  in  his 
fight  for  revocation  of  the  Memphis 
censorship  board's  banning  of  his 
"The  Southerner." 

Assurance  that  the  SIMPP  would 
back  the  producer  with  legalistic  as 
well   as   moral   strength,   should  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Nelson,  Companies 
To  Discuss  Exports 

The  possible  nature  of  the  Society 
of  Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers' participation  in  the  distribu- 
tors' Motion  Picture  Export  Corp. 
will  be  discussed  by  Donald  M.  Nel- 
son, SIMPP  president,  with  industry 
executives  during  his  current  visit  in 
New  York,  Nelson  told  Motion  Pic- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Lady  on  a  Train' 
appears  on  page  3. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  August  9,  1945 


$329,652  CFI  Net 
For  Second  Quarter 


Personal  Mention 


For  the  three  months  ended  June 
30,  1945,  Consolidated  Film  Indus- 
tries reports  a  profit  of  $568,366,  be- 
fore Federal  tax  provision.  Esti- 
mated Federal  normal  and  surtax 
amounts  to  $238,713,  leaving  a  net 
after  taxes  of  $329,652  which  com- 
pares with  a  net  profit  for  the  same 
period  for  1944  of  $253,770. 

Per  share  earnings  for  the  second 
quarter  are  equivalent  to  50  cents  on 
the  400,000  shares  of  preferred  stock 
outstanding  and  25  cents  on  the  524,- 
973  shares  of  common  stock  outstand- 
ing, which  compares  with  50  cents  per 
share  on  the  preferred  and  10  cents 
per  share  on  the  common  in  the  same 
quarter  of  1944. 

Earnings  are  subject  to  the  rene- 
gotiation. 


Depinet,  Mochrie  to 
Cincinnati  RKO  Meet 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  RKO-Radio  presi- 
dent; Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales 
manager ;  M.  G.  Poller,  Mochrie' s  as- 
sistant; S.  Barret  McCormick,  direc- 
tor of  advertising-publicity,  and  Terry 
Turner,  director  of  field  exploitation, 
will  leave  here  today  for  Cincinnati 
to  attend  the  company's  second  re- 
gional sales  meeting  in  the  Nether- 
land-Plaza  Hotel,  tomorrow  and  Sat- 
urday. They  were  preceded  by  A. 
A.  Schubart,  manager  of  exchange 
operations,  who  left  yesterday,  fol- 
lowing final  sessions  of  RKO-Radio's 
Eastern  regional  sales  meeting, 
at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  here. 


held 


CBS  Half -Year  Net 
Totals  $2,224,170 

Columbia  Broadcasting  earned  $2,- 
224,170  for  the  first  26  weeks  of  1945, 
dr  $1.30  per  share,  against  $2,295,765 
or  $1.34  per  share  for  the  same  period 
of  1944. 

The  CBS  board  has  declared  a 
dividend  of  40  cents  per  share  on  the 
Class  A  and  B  stock  of  $2.50  par 
value,  payable  Aug.  24. 

Sekely,  Dumonceau, 
Lashins  to  Produce 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — Star  Pictures, 
Inc.,  has  been  established  here  by 
Steve  Sekely.  president;  Andre  Dum- 
onceau, vice-president,  and  Edward 
A.  Lashins,  treasurer,  to  produce  for 
the  independent  field.  No  distribu- 
tion arrangements  have  been  an- 
announced. 


N PETER  RATHVON,  RKO 
.  president,  and  John  M.  Whit- 
aker,  vice-president,  left  New  York 
yesterday  by  plane  for  Mexico  City 
to  inspect  Productores  Asociados- 
Mexicanos  Studio,  RKO  affiliate. 
• 

Herbert  Spencer  Berg  of  United 
Artists'  home  office  publicity  staff, 
will  leave  New  York  tomorrow  for 
two  weeks  of  hunting  bears  and  fish- 
ing in  the  Canadian  wilds. 

• 

Arnold  Stoltz,  PRC's  Eastern  ad- 
vertising-publicity manager,  and  Mrs. 
Stolz,  are  the  parents  of  a  third 
daughter,  Adley  Louise,  born  Tues- 
day night  at  Kew  Gardens,  L.  I., 
Hospital. 

• 

Harry  H.  Thomas,  PRC  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
arrived  in  Hollywood  yesterday  for 
a  five-day  conference  with  Leon 
Fromkess,  president. 

• 

David  Bader,  20th  Century-Fox 
home  office  trade  press  contact,  has 
returned  to  New  York  from  a  vaca- 
tion at  Cape  Ann,  Mass.,  with  Mrs. 
Bader. 

Capt.  Harold  Auten,  head  of  J. 
Arthur  Rank's  Eagle-Lion  Films 
here,  is  en  route  to  New  York  from 
London. 

Spyros  Skouras,  20th  Century- 
Fox  president,  and  Donald  Hender- 
son, treasurer,  arrived  on  the  Coast 
from  New  York  yesterday. 

a 

Phillip  Saltonstall,  special  Eu 
ropean  representative  of  the  MPPDA, 
arrived  in  New  York  yesterday  from 
Eire. 

Sydney    Samson,    20th  Century- 
Fox  Canadian  district  manager,  is  in 
New  York  for  home  office  confer 
ences. 

Sgt.  Bill  Langston,  formerly  with 
Warners  in  Atlanta,  is  visiting  that 
city  while  en  route  to  the  South  Pa 
cific. 

• 

Victor  Sedlow  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  home  office  art  department,  is 
back  in  New  York  from  a  two-week 
White  Mountain  vacation. 

• 

Lamar    Swift,    city    manager  of 
Georgia  Theatres  in  Macon,  is  visit 
ing:  Atlanta. 


NEIL  AGNEW,  Vanguard  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager, left  Hollywood  for  New  York 
yesterday  on  the  Superchief. 

• 

f  George  Seed,  city  manager  of  Fa- 
bian Theatres  in  Cohoes,  N.  Y.,  and 
Joe  Saperstein,  manager  of  Fabian's 
Gra^dt,  Albany,  are  vacationing,  the 
former  in  New  York. 


$373,313  Disney  Net 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — Disney  Pro- 
ductions reports  a  net  profit  of  $373.- 
313,  or  $2.41  on  each  of  the  155,000 
preferred  shares,  for  the  39  week* 
ending  June  30.  This  compares  with 
$486,288  or  $3.14  a  share  for  52 
weeks  ending  Sept.  30,  .1944. 


Noble  on  War  Fund 

Edward  J.  Noble,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  American  Broadcasting,  has 
accepted  an  appointment  as  chairman 
of  the  service  division  of  the  New 
York  National  War  Fund. 


Yule  Motif  Colors 
'Christmas'  Debut 


Bernard  Freeman,  M-G-M  manag- 
ing director  in  Australia  and  New 
Zealand,  is  expected  in  New  York 
for  home  office  conferences  sometime 
this  month. 

• 

T.  O.  Tobar,  city  manager  of  Geor- 
gia Theatres  at  Augusta,  has  re- 
turned to  his  post  after  several  weeks 
in  a  hospital. 

• 

Henri  L.  Lartigue,  M-G-M  man- 
aging director  in  France,  is  sched- 
uled to  arrive  in  New  York  shortly 
for  home  office  conferences. 

• 

Herman  P.  Rhodes,  booking  man- 
ager of  Georgia  Theatres,  Inc.,  is 
visiting  Savannah,  and  other  towns 
of  operations,  from  Atlanta. 

• 

Phil  Rapp,  manager  of  Fabian's 
Plaza  Theatre,  Schenectady,  is  re- 
cuperating after  an  operation  at 
Leahy  Clinic,  Boston. 

• 

Abe   Goodman,  20th  Century-Fox 
home    office    advertising  production 
manager,  has  returned  to  New  York 
from  a  Maine-Vermont  vacation. 
• 

L.  A.  Stein  and  Carl  Floyd  of 
Stein  and  Floyd  Theatres,  Florida, 
is  visiting  Atlanta  Film  Row. 

• 

Peter  Protopoloois,  Athens,  Ga., 
circuit  operator,  is  in  Chicago  on 
business. 

A.    Pam    Blumenthal,  Warner 
outdoor  short  subjects  producer,  will 
leave  here  tomorrow  for  the  Coast. 
• 

Mike  Levenson,  state  rights  dis- 
tributor, is  in  Chicago  from  Los  An- 
geles. 

• 

Frank  Rogers  of  Florida  State 
Theatres,  Jacksonville,  is  in  New 
York  for  a  two  weeks'  visit. 

Max  Finn.  New  England  general 
manager  for  E.  M.  Loew  Theatres,  is 
visiting  Hartford. 


Norwalk,  Conn.,  Aug.  8. — Setting 
a  campaign  pattern  that  will  be  dupli- 
cated in  other  key  openings,  Warner's 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut"  was 
launched  here  today  with  a  yuletide 
party  for  100  redeployed  servicemen. 

Following  a  series  of  informal  recep- 
tions and  formal  festivities,  a  dinner 
was  held  in  the  YMCA,  where  0 
Raymond  Baldwin  and  staff,  Mt 
Robert  B.  Oliver  of  Norwalk,  and  M 
other  mayors  had  'Christmas  dinner' 
with  the  soldiers  who  are  on  their  way 
from  Europe  to  the  Pacific,  after 
which  all  assembled  at  Mathews  Park 
to  watch  a  street  parade.  The  pro- 
gram included  Lawrence  Tibbett,  who 
sang  two  numbers,  singing  of  Christ- 
mas carols  by  a  group  of  100,  danc- 
ing, and  the  showing  of  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut"  at  the  Palace  Theater. 

Warner  home  office  executives  at- 
tending included  Mort  Blumenstock. 
Harry  Goldberg,  Larry  Golob  and 
Charles  Steinberg. 


Governor  and  Mayor 
At  'Follies9  Premiere 

World  premiere  of  "Ziegfeld  Fol- 
lies", scheduled  for  the  Colonial  thea- 
tre, Boston,  the  night  of  August  13,  is 
expected  to  draw  notables  of  stage, 
screen,  civic,  political  and  society 
life,  headed  by  Gov.  Maurice  I. 
Tobin  and  Mrs.  Tobin  and  Mayor 
John  E.  Kerrigan,  Lieut.  Gov.  and 
Mrs.  Robert  F.  Bradford  and  George 
B.  Rowell. 

Bert  Mac  Kenzie,  MGM  publicist, 
is  working  on  the  event. 


Gaffney  to  Monogram 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — Harry  Gaff- 
ney, formerly  with  Warners,  has  been 
appointed  manager  of  the  Monogram 
Kansas  City  office,  effective  next 
Monday,  it  was  announced  here  today 
by  Steve  Broidy,  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager. 


Chester  Opens  Office 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — Chester  Pro- 
ductions, scheduled  to  produce  for 
Monogram  release  "Joe  Palooka," 
based  on  the  comic  strip,  has  opened 
offices  here  for  casting  the  picture. 


Cite  Clair  Picture 

In  its  August  issue.  Redbook  Mag- 
azine lists  Rene  Clair's  "And.  Then 
There  Were  None,"  as  the  'Picture- 
of-the-Month,'  selected  by  Thornton 
Delehanty.  The  film,  a  Popular  Pic- 
tures production,  will  be  released  by 
20th  Centurv-Fox. 


Vogel,  Doob  to  Boston 

Joseph  R.  Vogel  and  Oscar  A.  Doob 
will  be  among  Loew-M-G-M  execu- 
tives at  the  roadshow  opening  of 
"Ziegfeld  Follies"  in  Boston  on  Mon- 
day, at  the  Tremont. 


Criterion  Likely  to 
Get  'Joe9  in  Sept. 

United  Artists  announced  here  yes- 
terday that  Ernie  Pyle's  "Story  of 
G.  I.  Joe"  is  tentatively  scheduled  to 
open  in  New  York  on  Sept.  19,  at 
the  Criterion  Theatre. 

Additional  dates  listed  for  the  Les- 
ter Cowan  release  include  the  State, 
Norfolk ;  Loew's-United  Artists,  Louis- 
ville ;  State,  Cleveland  and  the 
Uptown,  Toronto — all  Loew  houses — 
where  it  will  open  simultaneously  on 
Aug.  16. 


Robert  Cooper  Quits 
UA  Publicity  Staff 

Robert  Cooper,  who  has  been  han- 
dling special  events  at  United  Artists 
home  office,  has  resigned.  He  had 
been  a  member  of  the  publicity  and 
exploitation  staff  for  almost  five 
years,  part  of  which  was  spent  as  di- 
rector of  radio,  publicity  and  exploita- 
tion in  the  Midwest,  with  headquar- 
ters in  Chicago.  Cooper  will  leave 
for  a  vacation. 


Air  Breaks  for  Four 

Radio  exploitation  on  three  Coast- 
to-Coast  network  programs  has  been 
arranged  for  "Incendiary  Blonde," 
"Two  Years  Before  The  Mast,"  "Our 
Hearts  Were  Growing  Up"  and  "This 
Gun  For  Hire."  it  was  disclosed  here 
yesterday  by  Robert  M.  Gillham,  di- 
rector of  advertising  and  publicity  for 
Paramount. 


AinTTOW  PTTTTTRF  T) ATT  Y  Martin  Ouiglev  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
PiAlisW  Comoanv  Inc  1270  Sixth  Avenue  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President*  Red  Kann  Vice-President ■  Theo.  T.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;' Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Hnlden  So  London  Wl  Hon-  Burnup  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Ed  tor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Better  Theatres, 
Infernationai 'MofiSS ^Picture  Almanlc,  Fame  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Thursday,  August  9.  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Review 


"Lady  on  a  Train" 

(  Universal) 

THEY  try  hard  in  this  Leslie  Charteris  story  to  combine  the  accepted  ele- 
ments of  mystery  with  comedy  overtone.  The  effort  expended  is  not  re- 
flected too  happily  in  the  final  outcome. 

The  chills  rarely7  strike  any  terror  and  the  chuckles  are  forced  more  often 
than  otherwise.  Whether  or  not  "Lady  on  a  Train"  might  have  fared  better 
had  concentration  been  directed  toward  one  or  the  other  treatment  is  more  or 
less  beside  the  point  now,  yet  this  might  have  been, the  answer. 

It  appears  Deanna  Durbin,  traveling  into  New  York  and  reading  a  mystery 
yarn  as  she  approaches  Grand  Central,  witnesses  a  murder  through  her  car 
window.  A  sort  of  amateur  sleuth  on  her  own — or  maybe  it's  the  literature 
she's  been  indulging — she  embarks  on  her  own  Pinkerton  service  and  manages 
to  run  down  the  killer  of  three.  She  stumbles  into  the  key  through  a  series 
of  fantastic  and  incredibly  far-fetched  circumstances  which  transport  the  at- 
traction from  the  serious  to  the  comic  and  then  to  the  burlesque,  with  a  final 
approach  toward  farce. 

The  consequence  of  all  this  is  the  picture  is  impossible  to  believe.  Con- 
venient detail  is  made  to  fall  into  its  convenient  slot  at  the  will  of  screen 
writers  Edmund  Beloin  and  Robert  O'Brien.  Entered  in  this  conspiracy  of 
construction  are  Charles  David,  the  director,  Felix  Jackson,  the  producer,  and 
Howard  Christie,  his  associate  producer. 

Performances  are  standard  and.  insofar  as  Miss  Durbin  is  concerned,  "Lady 
on  a  Train"  will  find  itself  relying  on  the  fidelity  of  her  following  for  its 
approval.  The  surprise  piece  of  casting,  and  the  best  of  all,  is  the  switch 
which  removes  suspicion  from  Dan  Duryea.  This  time  he  is  positively  not 
the  menace. 

Support  includes  Ralph  Bellamy,  Edward  Everett  Horton,  who  is  given 
comedy  that  strains  the  equation ;  George  Coulouris,  Allen  Jenkins,  David 
Bruce,  Patricia  Morison  and  Maria  Palmer.  Miss  Durbin  sings  three  num- 
bers in  her  usual  voice. 

Running  time,  94  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  24.  Red  Kann 


Production  Is 
Still  Rising; 
Now  Up  to  49 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — The  shooting 
index  continues  to  climb,  as  five  new 
firms   were   started   and   only  three 
,  QKe  finished,  for  a  total  of  49  feat- 
c  in  work.    The  production  scene 
Toilows : 

Columbia 

Started:  "Hail  to  the  Chief"  with 
Marguerite  Chapman,  Willard  Parker, 
Janis  Carter,  Chester  Morris;  "Two- 
fisted  Stranger."  with  Charles  Star- 
rett.  Smiley  Burnette,  Doris  Hauck. 

Shooting:  "Tars  and  Spars," 
"Voice  of  the  Whistler,"  "The  Woman 
in  Red." 

M-G-M 

Started:  "Up  Goes  Maisie."  with 
Ann  Sothern,  George  Murphy, 
Hillarv  Brooke. 

Shooting:  "The  Yearling."  "What 
Next.  Corporal  Hargrove?"  "Boys' 
Ranch,"  "Bad  Bascomb,"  "The 
Hoodlum  Saint."  "Two  Sisters  from 
Boston."  "The  Postman  Always  Rings 
Twice,"  "This  Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "Suspense." 

Started:    "Border    Bandits."  with 
Johnny  Mack  Brown,  Raymond  Hat- 
ton.  Rosa  del  Rosario. 
■  Shooting:   "Swing  Parade."  "Rain- 
bow Valley." 

Paramount 

Shooting:  "Blue  Skies."  "The 
Bride  Wore  Boots,"  "Calcutta,"  "To 
Each  His  Own." 

PRC 

Shooting:  "The  Wife  of  Monte 
Cristo,"  "How  Do  You  Do?"  "Danny 
Boy." 

Republic 

Finished:  "A  Strange  Impersona- 
tion" (formerly  "You'll  Remember 
Me").  William' Wilder. 

Started:  "Concerto,"  with  Philip 
Dorn,  Felix  Bressart,  Maria  Ouspens- 
kaya.  Bill  Carter. 

Shooting:  "Dakota,"  "Don't  Fence 
Me  In." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:    "Men  Are  Such  Liars." 

Shooting:  "Chamber  of  Horrors," 
"Cornered,"  "The  Kid  from  Brook- 
lyn." (Goldwyn);  "Heartbeat" 
(Hakim- Wood)  :  "Tarzan  and  the 
Leopard  Man"  (Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Shooting:  "Smoky,"  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven,"   "The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

'  Shooting:  "Diary  of  a  Chamber- 
maid" (Bogeaus)  ;  "Abilene"  (Levey)  ; 
"Whistle  Stop"  (Xero)  ;  "Duel  in  the 
Sun"  (Selznick). 

Universal 

Shooting:  "Bad  Men  of  the  Bor- 
der" (formerly  "Down  by  the  Bor- 
der") ;  "As  It  Was  Before,"  "Once 
Upon  a  Dream,"  "Shady  Lady," 
"Scarlet  Street"  (Diana). 

Warners 

Shooting:  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love."  "Confidential 
Agent"  "Xight  and  Day." 


Chicago  Holdover 
Policy  Set  by  RKO 


Chicago,  Aug.  8.  —  Encouraged  by 
record  business  scored  with  "Along 
Came  Jones"  in  its  opening  week 
here,  the  RKO  Palace  has  modified 
its  policy  of  limiting  runs  to  two 
weeks  by  extending  the  engagements 
of  any  program  capable  of  holding 
up  at  the  box  office.  "Along  Came 
Jones"  is  set  for  three  weeks  with  a 
moveover  to  the  RKO  Grand  for 
an  indefinite  run. 

Change  in  policy  indicates  the  pos- 
sibility of  future  International  prod- 
uct playing  RKO  houses.  The 
Woods,  heretofore,  has  been  the  ex- 
clusive first-run  outlet  for  Interna- 
tional, due  to  the  theatre's  extended- 
run  formula. 

On  weekends,  the  Palace  will  again 
drop  its  second  feature  when  an  im- 
portant picture  is  playing. 

Another  Attempt  to 
Set  Chicago  Scale 

Chicago,  Aug.  8. — Another  effort 
to  break  the  deadlock  between  local 
theatre  owners  and  the  projectionists 
union  here  will  be  made  at  a  meeting 
scheduled  for  the  Bismarck  Hotel 
next  Wednesday.  The  union  is  de- 
manding a  15  per  cent  wage  increase, 
plus  extra  pay  for  Sundays,  holidays, 
and  time  spent  servicing  machines. 
The  current  pact  expires  Aug.  31. 

Berlin  Wireless  Resumed 

Opening  of  a  new  radiotelegraph 
circuit  between  New  York  and  Vienna 
and  restoration  of  direct  radiotele- 
graph service  between  New  York  and 
Berlin  are  announced  by  Lt.  Col. 
Thompson  H.  Mitchell,  vice-president 
and  general  manasrer  of  RCA  Com- 
munications, Inc.  Traffic  on  both  cir- 
cuits is  limited  at  present  to  govern- 
ment, press  and  soldier  (Expedition- 
ary Force  Messages)  communications. 


Babcock  Elected  to 
Head  Crosley  Corp. 


Irving  B.  Babcock,  president  of 
Aviation  Corp.,  has  been  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  Crosley  Corp.,  in  which 
Aviation  Corp.  acquired  a  controlling 
interest  last  Tuesday.  Babcock,  who 
became  president  of  Aviation  Corp. 
in  February,  is  also  chairman  of 
Consolidated  Vultee  Aircraft  Corp. 
and  American  Central  Manufacturing 
Corp.,  companies  in  which  Aviation 
has  substantial  holdings. 

Aviation's  controlling  interest  in 
Croslev  was  acquired  in  a  transaction 
involving  the  payment  of  $12,000,000 
to  Powel  Crosley,  Jr.  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Crosley  family. 

Total  commitments  in  the  purchase 
of  the  radio  and  household  appliance 
concern,  which  was  announced  on 
June  19.  amount  to  more  than  $21,000,- 
000.  Of  the  545,000  shares  of  Cros- 
ley Corp.  outstanding,  approximately 
400,000  have  been  submitted  to  Avia- 
tion Corp.  for  sale  at  an  agreed  price 
of  $39  a  share,  according  to  Babcock. 


RCA  Declares  Dividend 

Following  the  meeting  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Radio  Corpora- 
tion of  America  this  week  in  New- 
York,  Brig.  Gen.  David  Sarnoff ,  Presi- 
dent of  RCA,  announces  that  a  divi- 
dend of  87*/?  cents  per  share  has  been 
declared  on  the  outstanding  shares  of 
S3. 50  cumulative  first  preferred  stock, 
for  the  period  from  July  1  to  Sept. 
30,  pavable  Oct.  1  to  holders  of  rec- 
ord at  the  close  of  business  on  Sept.  7. 


Ruben  Buys  Building 

Minneapolis,  Aug.  8. — Purchase  of 
the  Pantages  theatre  building,  in  the 
heart  of  the  Minneapolis  loop,  was 
announced  by  E.  R.  (Eddie)  Ruben, 
present  lessor  and  operator  of  the 
theatre.  Sale  of  the  property  to 
Ruben  was  approved  by  the  court  at 
a  reported  price  of  $285,000. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8 

MARIA  Ouspenskaya  has  been 
signed  by  Republic  for  one  of 
the  top  supporting  roles  in  Frank 
Borsage's  current  "Concerto."  .  .  . 
James  S.  Burkett  has  purchased 
"Motherhood,"  original  story  by- 
Arthur  Hoerl ;  he  will  produce  it  as 
an  exploitation  special.  .  .  .  George 
Zucco  has  been  added  to  the  cast  of 
"Confidential  Agent,"  now  in  work  at 
Warners. 

• 

Luther  Davis,  playwright  and  mag- 
azine writer,  has  been  commissioned 
by  Paramount  to  develop  an  original 
musical  comedy  idea  for  a  future 
picture.  .  .  .  Alan  Napier  has  been 
selected  for  an  important  role  in 
M-G-M's  dramatisation  of  A.  J. 
Cronin's  novel,  "The  Green  Years." 
• 

"Manila  John,"  a  story  by  Julian 
Arthur  based  on  conditions  in  Man- 
ila before  and  after  Pearl  Harbor, 
has  been  acquired  by  Republic  for 
Fall  production.  .  .  .  Monogram  has 
purchased  from  the  King  brothers 
their  rights  to  "Silver  Bandit,"  a 
story  by  Jack  Neuman  and  Jack 
Gale.  .  .  .  Edward  Small's  recently 
completed  film,  "Getting  Gertie's 
Garter,"  will  be  released  in  England 
prior  to  its  release  in  this  country. 

Paramount  1st  Block 
Tradeshowings  Set 

Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  sales,  has  an- 
nounced that  the  company's  first  block 
of  pictures  for  the  1945-46  season  will 
be  screened  for  the  trade  as  follows : 

"Duffy's  Tavern"  and  "The  Lost 
Weekend,"  in  all  exchange  centers  on 
Aug.  16 ;  "Love  Letters"  and  "Follow 
That  Woman,"  in  all  exchange  centers, 
except  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  Los 
Angeles  and  New  York,  on  Aug.  20. 
"Love  Letters"  will  be  tradeshown  in 
those  four  cities  on  Aug.  17.  "Follow 
That  Woman"  will  be  tradeshown  in 
New  York  on  Aug.  16,  and  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Indianapolis  and  Los  Angeles 
on  Aug.  17. 


John  Howard  Quits  Navy 

Lt.  Comdr.  John  T.  Howard,  who 
has  been  in  charge  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture entertainment  program  for  the 
Navy,  has  been  placed  on  the  inac- 
tive duty  list  at  his  own  request. 
Howard  was  formerly  branch  man- 
ager for  Paramount  in  Detroit  prior 
to  entering  the  Armed  Forces  in 
1942.  Lt.  Bolivar  T.  Hyde,_  Jr.,  has 
assumed  his  duties  in  Washington. 


Jean  Reidman  Resigns 

Jean  Reidman,  assistant  to  Richard 
F.  Walsh,  international  president  of 
the  IATSE,  and  associated  with  the 
organization  for  14  years,  has  re- 
signed, effective  tomorrow.  She  will 
join  her  husband,  Corp.  Milton 
Gerber,  USA,  at  Greenwood,  S.  C. 


New  WOR  Video  Series 

WOR  is  resuming  production  of 
television  programs  with  a  new  13- 
week  series  of  telecasts  originating 
from  WRGB,  General  Electric's  sta- 
tion in  Schenectady,  on  Wednesday 
nights. 


AFTER  SIX  PHENOMENAL  WEEKS 
THAT  TOPPED  EVERYTHING 
IN  30  YEARS  "CONFLICT 


THANKS  HEW  YORK  AND 
GOODBYE  FOR  NOW 


JACK  L.  WARNER,  Executive  Producer 


*W>X    BARBARA  STANWYCK 


DENNIS  MORGAN 
SYDNEY  GREENSTREET 


•  RIDE  OF  THE  MARINES  *  SARATOGA  TRUNK  *  RHAMODFTN  TLUE  ★  THREE  STRANGERS 
J)NE  MORE  TOMORROW  *  DEVOTION  *  *  TOO  YOUNG  TO  KNOW  *  THf  W0 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  August  9,  1945 


Walsh  to  See 
AFL  Leaders 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

he  to  withdraw  the  'IA'  charters  is- 
sued to  painters,  carpenters  and 
machinists  after  the  strike  started.  He 
pointed  out  that  issuance  of  these 
charters  had  followed  the  calling  of 
the  strike  by  the  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  affiliates  rather  than  precipi- 
tating it.  Although  Walsh  has  not  re- 
ceived answers  to  his  questions  from 
the  council.,  it  is  believed  that  those 
issues  will  be  the  basis  of  discussions 
at  the  meeting. 

Demands  of  the  carpenters,  headed 
by  William  Hutcheson,  for  jurisdic- 
tion over  all  wood  work  in  the  studios 
now  controlled  by  the  IATSE  have 
been  cited  by  Walsh  as  being  the 
principal  barrier  to  any  settlement  of 
the  strike.  A  previous  meeting  in 
Chicago  last  month  attended  by  heads 
of  the  several  international  unions  in- 
volved in  the  strike,  failed  to  resolve 
the  issues. 


Studios  Discharge 
Striking  Analysts 

(Continued  from  page   1 ) 

picket  lines  will  staff  a  daily  news- 
paper, scheduled  for  first  appearance 
tomorrow,  in  which  they  will  under- 
take to  place  the  case  of  the  unions 
on  strike  against  the  major  studios 
before  the  theatre-going  public. 

Edited  by  George  Shaffer,  Uni- 
versal publicist,  the  paper  will  pub- 
lish in  each  fdition  the  three  princi- 
pal points  on  which  the  strikers  have 
predicated  all  settlement  proposals 
considered  thus  far . 


Siritzkys  Plan  a 
75-Theatre  Circuit 


Sam  and  Joe  Siritzky,  operators  of 
what  was  the  largest  motion  picture 
circuit  in  France,  running  75  key  first- 
run  houses  before  the  war,  are  formu- 
lating plans  for  the  acquisition  of  a 
circuit  of  similar  size  in  this  coun- 
try. As  an  initial  step  in  this  direc- 
tion, the  Siritzky  brothers,  who  al- 
ready operate  the  Little  Squire  here 
and  the  Majestic  in  Brooklyn,  re- 
cently consummated  a  lease  with  The- 
atrical Realties,  Inc.,  for  the  Ambas- 
sador Theatre,  New  York,  which  will 
be  re-equipped  and  re-decorated  as  a 
first-run  motion  picture  house,  which 
also  will  be  equipped  for  television. 
Berk  and  Krumgold  closed  for  the 
lease. 


Broadway  Merchants 
Post  Para.  'Salute* 

Members  of  the  Broadway  Associa- 
tion are  displaying  in  show  windows, 
an  llxl4-inch  four-color  poster  in 
salute  to  Paramount  and  its  'One 
Third  of  a  Century'  anniversary  re- 
lease, "Incendiary  Blonde."  The  pos- 
ter has  also  been  placed  in  hotel  lob- 
bies, restaurants  and  night  clubs, 
banks,  department  'stores,  telegraph 
offices  and  bus  terminals. 

Similar  cooperation  of  business 
groups  is  being  obtained  in  other  key 
cities,  Paramount  states. 


New  Lansburgh  Short 

Larry  Lansburgh  has  finished  a 
16mm.  Kodachrome  short  for  George 
Hirliman's  International  Theatrical 
and  Television  Corp.  This  is  Lans- 
burgh's  second  for  Hirliman. 


War  Progress  Seen 
Ending  Controls 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

feet  of  raw  stock  a  quarter,  over  and 
above  allocation  levels,  could  be  as- 
sured the  industry.  That  point  is  be- 
lieved now  to  have  been  reached  as  a 
result  of  cut-backs  in  military  and 
other  requirements  and  high-level  pro- 
duction by  the  film  manufacturers. 

Next  week's  meetings  originally 
were  planned  to  consider  the  situation 
in  the  light  of  the  needs  of  the  mili- 
tary for  war  in  the  Pacific  running 
into  next  year,  but  the  atomic-  bomb 
and  Russia's  declaration  of  war  on 
Japan  are  believed  to  presage  a  short- 
ening of  the  war  from  months  to 
weeks,  which  is  to  be  taken  into  con- 
side'ration  in  the  discussions. 

Even  on  the  basis  of  continued  mili- 
tary operations  as  they  were  planned 
before  the  new  developments  in  the 
war,  military  raw  stock  requirements 
for  the  fourth  quarter  will  be  ma- 
terially below  those  for  the  current 
period,  according  to  estimates  fur- 
nished the  WPB  by  the  Army.  It  is 
believed  that  on  the  basis  of  estimated 
requirements  and  anticipated  produc- 
tion alone,  abandonment  of  allocations 
will  be  possible  within  the  next  few 
weeks. 

Other  Controls 

Meanwhile,  control  agencies  in 
Washington  were  speeding  up  their 
plans  for  liberating  the  civilian  econ- 
omy immediately  upon  the  end  of  the 
war.  The  WpB  already  has  per- 
fected its  program  for  cutting  loose 
the  great  majority  of  its  controls  on 
materials    and  production. 


SIMPP  Aids  Fight 
On  Memphis  Bans 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
situation  warrant  was  received  follow- 
ing Loew's  telegram  last  week  to 
SIMPP  president  Donald  Nelson. 
Organizational  participation  in  the 
case  will  not  be  involved,  however, 
unless  the  direct  efforts  of  Memphis 
attorney  Edward  Kuhn,  appointed  by 
Loew's  attorney  David  Tannenbaum 
to  obtain  court  relief  from  the  censor's 
ban,  prove  unavailing.  Decision  as  to 
the  form  attorney  Kuhn's  action  will 
take  has  not  yet  been  made,  but  a  peti- 
tion for  an  injunction  to  prevent  en- 
forcement of  the  edict  appears  favored. 

A  Loew  representative  said  the 
producer  intends  to  conduct  his  case 
on  the  basis  of  the  broad  principles 
involved  rather  than  on  the  merits  of 
the  individual  picture,  believing  that 
the  whole  system  under  which  such  a 
banning  could  be  enforced  is  a  men- 
ace to  freedom  of  the  screen. 


Nelson,  Companies 
To  Discuss  Exports 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
ture  Daily  yesterday.  Invitations 
were  extended  to  the  independents  to 
participate  in  the  export  corporation 
with  representation  of  the  board  be- 
ing offered  either  to  an  SIMPP  rep- 
resentative or  a  representative  agreed 
upon  by  the  independents  collectively. 

SIMPP  has  not  yet  selected  an  of- 
fice for  its  New  York  headquarters, 
Nelson  said. 

Nelson,  who  arrived  here  from 
Washington,  plans  to  remain  in  New 
York  until  Sunday. 


Export  Corp. 
Will  Have  a 
Full-time  Head 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Century-Fox,  as  vice-president ;  Gor- 
don E.  Youngman,  RKO,  as  secre- 
tary, and  George  Borthwick,  as  tr/<~~\ 
urer,  is  described  as  a  move  J 
facilitate  organization  of  the  new 
association.  The  designation  of  a 
head  of  the  association  has  not  been 
made  nor  have  any  names  been  agreed 
upon  as  prospects  as  far  as  can  be 
ascertained. 

While  the  industry  has  obtained 
blanket  approval  for  operations  of  the 
association  under  the  Webb  Act  from 
the  Government,  company  attorneys 
are  now  going  through  the  formality 
of  securing  specific  permission  from 
the  Federal  Trade  Commission  to 
send  corporation  representatives  into 
Holland,  the  first  country  where  it 
will  operate.  A  government  film 
monopoly  exists  in  Holland. 

Four  Fertile  Fields 

It  is  expected  that  the  companies 
will  be  able  to  conduct  distribution 
activities  without  crippling  restraints 
in  Belgium,  Italy,  Denmark  and  Nor- 
way and  they  are  making  preparations 
to  resume  full  distribution  activities 
in  those  countries  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. Distribution  heads  do  not  an- 
ticipate any  change  in  the  situation 
in  Germany  for  some  time,  and  they 
are  watching  developments  in  Spain. 

Meanwhile,  the  American  Embassy 
in  Paris  is  cooperating  with  Howard 
Smith,  MPPDA  representative,  in 
his  attempts  to  seek  a  solution  of 
present  difficulties  faced  by  the  Amer- 
ican companies  in  seeking  to  resume 
distribution  in  France.  Smith  is  pres- 
ently negotiating  with  French  author- 
ities, but  according  to  latest  reports, 
no  solution  has  been  arrived  at. 


Young  Sees  India  as 
A  Vast  Market 

The  people  of  India  are  enthusiastic 
film  fans  and  when  their  purchasing 
power  increases,  as  it  will,  they  may 
provide  one  of  the  greatest  film 
markets  of  the  world,  according  to 
F.  P.  Young,  manager  of  the  India 
branch  of  Western  Electric,  who  has 
returned  to  this  country  on  leave 
after  five  years  in  India. 

"At  present  there  are  only  2,000 
theatres  in  India  for  a  population  of 
over  400,000,000,"  says  Young,  "but 
all  are  now  wired  for  sound  and  over 
half  use  American  equipment.  Native 
films  may  run  for  a  surprisingly  long 
time,  sometimes  a  full  year,"  added 
Young. 


Public  Will  Select  Stars 

Hollywood,  Aug.  8. — Film  (stars 
who  will  appear  on  the  new  Masquers 
Club  air  show,  over  CBS,  starting 
early  in  October,  will  be  selected  by 
radio  listeners.  The  show  will  be 
known  as   "Request  Performance." 


Cites  Balaban  Gift 

The  .  presentation  to  the  nation  of 
the  original  copy  of  the  Bill  of  Rights 
by  Barney  Balaban,  president  of  Par- 
amount, is  the  subject  of  a  15-page 
article  in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the 
Library  of  Congress. 


(FIRST  OF  A  SERIES  OF  EXHIBITOR  OPINIONS) 


"It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to 
witness  the  screening  of  the 
picture  selected  to  highlight 
Paramount' s  Third  of  a  Century- 
Drive--  1  INCENDIARY  BLONDE.  1 

"We  feel  that,  unquestionably, 
it  will  top  anything  that 
Paramount  has  had  of  its  type  in 
the  past  third  of  a  century. 

"In  our  opinion  the  work  of  Betty 
Hutton  as  Texas  Guinan  is  the 
finest  thing  that  she  has  ever 
^accomplished,  and  appeals  to  us 
I  as  one  of  the  finest  contribu- 
tions to  musical  comedy  motion 
pictures  that  it  has  been  our 
good  fortune  to  witness." 

BOB  0 1 DONNELL 

interstate  Circuit 


I  \  I  r4  rj  \  I 
J  J  J^  Jj  J  J 


IN  TECHNICOLOR 


^4- 


YEAR 


M  '  •*  <* 


QuiGLEY  PUBLICATIONS'  THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  mark  a 

milestone  in  the  brilliant  career  of  its  founder,  Martin  Quigley.  ★  ★  ★  Since 
Nineteen  Hundred  and  Fifteen,  when  Martin  Quigley  launched  the  Herald,  fore- 
runner of  the  present  Quigley  Publications,  his  journalistic  efforts  and  public  relations 
activities  to  further  the  interests  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry,  have  been  rife  with 
ethical  interpretation  of  our  industry's  destiny.  ★  ★  ★  Through  the  years,  readers  of 
Quigley  Publications  have  been  inspired  by  Martin  Quigley's  courage  as  an  Editor 
and  Publisher.  We  have  experienced  a  feeling  of  keen  admiration  for  his  sincere, 

un-influenced  editorial  policy;  his  efforts  in 
behalf  of  clean  entertainment;  and  his  prolific 
contribution  to  the  cause  of  better  Showman- 
ship. ★  ★  ★  Quigley  Publications'  Thirty 
years  of  growth  and  achievement  are  a  tribute 
to  Martin  Quigley,  whose  lofty  ideals  and 
practical  doctrines  have  contributed  so  much 
to  the  industry  he  serves.  *  *  *  The  rnze 
Baby  takes  great  pride  in  tendering  heart-felt 
felicitations  to  Martin  Quigley  and  his  fine 
organization,  on  this  Thirtieth  milestone  in  a 
notable  and  successful  career.  -  30  -  30  -  30 


mmmv\Cie€/l  service 

\_J  PR/Zf  BOBY  Of  THf  /nous THY 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

tnteMgei 

to  the^J 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  29 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  AUGUST  10,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Receipts  at 
Peak  Levels 
At  First-Runs 


8  Films  Score  Heavily 
In  14  Key  City  Reports 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

"Out  of  This  World"  and  "Thrill 
of  a  Romance"  led  eight  films 
which  scored  heavily  in  first-run 
theatres  in  14  key  cities  during  the 
past  week,  according  to  reports  from 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  corre- 
spondents. The  other  six  were :  "The 
Naughty  Nineties,"  "Along  Came 
Jones,"  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  "A 
Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  "The 
Valley  of  Decision"  and  "Back  to 
Bataan."  Weather  conditions  aided 
theatres  in  most  cities,  with  some  re- 
porting their  best  business  in  recent 
weeks. 

Circuit  executives  verified  peak 
levels  during  the  week,  with  "Thrill 
of  a  Romance"  and  "The  Valley  of 
Decision"  leading,  and  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut,"    "The    Story    of  G.I. 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Gillham  Resigns, 
Joins  Thompson 


Charles  M.  Reagan,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  sales  for  Paramount 
Pictures,  announced  here  yesterday 
that  Robert  M.  Gillham,  who  for  the 
past  12  years  has  been  director  of 
publicity  and  advertising  for  that  com- 
pany, had  resigned  to  become  associ- 
ated with  the  New  York  office  of  the 
J.  Walter  Thompson  advertising 
agency.  Gillham  will  leave  his  post 
at  the  end  of  the  month. 

No  successor  to  Gillham  will  be  ap- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Grierson  Quits  Film 
Board  in  Canada 


42%  Reissues  for 
Chicago  Next  Month 

Chicago,  Aug.  9. — More  than 
42  per  cent  of  the  57  pictures 
to  be  released  in  this  area 
in  September  will  be  reissues. 
The  general  release  schedule 
lists  24  old  pictures,  most  of 
them  coming  from  indepen- 
dent companies.  Warners  will 
reissue  "Thank  Your  Lucky 
Stars,"  while  Paramount  has 
re-scheduled  "For  Whom  the 
Bell  Tolls." 


100  Millions  for 
Inter-America  Films 


Since  1941,  Hollywood  has  invested 
more  than  $100,000,000  in  motion  pic- 
tures of  inter-American  significance 
and  content  to  implement  the  Gov- 
ernment's "good-neighbor"  policy,  the 
Eastern  Public  Information  Commit- 
tee disclosed  here  yesterday. 

In  the  four  years  in  which  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Society  for  the  Ameri- 
cas has  been  operating,  in  Hollywood, 
PIC  reports,  "substantial  advances 
have  been  made  in  cultural  coopera- 
tion between  the  American  republics 
and  in  motion  picture  production 
awareness  of  Latin-American  litera- 
ture, customs  and  enthusiasms." 

Under  a  full-time  secretary,  C. 
Merwin  Travis,  the  Society  has  been 
devoted  to  "the  varied  projects  by 
which  Southern  Californians  draw 
closer  to  Southern  Americans,"  the 
PIC  continued.  Through  Travis' 
offices,  the  committee  adds,  representa- 
tives from  all  20  Latin- American  re- 
publics were  able  to  study  the  work 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Lift  Controls  As 
Soon  as  Possible, 
Truman  Tells  Krug 

Washington,  Aug.  9.  —  President 
Truman  today  told  War  Production 
Board  Chairman  J.  A.  Krug  that  all 
wartime  production  controls  should 
be  lifted  "as  soon  as  they  are  no 
longer  needed,"  and  instructed  him  to 
put  the  same  vigor  behind  reconver- 
sion as  was  shown  in  gearing  the 
country  for  war. 

The  President's  action  resolved  a 
controversy  between  the  WPB  and 
the  Office  of  Price  Administration, 
which  had  complained  that  the  for- 
mer's action  in  "throwing"  on  the 
market  materials  no  longer  needed  for 
war  was  endangering  price  control. 

In  his  instructions  to  Krug,  Truman 
made  no  reference  to  the  controversy, 
but  said  that  production  of  materials 
which  are  in  short  supply  should  be 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


WPB  Loosens  Ties 
On  Construction 


Washington,  Aug.  9.— The  War 
Production  Board  announced  here  to- 
day that  construction  jobs  halted  be- 
cause they  were  in  violation  of  the 
L-41  order,  may  now  be  resumed 
under  certain  conditions,  but  officials 
of  the  Office  of  Civilian  Requirements 
amusements  section  said  it  would  have 
no  effect  on  theatre  construction,  be- 
cause, as  a  spokesman  for  the  OCR 
said,  exhibitors  have  operated  well 
within  the  provisions  of  the  construc- 
tion order.    He  could  recall  no  in- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Ottawa,  Aug.  9. — John  Grierson 
has  resigned  as  Canadian  Film  Com- 
missioner on  the  National  Film 
Board,  but  will  remain  in  Ottawa  to 
develop  a  private  organization  pat- 
terned on  the  Film  Center  he  cre- 
ated in  England  in  the  1930's. 

With  the  Film  Board  since  1939, 
Grierson  helped  earn  it  an  interna- 
tional reputation  for  documentaries 
released   every   six   weeks   to  6,000 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Breen  Tells  Producers  Disapproval 
Of  Gangster  Films  Is  Increasing 

Hollywood,  Aug.  9. — In  the  face  of  reported  mounting  disap- 
proval of  gangster  subjects  on  the  part  of  Parent-Teacher  Associa- 
tions and  other  public  groups,  PRC  has  cancelled  production  plans 
for  "Wanted  for  Murder,"  "Johnny  Torrio"  and  two  additional 
untitled  pictures  in  the  same  category.  The  action  followed  receipt 
of  a  communication  from  Joseph  I.  Breen,  administrator  of  the 
Production  Code,  citing  protests  received  against  similar  pictures 
now  in  release. 

Breen  told  Motion  Picture  Daily  that  he  had  merely  transmitted 
information  regarding  the  present  public  attitude  toward  such  pic- 
tures so  PRC's  studio  would  know  what  to  expect,  adding  that  the 
Production  Code  Administration  has  not  formally  banned  or  for- 
bidden this  type  of  production. 

PRC's  Martin  Mooney,  who  was  to  have  produced  the  cancelled 
films,  told  Motion  Picture  Daily,  "We  will  substitute  other  types  of 
pictures  for  these,  but  this  attitude,  applied  generally,  will  further 
handicap  all  'B'  and  serial  productions,  which  depend  heavily  on 
criminal  background  for  stories  and  always  show  that  crime  does 
not  pay." 


House  Group 
To  Study  Film 
Curbs  Abroad 


Going  to  Europe  inWeek; 
Will  Report  to  Congress 

By  BERTRAM  F.  LINZ 

Washington,  Aug.  9.  —  The 
grave  problems  confronting  the 
United  States  motion  picture  in- 
dustry abroad,  said  to  be  unprece- 
dented in  any  other  area  of  foreign 
trade,  will  be  closely  studied  by  mem- 
bers of  the  House  Special  Committee 
on  Post-war  Economic  Policy  and 
Planning  who  will  leave  for  Europe 
the  first  of  next  week  to  investigate 
economic  control  policies  in  Allied  and 
liberated  countries  and  their  bearing 
on  the  American  economy,  it  was 
learned  here  today. 

Dr.  William  Y.  Elliott,  Professor  of 
Government  at  Harvard  University, 
who  resigned  this  week  as  War  Pro- 
duction Board  vice  -  chairman  for 
Office  of  Civilian  Requirements,  will 

(Continued  on  page  7)  .  ... 


French  Finish  25, 
40  in  the  Making 


Eighty-three  French  feature  films 
were  produced  in  Paris  in  1939,  28  in 
1940,  60  in  1941,  78  in  1942,  60  in 
1943,  20  in  1944,  and  25  in  the  first 
five  months  of  this  year,  it  is  reported 
in  Le  Cinema  Franchise,  1945,  a  spe- 
cial edition  of  the  French  trade  paper, 
La  Cinematographic  Francaise,  which 
reappeared  in  the  U.  S.  this  week  for 
the  first  time  since  1939.  The  publi- 
cation of  the  journal  had  been  discon- 
tinued for  the  duration  of  the  war. 

Forty  additional  features  are  listed 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


SWG  in  New  Strike 
Mediation  Action 


Hollywood,  Aug.  9. — The  Screen 
Writers  Guild,  which  unsuccessfully 
sought  to  intervene  earlier  during  the 
current  Hollywood  studio  strike  by 
joining  with  the  Screen  Actors  Guild 
and  the  Screen  Directors  Guild  in  a 
proposal  for  mediation,  yesterday 
made  three  moves  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, as  approved  by  its  executive 
board. 

A  telegram  was  sent  to  the  Nation- 
< Continued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  10,  1945 


Six  Houses  Operate 
In  Berlin  for  'GIs' 

The  motion  picture  branch 
of  the  Office  of  the  Chief  of 
Special  Service  of  the  Army, 
here,  reported  yesterday  that 
six  Berlin  film  theatres  are 
now  operating  daily  for  the 
benefit  of  'GIs.  The  largest 
is  the  Titania  Palast,  with 
2,000  seats;  others  are  trje 
Templehof  Korso,  Park,  Zeli, 
Onkel  Tom,  and  the  Lumina. 
They  are  serviced  by  Army 
Special  Service,  which  flies 
in  three  new  films  weekly. 

During  the  'Big  Three'  con- 
ference, the  Coliseum  at  Pots- 
dam was  opened  temporarily 
for  conference  personnel.  One 
feature  was  the  world  pre- 
miere of  M-G-M's  "Weekend 
at  the  Waldorf." 


'Liberty,'  3  Screen 
Papers  Go  to  Odium 


Floyd  B.  Odium's  Atlas  Corp.  yes- 
terday extended  its  holdings  in  the 
motion  picture,  utility,  transportation 
and  numerous  other  industries,  to  the 
publishing  business,  with  the  disclos- 
ure of  the  purchase  of  Liberty  Maga- 
zine, Inc.,  which  publishes  Liberty, 
Screenland,  Silver  Screen  and  Movie 
Show.  The  purchase  price  was  near 
$2,000,000. 

The  Atlas  holdings  in  the  film  busi- 
ness are  currently  worth  about  $13,- 
711,933,  represented  by  $12,459,562 
of  RKO  common  stock,  $678,700  of 
Walt  Disney  cumulative  (preferred, 
and  miscellaneous  other  holdings. 

Change  Hands  Aug.  20 

Odium's  commitment  to  purchase 
the  magazines  became  effective  yes- 
terday and  title  will  change  hands  on 
or  about  Aug.  20. 

The  entire  capital  stock  of  Liberty 
Magazine,  Inc.,  is  being  acquired 
from  Paul  Hunter,  publisher  of  Lib- 
erty, and  the  Cuneo  Press  interests. 
Hunter  has  entered  into  a  term  con- 
tract to  carry  on  active  management 
of  the  business  and,  along  with  Ed- 
ward Maher,  editor  of  Liberty,  has 
taken  a  minority  interest  in  the  mag- 
azine group. 

Liberty  Magazine  has  a  weekly  cir- 
culation here  and  in  Canada  approxi- 
mating 1,500,000  copies.  The  screen 
magazines  have  a  monthly  circulation 
approximating  1,000,000  copies. 

There  will  be  no  change  in  direct 
management  or  policies,  with  respect 
to  any  of  the  magazines,  it  was  said. 
General  plans  are  in  mind,  however, 
to  strengthen  the  position  of  Liberty 
Magazine  with  respect  to  the  post- 
war competitive  magazine  field. 

The  group  of  magazines  has  earn- 
ings which  have  been  running  at  a 
rate  exceeding  $150,000  per  month 
before  taxes. 


'Strangers'  Opening  Set 

London,  Aug.  9. — Sir  Alexander 
Korda's  "Perfect  Strangers"  will 
have  its  premiere  here  Aug.  30  at  the 
Empire  Theatre,  Leicester  Square. 


Personal  Mention 


CAPT.  ROBERT  A.  LEWIS,  27, 
co-pilot  of  the  B-29  Enola  Gay, 
which  atom-bombed  Hiroshima,  is  the 
son  of  George  W.  Lewis,  chief  engi- 
neer of  Paramount  Newsreel,  here. 
• 

Sgt.  Larney  Goodkind,  former 
Universal  Eastern  story  and  talent  de- 
partment head,  and  now  with  the 
Army  Special  Service  Division  at 
Camp  Ritchie,  Md.,  was  married  re- 
cently to  Karen  Rose  at  Pen  Mar, 
Md.  The  new  Mrs.  Goodkind  has 
been  a  reader  at  Universal  for  the 
last  five  years. 

• 

John  E.  Flynn,  M-G-M  West- 
ern division  manager,  has  been  named 
national  chairman  for  the  amuse- 
ment industry  to  raise  funds  for  the 
Leo  N.  Levi  -  -Memorial  at  Hot 
Springs,  Ark. 

• 

Mrs.  H.  L.  Woldenberg  of  the 
Clinton  Theatre,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  and 
Mrs.  Inez  Ferguson  of  the  Copake 
Theatre,  Copake,  N.  Y.,  visited  Al- 
bany this  week. 

• 

Sam  Horowitz,  Vanguard's  Mid- 
western sales  representative,  will 
leave  Chicago  Monday  on  a  10-day 
trip  through  his  territory. 

• 

Lt.  Col.  David  Niven  has  been  dis- 
charged from  the  British  Army  and 
will  return  to  films  in  London. 
• 

Jack  Leewood  of  Warners'  Se- 
attle branch,  is  in  Portland,  Ore.,  on 
business. 

• 

V.  L.  Driscoll  is  back  managing 
the  Grafton  (Ohio)  Theatre,  follow- 
ing his  honorable  Army  discharge. 
• 

John  Kane,  Columbia's  personnel 
manager,  is  on  a  two  weeks'  vacation. 


WILL   H.   HAYS,   president  of 
MP  PDA,  arrived  in  Hollywood 
yesterday  from  New  York. 

Robert  Wolff,  RKO  Radio  man- 
aging director  for  the  United  King- 
dom, who  has  been  in  the  U.  S.  for 
the  past  month,  will  fly  back  to  Lon- 
don over  the  weekend. 

Hal  Horne,  20th  Century-Fox  di- 
rector of  advertising-publicity,  is  on 
vacation  in  New  Hampshire  with 
Mrs.  Horne. 

• 

Leonard  Allen  of  the  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox Charlotte  exchange,  has  re- 
turned to  that  city  from  a  two-week 
vacation  in  New  York. 

• 

Sgt.  Walter  E.  Pinson,  son  of  R. 
F.  Pinson,  Wilby-Kincey  booker  in 
Charlotte,  has  been  hospitalized  for  a 
month  as  a  result  of  injuries. 
• 

Nat  Levy,  RKO-Radio  Eastern 
district  sales  manager,  left  last  night 
for  the  company's  Cincinnati  regional 
sales  meeting. 

• 

Rodney  Pantages,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  Hollywood  Pantages 
Theatre,  is  in  New  York  from  the 
West  Coast. 

• 

Tony  Sudekum,  president  of  Cres- 
cent Amusement  Co.,  Nashville,  has 
been  appointed  a  member  of  the  Park 
Commission  in  that  city. 

• 

Perry  Lieber,  RKO  Radio  studio 
publicity  manager,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  Hollywood. 

• 

Rovy  Branon,  RKO  Charlotte 
branch  manager,  is  a  patient  at. 
Memorial  Hospital  in  that  city. 


Irving  Cohen  Aiding 
Trial  Preparations 

Irving  Cohen,  formerly  of  Par- 
amount's  legal  department,  here,  and 
now  associated  with  Howard  Rein- 
heimer,  has  been  added  to  the  legal 
staff  which  is  making  trial  prepara- 
tions for  the  consent  decree  distribu- 
tors' defense  of  the  Government's  New 
York  anti-trust  suit. 

Cohen  is  assisting  Benjamin  Pep- 
per, executive  coordinator  of  trial 
preparations  for  Paramount,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, RKO,  Warners  and  Loew's. 


Yergin  Gets  a  Post 
With  International 

Hollywood,  Aug.  9. — Irving  Yergin 
has  resigned  as  editor  of  Hollywood 
Reporter  to  join  International  Pic- 
tures as  assistant  to  Alfred  W. 
Schwalberg.  Yergin  will  make  his 
headquarters  in  New  York  and  will 
follow  through  on  "Tomorrow  is  For- 
ever." 


Army  Films  to  Schools 

New  York  City  schools  have  ac- 
quired a  collection  of  475  motion  pic- 
tures originally  prepared  for  use  in 
Army  training  programs. 


Grant  Stock  Rations 
To  Mexican  Industry 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  9. — The  Na- 
tional Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union  will,  after  all,  get  the 
raw  stock  recently  allowed  it  by  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior,  in  charge  of 
distributing  raw  stock,  now  strictly  ra- 
tioned, to  produce  the  20  pictures  it 
has  announced.  The  First  District 
Court  here  has  denied  the  Association 
of  Mexican  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distributors  the  injunction  it 
asked  to  block  the  appropriation,  the 
court  disagreeing  with  the  associa- 
tion's contention  that  allowing  the 
raw  stock  was  discrimination. 


Asks  Censor  Probe 
By  Memphis  Mayor 

Hollywood,  Aug.  9.  —  Producer 
David  Loew  today  opened  a  mail  cam- 
paign on  behalf  of  his  right  to  ex- 
hibit "The  Southerner"  in  Memphis 
by  circularizing  newspaper  editors  na- 
tionally with  a  petition  addressed  to 
Mayor  Walter  Chandler  of  Memphis, 
demanding  that  he  "take  immediate 
action  toward  a  complete  investigation 
of  censor  board  chairman  Lloyd  Bin- 
ford's  position  and  uphold  the  prin- 
ciple of  freedom  of  the  screen." 


Coming 
Events 


Aug.  10-12— RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Netherland-Plaza  Hotel, 
Cincinnati. 

Aug.  14-16 — RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Blackstone  Hotel,  Chi- 
cago. 

Aug.  15— Distributors-WPB  meet- 
ing in  Washington  on  raw  stock. 

Aug.  20-22—  RKO  regional  sales 
meeting,  Ambassador  Hotel,  Los 
Angeles. 

Aug.  21-23 — Allied  board  meeting 
and  meeting  of  the  Conference  of 
Independent  Exhibitors,  William 
Penn  Hotel,  Pittsburgh. 

Aug.  23 — Walt  Disney  meeting  on 
stock  transfers,  Hollywood. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation        Rockefeller  Center 

A  Bell  For  Adano 

GENE  TIERNEY  •  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century -Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 

in  M-G-M's 

'VALLEY  of 
DECISION' 


IN  PERSON 


■Scarps 

RUTH  TERRY 


"bETTY  HUTTON  - ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA^ 
in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON — 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B  WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


,1 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

"CAPTAIN  EDDIE 

20th  Century-Fox — A  Eureka  Picture 
Plus  on  Stage — Phil  Silvers   .  Berry  Brothers 

Extra!  Prof.  Lamberti 
BUT  MORE  p  Q         y    7™  AVE'  & 


BONDS 


50TH  ST. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller .  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,'  10c.  -■ 


IT  NEVER  HAPPENED  BEFORE! 


C  SSft 


■ 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  10,  1945 


SWG  in  New  Strike 
Mediation  Action; 
SPG  Deadline  Past 


{Continued  from  page  1) 
al  Labor  Relations  Board  urging  ex- 
peditious handling  of  the  Set  Decora- 
tors' case ;  SWG  members  were 
instructed  to  perform  no  studio  work 
other  than  their  own,  specifically  no 
publicists'  or  screen  story  analysts' 
work;  and  a  telegram  was  drafted 
calling  on  the  producers  to  sit  down 
with  striking  union  officials  to  nego- 
tiate a  settlement  of  the  issues. 

SAG  and  SDG  officials  said  their 
organizations  do  not  plan  joining 
SWG  in  its  undertaking. 

Today's  noon  deadline  for  publicists 
to  cease  ignoring  the  picket,  lines  or 
sustain  a  penalty  passed  without  any 
change  in  the  numbers  working  and 
remaining  away  from  their  posts,  ac- 
cording to  a  studio  checkup.  Under 
the  Screen  Publicists  Guild  constitu- 
tion, those  disregarding  the  guild's 
orders  may  be  fined,  suspended  or  ex- 
pelled. 

Analysts  File  Complaint 

The  Screen  Story  Analysts  Guild, 
whose  members  were  notified  by  the 
producers  that  their  employment  has 
been  terminated,  instructed  attorney 
Ben  Margolis  to  file  unfair  labor  prac- 
tice charges  with  the  National  Labor 
Relations  Board.  Similar  charges  filed 
in  behalf  of.  painters,  machinists  and 
set  decorators  early  in  the  strike  are 
still  pending. 

The  Screen  Extras  Guild,  recently 
granted  a  Four-A's  charter,  tele- 
graphed the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  executive  council  charging 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  presi- 
dent Herbert  Sorrell  with  "conduct 
prejudical  to  AFL  interests"  in  insist- 
ing that  Edward  Golden  Productions 
sign  a  contract  with  the  Screen  Play- 
ers Union  for  extra  talent  under 
threat  of  picketing  the  thus-far  un- 
struck  General  Service  Studio,  where 
the  company  will  start  "Breakfast  in 
Hollywood"  Monday.  All  independ- 
ent producers  using  General  Service 
space  had  signed  contracts  with  the 
SPU  following  its  certification  by  the 
NLRB  as  bargaining  agent  for  extra 
players. 


Ask  Chaplain  Award 
By  Tub  Thumpers 

Boston,  Aug.  9. — Joe  Longo,  for- 
merly with  Loew's,  here,  and  now  with 
RKO  Radio  in  San  Francisco,  has 
proposed  to  the  Tub  Thumpers  that 
the  organization  select  'The  Army 
Chaplain  of  World  War  II,'  in  recog- 
nition of  the  war  effort  of  Army  Chap- 
lains, to  be  followed  by  a  national 
presentation.  The  suggestion  also  em- 
braces the  naming  of  Protestant,  Cath- 
olic and  Jewish  chaplains. 


'Follies*  Screened 
In  Boston  Today 

Boston,  Aug.  9.— M-G-M  will  hold 
a  special  screening  of  "Ziegfeld  Fol- 
lies" for  newspaper  and  radio  critics 
at  the  Colonial  Theatre,  here,  tomor- 
row. Invitations  also  have  been  ex- 
tended to  wounded  veterans  in  hos- 
pitals here  and  in  surrounding  areas. 
The  showing  will  be  preceeded  by  a 
luncheon  in  the  theatre's  foyer. 

The  film  will  have  its  world  prem- 
iere at  the  Colonial  on  Monday. 


Eight  Films  Score  Heavily 
In  14  Key  City  Reports 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Joe,"  "Guest  Wife,"  "A  Bell  for 
Adano,"  "Nob  Hill,"  "Along  Came 
Jones,"  "Blood  on  the  Sun,"  "Wonder 
Man"  and  "A  Thousand  and  One 
Nights,"  all  scoring  heavily. 

In  reports  from  Motion  Picture 
Daily  correspondents,  "Out  of  This 
World"  brought  a  strong  |135,0OO  in 
reports  from  four  theatres  in  four 
cities,  also  outstanding  receipts  were 
recorded  in  an  initial  week,  with  a 
stage  show  featuring  the  Ritz 
Brothers  in  Chicago,  where  it  grossed 
$17,500  above  par,  bringing  a  lofty 
$69,000;  it  was  big  in  an  initial  week 
in  San  Francisco  as  a  dual  and  a 
leader  in  an  initial  week  in  Kansas 
City,  while  moderate  receipts  were  re- 
corded for  five  days  of  a  second  week 
in  Philadelphia. 

"Thrill  of  a  Romance"  is  display- 
ing strong  holdover  power  throughout 
the  country,  rolling  up  a  big  $150,500 
in  reports  from  seven  theatres  in 
seven  cities,  where  par  is  $126,900;  it 
was  big  in  initial  weeks  in  St.  Louis 
and  Baltimore  and  outstanding  in  a 
second  week  in  Chicago  while  it  con- 
tinued strong  in  second  weeks  in 
Pittsburgh  and  San  Francisco,  and  in 
a  third  week  in  Kansas  City  and  a 
fifth  in  Cincinnati. 

"The  Naughty  Nineties"  was 
strongest  as  a  dual  in  two  Denver 
theatres,  and  it  held  up  well  as  a  dual 
in  a  second  week  in  San  Francisco. 
"Along  Came  Jones"  was  big  in  an 
initial  week  in  Chicago,  as  a  dual, 
as  well  as  in  St.  Louis,  and  it  scored 
nicely  in  Buffalo.  "A  Bell  for 
Adano"  was  good  in  an  initial  week 
in  St.  Louis,  while  it  continued  strong 
in  holdovers  and  moveovers  in  San 
Francisco,  Denver,  Philadelphia  and 
Cincinnati. 

"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights"  was 
a  leader  in  an  initial  week  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  strong  in  an  initial  week 


in  Indianapolis,  as  a  dual,  while  it 
held  up  well  in  a  third  week  in  a 
moveover  in  Cincinnati.  "The  Valley 
of  Decision"  was  outstanding  in  an 
initial  week  in  Chicago  and  continued 
strong  in  a  second  week  in  Omaha 
and  in  a  third  week  in  Pittsburgh. 
"Back  to  Bataan"  was  strong  with  a 
stage  show  in  an  initial  week  in  Bal- 
timore and  continued  to  draw  heavily 
in  a  third  week  with  a  stage  show  in 
San  Francisco ;  it  drew  moderately  as 
a  dual  in  Omaha. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  drew  an  un- 
usually heavy  $81,300  in  three  theatres 
in  Los  Angeles  for  initial  weeks, 
where  par  is  $51,500.  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut"  was  also  outstanding  in 
three  theatres  in  Los  Angeles,  bring- 
ing $67,000  where  par  is  $49,200. 
"The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe"  continued 
strong  in  second  weeks  in  Philadel- 
phia and  Baltimore.  "Guest  Wife" 
was  a  leader  in  an  initial  week  in 
Cincinnati  while  it  held  up  well  in  a 
second  week  in  Buffalo.  "Blood  on 
the  Sun"  was  outstanding  in  an  in- 
itial week  in  Philadelphia  and  it  drew 
heavily  in  an  initial  week  in  Omaha. 
Paced  by  a  personal  appearance  of 
Abbott  and  Costello,  "I'll  Tell  the 
World"  brought  a  record  of  $50,000 
for  six  days  at  the  Earl,  Philadelphia, 
where  par  for  seven  days  is  $27,600. 
"A  Medal  for  Benny"  was  big  with  a 
stage  show  in  an  initial  week  in  Buf- 
falo and  strong  as  a  dual  in  an  initial 
week  in  Omaha.  "Wonder  Man"  con- 
tinued big  in  a  seventh  week  in  Chi- 
cago. 


'Joe'  Grosses  $14,000 
In  5  Days  at  Houston 

United  Artists  reported  here  yes- 
terday that  in  Houston,  "G.  I.  Joe"  in 
five  days  grossed  $14,000,  and  in  Tem- 
ple, Texas,  with  a  15,000  population, 
two-day  receipts  totaled  $1,831,  both 
described  as  records. 


PRCs  'Silver  Fleet' 
Given  D.C.  Send-off 

Washington,  D.  C,  Aug.  9. — The 
Netherlands-American  Foundation  and 
Rear  Admiral  J.  E.  Meijer  Ranneft, 
Naval  attache  to  the  Royal  Nether- 
lands Embassy,  co-sponsored  the  spe- 
cial invitational  premiere  of  PRC's 
"The  Silver  Fleet,"  at  the  Hippo- 
drome here  tonight.  It  concerns  a 
Netherlands  shipbuilder. 

Among  those  invited  were :  Secre- 
tary of  War  Henry  L.  Stimson  and 
Mrs.  Stimson  ;  Secretary  of  Commerce 
Henry  A.  Wallace  and  Mrs.  Wallace ; 
Secretary  of  Labor  Lewis  B.  Schwel- 
lenbach  and  Mrs.  Schwellenbach ; 
Netherlands  Minister  Ch.  J.  H.  Daub- 
anton  and  Rear  Admiral  L.  G.  L.  van 
der  Kun,  Royal  Netherlands  Navy. 


Ted  Levy  Joins  WB 

Chicago,  Aug.  9. — Ted  Levy  has 
resigned  as  branch  manager  of  Screen 
Guild  Productions  here  to  accent  a 
sales  post  with  the  Warner  exchange 
in  Detroit.  Mike  Godshaw,  formerly 
with  PRC  and  Film  Classics,  succeeds 
him  here. 


PRC  Stills  in  Color 

PRC  will  inaugurate  a  new  policy 
of  issuing  color-gloss  stills  to  theatres 
beginning  with  "The  Enchanted  For- 
est" and  "Song  of  Old  Wyoming." 


'Fair'  Premiere  in 
Des  Moines  Aug.  29 

World  premiere  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  Technicolor  musical,  "State 
Fair"  will  be  held  in  Des  Moines,  at 
the  Des  Moines  Theatre,  on  Aug.  29, 
it  was  announced  by  Tom  Connors, 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion. Following  the  opening  the  pic- 
ture will  play  in  over  65  other  Iowa 
towns,  starting  the  next  day  and  con- 
tinuing during  the  next  few  weeks. 

A  committee  sponsoring  activities 
in  connection  with  the  premiere  in- 
cludes Gov.  Robert  D.  Blue ;  Mayor 
John  MacVicar ;  Gardner  Cowles, 
Jr.,  president  of  the  Des  Moines 
Register  and  Tribune;  A.  H.  Blank, 
president  of  Tri-States  Theatres,  and 
G  Ralph  Branton,  general  manager 
of  Tri-States.  The  campaign,  under 
direction  of  Hal  Home,  director  of 
20th-Fox  advertising-publicity,  will  be 
supervised  by  exploitation  manager 
Rodney  Bush. 


Gelbin  Joins  PRC 

Gertrude  Gelbin,  formerly  with 
Loew's  as  newspaper  writer,  has  been 
appointed  PRC  press  book  editor  by 
Arnold  Stoltz,  Eastern  advertising- 
publicity  chief.  Beginning  with  1945- 
'46  product  the  press  book  department 
will  be  located  at  the  home  office  in 
New  York;  it  has  been  in  Hollywood. 


Gillham  Resigns, 
Joins  Thompson 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

pointed  at  this  time,  Reagan  stated 
For  the  present  all  advertising  anr 
publicity  department  heads  will  work 
directly  with  Reagan,  the  announce- 
ment stated. 

Gillham  became  associated  with  Par- 
amount in  1925,  after  graduating  from 
its  Theatre  Managers'  School.  H^ 
managed  the  Fenway  Theatre,  Boston, 
for  a  year  and  in  1936  he  handled  Par- 
amount's  account  at  the  Hanff-Metz- 
ger  advertising  agency,  later  trans- 
ferring to  Lord  and  Thomas,  where, 
he  continued  to  handle  the  account. 
He  was  at  various  times  merchandis- 
ing manager  for  Montgomery  Ward 
and  was  with  the  Victor  Talking 
Machine  Co.,  was  vice-president  of. 
Tiger  Oil  Co.,  and  advertising  man- 
ager of  Brunswick. 


French  Finish  25, 
40  in  the  Making 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

as  in  production  or  preparation  now, 
and  19  others  are  planned  by  various 
French  companies. 

The  issue  reviews  French  produc- 
tion activities  from  1939  to  the  pres- 
ent and  includes  articles  on  the  de- 
velopment of  French  documentary 
films,  the  revival  of  animated  films  j 
in  France  and  details  on  color  films 
and  projection  developments. 

Le  Cinema  Francaise  reports  that, 
as  of  the  end  of  1944,  and  with  only 
incomplete  reports  from  cities  within 
active  battle  areas,  156  French  the-  j 
atres  were  completely  destroyed,  17 
of  them  in  the  Paris  district,  and 
166  were  partially  destroyed,  26  of 
the  latter  in  the  Paris  area. 


Legion  Classifies 
Eleven  More  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
has  given  a  Class  B  rating  to  "The 
Story  of  G.  I.  Joe",  Lester  Cowan 
production  released  through  United 
Artists,  and  has  placed  in  Class  A-l 
the  following :  "Captain  Eddie"  and 
"The  Caribbean  Mystery",  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox ;  "The  Gay  Senorita",  Co- 
lumbia ;  "Man  from  Oklahoma",  Re- 
public, and  "Radio  Stars  on  Parade", 
RKO. 

Class  A-II  designation  was  given 
"Dangerous  Intruder",  PRC ;  "Dan- 
gerous Partners",  M-G-M ;  "Divorce", 
Monogram ;  "Lady  on  a  Train",  Uni- 
versal, and  "Love  Letters",  Para- 
mount. 


Grierson  Quits  Film 
Board  in  Canada 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

theatres  in  the  U.  S.  and  5,000  in 
other  parts  of  the  world. 

Recently  Grierson  was  announced 
as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Can- 
adian Foundation,  in  which  another 
prime  mover  is  A.  D.  Dunton  of 
Montreal,  the  latter  having  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Wartime  Information 
Board,  Ottawa.  This  organization  has 
been  granted  a  charter  by  the  Domin- 
ion government  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
vancing cultural  and  educational  ac- 
tivities in  Canada  through  a  large 
fund  established  by  contributions.  This 
development  is  believed  related  to 
Grierson's  plans. 


*  Friday,  August  10,  1945 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


7 


House  Group 
To  Study  Film 
jCurbs  Abroad 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

,-erve  as  staff  consultant  to  the  Com- 
mittee,   which    is    headed    by  Rep. 
Villiam  M.  Colmer  of  Mississippi. 

The  agenda  worked  out  by  experts 
on  the  Committee's  staff,  it  was  dis- 
closed, calls  for  an  extensive  inves- 
tigation of  post-war  film  problems, 
such  as  trade  barriers,  which  initial 
study  showed  were  unique. 

The  Committee  is  going  to  Europe 
I  at  a  time  when  motion  pictures  are 
more  prominent  in  the  field  of  trade 
relations  than  they  have  been  for 
many  years.  Diplomatic  representa- 
tives, who  recently  adjusted  the  diffi- 
cult situation  in  England  and  now  are 
awaiting  final  approval  of  a  new 
Italian  decree  providing  fair  treatment 
for  our  films,  are  attempting  to  work 
out  problems  in  France,  Holland, 
Yugoslavia  and  several  other  coun- 
tries where  high  barriers  have  been, 
or  are  proposed  to  be  raised. 

Have  Been  Surveying 

Members  of  the  staff  have  been  en- 
gaged for  some  time  in  a  survey  of 
the  fields  which  the  Committee  will 
cover,  and  are  understood  to  have  had 
discussions  with  officials  of  various 
departments  interested  in  motion  pic- 
tures. Attention  was  focussed  on  this 
situation  by  the  disclosure  that  films 
in  many  countries  are  subject  to  espe- 
cially-devised trade  barriers  which  are 
not  applied  against  any  other  com- 
modities and  that,  in  the  main,  these 
restrictions,  regulations,  special  re- 
quirements or  taxes  are  aimed  directly 
at  American  film  product. 

In  addition  to  Chairman  Comer  and 
Dr.  Elliott,  those  who  will  make  the 
trip  to  Europe  include  Representa- 
tives Jere  Cooper,  Tennessee ;  Francis 
E.  Walter,  Pennsylvania ;  Orville 
Zimmerman,  Missouri ;  Charles  A. 
Wolverton,  New  Jersey;  Clifford  R. 
Hope,  Kansas  ;  Jesse  P.  Wolcott,  and 
R.  6.  Folsom,  staff  director. 

The  party  will  leave  Aug.  14  and 
will  be  gone  for  several  weeks. 

Stratosphere  Planes 
In  New  Video  Plan 

A  plan  for  television  and  frequency 
modulation  broadcasting  from  air- 
planes flying  in  the  stratosphere, 
which  could  revolutionize  the  pres- 
ent-day concept  of  national  network 
radio,  was  announced  yesterday  by 
Westinghouse  Electric  Corp.  and  the 
Glenn  L.  Martin  Co. 

A  chain  of  planes  similar  to  the 
B-29,  each  cruising  over  a  fixed  area, 
would  span  the  continent  and  transmit 
simultaneously  five  FM  programs  and 
four  television  shows. 

Disclosure  of  the  project  was  made 
at  a  luncheon  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
Hotel  by  A.  W.  Robertson,  chairman 
of  the  board  of  Westinghouse,  and 
Martin. 


Cohen  on  BBC  Show 

At  the  invitation  of  the  British 
Broadcasting  Corp.  here,  Samuel 
Cohen,  foreign  publicity  director  of 
United  Artists,  yesterday  broadcast  to 
the  British  public  the  reaction  of  the 
average  American  business  man  to  the 
atomic  bombing  of  Japan. 


Depinet  Opens  Cincinnati 
RKO  Sales  Meet  Today 


Cincinnati,  Aug.  9. — RKO  Radio 
opens  the  second  of  four  regional 
sales  meetings  covering  the  company's 
1945-46  product  tomorrow  in  the 
Netherland  Plaza  Hotel,  here,  with 
Ned  E.  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  presi- 
dent, presiding.  A.  A.  Schubart, 
branch  operations  manager,  will  call 
the  roll.  There  will  be  talks  by  De- 
pinet, Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales 
manager,  and  others.  Prizes  will  be 
awarded  to  winners  in  the  'Ned  De- 
pinet Sales  Drive,'  recently  concluded. 

During  the  three-day  meetings, 
luncheon  will  be  held  in  the  Nether- 
land Plaza,  where  a  buffet  will  be 
held  Saturday  evening. 

Home  Office  Delegation 

The  RKO  Radio  home  office  dele- 
gation will  also  include :  M.  G.  Poll- 
er, assistant  to  Mochrie ;  Nat  Levy, 
Eastern  division  sales  manager ; 
Harry  Michalson,  short  subject  sales 
manager ;  S.  Barret  McCormick,  di- 
rector of  publicity-advertising ;  Terry 
Turner,  exploitation  manager ;  A.  W. 
Schwalberg,  International  Pictures 
sales  manager ;  Leo  Samuels  and 
Charles  Levy,  sales  representative 
and  Eastern  publicity  manager,  re- 
spectively, for  Walt  Disney  produc- 
tions. 

Also :  B.  G.  Kranze,  Eastern  Cen- 
tral district  manager ;  David  Prince, 
Southeastern  district  manager,  and 
B.  Y.  Cammack,  manager  of  the 
Southwest. 

Managers  of  RKO  Radio  ex- 
changes represented  include :  S.  C. 
Jacques,  Cincinnati ;  A.  Kolitz,  Cleve- 
land ;  M.  E.  Cohen,  Detroit ;  R.  E. 
Brentlinger,  Indianapolis ;  S.  S. 
Sachs,  Dallas ;  H.  M.  Lyons,  At- 
lanta ;  J.  R.  Lamantia,  New  Orleans  ; 
R.  F.  Branon,  Charlotte;  R.  D.  Wil- 


liams, Oklahoma  City,  and  A.  M. 
Avery,  Memphis. 

Subsequent  regional  meetings  will 
be  held  in  Chicago's  Blackstone 
Hotel,  Aug.  14-15-16  and  in  Los  An- 
geles, at  the  Ambassador  Hotel,  Aug. 
20-21-22. 


Eastern  Winners  in 
Ned  Depinet  Drive 

RKO  Radio's  New  York  exchange 
has  been  awarded  fourth  prize  in  the 
'Ned  Depinet  Sales  Drive' ;  Phil 
Hodes  is  branch  manager.  Charles 
Boasberg,  Metropolitan  district  man- 
ager, received  second  prize  among  the 
10  sales  divisions. 

Other  Eastern  exchanges  receiving 
awards  were :  Albany,  M.  Westebbe, 
manager ;  Boston,  Roy  Cropper ;  Buf- 
falo, E.  Lux ;  New  Haven,  B.  Pitkin ; 
Philadelphia,  Charles  Zagrans ;  Pitts- 
burgh, M.  E.  Lefko,  and  Washington, 
J.  B.  Brecheen,  manager. 

Carl  DeVizia  of  the  Boston  ex- 
change, won  the  designation  of  'Best 
Salesman'  in  the  Northeastern  district, 
of  which  Gus  Schaefer  is  manager, 
and  the  same  recognition  was  award- 
ed I.  Sweeney,  of  the  Pittsburgh  ex- 
change, for  the  Eastern  district,  of 
which  R.  J.  Folliard  is  manager. 

Mirisch,  RKO  Booking  Chief, 
To  Studio  Survey  Monday 

Harold  Mirisch,  head  of  RKO  The- 
atres film  booking  department,  will 
leave  here  Monday  for  the  Coast  with 
a  stopover  scheduled  for  Chicago  to 
attend  RKO  Radio  Pictures'  regional 
convention  there. 

While  on  the  Coast,  in  addition  to 
participating  in  RKO  Radio's  Los 
Angeles  meeting,  Mirisch  will  visit 
major  studios,  previewing  next  sea- 
son's new  product  for  RKO  theatres. 


100  Millions  for 
Inter -America  Films 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
of  Hollywood  during  and  after  the 
San  Francisco  Conference. 

The  committee  cited  Walt  Disney 
for  his  close  cooperation  with  the  So- 
ciety for  several  years,  and  with  the 
office  of  Inter-American  Affairs.  Dis- 
new  made  "Saludos  Amigos"  and 
"Tres  Caballeros,"  which  PIC  terms 
"enormous  favorites  in  Spanish." 

Apollo  to  Get  'Blimp' 

Chicago,  Aug.9. — The  first  British 
film  to  play  a  Loop  first-run  in  a  year 
is  J.  Arthur  Rank's  "Colonel  Blimp," 
which  is  set  to  follow  "God  Is  My  Co- 
pilot," at  the  Apollo.  The  last  British 
picture  at  a  Loop  first-run  was 
"Candlelight  in  Algeria,"  released  bv 
20th  Century-Fox  and  shown  at  the 
Apollo  in  August,  1944. 


'Atomic  Raiders'  Revived 

"Atomic  Raiders,"  starring  Gene 
Autry,  has  been  revived  due  to  the 
atomic  bombings  on  Japan  and  the 
first  booking  has  been  set  at  the 
World  Theatre,  New  York,  Irvin 
Shapiro,  president  of  United  Screen 
Attractions,  announces  here. 


Para.,  RKO  Buy  Air  Time 

RKO  Radio  and  Paramount  have 
bought  time  on  radio  station  WJZ 
to  promote  new  films. 


69  Veterans  Return 
To  RKO  Radio  Posts 

Sixty-nine  veterans  of  the  war  are 
back  at  their  posts  with  RKO  Radio. 
Of  these,  45  men  and  women  returned 
to  the  studios,  12  to  the  home  office, 
and  12  to  exchanges,  former  booking 
and  selling  posts  throughout  the  coun- 
try. Two  are  film  players,  Glenn  Ver- 
non and  Richard  Martin  (Chico  Raf- 
ferty). 


New  Ansco  Power  House 

The  Ansco  film  division  of  General 
Aniline  and  Film  Corp.  has  contracted 
for  the  construction  of  a  new  power 
house  at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  to  cost 
$1,500,000. 


War  Controls  Lifted 
As  Soon  as  Possible 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

expanded,  but  that  limitations  should 
be  imposed  on  the  manufacture  of 
such  materials,  and  a  broad  and  effec- 
tive control  of  inventories  should  be 
imposed  to  prevent  speculative  hoard- 
ing. < 

"Every  opportunity  must  be  given 
to  private  business  to  exercise  its  in- 
genuity and  forcefulness  in  speeding 
the  resumption  of  civilian  production, 
subject  to  war  needs,"  the  President 
said.  "The  Government  has  a  major 
responsibility  to  assist  in  the  achieve- 
ment of  an  orderly  transition  from 
war  production  to  civilian  produc- 
tion." 

The  WPB,  he  said,  should  play  an 
important  role  in  reconversion,  and  to 
help  industry  to  obtain  "unprecedented 
civilian  production."  It  "should  con- 
tinue, for  the  present,  some  of  the 
effective  methods  it  adopted  to  achieve 
our  unprecedented  war  production. 
These  controls,  however,  should  be 
lifted  as  soon  as  no  longer  needed." 

The  President  called  on  all  mem- 
bers of  the  WPB  and  its  staff  to  stay 
on  the  job  for  as  long  as  needed. 


WPB  Loosens  Ties 
On  Construction 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

stance  where  a  theatre  was  put  under 
construction  without  appropriate 
authority.  In  a  number  of  cases,  he 
said,  it  was  necessary  to  halt  approved 
construction  because  of  the  materials 
situation,  but  all  such  houses  have  al- 
ready been  provided  for  and  author- 
ized for  completion. 

Under  today's  announcement,  build- 
ers who  stopped  construction  volun- 
tarily on  first  demand  from  WPB 
may  resume  without  formality  if  the 
total  cost  of  the  jobs  does  not  ex- 
ceed the  amount  allowed  under  the 
order.  Where  formal  orders  to  stop 
construction  were  issued,  however, 
an  application  for  relief  must  be  filed 
with  the  board,  and  in  cases  where  in- 
junctions were  issued,  relief  must  be 
sought  of  the  courts. 


Field  Seeks  Other 
Papers,  Wire  Unit 

Marshall  Field,  owner  of  PM  and 
the  Chicago  Sun,  who  recently  pur- 
chased the  Southern  Farmer,  is  re- 
ported in  process  of  buying  several 
other  farm  magazines,  especially  in  the 
Midwest  and  South. 

In  addition,  Field  is  understood  to 
be  endeavoring  to  buy  a  dailv  news- 
paper on  the  West  Coast  and  may  set 
up  his  own  wire  service. 


WANTED 
SALES  REPRESENTATIVES 

Discharged  veterans  with  former  motion  picture  distri- 
bution or  theatre  experience.  Must  own  car  and  be  free 
to  travel  in  protected  territory.  Liberal  commission  and 
expense  allowance.  Leads  furnished.  For  complete 
details,  write 

Box  261,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Rockefeller  Center, 
New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


< 

X 

o 

g 

o 
o 

►J 

< 

Q 

w 

D 

H 

O 

S 

o 

H 
O 


2 

< 


•J 
< 

CO 

« 

> 
i— i 

z 


< 


Zh-^  ° 

"p£«3~ 

!3m  .x 
5^  2s 22 

Mz  !'Sn  > 

aso  sp  - 
o<->«  A 


*  5  s 
S» Sg§3 

PH     -o  ./>  <» 


22 

W2 

B 

f-i 


h"o 

2W  3 

o>-> 
a 


c  ■* 


pL,      £ *3  win 

o  55  g« 

ho  a  s>  I  a 


&V1  .a 

a*-1  s  >< 

*S     a*  </i 

<u.t;  j= 
g  §§£ 

m    «2  | 

u 


<2gg 
H  w 


££°3g- 

HM  «J<<=>^ 

5 


£»  2 

H<«>™  ^ 

AR 
nde 

tZg( 

nes 

tins 
/4S 

EASY 
LOOK 
Gloria  J 
Kirby  G 

—64  mins. 
(Rev.  7/2! 

LE  H 
rge  Sa 
ine  Fi 
11a  Rai 

-80  n 
IV.  8/8 

fl 

3  O 

22  a  Ss'§5; 
o«Qm  •  -o> 


a 

-g£Z Ift  6^ 

-a5  «  -• 


«i  si  ^ 

s3««r* 

03 


t-i  o  j:  o  ,r  "2 

«£  g'w.g^ 

■    re  s° 

Sol3  SP« 


Or, 

D  K 
Co  u 

a  ^  Sre£ 

na  •* 


p~'s 

2"S  « 
ojO*  »« 

ball's 

zu  ° 


X 
O 
to 
■ 

H 

8 


»    a  _ 
.  muEf^e     2«<  2^  i  . 


mo  Ef  2  .  2«<  2^  i 

gs  tea  e-1|°4 


«  fid  o  _ 

i  g|  i? 


«  e<=> 
o  c*o^- 

K_&  c  <5  c 

5or 


£  im< OSes' 
^,  a      I  w 
Oh  O 


Q  « 
<  ? 

a^ 

<"C 

pa 


q2ps 


SpsISf  ««2 

"Wo    C  P3UQ 


Oct. 


tn  H 
«>•  g 


P« 


Q 
<3 
K 

O 
M 
« 


»->z  N 
Js-p„  re^  5: 
_as  o  >,.s-g* 

«Q  o<J  o  3  g  . 


a  (J 


5  <  »  S  s  > 
km     |  ~ 

H  R 


°2  |'3-51 

<  I 
p 


a   fl  * 

H 

«sa 
too--  aS;. 

a  „  S  g  . 

a  |p17« 
^  «  fj, 


o 

I— I 
CQ 

w 

PS 


I   Oo»  a 

2 «  "1 

g||sg 

aw 
«  *  I 
o  o 


ao. 

ap<'S^ 
o< c 


w 

E> » 

O.S 

a  E 

<! 

wr 


W3  _ 

a-E c 
ai 


P  H*- 


-  S.S5L 
2S  .O  g^ 

S<0  in . 
gcoS^OPS 


o 


o 

aw5J£ 


<  ^ 

4)T3  g 

2<"SK 

^  o 


u 

K 


a 
a 

Ha!sl£ 

aM>^  1 1 
a 


a  ^ 

W  CO  J3  ^  »i 

<>-2  j  g; 
0>  2 to  g^ 

an  s 

ops  3  b 


0  n  M 

« s  5" 

01  S  2  'S  =° 
to5  g  c  t» 

2^<S^ 


2g  Sre  I  £ 
PMU>  ~ 


CO 

1< 

S£ 
a  < 

•J  h 
H 


* «ga« ^a 
ow 


o« 


2i? 

a  * 

a  i 
oa 


a 
S 

<oa 


Ma«cS  5^ 

a 


az  m  m^j- 

OPcSS  ^S? 
S2SM|^ 

P 


a  A 


H 

COQ      l.  55 

.2az.JO-3.so 
aaoV  a^vo  > 

-OS^O  S£ 
2  |S 


a3 

« ||S 
a?  a  • 

acpiv- 


MONO. 

CHINA'S  LITTLE 
DEVILS 
Paul  Kelly 
Harry  Carey 

D — 75  mins. 
(Rev.  5/4/45) 

STRANGER 
FROM  SANTA  FE 
Johnny  Mack  Brown 

0—54   mins.  (456) 
(Rev.  4/18/45) 

SADDLE 
SERENADE 
Jimmy  Wakely 

O— 54  mins.  (463) 

M-G-M 

(Twelfth  Block) 

BEWITCHED 
Phyllis  Thaxter 

Henry  J.  Daniels,  Jr. 

D— 65  mins.  (530) 
(Rev.  6/20/45) 

THRILL  OF  A 
ROMANCE 

(Color) 
Van  Johnson 
Esther  Williams 
M— 104  mins.  (528) 
(Rev.  5/23/45) 

TWICE  BLESSED 
Wilde  Twins 
Preston  Foster 

C— 76  (529) 
(Rev.  5/31/45) 

(Special  Release) 
VALLEY  OF 
DECISION 
Greer  Garson 
Gregory  Peck 
D— 119  mins.  (525) 
(Rev.  4/10/45) 

Aug.  Special 
ANCHORS 
AWEIGH 

(Color) 
Gene  Kelly 
Frank  Sinatra 
M  C — 1 40  mins. 
(Rev.  7/18/45) 

COLUMBIA 

YOU  CAN'T  DO 
WITHOUT  LOVE 
Vera  Lynn 
Donald  Stewart 

D — 74  mins. 

THOUSAND  AND 
ONE  NIGHTS 
(Color) 
Cornel  Wilde 
Evelyn  Keyes 
MC — 93  mins. 
(Rev.  6/11/45) 

THE  GAY 
SENORITA 
Jinx  Falkenburg 
Jim  Bannon 
Steve  Cochran 
M — 70  mins. 

RUSTLERS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Charles  Starrett 
Dub  Taylor 

O — 58  mins. 

OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 

C — 105  mins. 
Rev.  7/23/45 

ADVENTURES 
OF  RUSTY 
Ted  Donaldson 
Margaret  Lindsay 

D 

I   LOVE  A 
BANDLEADER 
Phil  Harris 
Eddie  Anderson 

MC 

S  1H 

>-s 

4 

bo 

1  * 

»  0 
<  " 

bO 

1  < 

1  n 

• 

CO 

Sept. 
13 

-a,  0 

MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteMgei 

a4fy 

sjigje 

to  the^J 

ojtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  30 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  AUGUST  13,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


INDUSTRY  GIRDS  TO  HELP 
NATION  'WIN  THE  PEACE' 


Industry  Peacetime 
Expansion  Is  Seen 
Advanced  Six  Months 


The  industry's  peacetime  expan- 
sion and  operational  plans  are  ex- 
pected to  be  advanced  by  approxi- 
mately six  months'  by  the  sudden 
capitulation  of  Japan. 

Full  resources  of  the  indus- 
try, ranking  executives  empha- 
sized, will  continue  to  be  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Government 
and  the  Armed  Services  in 
peace  as  they  have  been  in  four 
years  of  war.  The  motion  pic- 
ture world  stands  ready  to  help 
the  nation  and  its  Allies  win 
the  peace,  exactly  as  it  did  to 
help  win  the  war,  the  industry 
leaders  pledged. 

In  addition,  huge  sums,  already  allo- 
cated, or  to  be  allocated,  will  be  ex- 
pended for  expansion,  re-equipment 
and  refurnishing  in  all  branches  of 
the  industry.  It  will  help  take  up  the 
slack  in  any  national  unemployment 
which  may  occur  in  the  course  of  an 
abrupt  changeover  from  a  wartime  to 
a  peacetime  economy. 

Expect  Industry  to  Spend 
Some  $500,000,000  Soon 

Materials  and  supplies  of  all  kinds 
are  expected  to  be  available  in  grow- 
ing quantities  by  the  end  of  the  year 
rather  than  the  middle  of  next  year  as 
was  expected  up  to  a  few  days  ago. 

The  industry  is  expected  to  spend  an 
estimated  $500,000,000  on  expansion  as 
soon  as  possible,  in  building  new  thea- 
tres, new  studios,  remodeling  and  re- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Nov.  15  Is  Date  for 
'Victory  War  Drive* 

The  U.  S.  Treasury  Depart- 
ment, it  was  learned  here 
over  the  weekend,  has  set 
Nov.  15  as  the  date  for  the 
eighth,  and,  presumably  the 
final  war  bond  drive  of  'World 
War  II,'  the  most  costly, 
bloodiest  and  devastating  in 
the  history  of  the  entire 
world.  The  Government  will 
call  the  bond-selling  campaign 
the  'Victory  Drive',  as  previ- 
ously mentioned. 


War  Department  Orders  Academy  Army 
Technical  Units  Preserved  in  Peace 

Washington,  Aug.  12. — U.  S.  Army  technical  units  sponsored  by 
the  Research  Council  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
Sciences  will  not  be  disbanded  as  a  result  of  peace,  but  will  be 
continued  in  an  inactive  reserve  status  as  part  of  the  post-war  mili- 
tary establishment,  the  War  Department  announced  here  tonight. 

Five  units  have  been  sponsored  by  the  Council,  the  166th,  167th 
and  168th  Signal  Photo  Companies  under  Army  Ground  Forces, 
and  the  164th  and  165th  under  the  Signal  Corps.  They  were  set  up 
under  War  Department  authority  to  a  number  of  organizations  in 
motion  pictures,  communications,  motor  maintenance,  medicine  and 
transportation  to  provide  for  orderly  conversion  of  the  Nation's 
professional  and  technical  manpower  from  peace  to  war  at  a  time 
when  the  requirements  of  both  industry  and  the  Army  greatly 
exceeded  the  availability  of  such  men. 

"These  so-called  affiliated  units  have  rendered  such  meritorious 
service  that  many  of  the  sponsors  have  expressed  the  hope  that  a 
similar  relationship  could  be  preserved  in  the  post-war  military 
establishment,"  the  War  Department  explained. 


Backlogs  Suit  Postwar; 
Studios  Set  to  Expand 


Hollywood,  Aug.  12. — The  Japa- 
nese situation  found  Hollywood  pre- 
pared to  take  full  immediate  ad- 
vantage of  the  expected  relaxation  of 
controls  on  materials,  facilities  and 
manpower  and  found  the  studios  with 
backlogs  almost  completely  free  of 
subjects  considered  likely  be  rendered 
obsolete. 

Switch  From  War  Themes 
Began  Over  a  Year  Ago 

Production  executives  generally 
have  anticipated  peace  in  relation  to 
product  by  switching,  upwards  of  a 
year  ago,  from  strictly  war  themes 
to  post-war  and  rehabilitation  sub- 
jects for  that  portion  of  their  output 
bearing  directly  on  world  conflict  and 
its  consequences.  Many  of  these  are 
in  backlogs  and  others  still  in  prepa- 
ration, with  the  executives  confident 
peace  will  not  diminish,  and  may  en- 
hance, their  value  as  public  interest 
swings  from  battle  tension  to  a  peace- 
time pitch.  .  A  complete  checkup  of 
all  studios  indicated  that  no  pictures 
on  schedule  will  be  cancelled. 

Blueprints  for  studio  expansion  and 
construction,  detailed  heretofore  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily,  emerged 
from  pigeon  holes  as  hopes  flared  for 
early  relaxation  of  controls  on  build- 
ing material,  considered  especially 
likely  in  view  of  the  expected  shut- 


down of  aircraft  plants  and  the  freeing 
of  large  numbers  of  employees. 

Similarly,  pictures  on  which  shoot- 
ing has  been  postponed  due  to  Office 
of  Defense  Transportation  limita- 
tions on  the  use  of  distant  locations, 
appeared  in  line  for  earlier  start 
when  redeployment  operations,  which 
had  put  Coast  transportation  facili- 
ties at  a  premium,  cease. 

Government  agencies  created  since 
the  outbreak  of  war  appeared  slated 
for  changes  of  status.  William  Cun- 
ningham, in  charge  of  the  Hollywood 
Bureau  of  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion, said  his  office  would  carry  on 
its  three-ply  activities  in  connection 
with  films  until  and  unless  ordered 
to  discontinue. 

MPSA  Set  up  to  Continue 
Through  June  30,  1946 

Mervin  Travis,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Society  for 
the  Americas,  said  MPSA  is  set  up 
now  for  continuation  through  June 
30,  1946,  and  has  been  assured  by 
the  Government  that  its  operations 
will  not  be  curtailed  and  may  be  ex- 
panded. A  movement  to  expand 
MPSA  to  include  worldwide  as  well 
as_  Latin- American  fields  has  been 
gaining  steadily,  with  Society  of  In- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Capital  Stepping  Up 
Reconversion  Work; 
Drive   to  Normalcy 


By  BERTRAM  F.  LINZ 

Washington,  Aug.  12. — Fed- 
eral agencies  in  Washington  were 
working  feverishly  tonight  to  tear 
down  the  nation's  war  structure 
and  pave  the 
way  for  quick 
resumption  of 
large  -  scale 
civilian  activ- 
ities, as  world 
peace,  for  the 
first  time  in  a 
decade,  be- 
comes a  real- 
ity. 

Untying  the 
controls  im- 
posed during 
our  three  years  and  eight  months  par- 
participation  in  the  war  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  War  Production  Board  of- 
ficials were  surveying  last-minute 
situation  reports  to  determine  what 
few  regulations  would  have  to  be 
continued,  in  line  with  President 
Truman's  instructions  Aug.  9  that  the 
Board  should  play  a  vigorous  part  in 
reconversion. 

Among  the  first  of  the  orders  slated 
to  go  is  L-178,  providing  for  the  al- 
location of  raw  stock,  with  revocation 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


President  Truman 


Japanese  Situation 
Delays  Film  Meeting 

Members  of  the  industry's 
raw  stock  advisory  committee 
were  informed  here  over  the 
weekend  by  the  WPB  that  the 
Japanese  situation  had  caused 
a  postponement  of  the  WPB's 
meeting  in  Washington  to 
discuss  the  raw  stock  situa- 
tion, scheduled  to  be  held 
Wednesday,  until  Aug.  29. 

Some  believe  the  meeting 
might  not  be  necessary  since 
by  Aug.  29  a  fall-off  of  mili- 
tary demands  will  make  con- 
tinuance of  allocations  un- 
necessary. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  August  13,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


TOM  CONNORS,  20th  Century- 
Fox  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  has  returned  to  New 
York  after  a  four-day  fishing  trip  in 
Wisconsin. 

D.  Y.  Bradshaw,  associate  _  pro- 
ducer of  The  March  of  Time,  will  be 
a  guest  on  the  "What's  Your  Idea" 
program  over  WOR,  here,  on  Thurs- 
day. 

Jean  G.  Stoll,  general  manager  of 
EOS  Film  Co.,  Switzerland,  re- 
turned to  Europe  by  plane  over  the 
weekend. 

Capt.  Robert  Preston  Meservey 
(Robert  Preston),  Hollywood  actor, 
was  among  the  troops  returning  from 
Europe  last  week. 

Herman  P.  Rhodes,  booking  man- 
ager for  Georgia  Theatres,  Atlanta,  is 
back  there  after  a  trip  around  the 
circuit. 

Bernie  Lewis,  head  of  the  promo- 
tion service  department  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox's advertising-publicity  staff, 
is  planning  a  Maine  vacation. 
• 

Edward  Chadwick,  of  the  20th 
Century-Fox  exploitation  department, 
was  given  a  surprise  birthday  party 
by  co-workers  on  Friday. 

• 

Charles  Walker.  20th  Century- 
Fox  district  manager,  with  head- 
quarters in  Salt  Lake  City,  has  gone 
to  Butte. 

• 

Edward  C.  Raftery,  United  Art- 
ists president,  entrained  at  Hollywood 
for  Washington  yesterday. 

Morey  Goldstein,  Eastern  division 
manager  for  Monogram,  is  back  from 
Albany. 

• 

Alfred  Sack,  president  of  Sack 
Amusement  Co.,  has  returned  to  Dal- 
las after  a  trip  to  Atlanta. 

• 

Al  Raymer,  booker  for  the  Manta 
and  Rose  Circuit,  Chicago,  is  due  back 
there  from  a  vacation  todav. 

• 

S.    A.    Fazalbhoy,    an  industry 
leader  in  India,  is  expected  here  from 
Bombay  and  England  tomorrow. 
• 

Charles  Clarke,  Universal  sales- 
man in  Atlanta,  and  Mary  Ann  Car- 
ter, are  being  married. 

• 

Jules  Fields,  20th  Century-Fox 
publicity  manager,  left  over  the  week- 
end for  a  New  England  vacation. 

'Buck'  Wade,  Universal  manager 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  back  there  after 
a  trip  to  Nevada. 


Paper  Bombardment  On 

Hollywood,  Aug.  12. — The  daily 
newspaper  put  out  by  striking  Screen 
Publicists  Guild  members  made  its 
first  appearance  Friday  bearing  the 
name  "The  Hollvwood  Atom." 


Nelson  to  Report  on 
Export  Affiliation 


Decisions  on  whether  or  not  the 
Hollywood  Society  of  Independent 
Motion  Picture  Producers'  members 
will  become  associated  with  the  in- 
dustry's Motion  Picture  Export  Asso- 
ciation, will  probably  be  made  shortly. 
Donald  M.  Nelson,"  SIMPP  president, 
discussed  SIMPP's  participation  in 
the  Export  Association  with  foreign 
distribution  and  film  company  heads 
in  New  York  for  several  days  last 
week  and  will  report  to  SIMPP's 
members  in  California  when  he  ar- 
rives in  Hollywood  late  this  week. 

Nelson  left  New  York  yesterday 
for  Washington  and  plans  to  leave  for 
California  tomorrow  night  to  report 
on  results  of  his  discussions  of  the 
foreign  trade  situation. 


Projection  Specialist 
Chas.  Shultz  Dies 

Charles  E.  Shultz,  projection  en- 
gineer, died  late  last  week  at  his 
home  at  Willever's  Lake,  Washing- 
ton, N.  J.  He  was  34  years  old  on 
July  18.  Shultz  had  specialized  in 
projection  optics  for  many  years. 
He  is  said  to  have  developed  the  first 
successful  metallic  projection  arc  re- 
flector, which  was  manufactured  by 
Heyer-Shultz,  Inc.,  Montclair.  Up 
to  the  time  he  became  inactive  due 
to  illness,  he  had  been  projection  edi- 
tor of  Quigley  Publications'  Better 
Theatres  for  several  years.  He  is 
survived  by  his  widow  and  mother. 


Strike  Against  U.  S, 
Companies  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  12. — A  strike 
against  Mexican  branches  of  10  U.  S. 
film  companies  was  scheduled  for  the 
weekend  by  members  of  Section  No.  1 
of  the  National  Cinematographic  In- 
dustry Workers  Union,  seeking  a  30 
per  cent  wage  increase,  which  the 
companies  said  they  could  not  grant 
because  business  here  has  fallen  off  50 
per  cent  through  what  is  described  as 
"a  remarkable  increase"  in  the  popu- 
larity of  Mexican  pictures. 

The  strike,  originally  scheduled  for 
Friday,  was  delayed  through  efforts 
of  the  Federal  Board  of  Concilation 
and  Arbitration. 


AMP  A  Meet  Tuesday 

Dave  Bader,  president  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Motion  Picture  Advertisers, 
here,  has  called  a  meeting  of  the  board 
of  directors  for  tomorrow  at  lunch- 
eon in  the  Hotel  Edison.  Plans  for 
the  new  season  will  be  discussed,  in- 
cluding AMPA's  relief  fund.  Other  of- 
ficers and  directors  to  be  present  are : 
Dave  O'Malley,  vice-president,  Mel 
Gold,  treasurer;  Grace  Rosenfield, 
secretary;  Ray  Gallagher,  Charles 
Alicoate,  Blanche  Livingston,  Vin- 
cent Trotta  and  Martin  Starr. 


Lawrence  Takes  Offices 

The  Lawrence  Organization,  Inc., 
affiliate  of  J.  Arthur  Rank,  director 
of  the  British  Motion  Picture  Indus- 
tries of  London  and  British  film 
leader,  has  leased  four  floors  here  for 
publicity  and  executive  offices. 


Grierson  Plans  to 
Film  Documentaries 


Toronto,  Aug.  12. — John  Grierson, 
who  resigned  as  film  commissioner  on 
the  Canadian  National  Film  Board, 
as  reported  by  Motion  Picture  Daily 
last  Friday,  discloses  that  he  is  plan- 
ning production  of  two  monthly  series 
of  documentaries  dealing  with  inter 
national    relations    and   scientific  de- 
velopments,   respectively.      He  also 
stated  that  he  hoped  to  retain  asso 
ciation  with  the  Canada  Foundation, 
recently  organized  with  a  prospective 
fund  of  $2,000,000,  for  the  advance- 
ment of  cultural  and  educational  mat 
ters  among  Canadians. 

•  Seeks  More  Scope 

Grierson  said  that  documentary 
films  could  have  more  extensive  scope 
than  is  possible  within  the  limits  of 
the  National  Film  Board,  and  he  pro 
poses  to  give  films  that  increased 
measure  of  international  influence.  He 
will  not  link  himself  with  any  other 
government,  he  indicated,  but  in  Tor- 
onto trade  circles  there  was  a  rumor 
he  would  be  associated  with  Arthur 
Gottlieb  in  Film  Laboratories  of  Can- 
ada for  a  16  and  35mm  production 
program,  both  theatrical  and  indus- 
trial in  application. 


Schlaifer  Is  Off  to 
Conference  at  Studio 

Charles  Schlaifer,  assistant  direc 
tor  of  20th  Century-Fox's  publicity 
advertising-exploitation,  is  en  route  to 
the  company's  Coast  studio,  from  New 
York,  to  discuss  product  and  adver- 
tising plans  for  1945-'46  with  Spyros 
Skouras,  president ;  Joseph  M. 
Schenck,  executive  head  of  produc- 
tion ;  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  production,  and  Harry 
Brand,  studio  publicity  director. 

Schlaifer  was  accompanied  by  his 
aides,  Christy  Wilbert,  advertising 
manager,  and  Louis  Shanfield,  art  di- 
rector. 


Yamins  Appeals  on 
Some  Run  Dismissal 

Nathan  Yamins  of  the  Atlantic 
Amusement  Co.,  which  operates  the 
Empire  Theatre,  Fall  River,  Mass., 
has  appealed  dismissal  of  his  some- 
run  complaint  against  RKO  Radio  by 
the  Boston  tribunal,  the  American 
Arbitration  Association  has  reported 
here. 

At  the  same  time,  the  AAA  said 
that  Albert  G.  McCaleb,  arbitrator  in 
the  Chicago  tribunal,  had  dismissed 
the  Kedzie  Amusement  Co.'s  clear- 
ance complaint  against  the  five  consent 
decree  companies. 


$6,000  for  'G.I.  Joe' 

Ernie  Pyle's  "Story  of  G.  I.  Joe," 
Lester  Cowen-United  Artists  release, 
grossed  approximately  $6,000  in  day- 
and-date  openings  in  four  Los  Ange- 
les theatres,  according  to  United  Art- 
ists. 


No  Chicago  Deletions 

Chicago,  Aug.  6. — Hollywood  prod- 
uct was  given  a  clean  slate  by  the 
police    censor    board    here    in  July. 


Ohio  Owners  Urging 
New  Sales  Policies 

Columbus,  O.,  Aug.  12 — In- 
dependent Theatre  Owners  of 
Ohio  has  sent  letters  to  the 
sales  heads  of  eight  film  com- 
panies, urging  each  to  enunci- 
ate a  'Magna  Charta'  on  their 
sales  policies  similar  to  that 
recently  outlined  by  M-G-M 
in  what  was  characterized  as 
the  'Nineteen  Points.' 

Letters  were  sent  to  A. 
Montague,  Columbia;  Charles 
Reagan,  Paramount;  James 
R,  Grainger,  Republic;  Ned  E. 
Depinet,  RKO  Radio;  Tom  J. 
Connors,  20th  Century-Fox; 
Gradwell  L.  Sears,  United 
Artists;  William  A.  Scully, 
Universal ;  Ben  Kalmenson, 
Warner  Bros. 


Ask  150  to  Serve  on 
Cohn  Dinner  Group 


About  150  representatives  in  various 
entertainment  industry  fields  in  New 
York  have  been  invited  to  serve  on 
the  dinner  committee  for  the  testi- 
monial dinner  to  Jack  Cohn,  Colum- 
bia Pictures  executive  vice-president, 
to  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf  As- 
toria here  Sept.  27  on  behalf  of  the 
industry's  Joint  Defense  Appeal  for 
the  American  Jewish  Committee  and 
the  Anti-Defamation  League  of  B'nai 
B'rith.  There  are  65  sponsors  of  the 
dinner. 

Plans  for  securing  a  representative 
industry  attendance  at  the  dinner,  as 
well  as  setting  details  of  the  drive  for 
the  Joint  Defense  Appeal  campaign, 
will  be  discussed  at  a  luncheon  meet- 
ing to  be  held  by  the  industry's  com- 
mittee at  the  Hotel  Astor  Thursday. 

Richard  Powers  Quits 
ASCAP  for  MGM 

Hollywood,  Aug.  12.  —  Richard 
Powers  has  resigned  as  West  Coast 
supervisor  of  the  American  Society 
of  Composers,  Authors  and  Publish- 
ers, to  take  up  new  duties  with 
M-G-M.  He  joined  ASCAP  in  1933 
as  district  manager  in  Portland,  and 
subsequently  set  up  branch  offices  in 
Porto  Rico  and  elsewhere. 


Albany  Men  at  Outing 

Albany,  N.  Y,  Aug.  12.— Frank 
Wieting,  who  operates  the  Park 
Theatre  in  Cobleskill,  was  host  last 
week  to  Albany  branch  managers, 
salesmen,  office  managers  and  head 
bookers  at  an  outing  at  the  country 
club  in  Cobleskill.  It  is  an  annual 
affair  for  Wieting.  Present  were: 
Ray  Smith,  Warners ;  Harry  Alex- 
ander, 20th-Fox;  Moe  Grassgreen, 
Boston  manager  for  20th-Fox  and 
former  Albany  manager;  Eugene 
Vogel,  Universal ;  Gene  Lowe,  Mono- 
gram ;  Holbrook  Bissell,  Columbia ; 
Dick  Hayes,  Paramount ;  Sylvan  Leff , 
Universal ;  Harold  Carlock,  RKO ; 
Richard  Struwe,  Republic;  Ralph 
Ripps,  M-G-M;  Dan  Houlihan,  20th- 
Fox;  Ed  Susse,  M-G-M;  Tom  Barry, 
20th-Fox;  Harry  Aranove,  Warners; 
Jack  Keegan,  Republic. 


MOTION  PICTLRE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays  by  Ouigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York"  Martin  Qui~lev 
president;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V  Fecke  Advertfsin- 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg..  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor-  London  Bureau" 
4  Golden  bo  ,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  -Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quiglev  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald  Better  Theatres' 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3  1879  SnhsrrmHnn 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  '  " 


times  more  hilarious  than  any 
comedy  you've  ever  laughed  at 


•  •  • 


OVER  21  TIMES  FUNNIER  THAI 


I CTU  RES 

presents 


A  SIDNEY  BUCHMAN  Production 

Adapted  from  the  play  by  Ruth  Gordon 
Screenplay  by  Sidney  Buchman 

Directed  by  CHARLES  VIDOR  ^ 


KEEP  SELLING  WAR  BONDS  ! 


THE  BROADWAY  STAGE  PLAY ! 


Monday.  August  13,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


PEACETIME  PLANS  READY 


Film  Backlogs 
Suitable  for 
Postwar  Era 


Capital  Speeds  Work  of 
Ending  Wartime  Controls 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

dependent  Motion  Picture  Producers 
President  Donald  Nelson  the  latest 
important  figure  to  add  his  support 
to  that  proposal. 

On  behalf  of  the  Screen  Actors 
Guild.  President  George  Murphy  said : 
"Screen  actors  will  continue  their 
morale-building  visits  to  military  hos- 
pitals throughout  the  country,  for 
SAG  is  dedicated  to  a  program  of 
public  service  and  to  promote  the  best 
interests  of  the  industry." 

Imminent  increase  in  the  raw  stock 
supply  was  hailed  by  all  types  of  pro- 
ducers as  a  major  step  toward  the 
restoration  pre-war  production  prac- 
tices and  techniques,  sure  to  result  in 
an  improvement  in  the  quality  of 
product.  Independents,  who  felt  raw 
stock  limtations  more  keenly  than  the 
majors,  attached  special  importance  to 
this  factor. 

Strike  Enters  Picture 

Increased  availability  of  manpower, 
expected  immediately  here,  was  re- 
garded as  less  beneficial  now  than 
otherwise  would  be  the  case  because 
the  studio  strike  largely  prevents  the 
utilization  of  craftsmen  to  be  released 
from  war  plants.  If  advantage  flows 
to  either  side,  it  is  to  the  IATSE, 
which  has  had  difficulty  filling  studio 
vacancies,  despite  reports  to  the  con- 
trary, with  qualified  workers.  The 
strike  figures  in  other  ways  to  limit 
benefits  that  will  accrue  from  the  local 
effects  of  peace.  Technicolor,  for  in- 
stance, says  peace  can  in  no  way  in- 
crease its  capacity,  limited  largely 
by  the  lack  of  specially  skilled  tech- 
nicians, until  the  strike  is  terminated 
and  specialists  now  outside  the  picket 
lines  or  in  military  service  return. 
Conversely,  the  Disney  studio  said 
termination  of  its  production  of  Gov- 
ernment films,  once  constituting  90 
per  cent  of  the  studio  output,  although 
recently  cut  back,  would  enable  the 
plant  to  resume  full  attention  to  enter- 
tainment films,  with  at  least  two  fea- 
ture-lengh  pictures  to  be  released  an- 
nually. 

Reemployment  of  returnees  former- 
ly employed  in  production,  lately  re- 
ceiving more  attention  than  prior  to 
victory  over  Germany,  appeared  due 
for    intensified  consideration. 


2  NSS  Trailers  on 
Peace  for  Theatres 

Two  75-foot  W-J'  Day  trail- 
ers were  produced  by  Na- 
tional Screen  Service  for  its 
theatre  accounts. 

Text  of  the  trailers,  rejoic- 
ing in  the  advent  of  victory, 
pays  tribute  to  the  men  and 
women  of  the  Armed  Forces 
and  sympathizes  with  those 
who  have  lost  relatives  in  the 
conflict. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

due  to  be  announced  as  soon  as  the 
questions  of  priorities  for  the  Foreign 
Economic  Administration  and  the 
Army  and  Navy  could  be  worked  out, 
primarily  to  avoid  leaving  the  FEA  in 
a  preferential  position  where  it  could 
take  over  an  undue  amount  of  film  for 
export.  Likely  outcome  of  considera- 
tion now  being  given  the  matter  is 
that  an  order  will  be  issued  lifting 
allocations  and  providing  priorities 
only  for  the  military. 

While  orders  controlling  production 
with  materials  which  quickly  will  come 
on  the  market  in  good  volume  as  a 
result  of  the  halting  of  hostilities  will 
be  lifted  as  rapidly  as  the  necessary 
documents  can  be  prepared,  others 
dealing  with  products  which  will  re- 
main in  short  supply  for  some  time  to 
come  will  be  retained. 

Some  Orders  Retained 

In  the  latter  group  it  is  expected 
the  construction  order  L-41  will  have 
to  be  continued  for  a  brief  period  be- 
cause of  the  shortage  of  lumber  and 
one  or  two  other  building  materials 
of  which  it  will  take  time  to  increase 
the  supply. 

WPB  officials  estimated  that  equip- 
ment producers  will  be  able  to  in- 
crease their  civilian  output  without 
delay,  but  a  little  more  time  will  be 
needed  to  get  theatre-chairs  to  a  point 
where  all  needs  can  be  met  without 
delay.  The  booth  equipment  manufac- 
turers have  no  reconversion  problem 
whatever,  but  most  other  producers 
will  have  to  make  some  changes  in 
their  production  lines. 

Meanwhile,  it  was  apparent  that 
WPB  would  remain  in  existence  for 
at  least  the  six  months  after  the  end 
of  the  emergency  provided  in  the  war 
legislation  under  which  it  was  cre- 
ated. 

Many  Plan  to  Leave 

Many  members  of  the  staff,  how- 
ever, plan  to  leave  Washington  just 
as  soon  as  they  can  clear  their  desks. 
Stanley  B.  Adams,  director  of  the 
Consumers  Hard  Goods  Bureau,  may 
remain  to  clean  up  the  orders  under 
his  administration,  but  Lincoln  V. 
Burrows  expects  to  leave  as  soon  as 
the  last  of  the  photographic  controls 
is  out  of  the  way. 

The  skeletonizing  of  some  of  the 
other  war  agencies  will  be  even 
quicker  than  that  of  WPB.  The 
Office  of  Censorship  will  fold  up  just 
as  soon  as  all  restrictions  on  publica- 
tion are  removed,  and  the  Office  of 
War  Information  and  the  Office  of 
Inter-American  Affairs  will  quickly 
strip  themselves  of  all  but  continuing 
responsibilities.  The  Office  of  Price 
Administration  will  be  less  extensively 
affected,  since  it  now  is  faced  with 
the  job  of  preventing  a  "victory  in- 
flation." 

Because  many  of  the  war  agencies 
have  responsibilities  which  will  lap 
over  into  peacetime,  Congress  is  ex- 
pected to  be  asked  to  give  considera- 
tion to  legislation  which  will  transfer 
such  activities  to  the  regular  depart- 


ments or,  if  more  advisable,  set  up  in- 
terim agencies  to  conduct  them.  The 
OIAA,  for  instance,  has  some  opera- 
tions which  the  State  Department  be- 
lieves should  be  taken  over  for  peace- 
time continuation,  and  the  OWI  has 
some  publications  which  are  proving 
profitable. 

Congress  also  is  expected  to  get 
down  to  consideration  of  a  postwar 
tax  bill  almost  immediately  and  is 
certain  to  have  a  relief  measure  ready 
for  enactment  before  the  end  of  the 
year. 

Profits  Tax  First 

First  targets  for  cuts  will  be  the 
excess  profits  tax,  the  corporation  in- 
come tax  and  the  individual  income 
tax.  The  position  of  the  excise  taxes 
is  more  doubtful,  but  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  a  reduction  may  be 
made  in  the  admissions  levy  to  bring 
it  into  line  with  the  reduced  national 
income  which  is  expected  to  follow 
the  cessation  of  war  production. 

The  situation  finds  the  State  De- 
partment prepared  to  come  to  grips 
immediately  with  the  problems  of  in- 
ternational trade  which  must  be 
ironed  out  if  world  commerce  is  to  be 
restored  to  normal  courses.  Depart- 
ment officials  already  are  embarked  on 
negotiations  with  a  number  of  coun- 
tries regarding  the  treatment  to  be 
accorded  American  films  in  foreign 
markets.  In  many  countries  final  dis- 
cussions of  trade  matters  will  have 
to  await  the  establishment  of  perma- 
nent governments. 

Other  departments  already  are  pre- 
pared to  get  into  postwar  work  with- 
out a  hitch.  The  Department  of 
Commerce  is  perfecting  plans  to  give 
the  motion  picture  and  other  indus- 
tries better  service  than  ever,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  in  getting  back  into 
normal  peacetime  operations.  The 
Department  of  Justice  is  prepared  to 
press  the  many  anti-trust  cases  which 
have  been  held  up  during  the  war  so 
as  not  to  interfere  with  military  pro- 
duction or  operations,  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  is  being  overhauled. 

Surplus  Materiel  Problem 

The  major  problem  facing  the  Gov- 
ernment is  that  of  disposing  of  the 
billions  of  dollars  worth  of  facilities, 
war  materiel  and  commodities  of  all 
kinds  which  now  in  a  short  time 
will  become  surplus.  Thousands  of 
cameras 'and  projectors  and  the  items 
of  equipment  relating  to  them  will  be 
included.  ' 

This  equipment,  however,  is  ex- 
pected to  be  declared  surplus  gradu- 
ally. So  long  as  we  have  troops 
abroad,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have 
cameras  to.  record  their  operations 
and  projection  equipment  for  enter- 
tainment and  other  purposes.  Neither 
the  Army  nor  Navy  has  yet  disclosed 
how  much  photographic  equipment  it 
will  have  to  dispose  of. 

Much .  of  it  is  expected  to  find  a 
place  in  the  nation's  educational  struc- 
ture, under  plans  of  the  Office  of  Edu- 
cation which  have  been  submitted  to 
the  Surplus  Property  Board. 


See  Peacetime 
Expansion  in 
Advancement 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

furnishing  both  theatres  and  studios  as 
well  as  expanding  and  improving  dis- 
tribution and  other  film  facilities. 

The  speed  and  efficiency  with  which 
reconversion  is  accomplished  without 
creating  any  widespread  temporary 
unemployment  and  any  drastic  curtail- 
ment in  the  earning  and  spending 
power  of  the  American  people,  is  ex- 
pected to  have  a  profound  effect  upon 
theatre  attendance,  with  resulting  ef- 
fects on  theatre  receipts. 

With  the  Armed  Forces  hastening 
the  process  of  mustering  out  millions 
of  servicemen,  including  thousands 
from  the  industry,  all  branches  of  the 
industry  will  soon  be  faced  with  the 
problem  of  re-employing  veterans. 

Rather  than  ease  present  travel  re- 
strictions, which  have  caused  the  cur- 
tailment of  national  sales  meetings 
and  other  industry  gatherings  as  well 
as  creating  difficulties  for  traveling 
sales  and  other  film  personnel,  the 
eventual  stepped-up  movements  of 
troops  from  overseas  back  to  the 
U.  S.  and  to  their  homes  is  expected 
to  accelerate  difficulties  for  some  time. 

To  Decide  WAC  Function 

Decisions  are  still  to  be  made  as 
to  what  functions,  if  any,  the  indus- 
try's War  Activities  Committee  will 
play  in  the  return  to  a  peacetime 
economy. 

The  availability  of  materials  and 
equipment  will  probably  govern  the 
method  under  which  the  industry  will 
institute  post-war  construction  and  re- 
modeling of  studios,  theatres  and  dis- 
tribution facilities. . 

Industry  leaders  are  expected  to  re- 
double efforts  to  secure  Government 
aid  in  re-establishing  their  companies 
in  foreign  markets.  These  markets 
will  include  not  only  those  in  the  lib- 
erated countries  of  Europe  but  will 
be  augmented  by  countries  of  the  Far 
East  freed.  While  competition  is  not 
expected  to  result  from  native  indus- 
tries in  that  section  of  the  world,  the 
position  of  the  American  film  industry 
in  conjunction  with  the  British, 
French  and  Russian  film  industries 
will  present  new  problems. 


News  of  Surrender 
Delays  AFL  Meet 

Chicago,  Aug.  12 — Discus- 
sion of  the  Hollywood  studio 
strike  by  AFL  leaders,  origi- 
nally scheduled  to  start  at  the 
Drake  Hotel,  here,  on  Friday, 
was  called  off  by  William 
Green,  AFL  president,  be- 
cause of  the  jolting  news  of 
Japan's  offer  to  surrender. 
Instead,  the  meetings  will 
start  tomorrow  with  Richard 
Walsh,  IATSE  president,  par- 
ticipating. 


ONE  REEL-TEN  MINUTES 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWgei 

awry 

>pjue 

to  the^fij 

ojtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  31 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST  14,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Strike  Denies 
U.S.  Films  to 
Mexico  Houses 


Walkout  Affects  Nine 
American  Companies 


By  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  13. — For  the 
second  time  in  11  years,  Mexico 
has  been  deprived  of  all  films  from 
major  American  companies  as  the 
result  of  a  strike  against  the  eight 
large  companies  called  by  Section 
One,  National  Cinematographic  In- 
dustry Workers  Union,  to  enforce  de- 
mands for  a  pay  rise  of  from  30  to 
50  per  cent  and  two-year  work  con- 
tracts. 

The  American  companies  in  a  full 
page  newspaper  advertisements,  assert 
that  the  union  is  entirely  to  blame  for 
the  strike  because  the  Federal  board 
of  conciliation  and  arbitration  did  its 
utmost  to  avert  it  but  the  strikers  re- 
jected the  companies'  offer  of  a  20 
per  cent  rise,  explaining  that  the  em- 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Czech  Government 
Takes  Over  Films 


Washington,  Aug.  13. — A  govern- 
ment monopoly  on  the  distribution  and 
exhibition  of  motion  pictures  has  been 
set  up  in  Czechoslovakia,  possibly  as 
a  first  step  toward  nationalization  of 
the  industry,  it  was  disclosed  today 
in  reports  reaching  Washington  from 
Europe. 

While  little  official  information  has 
yet  been  developed,  there  were  indi- 
(Continued  on  page  13) 


See  Railroad  Jam 
For  Some  Months 

Chicago,  Aug.  13. — The  end 
of  hostilities  will  not  ease  the 
railroad  transportation  jam 
until  near  the  end  of  this 
year,  C.  E.  Johnston,  chair- 
man of  the  Western  Associa- 
tion of  Railway  Executives, 
said  here  yesterday,  pointing 
out  that  there  will  be  contin- 
ued heavy  shipments  to  the 
devastated  countries,  move- 
ments of  supplies  and  person- 
nel from  Europe  and  the 
Pacific. 


Most  of  Nation's  Houses 
Remaining  Open  V-J  Day 


Peace  News, 
Weather  Hit 
N.  Y.  Grosses 


The  combination  of  good  weather 
over  the  past  weekend  and  prospects 
of  an  imminent  Japanese  surrender 
which  kept  many  people  close  to 
their  radios,  cut  into  receipts  at  New 
York's  first-run  theatres,  where  hold- 
overs are  predominant,  but  grosses  are 
nevertheless  continuing  in  the  same 
high  brackets  of  previous  weeks. 

Of  the  new  arrivals,  "Captain  Ed- 
die" and  a  stage  show  featuring  Phil 
Silvers,  Professor  Lamberti  and  Carl 
Ravazza  at  the  Roxy  are  drawing 
strongly  with  a  big  $90,000  expected 
for  the  first  week  on  the  basis  of 
$72,000  recorded  for  the  first  five 
days  ending  Sunday  night.  "Anchors 
Aweigh"  combined  with  a  stage  show 
featuring  Paul  Whiteman  and  his  or- 
chestra, Lionel  Kaye  and  Johnnie 
Johnston  is  continuing  to  bring  record 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Operation  Plans  Completed  As  Japan's 
Reply  Accepting  Allied  Surrender 
Terms  is  Awaited  by  U,  S.  Officials 


"Ziegfeld  Follies 


[M-G-M] 

Boston,  August  13 

M-G-M's  "Ziegfeld  Follies"  is  a  mammoth  revue  in  Technicolor. 
It  is  undoubtedly  the  most  gorgeous  production  of  its  kind  yet 
seen,  for  the  camera  work  in  color  gives  it  an  air  of  opulence 
impossible  to  achieve  in  black  and  white  photography. 

The  film  has  the  faults  and  virtues  of  its  particular  variety  of  enter- 
tainment. There  are  several  numbers  of  style,  beauty  and  excellent  qual- 
ity. There  are  others  in  which  sheer  luxury  takes  the  place  of  dramatic 
excitement  and  comedy,  and  the  very  magnitude  of  the  scale  of  necessity- 
substitutes  exaggeration  for  intimacy  and  makes  satisfactory  continuity 
difficult  to  maintain.  However,  from  a  box  office  standpoint,  the  numer- 
ous star  names,  the  title  and  the  sheer  gorgeousness  of  it  all  cannot  help 
but  make  it  a  success. 

William  Powell  returns  to  his  famous  role  of  Ziegfeld  to  launch  the 
film  in  an  amusing  prologue,  set  in  an  elaborately  fanciful  heaven  where 
he  can  re-visit  his  past  triumphs  on  Broadway.  This  is  very  cleverly 
arranged  through  the  use  of  Bunin's  Puppets,  representing  Marilyn  Miller, 
Fanny  Brice,  Eddie  Cantor  and  others.  Performing  on  miniature  stages,  com- 
plete with  a  puppet  audience  and,  even,  Mrs.  Astor's  horse,  where  Ziegfeld 
can  dream  of  still  another  "Follies"  with  the  stars  of  today. 

Then  the  production  launches  forth  in  "Merry-Go-Round,"  in  which  beauti- 

{Continued  on  page  8) 


The  advent  of  V-J  Day  will  not  affect  motion  picture  theatre  oper- 
ation in  the  nation  generally,  according  to  reports  received  from 
widespread  sources  by  Motion  Picture  Daily.  Theatre  owners 
were  making  plans  to  keep  open  and  an  increased  volume  of  business 
was  foreseen  as  a  result  of  an  expected  V-J  Day  holiday  closing  of 
other  businesses  as  word  of  Japan's  acceptance  of  the  Allied  terms 

was  flashed  from  Tokyo  early 
this  morning. 

In  New  York,  downtown  first-run 
theatres  and  neighborhood  houses 
will  remain  open  on  V-J  Day  with 
some  of  them  having  made  plans  to 
bring  announcements  of  the  Japanese 
surrender  to  their  audiences  from  the 
stage. 

In  view  of  the  tendency  of  huge 
crowds  to  mill  around  Times  Square 
for  impromptu  celebrations,  Broadway 
first-run  theatres  are  taking  precau- 
tions to  guard  against  property  dam- 
age. On  V-E  Day,  the  Paramount, 
Capitol  and  other  theatres  placed 
wooden  barricades  around  their  glass 
ticket  windows  and  are  prepared  to 
use  them  again.  Special  precautions 
will  be  taken  to  eliminate  potential 
trouble-makers  and  inebriatd  persons 
from  ticket  lines. 

For  the  most  part,  theatres  will  be 
alone  in  providing  entertainment  for 
the  nation's  V-J  celebrants.  The  only 
possible  "competition"  is  seen  in  the 
parades  and  general  civic  festivities 

(Continued  on  page  13) 


Reels  All  Set  With 
'V-J  Day'  Specials 

All  five  newsreels  are 
standing  by  with  special 
"V-J"  issues  already  printed 
and  set  for  immediate  ship- 
ment to  theatres  upon  receipt 
of  coverage  of  the  forthcom- 
ing  presidential  armistice 
declaration  which  will  be 
added  to  the  reels.  These 
specials  will  supplant  issues 
which  are  current  at  the 
theatres.  The  subject  mate- 
rial comprises  a  summary  of 
the  highlights  of  the  war 
with  Japan  from  its  begin- 
ning. 


Para.  2nd  Quarter 
Net  $4,480,000 


Paramount  Pictures  estimates  its 
earnings  for  the  second  quarter  ended 
June  30,  1945,  at  $4,480,000  after  in- 
terest and  all  charges  including  esti- 
mated provision  for  all  Federal  nor- 
mal and  excess  profits  taxes.  This 
amount  includes  $759,000  representing 
Paramount's  net  interest  in  the  earn- 
ings for  the  quarter  of  subsidiaries. 

Earnings  for  the  corresponding 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Also  Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "The  Lost  Week- 
end" appears  on  page  6. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  August  14,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


CAPT.  HAROLD  AUTEN,  Ameri- 
can head  of  Eagle-Lion  Films, 
arrived  in  New  York  from  London 
over  the  weekend. 

• 

Mel  Heyman,  Ross  Doyle,  Bill 
Ornstein  and  Bryan  Lee  of  M-G- 
M's  home  office  publicity  and  exploita- 
tion department,  returned  yesterday 
from  vacations. 

Jules  Lapidus,  Warner  division 
manager,  will  arrive  in  Cleveland_  to- 
day and  leave  tomorrow  for  Pitts- 
burgh, accompanied  by  Charles  Rich, 
Cleveland  district  manager. 

• 

William  Gleicher  of  M-G-M's 
sales  department  returned  here  yester- 
day from  a  vacation  at  White  Lake, 
N.  Y. 

Charles  Lester,  National  Screen 
Service  Southern  division  manager,  is 
back  in  Atlanta  on  his  way  to  Jack- 
sonville and  Miami. 

• 

Robert  Selig,  district  manager  of 
Fox-Intermountain  Theatres,  Denver, 
is  in  New  York. 

• 

Jerry  Sager,  publicity  director  of 
Loew's  Criterion,  here,  has  returned 
from  his  vacation. 

• 

Earl  Wingart  of  the  20th  Century- 
Fox  exploitation  department  left  yes- 
terday for  Des  Moines. 

• 

Ike  and  Harry  Katz  of  PRC  have 
returned  to  Atlanta  from  a  sales  meet- 
ing in  Chicago. 

• 

Robert  Goldstein  left  Hollywood 
for  New  York  last  weekend  on  the 
Superchief. 

Henry  A.  Stambaugh  of  Toledo 
has  joined  the  staff  of  radio  station 
WAGA,  Atlanta. 

• 

J.  P.  Sheffield  of  the  Sheffield 
Republic  exchanges  in  the  West  is 
visiting  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

• 

Charles   Walker,   20th  Century- 
Fox  Salt  Lake  City  district  manager, 
has  left  there  for  a. week  in  Denver. 
• 

Harry   Weiss,   20th  Century-Fox 
exploiteer,  is  vacationing  at  Monticello 
in  the  Catskills  with  his  family. 
• 

Gif  Davidson,  RKO  Radio  Salt 
Lake  City  manager,  is  on  a  trip  to 
Los  Angeles. 

• 

Jimmie  Gillespie,  20th  Century- 
Fox  publicist,  has  returned  to  Atlanta 
from  Columbus. 

• 

Fred  Moon,  motion  picture  editor  of 
the  Atlanta  Journal,  has  returned  with 
Mrs.  Moon  from  a  two-week  vacation. 
• 

William  Richardson,  president  of 
Astor  Pictures,  is  in  Birmingham 
from  Atlanta  on  business. 


Asks  $200,000  in 
Anti-Trust  Action 


Seattle,  Aug.  13.— John  Danz  and 
the  Granada  Theatre  Corp.,  which  op- 
erates the  Admiral  Theatre  here,  has 
filed  an  anti-trust  suit  in  United 
States  District  Court  for  the  Western 
district  of  Washington  against  20th 
Century-Fox,  Warner  Bros.,  Loew's, 
Paramount,  RKO  Radio,  United  Art- 
ists, Columbia,  Universal,  National 
Theatres,  Evergreen  Theatres  and  Fox 
Pacific  Theatres,  asking  $60,000  dam- 
ages trebled  and  $20,000  for  attorney 
fees,  or  a  total  of  $200,000. 

Danz  alleges  that  the  defendants 
have  conspired  to  keep  first-run  pic- 
tures from  his  Admiral  Theatre  in 
favor  of  the  Egyptian  and  Neptune. 
He'  seeks  to  play  first-run  films  day 
and  date  with  these  two  theatres  in 
addition  to  the  damages  he  asks. 

Attorneys  for  the  distributors  in  New 
York  have  been  furnished  copies  of 
Danz's  complaint  and  are  understood 
to  be  studying  it.  No  date  has  yet 
been  set  for  the  start  of  the  trial  of 
the  action. 


Truman,  DeGaulle 
To  Meet  Aug.  22 

Washington,  Aug.  13.  —  Gen. 
Charles  DeGaulle  will  arrive  in 
Washington  on  Aug.  22  for  policy 
talks  with  President  Truman  on 
France's  role  in  the  Far  East  and  the 
big  powers'  plans  for  administration  of 
western  Germany,  the  White  House 
announced  tonight. 

It  is  possible  that  some  of  the  ex- 
perts who  are  expected  to  accompany 
the  French  leader  may  hold  confer- 
ences with  State  Department  officials 
on  the  projected  restrictions  on 
French  distribution  of  American  mo- 
tion pictures. 


Morgan  to  Field  to 
Study  U.  S.  Charges 

Richard  Morgan  of  the  Paramount 
legal  department  in  New  York,  will 
leave  for  Dallas  next  Monday  as  the 
first  stop  on  a  tour  of  Southern  cities 
on  behalf  of  the  investigation  of 
the  distributor-defendants  in  the  New 
York  anti-trust  suit  of  the  Department 
of  Justice's  allegations  that  the  dis- 
tributors have  a  monopoly  on  exhibi- 
tion through  their  affiliated  circuits. 

Fred  Pride  of  Dwight,  Harris, 
Koegel  and  Caskey  has  been  visiting 
key  cities  for  the  past  few  weeks  on  a 
similar  investigation  for  20th  Century- 
Fox. 


SPG  Retains  Armstrong 

Honore  Armstrong  has  been  re- 
tained as  a  full-time  representative  of 
the  Screen  Publicists  Guild  (Local 
114,  UOPWA,  CIO).  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong assumed  her  duties  as  of  yes- 
terday. 


Walker  a  Bank  Director 

Frank  C.  Walker,  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral from  1940  to  last  June,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Comerford-Publix  Theatres 
Corp.,  has  been  elected  a  director  of 
the  Grace  National  Bank. 


U.  S.  Seeks  to  Aid 
Jacocks  on  Product 


The  Department  of  Justice  is  un- 
derstood to  have  written  to  several 
film  companies  asking  that  they  make 
first-run  product  available  to  Don  Ja- 
cocks, operator  of  the  Strand  Thea- 
tre in  Taunton,  Mass.  Jacocks  is  re- 
ported to  be  planning  an  anti-trust 
action  unless  he  is  able  to  secure  prod- 
uct to  re-open  the  Strand,  which  has 
been  closed  since  last  March. 

Jacocks  was  New  Jersey  zone  man- 
ager for  Warner  Bros,  for  many  years 
before  he  acquired  an  interest  in  the 
Levinson  circuit  in  Massachusetts  last 
year.  Mullin  and  Pinanski  previously 
held  the  lease  on  the  Strand,  which 
was  operated  as  a  first-run  house. 
When  Jacocks  took  over  the  Strand 
it  is  understood  that  M.  and  P.  trans- 
ferred first-run  franchise  to  one  of  its 
other  theatres  in  Taunton. 

Monroe  E.  Stein,  attorney  for  Ja- 
cocks, has  been  seeking  a  solution  in 
conferences  with  film  company  attor- 
neys and  sales  heads  for  several 
months. 


National  Theatres  to 
Fete  Turnbull  Today 

Ernest  Turnbull,  managing  director 
of  Hoyt's  Theatres,  Australian  circuit, 
will  be  honored  by  National  Theatres 
Amusement  Co.  at  a  luncheon  today 
at  the  St.  Moritz.  Dan  Michalove, 
National  Theatres  vice-president,  will 
preside  in  place  of  Charles  Skouras, 
National  Theatres  president,  who  is 
in  Los  Angeles. 

Among  those  invited  to  attend  are : 
W.  C.  Michel,  Murray  Silverstone, 
Joseph  A.  McConville,  Jack  Segal, 
Joseph  Seidelman,  Al  Daff,  Arthur 
Loew,  Tom  Mulrooney,  Harry 
Schroeder,  Al  Lowe,  Wolfe  Cohen, 
Karl  McDonald,  Robert  Hawkinson, 
Albert  Deane,  Otto  Bolle,  Leslie 
Whelan,  A.  S.  Gambee,  Robert  Selig 
and  Sam  Shain. 


Bothner-By,  Rowe  to 
RKO  Foreign  Dep't 

A.  C.  Bothner-By  has  been  engaged 
by  RKO  Radio  for  an  assignment  in 
the  Far  East,  and  Chauncey  Rowe 
also  has  joined  the  company's  foreign 
organization  and  will  be  assigned  to 
the  European  division  with  headquar- 
ters in  Paris,  Phil  Reisman,  RKO 
Radio  vice-president  in  charge  of  for- 
eign distribution,  announced  yesterday. 


20th  Has  Atom  Film 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13.  —  Darryl  F. 
Zanuck,  20th-Fox  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  today  aHiiounced 
that  "House  on  92nd  Street,"  pro- 
duced by  Louis  de  Rochemont  under 
Government  supervision,  concerns  the 
development  of  the  atomic  bomb. 


/.  M.  Schenck  Improving 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13.  —  Joseph  M. 
Scbenck,  executive  production  head 
of  20th  Century-Fox,  is  much  im- 
proved today  after  being  taken  to 
Cedars  of  Lebanon  Hospital  Sunday 
night  with  a  temperature  suggesting 
pneumonia. 


Kelly  Will  Head  New 
Independent  Firm 

Arthur  W.  Kelly  expects  plans  to 
be  completed  in  a  few  days  for  a  new 
independent  producing  company  which 
he  will  head  and  which  will  make  six 
films  annually.  Kelly  returned  to  New 
York  from  California  over  the  week- 
end and  said  that  several  details  in- 
cluding distribution  facilities  remain 
to  be  ironed  out. 

Kelly  recently  resigned  as  American 
head  of  J.  Arthur  Rank's  Eagle-Lion 
company.  He  denied  that  the  new 
production  company  will  be  tied  up 
with  the  Shubert  or  Theatre  Guild  in- 
terests. 


Pathe  Arrives  in  U.  S. 

Pierre  C.  Pathe,  executive  of  Pathe 
News  of  France,  has  arrived  in  the 
U.  S.  from  Foynes,  Eire. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

Showplaee  of  tha  Nation       Rockefeller  Canter 

A  Bell  For  Adano 

GENE  TIERNEY  .  JOHN  HODIAK 
WILLIAM  BENDIX 

Directed  by  Henry  King 
A  20th  Century- Fox  Picture 
SPECTACULAR  STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 

in  M-G-M  > 

'VALLEY  of 
DECISION' 


IN  PERSON 


■Scarps 

RUTH  TERRY 


'BETTY  HUTTON  -  ARTURO  DE  CORDOVA^ 
in  Paramount'i 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technieoler 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Techfl/eoJor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICE8 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


-WALT  DISNEY'S- 


WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

PltfOCCHIO 

^e-aSureVn"  technicolor 

Distributed    by    RKO    Radio    Pictures,  Inc. 

STSAARTTS  REPUBLIC  aTr*coyoled 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


r 


Yes,  tkey  kave  pretty  faces,  too  — 
tkose  kappy  kundred  glow  girls  in 

"GEORGE  WHITE'S  SCANDALS" 

An  RKO  Radio  Picture 


The  show  that's  on  the  go  with  glow 
and  glitter  every  minute!  • . .  Big  as  its 
Broadway  name;  brilliant  with  sweet 
and  solid  songs  of  the  moment! . . . 
A  gay  and  gingerful  carnival  of 
laughs  and  love,  rhythm 
and  fun  — pepped  with 
wondrous  entertainment 
specialties! 


Mi 


to 


f 


7 


*«  Band 


K  O 
/RADIO 

-/"aauREs 


Produced  by 

Screen  Play  by  HUG 
Dance 


OOBIX 


Jack 

PHILLIP  MARTHA 

TERRY- HOLIDAY 


GLENN 


BETTEJANE 


TRYON  GREER 


Directed  by  FELIX  E.  FEIT 

SNYDER,  PARKE  LEVY  and  HOWARD  GF  N 
by  ERNST  MATRAY 

LITHO  U 


Tuesday.  August  14,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Holds  Services  for 
Merritt  Crawford 


AFL  Council  Decision  on 
IATSE  Is  Due  Today 


Funeral  services  were  held  last 
night  at  the  Plaza  Funeral  Home. 
Manhattan,  for  Merritt  Crawford,  64. 
member  of  the  United  Artists  press- 
book  department  for  the  past  three 
years,  who  died  Saturday  night  at  the 
Long  Island  College  Hospital  in 
Brooklyn. 

Crawford,  veteran  film  publicist,  en- 
tered the  industry  in  1916  after  serv- 
ing as  a  reporter  on  The  New  York 
World  and  The  Morning  Telegraph. 
He  was  co-founder  and  editor  of  Mo- 
tion Pictures  Today,  a  trade  publica- 
tion, and  was  associated  with  M-G-M 
and  Fox  at  one  time.  He  was  also  a 
former  president  of  the  New  Film  Al- 
liance. 

Fought  in  Two  Wars 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War,  Crawford  left  the 
Lawrenceville  School  to  join  the 
Army.  He  also  was  a  veteran  of  the 
first  World  War. 

Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mrs.  Ethel 
Donovan  Crawford ;  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Merritt  Crawford ;  two  daugh- 
ters, Miss  Mary  Merritt  Crawford 
and  Charlotte  Holmes  Crawford ;  four 
sisters  and  two  brothers. 

Depinet  Opens  RKO 
Sales  Meet  Today 

Chicago,  Aug.  13. — Ned  E.  Depinet, 
RKO-Radio  president,  will  preside  at 
the  third  of  the  company's  series  of 
four  regional  sales  meetings  which 
opens  tomorrow  in  the  Blackstone 
Hotel,  here,  to  continue  through  Aug. 
16. 

Home  office  executives,  besides  Dep- 
inet, who  will  attend  the  meetings  are 
A.  A.  Schubart,  Robert  Mochrie, 
Harry  Michalson,  Walter  Branson,  M. 
G.  Poller,  S.  Barret  McCormick,  Terry 
Turner  and  Harry  Gittleson.  Also  at- 
tending from  New  York  are  A.  W. 
Schwalberg,  International  Pictures 
sales  manager ;  Leo  Samuels  and 
Charles  Levy,  sales  representative  and 
Eastern  publicity  manager,  respective- 
ly, for  Walt  Disney  Productions,  and 
Harold  Mirisch,  RKO  Theatre  execu- 
tive. District  managers  attending  in- 
clude H.  H.  Greenblatt,  Midwestern, 
and  R.  V.  Nolan,  Prairie.  Branch 
managers  include :  Sam  Gorelick,  Chi- 
cago ;  Lou  Elman,  Milwaukee ;  Fay 
Dressell,  Minneapolis ;  Sherm  Fitch, 
Sioux  Falls ;  Seymour  Borde,  Des 
Moines ;  A.  A.  Renfro,  Kansas  City ; 
K.  G.  Howe,  Omaha,  and  Tom  Wil- 
liamson, St.  Louis. 

RKO-Radio's  fourth  and  concluding 
regional  sales  meeting  will  be  held  in 
the  Ambassador  Hotel,  Los  Angeles, 
Aug.  20,  21  and  22. 


Lewis  Rosenquest  Dies 

Funeral  services  for  Lewis  Rosen- 
quest,  father  of  Harry  Rosenquest, 
Warner  Theatres  executive,  who  died 
at  his  some  on  Friday,  will  be  held 
today  at  the  Flieseler  Funeral  Home, 
Cypress  Hills,  Brooklyn.  Interment 
will  be  in  Cypress  Hills  Cemetery. 


Services  for  Garrou 

Charlotte,  Aug.  13. —  A  military 
funeral  was  held  in  Valdese,  N.  C,  for 
Capt.  Leith  H.  Garrou,  son  of  Albert 
Garrou  of  Colonial  Theatres,  Valdese, 
N.  C.  Capt.  Garrou  was  in  the  Air 
Corps,  stationed  at  Greenwood,  Miss. 


Chicago,  Aug.  13. — The  American 
Federation  of  Labor's  executive  coun- 
cil held  its  hearing  on  the  studio  strike 
at  the  Drake  Hotel  today  but  withheld 
decision  until  tomorrow. 

William  Green,  AFL  president,  said 
that  Richard  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
had  no  right  under  AFL  rules  to  is- 
sue charters  to  the  studios'  carpenters 
and  painters  and  that  it  will  be  up  to 
the  council  to  decide  whether  or  not 
'IA'  is  to  be  expelled  from  the  AFL 
if  the  international  refuses  to  cancel 
those  charters. 

Walsh,  who  was  here  today  to  pre- 
sent his  story,  maintained  that  he  has 
contracts  with  the  studios  to  supply 
carpenters  and  painters  and  that  he 
will  live  up  to  those  contracts.  He 
suggested  that  another  committee  of 
AFL  representatives  be  appointed  to 
study  the  situation  further. 

Green  explained  that,  should  the 
council  decide  to  expel  the  'IA,'  such 
action  must  be  ratified  by  the  AFL 
convention,  which  has  been  cancelled 
this  year. 

In  addition  to  Walsh,  TA'  represen- 
tatives at  the  meeting  included  Eugene 
Atkinson,  head  of  the  local  projection- 
ists, and  Frank  Stickling,  special  rep- 
resentative. The  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions,  engaged  in  the  jurisdictional 
dispute  with  the  'IA,'  was  represented 
by  L.  P.  Lindelof,  president  of  the 
Painters  Union,  and  William  McFed- 
ridge,  president  of  the  Building  Service 
Employees  Union.  William  Hutche- 
son,  president  of  the  Carpenters  Un- 
ion, attended  as  a  member  of  the  exe- 
cutive council. 


CIO  Is  Seen  Swinging  to 
Support  Studio  Strikers 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13.  —  Possibility 
that  the  CIO  may  swing  into  support 
of  the  Conference  of  Studio  Unions, 
reversing  its  "not  interested"  policy 
declared  early  in  the  strike  against  the 
major  studios,  appeared  supported  by 
weekend  developments. 


Mexico  Strike  Hits 
American  Product 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

ployers  refused  to  incorporate  the  rise 
in  the  new  contract. 

Investigation  is  proceeding,  as  the 
labor  law  here  requires,  into  the 
legality  of  the  strike.  If  the  majority 
of  personnel  favored  it,  then  the  strike 
is  considered  to  be  legal,  but  if  only 
supported  by  a  minority  then  the 
walkout  is  deemed  illegal.  If  it  is  held 
legal,  the  American  companies  are 
liable  to  meet  the  pay  raises  and  pay 
full  wages  during  the  shutdown. 

Leading  Mexican  producers  and 
distributors  are  also  involved  in  the 
strike.  They  have  indicated  that  they 
intend  to  support  the  Americans  in  the 
dispute.  The  strike  has  deprived 
1,035  Mexican  houses  of  any  product 
from  major  U.  S.  companies. 


Carson  in  New  CBS  Post 

James  E.  Carson  has  been  appointed 
network  service  manager  of  the  CBS 
Cadena  de  las  Americas  (network  of 
the  Americas),  replacing  Frank  Kizis, 
resigned,  according  to  Edmund  Ches- 
ter, CBS  director  of  Latin  American 
relations. 


Los  Angeles  Newspaper  Guild, 
CIO,  last  night  resolved  to  invoke 
its  "struck  work"  clause  under  which 
workers  could  decline  to  handle  stu- 
dio publicity  while  the  Screen  Pub- 
licists Guild  remains  on  strike.  Im- 
plementation of  the  resolution  must 
await  approval  by  the  national  Ameri- 
can Newspaper  Guild  executive  coun- 
cil. 

The  wording  of  the  resolution  con- 
demns the  producers  and  the  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  for  their  as- 
serted failure  to  obey  a  War  Labor 
Board  order ;  pledges  support  to  the 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  and 
SPG ;  and  provides  for  copies  to  be 
sent  to  all  ANG  locals. 

The  Los  Angeles  Daily  Navs  Ex- 
aminer and  the  Hollywood  Citizcn- 
News  would  be  affected  by  the  LANG 
action. 

Join  Film  Boycott 

At  Sunday  night's  CSU  mass  meet- 
ing. President  Herbert  Sorrell  an- 
nounced that  the  executive  board  of 
the  Los  Angeles  CIO  Council  has 
recommended  to  that  body  "specific 
action"  to  include :  members  of  CIO 
unions  shall  not  attend  theatres  show- 
ing films  from  struck  studios,  CIO 
unions  shall  actively  cooperate  in 
picketing  such  theatres  and  all  CIO 
councils  are  urged  to  take  like  steps. 

CSU's  strike  strategy  committee 
inaugurated  picketing  of  theatres  on 
Hollywood  Boulevard  Friday  night 
and  continued  Saturday,  with  the  de- 
clared intention  of  extending  the  scope 
of  this  activity. 

The  committee  this  morning  author- 
ized Sorrell  to  telegraph  Secretary  of 
Labor  Lewis  E.  Schwellenbach  request- 
ing his  intervention  in  the  strike. 

Superior  Court  hearings  on  contempt 
citations  for  seven  Screen  Office  Em- 
ployees Guild  officials,  scheduled  for 
today,  were  postponed  until  next  Mon- 
day following  an  appeal  of  the  case  by 
the  SOEG  to  the  California  Supreme 
Court. 


Cowen  Gets  Fabian 
Staten  Island  Post 

Comm.  Larry  Cowen,  USNR,  who 
returned  to  the  theatre  business  in 
February  after  four  years  in  the 
Navy,  to  rejoin  Fabian  Theatres  as 
managing  director  of  Proctor's,  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  upstate  director  of  public- 
ity for  Fabian,  has  been  transferred 
to  the  Fabian  Staten  Island  houses 
as  assistant  general  manager  and  di- 
rector of  advertising-publicity,  it  was 
announced  by  Si  Fabian. 

Milton  Schosberg  has  been  trans- 
ferred from  Staten  Island  to  Proc- 
tor's, Troy,  as  upstate  publicity,  and 
advertising  director  for  Fabian  houses. 


Scully,  O'Keefe  to 
Salt  Lake  Meeting 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13.  —  William 
Scully,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager  for  Universal;  A.  J. 
O'Keefe,  Western  division  sales  man- 
ager, John  Joseph,  advertising  and 
publicity  director,  and  Charles  K. 
Feldman,  Universal  producer,  en- 
trained Sunday  for  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  Scully  will  conduct  a  two-day 
sales  meeting. 


i  — — ^— — ^— — — 

Mannix  Replies  to 
SWG  Peace  Bid 


Hollywood,  Aug.  13. — Replying  to 
the  Screen  Writers  Guild  wire  of  Aug. 
9,  calling  upon  the  producers  to  nego- 
tiate a  settlement  of  the  22-week 
strike  on  the  basis  of  three  principal 
demands  made  by  the  Conference  of 
Studio  Unions,  President  E.  J.  Man- 
nix of  the  Association  of  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  over  the  weekend,  out- 
lined the  employers'  position. 

Regarding  the  recognition  of  Local 
1421  as  bargaining  agent  for  set 
decorators,  Mannix  reminded  SWG 
"the  National  Labor  Relations  Board 
is  the  body  which,  under  the  law,  has 
full  and  final  determination  of  the 
question  of  representation,"  but  added, 
"if  the  unions  involved  can  agree  on 
this  question  of  representation,  the 
producers  will  abide  by  that  agree- 
ment." 

Concerning  the  reinstatement  of 
workers  now  observing  the  picket 
lines,  Mannix  said,  "both  the  rein- 
statement of  those  who  created  the 
present  situation,  and  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  contracts  of  those  unions 
which  have  deliberately  breached  their 
written  obligations,  will  necessarily 
have  to  be  made  with  consideration 
of  the  various  situations  brought  about 
by  the  strike.  Basic  fairness  and 
necessity  compels  us  not  to  give  or 
discuss  a  blanket  pledge  of  such  rein- 
statement or  re-establishment." 

Future  Jurisdictional  Disputes 

As  to  the  establishment  of  ma- 
chinery for  local  settlement  of  juris- 
dictional disputes,  Mannix  said,  "The 
producers  will  cooperate  to  achieve 
this  objective.  This  is  primarily  a 
problem  between  the  unions  involved. 
We  will  lend  every  effort  and  sup- 
port to  creation  of  machinery  which 
will  prevent  such  clashes  in  the  fu- 
ture." 

Mannix  ended  his  reply,  saying, 
"May  we  point  out  how  greatly  we 
desire  industrial  peace  in  our  studios. 
When  this  controversy  arose  we  did 
everything  possible  to  avoid  it.  We 
continue  willing  and  anxious  to  do 
everything  within  our  power  and 
within  the  bounds  of  fairness  to  bring 
about  such  peace." 

In  a  separate  statement  commenting 
on  the  "ineffectiveness  of  the  strike," 
major  producers  declared,  "There  are 
43  pictures  before  the  cameras,  six 
more  than  were  in  work  just  before 
the  strike  began  on  March  12.  The 
37  pictures,  exclusive  of  Army,  Navy 
and  other  Government  films,  which 
were  in  production  when  the  strike 
began,  all  have  been  started  and  fin- 
ished." 

The  SWG  board  was  scheduled  to 
discuss  the  producers'  reply  to  the 
settlement  proposals  tonight  and  has 
scheduled  a  membership  meeting  for 
Friday  night.  Meanwhile,  SWG  offi- 
cials declined  to  comment  on  the  re- 
ply. 

Prints  for  Sweden 
Can  Now  Go  Direct 

American  film  companies  started 
to  send  prints  direct  from  the  United 
States  to  Sweden  at  the  weekend,  ac- 
cording to  Massce-Barnett  Co.,  in- 
ternational film  forwarders  for  dis- 
tributors. 

During  the  war  in  Europe,  and  up 
to  now,  prints  had  to  be  sent  to  Eng- 
land first  and  from  there  by  air  to 
Sweden. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  14,  1945 


House  Film  Group 
To  Europe  Today! 


Review 


The  Lost  Weekend' 


{Paramount) 

PARAMOUNT  offers  a  most  unusual  production  in  this  impressively 
honest  screen  translation  of  Charles  R.  Jackson's  widely  read  and  widely 
discussed  novel  of  the  weekend  of  a  chronic  alcoholic.  It  is  the  photo- 
graphic record  of  a  disease  and  its  victim,  having  the  morbid  fascination  of 
the  abnormal. 

It  is  inevitable  that  it  will  attract  much  attention  and  discussion,  both  in 
and  out  of  print.  It  follows  that  its  already  well  known  title  will  be  even 
more  widely  known  following  the  picture's  appearance.  Naturally,  there  will 
be  a  maximum  of  curiosity  about  the  picture  and  that  will  draw  many  to  the 
theatres  which  display  it.  In  this,  perhaps,  is  the  exhibitor's  best  cue  for 
merchandising  "The  Lost  Weekend."  Its  title  will  tell  most  of  the  sales 
story,  if  not  all  of  it. 

There  is,  too,  name  value  to  bolster  the  title.  Ray  Milland,  as  the 
alcoholic,  gives  a  performance  difficult  to  forget.  So  believable  is  his  role 
of  Don  Birnam,  the  habitual  drunk,  that  the  entire  picture  is  endowed  with 
stark  and  tragic  reality.  Jane  Wyman  plays  the  girl  in  love  with  Milland, 
faithful  to  him  despite  his  affliction,  believing  always  that  her  devotion  will 
help  cure  him  eventually.  Philip  Terry  is  the  brother  who  has  endeavored 
also  to  help  effect  the  cure. 

The  picture  is  too  grim,  the  character  too  pitiful  to  permit  this  production 
to  be  fitted  into  an  entertainment  classification.  As  has  been  said,  its  princi- 
pal drawing  power  will  be  to  the  curious,  to  the  many  who  are  fascinated 
by  the  recitations  of  social  problems  on  the  radio  and  to  others  honestly 
interested  in  the  subject  which  it  treats.  It  should  be  seen,  too,  by  all  those 
sincerely  interested  in  motion  picture  realism  and  experimentation.  The  fine 
direction  of  Billy  Wilder,  the  distinctive  performances  of  an  earnest  cast  and 
Charles  Brackett's  fitting  production,  as  well  as  its  subject  matter,  set  "The 
Lost  Weekend"  apart  from  other  pictures. 

The  story  opens  with  Milland,  just  off  of  one  of  his  habitual  drunks, 
escaping  a  weekend  in  the  country  with  his  brother  in  order  that  he  may  be 
by  himself  to  resume  his  drinking.  Flashbacks  recount  the  story  of  his 
meeting  with  Miss  Wyman,  three  years  earlier,  when  he  already  was  a 
confirmed  alcoholic  but  had  not  yet  sunk  to  the  degredation  in  which  the 
opening  of  the  picture  finds  him.  Beginning  in  a  neighborhood  bar  in  New 
York's  East  side,  the  camera  follows  him  on  his  pursuit  of  liquor  for  three 
days  and  nights  until,  following  an  accident,  he  ends  up  in  the  alcoholic  ward 
of  Bellevue  Hospital.  Escaping  from  the  ward  he  returns  to  his  brother's 
apartment,  has  an  attack  of  delirium  tremens  and  is  saved  from  suicide  by 
the  arrival  of  Miss  Wyman.  The  picture  ends  on  a  note  of  hope  for  the 
rehabilitation  of  the  drunkard. 

Among  those  in  the  cast  providing  outstanding  characterizations,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  leads,  are  Howard  de  Silva,  as  a  bartender ;  Doris  Dowling,  as 
a  saloon  habitue;  Frank  Faylen  as  a  hospital  attendant,  and  Mary  Young 
as  a  landlady.    The  screenplay  is  by  Wilder  and  Brackett. 

It  is  not  a  picture  for  children. 

Running  time,  101  minutes.    Classification,  adult.    Release,  Nov.  23. 

Sherwin  Kane. 


Washington,  Aug.  13. — With  an 
agenda  calling  for  an  extensive  in- 
vestigation of  post-war  film  problems, 
members  of  the  House  Special  Com- 
mittee on  Post-war  Economic  Policy, 
headed  by  Rep.  William  M.  Colmer 
of  Mississippi,  will  leave  for  Europe 
tomorrow  to  investigate  economic  con- 
trol policies  in  Allied  and  liberated 
countries  and  their  bearing  on  the 
American  economy,  as  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on  Aug.  10. 

Dr.  William  Y.  Elliott,  Professor 
of  government  at  Harvard  University, 
who  resigned  last  week  as  War  Pro- 
duction Board  vice-chairman  for  Of- 
fice of  Civilian  Requirements,  will 
serve  a%  staff  consultant  to  the  Com- 
mittee, which,  in  addition  to  Chair- 
man Colmer,  includes  Representatives 
Jere  Cooper,  Tennessee ;  Francis  E. 
Walter,  Pennsylvania ;  Orville  Zim- 
merman, Missouri ;  Charles  A. 
Wolverton,  New  Jersey ;  Clifford  R. 
Hope,  Kansas ;  Jesse  P.  Wolcott,  and 
R.  B.  Forsom,  staff  director. 


Variety  to  Golf  Aug.  27 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  13.  —  The  local 
Variety  Club  will  hold  its  annual 
golf  tournament  at  the  Summit  Hills 
Country  Club  on  Aug.  27,  it  has 
been  announced  by  Irving  Sochen, 
20th  Century-Fox  city  salesman,  in 
charge  of  the  activities  committee. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast-  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood_.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK :  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Frank  Davis  Made 
WB  Winnipeg  Head 

Frank  Davis,  formerly  a  member 
of  Warners'  sales  staff  in  Montreal, 
has  been  promoted  to  branch  manager 
in  Winnipeg. 

Davis  succeeds  G.  A.  Matthews,  re- 
signed. He  was  at  one  time  a  sales- 
man in  the  Winnipeg  territory  and 
also  in  Toronto  before  being  assigned 
to  Montreal. 

Gaffney  Named  Head 
Of  Monogram  Branch 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13. — Harry  Gaff- 
ney, for  the  past  16  years  associated 
with  Warners'  Kansas  City  exchange, 
has  been  appointed  manager  of  Mono- 
gram's Kansas  City  office. 

Gaffney  joined  Warners  in  1929  as 
booker  and  was  subsequently  office 
manager  and  city  salesman. 


Guenther,  'Look'  Editor 

Jack  Guenther  has  been  appointed 
managing  editor  of  Look  Magazine, 
effective  Aug.  20.  The  appointment 
of  Dan  C.  Fowler  as  assistant  man- 
aging editor  in  charge  of  copy  takes 
effect  on  the  same  date. 


Soviet  Film  to  Danubia 

Danubia  Pictures,  New  York,  has 
acquired  distribution  right  of  the  four- 
reel  Russian  subject,  "Capture  of 
Budapest"  with  an  English  narration. 


Lindau  Distributor 
Complaint  Dismissed 

Chicago,  Aug.  13. — Albert  Mc- 
Caleb,  arbitrator  in  the  Chicago 
tribunal's  case  filed  by  Charles 
Lindau,  owner  of  the  Kedzie  Annex 
Theatre,  against  distributors  for  al- 
leged inability  to  secure  enough  prod- 
uct, has  dismissed  the  complaint. 
Prior  to  making  the  decision,  Mc- 
Caleb  inspected  the  neighboring  Sen- 
ate and  Crawford  theatres  which, 
Lindau  claimed  secured  more  and  bet- 
ter product. 


14,000  'Tokyo'  Bookings 

On  the  basis  of  contracts  already 
closed,  bookings  of  "Orders  from 
Tokyo,"  Technicolor  documentary 
short  revealing  Jap  atrocities  in  the 
Philippines,  will  exceed  14,000,  ac- 
cording to  Norman  H.  Moray,  short 
subject  sales  manager  for  Warner 
Bros..  Picture  is  being  sold  by  War- 
ners as  a  regular  short. 


$90,000  Theatre  Fire 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  Aug.  13.  ■ — 
Plans  are  already  in  progress  for  re- 
building the  Princess  Theatre  here, 
recently  destroyed  by  fire  with  an  es- 
timated loss  of  $90,000.  Cause  of  the 
fire  was  attributed  to  a  cigarette 
dropped  on  an  upholstered  seat  fol- 
lowing a  Sunday  morning  religious 
service.  Crescent  Amusement  Co., 
Nashville,  is  the  owner. 


Peace  News, 
Weather  Hit 
N.  Y.  Grosses 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

business  to  the  Capitol  with  a  terrific 
$98,000  expected  for  the  fourth  week 
which  will  give  the  house  its  best  week 
of  the  four  with  the  combination. 
Third  week's  receipts  were  $97,600  and 
short  of  the  $99,000  expected. 

Four  new  films  are  scheduled  to 
open  this  week.  The  Radio  City  Music 
Hall  will  bring  in  "Over  21"  Thurs- 
day. "A  Bell  for  Adano"  is  expected 
to  bring  a  good  $105,000  to.  the  Hall 
for  its  sixth  and  final  week.  *  The  Cri- 
terion will  open  "Bewitched,"  also 
Thursday.  A  profitable  $17,000  is  ex- 
pected for  the  final  eight  days  of  a 
fifth  week  for  "A  Thousand  and  One 
Nights"  there.  The  Victoria  will  bring 
in  "Caribbean  Mystery"  Saturday.  A 
satisfactory  $12,500  is  expected  for  the 
third  and  final  week  for  "Don  Juan 
Quilligan"  there.  "Midnight  Man- 
hunt" will  open  at  the  Rialto  Friday 
and  $7,500  is  expected  by  the  theatre 
for  a  week  for  "West  of  the  Pecos." 

'Christmas'  Receipts  Heavy 

The  Strand  is  continuing  with  heavy 
receipts  for  a  third  week  for  "Christ- 
mas in  Connecticut"  and  a  stage  show 
with  Erskine  Hawkins  and  his  orches- 
tra and  the  Charioteers,  with  $67,000 
expected.  "Pride  of  the  Marines"  is 
scheduled  to  follow,  possibly  on  Aug. 
24.  "Incendiary  Blonde"  and  a  stage 
bill  featuring  Phil  Spitalny  and  his 
"Hour  of  Charm"  All-Girl  orchestra 
are  continuing  to  good  business  at  the 
Paramount  where  $67,000  is  expected 
for  the  third  week. 

"Wonder  Man"  at  the  Astor  and 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  at  the  Hollywood 
are  drawing  outstanding  receipts  in 
extended  holdovers.  About  $40,000  is 
expected  for  a  smash  10th  week  for 
"Wonder  Man"  at  the  Astor  and  an 
equally  big  $40,000  is  expected  for  the 
seventh  week  for  "Rhapsody  in  Blue" 
at  the  Hollywood.  "Junior  Miss"  is 
displaying  fine  holding  power  at  the 
Rialto  with  a  good  $20,000  expected 
for  a  ninth  week.  "Love  Letters"  is 
scheduled  to  follow  on  Aug.  25. 

"Along  Came  Jones"  is  holding  up 
smartly  at  the  Palace  with  $26,000  ex- 
pected for  a  fourth  week,  following  a 
third  week  which  brought  $28,000. 
"Back  to  Bataan"  is  scheduled  to  fol- 
low on  Sept.  5.  "The  Great  John  L." 
will  continue  for  a  seventh  week  at  the 
Globe,  again  deferring  the  opening  of 
"The  Southerner,"  with  an  excellent 
$11,500  expected  for  the  sixth  week. 
"Why  Girls  Leave  Home"  is  scoring 
nicely  at  the  Gotham  with  a  neat  $9,000 
expected  for  a  second  week  after  an 
initial  week  of  $11,500.  The  Republic 
will  open  with  the  re-release  of  Walt 
Disney's  "Pinocchio"  Saturday. 


Blatt  Joins  Goldwyn 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13. — Robert  B. 
Mclntyre  will  retire  as  casting  di- 
rector for  Samuel  Goldwyn  on  Aug. 
15  and  will  be  succeeded  by  Edward 
A.  Blatt. 


Fire  Closes  Ohio  House 

Delphos,  O.,  Aug.  13.  —  The  Star 
Theatre,  operated  by  E.  L.  Staub,  is 
temporarily  closed  by  fire  damage. 


Funny -how  this  guy 

always  draws  a  crowd  . . . 


VIRGIL  PARTCH  never  fails  to  pack  them  in.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  topnotch  talent  that  produces  the  stage  and 
screen  news,  the  pictorialized  news,  sophisticated  car- 
toons and  amusing  columns  in  Sunday  Pictorial  Review. 
Louella  Parsons,  Simms  Campbell,  "Bugs"  Baer!  They 
draw  a  readership  of  over  5,000,000  families  a  week,  in 
nine  major  markets,  where  235  million  dollars  a  year  is 
spent  on  entertainment.  Today  more  than  1000  indi- 
vidual theatres  are  advertised  in  this  great  pictorial  sup- 
plement. Always  draws  a  crowd! 


Represented  nationally  by  HEARST  ADVERTISING  SERVICE 


8 


MOTION  BlCTURE  DAILY 


Tuesday,  August  14,  1945 


"Ziegfeld  Follies" 

(Continued  from   page  1) 

ful  girls  in  pink  ostrich  feathers  and  pink  draperies  parade  and  dance  while 
Lucille  Ball  cracks  the  whip  over  a  pony  ballet  in  black  and  Virginia  O'Brien 
burlesques  the  theme  song,  "Bring  on  Those  Beautiful  Girls."  This  is  the 
nearest  to  a  traditional  Ziegfeld  number  that  the  film  contains,  by  the  way. 

There  follows  a  really  lovely  water  ballet  in  which  Esther  Williams  swims 
and  smiles  for  exquisite  photographic  effects,  much  of  it  underwater.  This  is 
followed  by  Keenan  Wynn  wrestling  with  an  unhelpful  but  oh-so-ladylike 
telephone  operator  in  "Number  Please."  This  is  the  old  gag  about  getting  long 
distance  calls  through  in  two  seconds  but  failing  to  reach  a  friend  in  the  next 
block.  But  Keenan  is  a  good  comedian  and  wins  plenty  of  laughs. 

By  way  of  complete  and  almost  laughable  contrast  comes  a  duet  from  "La 
Traviata,"  admirably  sung  by  James  Melton  and  Marion  Bell,  whose  voices 
are  heard  to  great  advantage  in  the  Verdi  music,  but  which  is  staged  in  an 
over-elaborate  and  confusing  manner.  Another  comedy  sketch,  "Pay  the  Two 
Dollars,"  follows,  in  which  Victor  Moore  and  Edward  Arnold  appear  as  a 
peaceable  little  man  and  his  officious  lawyer,  who  prefers  his  client  in  jail 
rather  than  not  appeal  a  small  fine.  This  is  not  new,  but  Moore  is  helpless  and 
pathetic  as  always. 

Fred  Astaire  and  Lucille  Bremer  make  their  first  joint  appearance  in  a 
sentimental  dance  story,  set  to  the  music  of  Harry  Warren's  "This  Heart  of 
Mine,"  and  performed  in  a  gold  and  red  ballroom  and  on  the  marble  steps 
outside.  The  song  is  pretty  and  so  is  Miss  Bremer  who,  though  awed  by  her 
company,  dances  like  a  feather  and  has  a  fresh,  youthful  charm.  Astaire,  who 
is  rather  unkindly  treated  by  the  camera,  is,  naturally,  suave  perfection. 

The  wonderful  Fanny  Brice  makes  her  only  appearance  in  "A  Sweepstakes 
Ticket,"  by  David  Freedman,  assisted  by  Hume  Cronyn  and  William  Frawley. 
This  is  a  broadly  comic,  frankly  farcical  affair,  not  as  funny  as  it  might  be 
because  the  humor  is  too  slight  to  stand  the  magnification  of  the  camera. 

Lena  Home,  quite  incredibly  beautiful  as  always,  comes  next  with  "Love," 
a  sultry  ballad  by  Hugh  Martin  and  Ralph  Blane,  staged  for  something  more 
than  it  is  worth  by  Lemuel  Ayres.  She  is  followed  by  Red  Skelton  in  his 
familiar  but  very  laughable  television  sketch  showing  an  announcer  seeking  to 
promote  someone's  gin  and  knocking  himself  out  in  the  process. 

A  pantomime  drama  of  London's  Limehouse,  suggested  by  the  famous  Philip 
Graham  song,  presents  Astaire  and  Miss  Bremer  again. 

Judy  Garland  provides  one  of  the  two  best  sequences  in  the  film  in  "An 
Interview,"  in  which  she  satirizes  in  wickedly  amusing  fashion  a  "great  lady" 
of  the  screen,  elaborately  costumed  and  coy,  describing  her  forthcoming  epic 
to  a  battery  of  reporters  and  cameramen.  Very  good  music  and  lyrics  by  Kay 
Thompson  and  Roger  Edens  and  topnotch  dance  direction  by  Charles  Walters 
make  substantial  contributions. 

Some  really  beautiful  teamwork  by  Astaire  and  Gene  Kelly  in  a  lightly 
amusing  and  well  staged  duet,  "The  Babbitt  and  the  Bromide,"  by  George  and 
Ira  Gershwin,  is  worth  the  price  of  admission  alone. 

The  production  ends  rather  tamely  with  "Beauty,"  a  Warren  and  Freed  love 
song,  staged  with  everything  from  bubble  bath  effects  to  Dali  poses,  and  sung 
by  Kathryn  Grayson,  who  has  a  pretty  voice  but  hardly  the  personality  for  so 
ornate  a  presentation. 

"Ziegfeld  Follies"  may  be  slightly  confused  by  some  with  "The  Great  Zieg- 
feld," but  the  new  picture  is  strictly  a  revue  type  of  show  (unlike  "Ziegfeld," 
which  had  a  book).  "Follies"  is  the  first  of  its  kind  to  come  out  of  Hollywood 
in  quite  some  time.  It  was  directed  by  Vincente  Minnelli  and  was  produced  by 
Arthur  Freed. 

Running  time,  110  minutes.  Classification,  "G."  Release,  not  set. 


Army  to  Hold  Its 
Film  Equipment 


Washington,  Aug.  13. — Motion 
picture  equipment,  particularly  pro- 
jectors, will  be  among  the  last  items  of 
material  to  be  declared  surplus,  War 
Department  spokesmen  indicated  to- 
day. 

High  officers  of  the  Army  Service 
Forces  have  declared  there  will  be  a 
greater  use  made  of  motion  picture 
equipment  by  the  Armed  Forces  in 
the  months  to  come  than  ever  before, 
explaining  that  it  will  take  18  months 
or  more  to  discharge  all  who  are  to 
be  released  from  military  service  and 
during  that  period  it  will  be  necessary 
to  provide  entertainment  at  every 
point  where  men  'are  congregated, 
either  temporarily  or  permanentl, 
until  their  discharge. 

It  is  also  planned  to  use  motion 
pictures  'for  educational  and  other 
purposes  during  the  period  of  demob- 
ilization to  "orient"  men  for  their  re- 
turn to  civilian  life  and,  as  one  officer 
put  it,  "the  projectors  will  probably 
run  red-hot." 

Filming  to  the  End 

It  was  also  disclosed  that  the  Army 
will  continue  to  take  pictures  of  its 
units  up  to  the  very  time  they  are 
discharged.  Films  will  be  taken  of 
men  boarding  ship,  entraining  and  ar- 
riving at  new  locations,  just  as  was 
done  during  the  period  of  hostilities. 

Some  equipment  may  be  released 
for  surplus  in  Europe,  however,  but 
at  least  half  of  it  is  expected  to  be 
returned  to  this  country.  No  effort 
has  been  made  yet  to  set  up  any  esti- 
mates. 

Once  the  material  is  declared  sur- 
plus, it  is  to  be  turned  over  to  the 
Department  of  Commerce  for  disposi- 
tion, with  the  Office  of  Education  to 
be  given  first  choice  under  the  policy 
of  permitting  government  agencies  a 
preference. 

Casanave  Heads  New 
Schofield  Company 

Officers  of  the  newly-formed_  Scho- 
field Productions,  Inc.,  dealing  in  pro- 
duction of  industrial  films,  include 
Charles  L.  Casanave,  president ;  John 
Paul  Schofield,  writer,  producer  and 
director  since  1921,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production;  Charles  E. 
Schwengeler,  former  editor  of  foreign 
films  distributed  here,  second  vice- 
president  and  laboratory  supervisor; 
Edward  P.  Casanave,  secretary-treas- 
urer, and  Robert  W.  Cease,  assistant 
secretary-treasurer,  it  was  announced 
yesterday. 

The  organization  has  secured  con- 
tracts from  the  Office  of  Inter-Amer- 
ican Affairs  and  negotiations  are 
under  way  for  the  production  of  fea- 
tures for  industrial  firms,  according  to 
the  announcement. 


Mitchell  to  Academy 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13. — Major  Gor- 
don Mitchell  today  resumed  the  man- 
agership of  the  Research  Council  of 
the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts 
and  Sciences  after  three  years  in  the 
Army. 


181  'Marines'  Dates 

One  hundred  and  eighty-one  open- 
ings of  "Pride  of  the  Marines"  have 
been  set  up  for  over  Labor  Day,  War- 
ner Brothers  announced  yesterday.  In 
New  York,  the  Strand  is  scheduled  to 
open  "Marines"  on  Aug.  24. 


Astor  Franchise  Meet 
In  Los  Angeles  Today 

Chicago,  Aug.  13— Jacques  Kopf- 
stein,  vice-president  of  Astor  Pictures, 
disclosed  at  a  meeting  of  Western 
franchise  holders  at  the  Continental 
Hotel  here  over  the  weekend  that  As- 
tor has  concluded  a  deal  with  Samuel 
Goldwyn  for  the  16  mm.  rights  to 
"The  North  Star." 

Kopfstein  is  scheduled  to  conduct 
another  meeting  of  Astor  representa- 
tives tomorrow  in  Los  Angeles  fol- 
lowing which  he  will  return  to  New 
York,  stopping  off  en  route  in  Dallas 
and  Atlanta. 

Among  those  at  the  Chicago  session 
were  Henri  Elman,  Chicago ;  Abbott 
M.  Schwartz,  Minneapolis;  Charles 
Koehler,  Milwaukee;  Nat  Wolfe, 
Denver,  and  Julian  King,  Des  Moines 
and  Kansas  City. 


Armm  PRC  Manager 

Albany,  Aug.  13.  —  Jack  Armm, 
former  Columbia  salesman  here,  has 
been  appointed  manager  of  the  local 
PRC  branch  by  Joe  Miller,  district 
manager,  who  also  announced  that  the 
company  will  have  a  new  office  build- 
ing, to  be  erected  by  W.  W.  Farley. 


Rodgers  to  Host 
Boston  Exhibitors 

Boston,  Aug.  13. —  William  F. 
Rodgers,  M-G-M  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager,  will  be  host  to 
about  50  exhibitors  in  the  Boston  ter- 
ritory tomorrow  at  a  special  luncheon 
to  be  held  at  the  Ritz  Carlton  Hotel. 
The  world  premiere  of  "Ziegfeld 
Follies"  will  be  held  at  the  Colonial 
theatre  tonight. 

In  addition  to  Rodgers,  home  office 
guests  at  the  luncheon  will  include : 
Howard  Dietz,  Si  Seadler,  E.  K. 
O'Shea,  William  R.  Ferguson,  Charles 
K.  Stern,  Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Oscar  A. 
Doob,  Maurice  N.  Wolf,  Boston  dis- 
trict manager,  and  Tom  Donaldson, 
branch  manager,  in  addition  to  Judy 
Garland  and  her  husband,  Vincente 
Minnelli. 


Streuber  Names  Two 

Appointments  of  Richard  A.  Glide- 
well  as  sound  products  sales  manager 
of  the  RCA  international  division  and 
Lucien  Begin  as  technical  consultant 
on  RCA  film  recording  have  been  an- 
nounced by  Karl  L.  Streuber,  mana- 
ger of  the  theatre  and  sound  equip- 
ment department  of  the  division. 


Colvin  Clearance 
Award  Sustained 


The  Arbitration  Appeal  Board  has 
sustained  the  arbitrator  of  the  Buf- 
falo tribunal  in  reducing  clearance  of 
the  Kenmore  Theatre,  Kenmore,  N. 
Y.,  over  the  Colvin,  also  Kenmore,  to 
three  days,  and  that  of  the  North  Park 
Theatre,  Buffalo,  over  the  Colvin  to  10 
days  on  RKO  Radio  product,  the 
American  Arbitration  Association  re- 
ports here. 

Originally,  clearances  of  the  Ken- 
more and  the  North  Park  over  the 
Colvin  were,  respectively,  10  and  17 
days.  Basil  Bros.  Theatres,  operator 
of  the  Colvin,  asked  in  its  complaint 
that  it  be  permitted  to  show  films  not 
more  than  30  days  after  exhibition  at 
first  run  in  Buffalo. 

Intervenors  were :  Buffalo  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  operator  of  the  Kenmore 
and  North  Park,  and  Dipson  Thea- 
tres, Inc.,  operator  of  the  Amherst 
Theatre,  Amherst,  N.  Y. 


Para.  2nd  Quarter 
Net  $4480,000 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

quarter  last  year  were  estimated  at 
$4,081,000,  including  $693,000  share  of 
earnings  of  subsidiaries. 

Earnings  for  the  six  months  ended 
June  30,  1945,  on  the  same  basis  are 
estimated  at  $8,487,000,  including  $1,- 
598,000  share  of  earnings  of  subsidi- 
aries, while  earnings  for  the  first  six 
months  of  last  year  were  estimated  at 
$7,895,000,  including  $1,536,000  share 
of  earnings  of  subsidiaries. 

The  $4,480,000  estimated  earnings 
for  the  quarter  represent  $1.19  per 
share,  which  compares  with  $1.09  per 
share  for  the  quarter  ended  July  1, 
1944.  The  $8,487,000  of  estimated 
earnings  for  the  six  months  represent 
$2.26  per  share  on  the  common,  which 
compares  with  $2.10  per  share  for  the 
first  six  months  of  1944. 


'U's  6  Months  Net 
Is  $2,064,176 

Universal  Pictures  Company  yes- 
terday announced  consolidated  net 
profits  for  the  26  weeks  ended  April 
28,  1945,  amounting  to  $2,064,176 
after  all  charges  including  Federal 
income  and  excess  profits  taxes. 

This  compares  with  $1,833,945  for 
the  corresponding  period  of  the  pre- 
ceding fiscal  year.  Before  providing 
for  Federal  income  and  excess  profits 
taxes,  consolidated  net  profit  amount- 
ed to  $4,317,175,  compared  with 
$4,794,845  in  the  like  period  last  year. 

Delay  Jackson  Park 
Appeal  for  Month 

Chicago,  Aug.  13. — Thomas  C.  Mc- 
Connell,  attorney  for  the  plaintiffs  in 
the  Jackson  Park  Theatre  anti-trust 
case,  will  delay  for  a  month  his  appeal 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  recent 
U.  S.  Circuit  Court  decision  reversing 
the  verdict  of  the  Federal  Court  jury 
which  awarded  the  theatre  operators 
damages  totaling  $360,000.  McConnell 
recently  underwent  an  operation  and 
is  now  convalescing  at  his  home  in 
Wilmette. 

Defendants  in  the  case  are  the  major 
distributors  and  the  Balaban  and  Katz 
and  Warner  Theatres  circuits. 


if 

0  | 


•  do  know  that  One  Third  of  a 

Century  means ...  THIRTY  THREE  YEARS  of  out= 
standing  screen  entertainment  from  PARAMOUNT 
***  THIRTY  THREE  YEARS  of  Serving  the  Industry 
...and  Entertaining  tne  World  *** A  record  of 
which  any  company  could  well  he  proud ...  espe= 
cially,  when  its  studded  witfi  history=making 
motion  picture  successes...  Academy  Award  win= 
ning  films  and  Stars...and  tne  good=will  of  exhihu 
tors  and  mo vie=goers... producers  and  distributors 
...throughout  the  world  *  *  *  That  record  adds  up 
to  SUCCESS. ..and  the  PRIZE  BABY  joins  the 
Industry ..  .in  wishing  more  and  more  SUCCESS 
to  PARAMOUNT  PICTURES... for  the  halance  of 
the  Century  ...and  more  to  come  #  #  # 


nnnonni 


'  SERVICE 

of  memousmy 


( 


F%0 


Who  told  about  Ray  Milland's 


Who  got  a  story  from  a  panther's  cag< 
Othman!  ("Of  course,  they  took  the 
panther  out,"  Othman  explains) 


Motion  Picture  believes  that  movie-goers  want  to  read 
■bout  human  beings.  Motion  Picture  gives  the  grins  as  well 
35  the  glamor  that  make  the  public  love  picture  people. 
He  think  that  there  are  more  good-humored  feature*  in 
Motion  Picture  than  in  any  other  screen  magazine.  Maybe 
hat's  why  this  first  of  all  magazines  about  screen  players 
i  more  popular  every  issue  .  . .  Motion  Picture  is  human. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

Fawcett  Publications,  Inc.  @  & 

World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Magazines,  295  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y 


I  N  T*E  RNATIONAL 

MOTION 
PICTU  RE 
ALMANAC 

THE  REFERENCE  BOOK. OFTHE  INDUSTRY 


The  1945-46  edition,  now  on  the  press 
will  contain  the  most  exhaustive 
compilation  of  up-to-the-minute  facts 
and  figures  about  the  motion  picture 
industry  ever  published. 

Serving  the  producer,  the  distributor, 
the  exhibitor  and  all  other  factors 
of  the  business,  the  Almanac  is  the 
supreme  reference  annual  of  the 
industry.  Edition  is  limited.  Reserve 
your  copy  now.  The  last  edition  was 
sold  out  within  a  week  of  publication. 
$3.25 postpaid  in  U.S.A.,  $5  elsewhere. 


EDITED    BY    TERRY  RAMSAYE 


QP 


Q  U  I  G  L  E  Y 

PUBLICATIONS 

New  York  (20)  Hollywood  (28) 
Chicago  (5)  London 


QP 


Tuesday,  August  14,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


13 


Most  of  Nation's  Houses 
Remaining  Open  V-J  Day 


Czech  Government 
Takes  Over  Films 


USO  Will  Continue 
Far  East  Service 

Far  Eastern  activities  of 
the  United  Service  Organiza- 
tion will  continue  for  some 
time  during  the  era  of  peace, 
it  is  indicated  here  bv  Linds- 
ley  F.  Kimball,  USO  presi- 
dent, who  said:  "There  is  a 
vast  job  to  be  done  until  the 
service  men  and  women  to  be 
demobilized  can  return  home. 
New  armies  of  occupation, 
other  armies  in  shifted  bases 
in  Hawaii,  the  Philippines 
and  demobilization  camps,  the 
constant  call  for  aid  at  hos- 
pitalization and  transporta- 
tion centers,  all  spell  neces- 
sity for  continuing  vigorous 
service  by  the  USO." 


Standard  Time  May 
Be  Resumed  Soon 

Washington,  Aug.  13. — The  na- 
tion's clocks  may  be  turned  back  an 
hour  soon  after  Congress  reconvenes 
and  has  a  chance  to  pass  a  resolution 
abolishing  war  time  and  returning  to 
standard  time.  Chairman  Cannon  of 
the  House  Appropriations  Committee 
said  recently  that  he  intended  to  spon- 
sor the  change  as  soon  as  conditions 
permitted. 

Study  Home  Office 
Closing  for  V-J  Day 

Film  company  personnel  heads  were 
studying  plans  yesterday  for  home 
office  closings  in  observance  of  V-J 
Day  with  Warner  Bros,  being  the 
first  company  to  adopt  a  specific  plan, 
that  being  the  one  suggested  by  the 
Commerce  and  Industry  Association. 

According  to  the  plan,  should  the 
V-J  Day  proclamation  come  before 
opening  of  the  day's  business,  the  office 
would  be  closed  that  day ;  should  it 
come  before  noon  of  the  day's  business, 
the  office  would  close  immediately  and 
remain  closed  for  the  remainder  of 
day ;  should  it  come  in  the  afternoon, 
the  office  would  close  immediately  and 
remain  closed  the  following  day.  Plans 
for  Sunday  proclamations  involve 
closing  Monday  if  the  proclamation  is 
after  two  P.  M. 

Flash  Peace  News  to 
Nashville  Audiences 

Nashville,  Aug.  13. — Uptown  the- 
atres are  using  spot  radio  announce- 
ments to  inform  the  public  that  all 
important  news  will  be  flashed  on  the 
screen  or  relayed  from  radio  station 
to  the  theater  stages  in  an  effort  to 
keep  patrons  from  staying  home  at 
their  radios. 

Managers  report  many  questions 
about  when  newsreels  will  show  the 
results  of  the  atomic  bombs  and  inter- 
est in  the  newsreels  is  credited  by 
some  managers  with  causing  a  patron- 
age pickup  this  week  over  last. 


Aid  War  Wounded  Fund 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  13. — This  city's 
exhibitors  today  pledged  cooperation 
in  the  Los  Angeles  Examiner's  War 
Wounded  Fund  at  an  Ambassador 
Hotel  luncheon  hosted  by  Examiner 
publisher  Richard  A.  Carrington,  Jr., 
Charles  Skouras,  Robert  H.  Poole 
and  Paul  Williams.  Audience  col- 
lections will  start  Aug.  13,  with 
M-G-M  furnishing  a  short  subject. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

which,  in  any  event,  will  serve  to  draw 
crowds  to  theatre  districts.  With  em- 
phasis upon  safety,  many  of  the  larger 
cities  have  already  made  arrangements 
for  closing  of  bars  and  liquor  stores 
upon  the  official  announcement  of 
peace,  and  anticipated  theatre  crowds 
are  expected  to  be  orderly.  Local 
police,  however,  are  reported  prepared 
for  any  emergencies,  and  have  pledged 
their  cooperation  to  theatre  managers. 

Following  are  reports  from  various 
cities  in  connection  with  plans  for  V-J 
Day  theatre  operations : 


Milwaukee  Houses  Ready 
For  V-J  Day  Problems 

Milwaukee,  Aug.  13.  —  Major 
theatre  circuits  and  independent  thea- 
tre officials  here  have  completed  plans 
for  the  handling  of  the  official  V-J 
Day  situation  at  theatres  which  will 
remain  open  during  the  event.  Harold 
J.  Fitzgerald,  head  of  the  Fox  Wis- 
consin Amusement  Corp.,  reports  that 
everything  has  been  arranged  for  in 
advance  to  cope  with  problems  known 
and  unknown  which  will  arise  with 
the  celebration  of  peace. 


Chicago  Mayor  Sanctions 
Peace  Day  Operations 

Chicago,  Aug.  13. — Mayor  Edward 
Kelly  has  advised  the  trade  here  that 
theatres  may  remain  open  on  V-J  Day 
provided  crowds  can  be  kept  under 
control.  Bars  will  remain  closed  for 
24  hours  following  the  proclamation 
of  victory. 


WPB  Relaxes  L-41 
Construction  Order 

Washington,  Aug.  13. — The  War 
Production  Board  today  broadened  the 
construction  field,  amending  construc- 
tion order  L-41  to  provide  for  the 
authorization  of  building  projects  for 
which  materials,  equipment  and  other 
resources  required  are  on  hand  or  are 
kinds  that  are  readily  available  with- 
out priorities  assistance. 

It  was  emphasized  that  no  priorities 
assistance  would  be  provided  except 
for  essential  projects  designed  to 
break  "bottlenecks"  in  manufacturing. 
Announcing  the  order,  WPB  Chair- 
man J.  A.  Krug  indicated  that  further 
restrictions  on  construction  would  be 
lifted  in  the  near  future. 

Houseman  Quits  OWI 
German  Film  Post 

John  Houseman  announced  here  yes- 
terday his  withdrawal  from  the  Office 
of  War  Information  as  chief  of  the 
film  theatre  and  music  control  division 
for  the  U.  S.  zone  of  occupation  in 
Germany.  • 

Houseman,  who  resigned  as  a  pro- 
ducer from  Paramount  in  May  to  ac- 
cept the  appointment  for  a  period  lim- 
ited by  a  prior  contract  to  six  or 
seven  months,  is  now  under  contract 
to  RKO  Radio  as  a  producer. 


Garbett  Takes  2  Houses 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  13. — E.  N.  Gar- 
bett has  purchased  the  Hardaker  and 
Troy  theatres  from  Beulah  De  Neune, 
and  will  assume  management  this  Fall. 


Cincinnati  RKO  Houses 
To  Operate  Normally 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  13.— Following 
the  procedure  employed  here  on  V-E 
Day,  RKO  first  -run  houses  and  subse- 
quent-run houses  will  continue  normal 
operations  on  V-J  Day,  unless,  how- 
ever, the  crowds  become  too  boister- 
ous or  out  of  hand. 


Needles  Reports  Hartford 
Houses  Set  for  V-J  Day 

Hartford,  Conn.,  Aug.  13.— Henry 
Needles,  Warner  Brothers  district 
manager  and  Hartford  theatre  chair- 
man, has  announced  that  all  theatres 
here  will  remain  open  on  V-J  Day, 

Weekend  Tension  Causes 
30%  Box  Office  Drop 

Oklahoma  City,  Aug.  13. — Ten- 
sion over  pending  negotiations  of  the 
Japanese  surrender  resulted  in  a  30 
per  cent  box  office  decline  here  over 
the  weekend,  according  to  local  thea- 
tre men. 


HVC  Planning  V-J  Night 
Broadcast  With  60  Stars 

Hollywood,  Aug.  13. — The  Holly- 
wood Victory  Committee  has  com- 
pleted plans  for  a  two-hour  radio 
program  offering  60  of  the  "biggest 
names  in  show  business"  to  circle  the 
globe  via  the  Armed  Forces  radio 
on  V-J  Day  evening  if  peace  is  de- 
clared before  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  If  it  comes  later,  the 
program  will  go  on  the  next  evening. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

cations  that  the  Czech  government  is 
using  the  control  to  screen  the  native 
film  industry  with  a  view  to  uncover- 
ing; collaborationists. 

As  of  the  moment,  it  was  said,  the 
situation  calls  for  no  action  here  since 
there  are  no  American  distributors  in 
Czechoslovakia,  and  it  is  possible 
nothing  will  be  done  before  negotia- 
tion of  a  new  reciprocal  trade  agree- 
ment. 

State  Department  officials  are  said 
to  have  assured  the  Czechs  that  they 
would  be  glad  to  discuss  a  new  agree- 
ment, and  the  matter  now  is  pending 
in  the  Foreign  Office  at  Prague. 
Nothing  further  can  be  done  until  the 
Czech  government  announces  its  de- 
sire to  set  up  new  trade  arrangements, 
and  there  is  some  doubt  in  Washing- 
ton whether  this  will  occur  in  the  near 
future  because  of  Russian  influence. 


NBC  Golf  Tourney 
To  Be  Held  Aug.  21 

The  National  Broadcasting  Com- 
pany will  hold  its  annual  golf  tourna- 
ment for  radio  editors  and  newspaper- 
men at  the  Bonnie  Briar  Country 
Club,  Larchmont,  N.  Y.,  Tuesday 
Aug.  21.  NBC  and  RCA  executives 
are  expected  to  participate  in  addi- 
tion to  the  scribes. 


WB  Film  Title  Change 

The    title    of  Warner  Brothers' 

"Dancing    With  Tears"  has  been 

changed  to  "Her  Kind  of  Man,"  the 
company  reports. 


★ 
* 
★ 


★     *     *  ★     *     a     *     ★     ★  * 

BIGGEST! 


i  * 


THE  BIGGEST  BUILDING  IS  THE  EMPIRE  STATE 
THE  BIGGEST  MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  MADE  IS 


THEY'RE  HARD  TO 
GET  IN  BOSTON- 

Because  M-G-M's  "Ziegfeld 
Follies"  is  a  smashing  success  at 
$2.40  Top  with  the  Greatest  advance 
sale  in  all  Road-show  history! 


4tkk 


brother 


/ 


M-G-M's  TECHNICOLOSSAL 


ZIEGFELD  FOLLIES 


First  in 


MOTION  PICTX.  . 

DAI  LY 


>  OL.  58.  NO.  32 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  15,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


INDUSTRY  HAILS  END  OF 
WAR;  NEW  ERA  OF  PEACE 


Broadway  Victory  Crowd 
Largest  in  History  of 
City;  Attendance  Down 


Broadway's  Victory  crowd  last 
night  was  one  of  the  largest  the 
icity  has  seen  on  any  occasion.  It 
was  estimated  by  police  to  have 
been  well  in  excess  of  1.000.000 
iat  its  peak,  shortly  after  nine 
ip.  m. 

All  traffic  was  barred  from  the 
Broadway  area  throughout  the 
(evening  and  the  swarming 
'crowds  took  complete  possession 
iof  the  main  thoroughfare  and. 
(even,  the  side  streets  leading  off  it 
ll'rom  40th  Street  to  53rd  Street. 

Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenues,  as 
'  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  were  solid 
masses  of  humanity,  wall  to  wall. 

Huge  and  noisy  as  was  the 
crowd,  it  was,  by  and  large,  a  good- 
natured  one,  also.    Impromptu  par- 

(Continucd  on  page  7) 


WAC  May  Wind  Up 
Work  in  Few  Months 


Present  indications  are  that  the  in- 
dustry's War  Activities  Committee 
will  continue  to  function  for  several 
months  after  V-J  Day  to  wind  up 
present  activities  and  possibly  to  par- 
ticipate in  additional  ones  as  requested 
by  the  Government. 

A  potential  task  for  WAC  on  the 
agenda  of  the  Government  is  aiding  in 

{Continued  on  page  7) 


Warn  Foreign  Trade 
Revival  to  Be  Slow 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — The 
end  of  the  war  with  Japan 
does  not  necessarily  mean  a 
quick  expansion  of  American 
foreign  trade  as  many  war- 
born  obstacles  will  retard  the 
revival  of  such  trade  for  sev- 
eral years,  officials  of  the 
State  and  Commerce  Depart- 
ments have  cautioned. 


Industry  Leaders  Hail 
The  Advent  of  Peace 


T/J/rITH  THE  collapse  of  Japan  and  the  return  of  peace  to  a  war- 
rr     zeracked  zvorld,  leaders  in  all  branches  of  the  industry  last  flight 
voiced  their  profound  gratitude,  at  the  same  time  stressing  the  importance 
of  a  rededication  of  motion  pictures  and  industry  effort  to  the  peace  era. 

Th  jollounng  typical  expressions  of  industry  leaders  were  culled  jf-qm 
scores  of  messages  received  by  Motion  Picture  Daily: 

Will  H.  Hays,  president,  M.  P.  Producers  &  Distributors  of  America: 
"\\  ith  the  rest  of  the  civilized  world  the  motion  picture  industry  joins  in 
thanksgiving  and  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  a  quick  end  of  fighting.  This 
industry,  which  devoted  itself  completely  to  helping  win  this  war  against 
the  forces  of  tyranny,  will  devote  itself  as  utterly  to  fostering  peace  and 
rehabilitation  in  the  ways  of  peace.    The  responsibility  of  every  American 
in  the  post-war  world  is  great  indeed.    As  individuals  and  as  a  group 
we  of  the  film  industry  know  that  we  must  accept  an  extraordinary  share 
of  that  responsibility  and  that  we  must  -devote  our  full  faculties  in  dis- 
charging it.    This  we  will  do." 
Harry  M.  Warner,  president,  Warner  Bros.  Pictures : 
"In  giving  thanks  for  the  return  of  peace  we  can  hope  and  pray  that 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Await  Proclamation  of 
V-J  Day;  Holiday  for 
All  Industry  Branches 


With  the  end  of  World  War 
II,  announced  last  evening  by 
President  Truman,  the  industry 
faces  a  period  of  expansion  at 
home  and  abroad,  which  may 
prove  unmatched  in  its  history. 

Its  plans  have  been  set  for 
peace  as  they  were  for  war.  As 
studios,  theatres  and  distribution 
operations  start  out  on  the  road 
back  to  a  new  era  of  peace  they 
will  carry  with  them  their  pledges 
of  aiding  the  Government  in  every 
way  within  their  means  of  realiz- 
ing the  objectives  for  which  the 
nation  and  its  allies  fought. 

Officials  everywhere  have  asked 
theatres  to  remain  open  on  V-J 
Day  and,  with  virtually  no  excep- 
tion, all  have  agreed  to  do  so. 

Theatres  throughout  the  country 
flashed  the  news  of  the  end  of  the 
war  to  their  audiences  immediately. 
Demonstrations  were  enthusiastic  and 
prolonged  but,  on  the  whole,  orderly 
even  where  attendance  was  heavy 
along  the  Eastern  Coast  where  the 
news  broke  at  7  p.  m.,  after  a  long 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Victory  Holidays 
Today,  Tomorrow  , 

Many  film  and  theatre  of- 
fices will  be  closed  today  and 
tomorrow,  or  will  be  operat- 
ing only  with  drastically  cur- 
tailed staffs,  as  hundreds  of 
workers  observe  Victory  holi- 
days despite  the  absence  of 
an  officially  proclaimed  V-J 
Day,  which  will  follow  the 
formal  Jap  surrender  to  Gen- 
eral Douglas  MacArthur  later. 

President  Truman  has 
granted  a  two  -  day  holiday 
to  Government  workers; 
New  York's  Gov.  Dewey  and 
Gotham's  Mayor  La  Guardia 
likewise  have  proclaimed  two- 
day  holidays,  along  with  other 
governors  and  mayors  around 
the  country. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Refunds  on  Excess 
Profits  Tax  Set 


RUD  LOHRENZ,  United  Artists 
Midwest  district  manager,  is  in 
New  York  from  Chicago  on  business. 
• 

Joe  Eagan  of  the  Fabian  home  of- 
fice visited  the  upstate  division  of- 
fice in  Albany  this  week  en  route  to 
Friend's  Lake  in  the  Adirondacks  for 
a  few  days. 

• 

Mrs.  Allan  Livingston  Fromme, 
the  former  Babette  Brandt,  daughter 
of  Harry  Brandt,  is  the  mother  of  a 
girl,  Pamela  Jane,  born  yesterday  at 
Doctor's  Hospital  here. 

• 

Joseph  Salmon,  veteran  Skouras 
Theatres  manager,  has  recovered  from 
an  illness  and  returned  from  a  three- 
month  Florida  vacation  to  his  post  at 
the  Riverside  here. 

• 

Frances  Hancock,  who  recently 
joined  the  staff  of  Movie  Story  Maga- 
zine, was  married  to  Cadet  Midship- 
man Arthur  Gormley  on  Sunday  at 
Stanford,  N.  C. 

• 

Howard  Strickling,  M-G-M  stu- 
dio director  of  publicity  and  adver- 
tising, left  Hollywood  for  New  York 
yesterday  on  the  Superchief. 

• 

Harry  Kosiner,  Eastern  represen- 
tative for  Edward  Small,  has  post- 
poned his  scheduled  departure  for  Eu- 
rope from  today  until  Sunday. 
• 

George  Bolster,  assistant  manager 
of   the    Stanley,    Baltimore,    has  re 
turned  after  a  two-week  Atlantic  City 
vacation. 

• 

F.  H.  Smith,  Salt  Lake  City  branch 
manager  for  Paramount,  is  on  a  trip 
through  Idaho  and  Montana. 

• 

Frank  N.  Phelps,  Warner  Thea- 
tres executive,  will  be  in  Philadelphia 
today  and  in  Washington  tomorrow. 
• 

James  Mulvey,  Samuel  Goldwyn 
Prod,  executive,  has  returned  to  New 
York  irom  California. 

Carl  Nedley,  M-G-M  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  has   returned  there 
from  a  business  trip  to  Chicago. 
• 

Max  Weinberg  of  the  M-G-M 
home  office  is  visiting  his  former  home 
in  Baltimore. 


Washington,  Aug.  14. — Regula- 
tions which  will  permit  corporations  to 
take  immediate  advantage  of  the  re- 
lief provisions  of  the  tax  legislation 
enacted  by  Congress  last  month  were 
issued  tonight  by  the  Internal  Reve- 
nue Bureau,  for  initial  application 
against  the  Sept.  15  instalment  pay- 
ment of  1944  tax  liabilities.  Corpora- 
tions with  two  instalments  yet  to  pay 
on  their  1944  taxes,  on  Sept.  15  and 
Dec.  15  will  be  permitted  to  divide 
their  10  per  cent  credit  on  the  excess 
profits  tax  between  the  two  instal- 
ments, while  a  special  provision  for 
corporations  still  paying  instalments 
due  on  excess  profits  tax  for  a  year 
which  began  prior  to  Jan.  1,  1944,  will 
permit  them  to  take  the  full  amount 
from  the  final  instalment. 

All  corporations  which  have  paid 
their  1944  excess  profits  tax  in  full 
will  automatically  receive  a  refund  of 
the  10  per  cent  credit  from  the  bureau 

Corporations  hereafter  filing  excess 
profits  tax  returns  are  to  take  the 
10  per  cent  credit  on  the  return  and  pay 
the  reduced  total  tax  in  the  usual  in- 
stalments. 

Regulations  Issued  Soon 

Regulations  governing  the  presen 
tation  of  excess  profits  tax  refund 
bonds  now  held  by  corporations  will 
be  issued  in  the  near  future  by  the 
Treasury  well  in  advance  of  next  Jan 
1,  when  the  law  provides  they  may  be 
redeemed  in  cash. 

Special  forms  have  been  prepared 
by  the  Bureau  for  use  by  taxpayers  in 
applying  for  90-day  refunds  of  carry 
backs  for  net  operating  loss  or  un- 
used  excess   profits   credit,   and  for 
prompt  adjustment  of  amortization  de 
ductions  on  emergency  facilities  set  up 
for  amortization  over  a  five-year  pe 
riod. 

If  for  any  reason  not  covered  in 
the  regulations  a  taxpayer  has  any 
tax  payments  coming  due  while  an  ap 
plication  is  pending  for  a  90-day  re 
fund  on  account  of  a  carryback  or 
amortization  allowance  he  may  apply 
to  his  collector  for  an  extension  of 
time,"  so  as  to  avoid  making  any  pay 
ments  which  would  thereafter  have  to 
be  refunded  to  him. 


Vatican  Sees  U.  S.  as 
Film  Industry  Model 

Stressing  that  in  the  postwar  period 
"American  films  may  be  a  strong 
force  for  good  and  an  example  to  pro- 
ducers in  other  countries  which  must 
rebuild  their  cinema  industries,"  Car- 
dinal Pizzardo,  Prefect  of  the  Congre- 
gation of  Seminaries  and  Universities, 
voices  the  hope  that  the  National 
Legion  of  Decency  will  continue  its 
vigilance  over  the  moral  standards  of 
films  produced  in  the  U.  S.,  in  a  letter 
to  the  Legion's  executive  secretary, 
made  public  here  by  the  Legion. 


Industry  Dividends 
At  Lower  Levels 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — Dividends 
paid  by  motion  picture  corporations  in 
July  aggregated  $401,000  compared 
with  $1,900,000  in  the  corresponding 
period  last  year,  and  for  the  three 
months  of  May,  June  and  July  they 
amounted  to  $5,653,000  compared  with 
$5,900,000  in  the  same  months  in  1944, 
it  was  reported  today  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce. 

For  the  first  seven  months  of  the 
year,  dividend  payments  by  film  cor- 
porations totaled  approximately  $10,- 
600,000,  which  was  almost  an  even 
million  dollars  less  than  in  the  com- 
parable period  a  year  ago. 

July,  it  was  explained,  is  one  of  the 
"off  months"  for  dividend  payments  in 
many  industries  which  work  on  a  cal- 
endar year  basis,  with  dividend 
declarations  in  the  income  tax  months. 


British  Stock  Cut 
Restored  by  1946 

London,  Aug.  14. — The  Brit- 
ish Board  of  Trade  has  every 
hope  of  restoring  this  coun- 
try's raw  stock  ration  to  85 
per  cent  of  prewar  consump- 
tion before  the  end  of  the 
year,  a  BOT  spokesman  said 
today.  This  would  completely 
wipe  out  the  additional  15  per 
cent  cut  imposed  during  the 
current  year. 

As  reported  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  on  July  19,  BOT 
planned  to  wipe  out  five  per 
cent  of  the  cut  in  August  and 
another  five  per  cent  in  Sep- 
tember. 


Kodak  24-Week  Net 
Is  $11,043,307 


Eastman  Kodak  Company  yesterday 
announced  a  net  profit  of  $11,043,307 
for  the  24-week  period  ended  June 
16,  1945,  compared  with  $9,224,506  net 
profit  for  the  24-week  period  ended 
June  10,  1944.  The  company's  sales 
for  the  period  totaled  $147,963,338,  an 
increase  of  14  per  cent  over  the  $130,- 
065,839  reported  a  year  ago.  Profit 
per  share  of  common  stock  for  the 
period  is  listed  as  $4.39,  comparing 
with  $3.66  of  a  year  ago.  A  regular 
quarterly  dividend  of  $1.50  a  share  on 
the  6  per  cent  preferred  stock  and 
$1.50  on  the  common,  payable  Oct.  1 
to  stockholders  of  record  Sept.  5,  was 
voted  by  the  directors. 

Large  Military  Output 

Although  sales  and  fees  have  in 
creased  over  last  year,  the  company 
report  states,  there  was  no  increase  in 
the  income  from  operations,  caused 
partly  by  the  fact  that  a  much  larger 
proportion  of  output  was  used  for  mil- 
itary purposes  which  are  sales  sub- 
ject to  renegotiation. 

Deliveries  of  special  military  ap- 
paratus and  equipment  continued  to 
represent  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
sales  volume,  and  were  substantially 
larger  than  for  the  corresponding  pe 
riod  of  1944,  the  company  discloses 
adding  that  "contract  terminations  and 
cut-backs  were  not  an  important  fac- 
tor from  the  standpoint  of  the  amount 
involved,  but  of  course  will  immedi- 
ately become  so  on  V-J  Day." 


Loew's  to  Sell 
16mm.  Films 
On  World  Basis 


Cripps  in  Study  of 
U.  S.  Credit  Thaw 

London,  Aug.  14. — Sir  Stafford 
Cripps,  who  succeeded  Hugh  Dalton 
as  president  of  the  British  Board  of 
Trade  in  the  cabinet  of  Prime  Minis- 
ter Clement  Attlee,  is  examining  the 
film  industry  with  a  view  to  the  de- 
freezing of  American  credits,  it  has 
been  learned  here  unofficially  but  on 
good  authority. 

He  is  also  understood  to  be  examin- 
ing the  quota  law,  which  expires  in 
1948,  and  to  favor  the  substitution  of 
a  monetary  quota  for  the  present  foot- 
age requirement  as  a  means  of  pro- 
moting Anglo-American  reciprocity. 


Arthur  M.  Lww 


The  creation  of  a  special  division 
within  Loew's  International  Corp. 
for  the  world  distribution  of 
M-G-M  features,  shorts  and  educa- 
tional and  doc- 
umentary films 
on  16  mm.  film, 
was  announced 
here  yesterday 
by  Arthur  M. 
Loew,  president 
of  M  -  G  -  M's 
foreign  sub- 
sidiary. 

The  new  unit, 
which  will  em- 
ploy mobile 
projector  units 
to  enable  it  to 
penetrate  terri- 
tory which  35 
mm.  films  have 

not  touched,  will  have  a  separate  staff 
of  specialists  trained  in  16  mm.  opera- 
tions to  develop  this  new  film  market. 
In  M-G-M  territories  abroad,  16  mm. 
experts,  who  will  be  given  special 
training  in  the  U.  S.,  will  be  added  to 
the  personnel  of  each  office  under  the 
supervision  of  the  territory  manager. 

"Overseas  distribution  in  16  mm. 
width,"  Loew  said,  "is  expected  to 
begin  about  Jan.  1,  at  which  time 
every  M-G-M  release  will  have  its 
16  mm.  counterpart." 

Pointing  out  that  M-G-M  becomes 
the  first  major  company  to  utilize  the 
■  experience  accumulated  by  various 
armies  in  showing  16  mm.  film  to 
troops,  Loew  said  that  "the  war  has 
given  tremendous  impetus  to  the  im- 
provement of  16  mm.  projectors, 
sound  and  film,  and  today  narrow- 
gauge  film  approached  35  mm.  quality 
when  projected  before  audiences  of 
less  than  1,000." 

Documentary  Project 

Simultaneously,  Loew  said,  will  be 
the  launching  of  an  educational  and 
documentary  film  project  for  training 
and  class  room  use.  M-G-M  will  co- 
operate with  the  U.  S.  State  Depart- 
ment, which  has  manifested  interest 
in  the  use  of  such  films,  in  its  devel- 
opment of  educational  films. 

Loew  stressed  that  Hollywood  will 
not  be  depended  upon  as  an  exclusive 
source  for  education  films  designed  for 
use  in  the  classrooms  of  the  world, 
but  that  M-G-M  will  enter  into  ar- 
rangements with  specialists  in  modern 
visual  education  who  will  produce  the 
films. 


McCarthy  Leaves  PRC 

Hollywood,  Aug.  14. — Leo  J.  Mc- 
Carthy, formerly  sales  manager  for 
PRC,  and  recently  appointed  asso- 
ciate producer  by  the  studio,  will  leave 
the  company's  employ  this  week  fol- 
lowing settlement  of  his  contract  with 
Leon  J.  Fromkess,  PRC  president. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Refunds  on  Excess 
Profits  Tax  Set 


Washington,  Aug.  14. — Regula- 
tions which  will  permit  corporations  to 


UD  LOHRENZ,  United  Artists  |  take  immediate  advantage  of  the  re- 


Midwest 
New  York  fjrj 


; 


Joe  Eagan 
fice  visited  t 
fice  in  Albany 
Friend's  Lakei 
a  few  days. 


British  Stock  Cut 
Restored  by  1946 

London,  Aug.  14. — The  Brit- 
ish Board  of  Trade  has  every 
hope  of  restoring  this  coun- 
try's raw  stock  ration  to  85 
Der  cent  of  prewar  consume- 


Loew's  to  Sell 
16mm.  Filtiis 
On  World  Basis 


Mrs.  Allai 
the  former  Ba< 
of  Harry  Br/ 
girl,  Pamela 
Doctor's  Hosp, 

Joseph   Sai  ' 
Theatres  man; 
an  illness  and 
month  Florida 
the  Riverside 

Frances  t 
joined  the  staf 
sine,  was  mar 
man  Arthur 
Stanford,  N.  < 

Howard  S' 
dio  director 
tising,  left  Ht 
yesterday  on 

Harry  Kos 
tative  for  Ee 
poned  his  sch 
rope  from  to 

George  Bos 
of  the  Stanl 
turned  after  a 
vacation. 

F.  H.  Smit 
manager  for 
through  Idah 


Frank  N. 
tres  executive 
today  and  in 

James  Mi 
Prod,  executi 
York  from  C 

Carl  Nedl 
Salt  Lake  O 
from  a  busing 

Max  Wei 
home  office  is 
in  Baltimore. 

Vatican 
Film  In 

Stressing  tf] 
"American  fr 
force  for  good 
ducers  in  othf 
rebuild  their 
dinal  Pizzardc 
gation  of  Sen, 
voices  the  h 
Legion  of  D.1 
vigilance  over 
films  producec 
to  the  Legio 
made  public  1 

MOTION  PIC 
Publishing  Com) 

President;  Red  Ka....,   .      *  .  ^.^w* ,  *        j .   ,  *  ^. ,  — j .  u.mi. ,  .^^.ni  j  ,  ^^miM  »vnm_,  ^uuui  ,  j  nines  i  .  ^uiiningiia.ni,  i\ews  conui  ;  i-ierueri  v .  r  ecKe,  Aavemsing 

Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  BIdg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


THE  LION  TOUCH 
MEANS  MILLIONS! 


THAT 

PASTERNAK 
KNACK! 

The  best  yet  from 
joe  Pasternak, 
hit  producer  of 
Thrill  of  a  Romance" 
Music  for  Millions" 
Two  Girls  and  a  Sailor' 
As  Thousands  Cheer" 
and  others. 


M-G-M  PRESENTS  A  GOLDMINE! 

FRANK  SINATRA 
KATHRYN  GRAYSON 
GENE  KELLY 

in  the  Technicolor  treasure 


JOSE  ITURBI 


and 

DEAN  STOCKWELL  •  PAMELA  BRITTON  •  "RAGS"  RAGLAND  •  BILLY  GILBERT  ■  HENRY  O'NEILL 

Screen  Play  by  Isobel  Lennart 
A  Metro -Goldwyn- Mayer  Picture 
Directed  by  hit-maker  GEORGE  SIDNEY 
(Another  smash  from  the  producer-director  com- 
bination that  made  "As  Thousands  Cheer"!) 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  AUG.  15,  1945 


LITHO  USA 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


FILMS  HAIL  END  OF  WAR 


Hollywood  Studios 
On  Holiday  Today 

Hollywood,  Aug.  14.  —  All 
studios  here  closed  tonight 
on  receipt  of  the  official  news 
of  Japan's  capitulation  and 
will  remain  closed  until 
Thursday  morning. 

Los  Angeles,  which  had 
taken  the  surrender  news 
calmly  until  the  official  broad- 
casts, broke  into  a  spontane- 
ous demonstration  then.  The- 
atres, at  dinner  time,  reported 
business  beginning  to  grow, 
with  no  likelihood  of  disordli- 
ness  which  would  require 
closing,  although  plans  for 
such  an  emergency  have  long 
been  in  readiness.  Tremen- 
dous business  was  forecast 
for  tomorrow. 


WAC  May  Wind  Up 
Work  in  Few  Months 


(Continued  from   page  1) 

the  Eighth  and  final  loan  drive  of  the 
U.  S.  Treasury  which  will  be  the 
Victory  War  Loan.  Although  it  was 
originally  planned  to  start  the  Eighth 
War  Loan  Nov.  15,  the  sudden 
capitulation  of  Japan  is  understood  to 
have  caused  a  change  in  plans  and  the 
Treasury  is  understood  to  be  dis- 
cussing a  possible  starting  date  in 
October. 

Another  item  remaining  on  the 
WAC  agenda  is  the  release  of  "The 
True  Glory,"  84-minute  documentary 
which  is  General  Dvvight  D.  Eisen- 
hower's report  of  the  conquest  of 
Fortress  Europe.  Release  by  Columbia 
Pictures  has  been  set  for  Oct.  1  with 
an  advance  showing  date  set  for 
Sept.  13. 

Although  there  has  been  discussion 
from  time  to  time  about  continuing  the 
WAC  in  peacetime,  no  definite  move 
has  been  made  in  this  direction  and  if 
nothing  further  is  done,  it  is  expected 
that  WAC  will  be  disbanded  in  several 
months,  possibly  within  six  months  as 
will  be  the  case  of  other  groups  of 
this  nature.  This  is  particularly  true 
in  view  of  the  expressed  exhibitor  op- 
position to  the  continuation  of  WAC 
in  peacetime.  This  opposition  raises  a 
genuine  question  as  to  the  amount  of 
cooperation  which  would  be  forth- 
coming from  theatres  even  if  it  were 
decided  to  continue  the  WAC  in  the 
postwar  period. 


Industry  Awaits  Official 
V-J  Day  Proclamation 


U.  S.  Film  Releases 
For  Nurse  Trainees 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — Thirteen 
films  to  aid  in  the  training  of  cadet 
nurses  have  been  completed  and  are 
now  being  released  by  the  U.  S.  Of- 
fice of  Education,  according  to  that 
agency. 

Made  by  the  Office  of  Education  in 
cooperation  with  the  Public  Health 
Service,  the  films  are  all  16mm  sound 
and  are  accompanied  by  film  strips  for 
review,  discussion  and  study,  and  run 
from  12  to  33  minutes.  Castle  Films 
and  visual  education  dealers  are 
handling  sales. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
day  of  spontaneous  celebrations 
touched  off  by  premature  reports  that 
the  Japs  had  accepted  the  surrender 
terms.  Confirmation  of  the  reports 
was  lacking  throughout  the  day  as  the 
Jap  message  failed  to  reach  the  White 
House  until  late  afternoon,  but  the 
preliminary  celebrations  persisted. 

Theatre  attendance  in  the  Middle 
and  Far  West  was  at  a  low  peak 
when  the  official  news  came  at  hours 
ranging  from  four  to  six  p.  m. 

Newsreels  rushed  special  issues,  pre- 
pared in  advance,  to  most  theatres 
within  quick  reach. 

In  New  York,  as  in  most  cities 
throughout  the  country,  the  celebra- 
tion in  public  was  noisy  and  pro- 
longed. Starting  almost  with  the 
first  words  of  the  announcement  from 
the  White  House,  New  Yorkers,  who 
had  been  feeding  a  smouldering  cele- 
bration all  day,  let  loose  in  earnest. 
Times  Square  and  the  surrounding 
theatre  area  was  a  bedlam  of  noise 
and  a  sea  of  paper  cascaded  from 
neighboring  office  buildings. 

Relax  in  Theatres 

The  celebration  continued  through- 
out the  night,  but  as  many  wearied 
of  the  street  scenes  they  made  their 
way  into  open  theatres  to  relax,  and 
into  churches  to  give  thanksgiving. 

The  night  celebration  was  a  climax 
to  sporadic  outbursts  that  has  stirred 
the  city  throughout  the  day  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  early  morning  radio  re- 
ports that  Tokyo's  message,  accept- 
ing the  surrender  terms,  was  on  its 
way  to  Washington. 


of  the  end  of  the  war  spread  and 
downtown  streets  quickly  were  jam- 
med, halting  traffic. 

Washington,  which  has  experienced 
many  false  rumors  and  premature  an- 
nouncements, had  been  cool  to  previous 
reports  that  the  war  was  ending  but 
let  loose  with  the  official  announce- 
ments. 


Theatre  Business  Off  Some 
50%  Yesterday  in  Detroit 

Detroit,  Aug.  14. — Enough  victory 
enthusiasm  let  go  here  early  today 
to  force  downtown  stores  to  close. 
Young  people  did  most  of  the  cele- 
brating until  President  Truman's  offi- 
cial announcement  came  through. 
Theatre  business  was  off  about  50 
per  cent. 


Pittsburgh  Celebrates 

Pittsburgh,  Aug.  14. — Victory  is 
not  affecting  theatre  attendance  here. 
Crowds  have  been  milling  about  but 
are  quiet  and  orderly  strewing  confetti 
and  indulging  in  hilarity  but  other- 
wise things  are  normal.  War  work- 
ers have  been  parading  in  some  de- 
fense towns  near  here. 


Washington  Celebrates 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — Washing- 
ton joined  the  rest  of  the  country  in 
wild  celebration  shortly  after  seven 
o'clock  when  President  Truman  an- 
nounced the  surrender  of  Japan  and 
ordered  a  two-day  holiday  for  all 
Government  workers. 

Theatres  emptied  quickly  as  news 


Chicago  Business  Booms 

Chicago,  Aug.  14. — Theatres  in  this 
area  will  remain  open  during  the  na- 
tional holiday  tomorrow  and  Thurs- 
day. Loop  houses  enjoyed  turnaway 
business  tonight.  Although  joyous 
crowds  mobbed  the  downtown  streets 
following  the  official  Jap  surrender 
news,  they  were  orderly  and  no  dam- 
age to  theatres  was  reported  up  to -a 
late  hour  tonight. 


Urges  Theatres  Remain  Open 

Salt  Lake  City,  Aug.  14. — J.  B. 
Matheson,  chairman  of  the  Mayor's 
Committee,  has  appealed  to  all  thea- 
tres to  remain  open  during  the  V-J 
Day  celebration. 


OWI  Selects  20  Features  for  U.  S. 
Occupation  Zone  Within  Germany 

More  than  20  American  entertainment  films  have  been  selected 
by  the  Office  of  War  Information's  overseas  film  bureau  for  ex- 
hibition in  the  American  zone  of  occupation  in  Germany,  it  was 
learned  here  yesterday.  Other  selections  are  being  made  from  time 
to  time,  it  is  understood,  and  the  films  will  probably  be  subtitled 
in  German,  rather  than  dubbed,  in  order  to  save  time,  a  spokes- 
man for  the  film  bureau  explained. 

Brig.  Gen.  Robert  A.  McClure,  chief  of  the  Information  Control 
Division  of  the  U.  S.  zone,  will  handle  the  product  of  all  companies. 
To  date  only  documentaries  have  been  shown  to  the  Germans  and 
there  have  been  reports  that  the  populace  has  shown  a  certain 
degree  of  resentment  at  this.  Both  the  British  and  the  French, 
who  recently  occupied  their  zone,  have  also  adhered  to  the  policy 
of  showing  only  non-entertainment  films,  but  the  Russians  are  re- 
ported to  have  exhibited  feature  films  in  their  zone. 

The  German  film  program  of  the  OWI  is  similar  to  that  prepared 
for  France  and  Italy,  that  is,  the  selection  of  40  films  from  eight 
companies.  In  addition  to  entertainment  films,  the  OWI  has  its 
own  documentaries  and  also  is  able  to  draw  on  the  many  service 
films.  Complete  programs  from  features  down  to  newsreels  are  thus 
made  available  for  showing  to  the  liberated  or  conquered  peoples. 


WPB  Ends  Program 
For  War  Theatres 


Washington,  Aug.  14. — The  War 
Production  Board  today  terminated 
the  community  facilities  program  of 
the  Office  of  Civilian  Requirements, 
designed  to  promote  the  development 
of  theatres  and  other  recreational 
facilities,  stores  and  other  essential 
enterprises  in  war  production  centers. 

The  program  was  actively  prose- 
cuted in  the  early  days  of  the  war, 
and  resulted  in  the  construction  of  a 
number  of  theatres  in  rapidly  expand- 
ing production  areas,  but  for  more 
than  a  year  past  the  lid  has  been 
clamped  down  and  only  a  handful  of 
houses  have  been  authorized.  r 

The  ending  of  the  program  will  not 
immediately  affect  the  amusements 
section  of  the  OCR  Service  Trades 
Division  headed  by  Claude  C.  Ezell, 
which  for  some  time  has  confined  its 
activities  to  assisting  operators  in  re- 
building burned  out  theatres.  Ezell, 
who  is  now  in  Texas,  is  expected  to 
return  to  Washington  in  the  near  fu- 
ture, and  the  work  of  the  section  will 
be  continued  until  improvement  in  ma- 
terial supplies  and  relaxation  of  the 
L-41  construction  order  permits  un- 
restricted building  of  theatres  and 
other  amusement  facilities. 


Doob's  1942  'Heads' 
All  True  But  One! 

All  but  one  of  a  group  of  prohpetic 
newspaper  headlines  devised  by  Oscar 
A.  Doob,  director  of  advertising-pub- 
licity for  Loew's  Theatres,  which  ap- 
peared in  a  poster  he  designed  for  the 
First  War  Loan  in  May,  1942,  have 
come  true.  The  one  refers  to  the  as- 
sassination of  Hitler,  about  which 
which  there  is  some  doubt,  although 
Der  Fuehrer  did  narrowly  miss  as- 
sassination at  the  hands  of  high- 
ranking  German  army  officers. 

Doob's  headlines,  accompanied  by 
the  urging  that  they  be  made  to  come 
true  through  purchase  of  War  Bonds, 
are  as  follows :  "France  Cheers 
A.E.F.,"  "Russia  Frees  Poland," 
"Bataan  Retaken,"  "Hitler  Begs  for 
Mercy!,"  "Hitler  Assassinated!," 
"Berlin  Falls!,"  "Tokyo  Afire!," 
"Japs  Quit !,"  and  "Victory  !" 


A/.  Y.  Victory  Crowd 
Largest  in  History 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ades,  noisemakers,  horns,  confetti, 
even  sporadic  fireworks  and  occa- 
sional firearms,  in  fact,  all  the  appur- 
tenances of  carnival,  were  present. 
But  through  it  all  there  was  little  dis- 
orderliness  which  called  for  police  at- 
tention. 

Times  Square  theatres,  for  the  most 
part,  did  not  bother  to  board  up  their 
building  fronts.  Attendance  was  at  a 
low  ebb  for  several  hours  following 
President  Truman's  announcement  of 
the  Jap  surrender.  Attendance  at 
neighborhood  theatres,  likewise,  was 
off  for  the  evening. 

Special  Victory  issues  of  the  news- 
reels  were  on  Broadway  screens  with- 
in the  hour  following  President 
Truman's  announcement.  Paramount 
News'  special  hit  Broadway  screens 
at  7  :45  p.  m., 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


Production  Is 
Off;  45  Films 
Now  Shooting 


Hollywood,  Aug.  14. — Production 
declined  somewhat  as  11  features 
were  completed  and  seven  went  be- 
fore cameras.  At  the  weekend,  the 
shooting  index  stood  at  45,  compared 
with  last  week's  total  of  49.  The 
production  scene  follows : 

Columbia 

Finished :  "Two-fisted  Stranger," 
"Voice  of  the  Whistler,"  "The 
Woman  in  Red." 

Started :  "Hayfoot,  Strawfoot," 
with  Judy  Canova,  Ross  Hunter ; 
"Song  of  Broadway,"  with  Marjorie 
Reynolds,  Fred  Brady,  Jinx  Falken- 
burg ;  "Prison  Ship,"  with  Nina  Foch, 
Robert  Lowery. 

Shooting:  "Hail  the  Chief,"  "Tars 
and  Spars." 

MGM 

Shooting :  "Up  Goes  Maisie,"  "The 
Yearling,"  "What  Next,  Corporal 
Hargrove?"  "Boys'  Ranch,"  "Bad 
Bascomb,"  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
"Two  Sisters  from  Boston,"  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice," 
"This  Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Finished :  "Rainbow  Valley." 
Shooting :     ''Border  Bandits," 
"Swing  Parade." 

Paramount 

Finished:  "Calcutta." 

Shooting :  "Blue  Skies,"  "The 
Bride  Wore  Boots,"  "To  Each  His 
Own." 

PRC 

Finished:  "Danny  Boy." 
Shooting:    "The    Wife    of  Monte 
Cristo,"  "How  Do  You  Do?" 

Republic 

Finished:  "Don't  Fence  Me  In." 
Shooting :  "Concerto,"  "Dakota." 

RKO  Radio 

Started :  "The  Falcon's  Alibi,"  with 
Tom  Conway,  Rita  .  Corday,  Jane 
Greer,  Vince  Barnett. 

Shooting :  "A  Tale  of  Bedlam" 
(formerly  "Chamber  of  Horrors"); 
"Cornered,"  "The  Kid  from  Brook- 
lyn" (Goldwyn)  ;  "Heartbeat"  (Ha- 
kim-Wood) ;  "Tarzan  and  the  Leop- 
ard Men." 

20th  Century-Fox 

Started:  "Doll  Face,"  with  Vivian 
Blaine,  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Carmen  Mi- 
randa, Perry  Como. 

Shooting?:  "Smoky,"  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven,"  "The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Shooting:  "Diary '  of  a  Chamber- 
maid" (Bogeaus);  "Abilene" 
(Levey)  ;  "Whistle  Stop"  (Nero)  ; 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  (Selznick). 

Universal 

Finished :  "Bad  Men  of  the  Bor- 
der," "Shady  Lady,"  "That  Night 
with  You"  (formerly  "Once  Upon  a 
Dream"). 

Started:  "Outlaws  of  Twin  Forks," 
with  Kirby  Grant,  Fuzzy  Knight. 

Shooting :  "As  It  Was  Before," 
"Scarlet  Street"  (Diana). 

Warners 

Started :  "Dancing  with  Tears," 
with  Zachary  Scott,  Janis  Paige,  Fay 
Emerson,  Harry  Lewis,  Sheldon 
Leonard. 

Shooting :  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Night  and  Day." 


Reviews 


"Dangerous  Partners" 

(M-G-M)  i 

AN  intricately-woven  plot  laden  with  unexpected  twists  and  pillared  with 
a  cast  that  handles  the  roles  with  relish  under  smooth  direction  by  Edward 
L.  Cahn,  make  "Dangerous  Parners"  a  highly  satisfying  74  minutes  of  enter- 
tainment for  even  the  most  demanding  of  mystery-adventure  fans. 

The  story  involves  a  shady  young  lawyer,  played  by  James  Craig,  who 
teams  up  with  a  pretty  adventuress,  a  role  which  provides  Signe  Hasso  with 
wide  latitude,  against  suave,  insidious  Edmund  Gwenn,  in  pursuit  of  a  fortune 
in  securities  mysteriously  planted  in  four  equal  parts  in  that  number  of  Eastern 
U.  S.  cities.  A  series  of  exciting  adventures  end  in  the  pair's  being  left  without 
the  securities,  but  with  compensation  in  the  form  of  love  for  each  other  and  a 
consequently  nobler  outlook  on  life. 

The  film  opens  with  Miss  Hasso  and  her  ill-fated  husband,  played  by  John 
Warburton,  discovering  four  puzzling  wills  and  a  strange  menu  written  on  a 
slip  of  paper  on  the  unconscious  form  of  Gwenn  at  the  scene  of  a  plane  crash. 
Each  will  names  Gwenn  as  beneficiary  to  the  tune  of  a  million  dollars  in 
securities  and  the  menu  appears  to  be  a  code  entitling  the  possessor  to  the 
securities.  Seeking  to  cash  in  on  what  is  obviously  a  crooked  operation,  they 
memorize  the  menu  and  set  out  in  search  of  the  four  wills'  testators,  number 
one  being  a  client  of  Craig  whom  Gwenn  reaches  first  and  kills  to  inherit 
the  first  million.  His  client's  murder,  called  accidental  death  by  the  police,  and 
a  meeting  with  Gwenn  put  Craig  on  the  securities'  trail  also.  He  encounters 
Miss  Hasso  and  husband  en  route  and,  after  the  latter  is  murdered  by  Gwenn, 
joins  with  the  lady  on  a  share-and-share-alike  arrangement  should  they  suc- 
ceed in  getting  any  part  of  the  securities.  They  attempt  to  double-cross  each 
other  in  the  interim,  later  to  reunite  as  romance  blossoms,  and  discover  ulti- 
mately a  plot  of  international  intrigue  which  builds  swiftly  into  the  film's 
thrilling  climax  involving  the  apprehension  of  Nazi  Agent  Gwenn. 

Marion  Parsonnet's  suspenseful  screenplay  is  based  on  a  story  by  Oliver 
Weld  Bayer,  with  credit  for  adaptation  going  to  Edmund  L.  Hartmann. 
Arthur  L.  Field  is  the  producer.  Flawless  in  supporting  roles  are  Mabel  Paige, 
Grant  Withers,  Henry  O'Neill,  Audrey  Totter  and  others.  Opportunities  for 
deft  touches  of  comedy  relief  have  been  used  to  full  advantage  by  director 
Cahn. 

Running  time,  74  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Ch/rles  L.  Feanke 


The  Half -Way  House 

(Ealing-A.F.E.) 

FROM  Britain  comes  "The  Half-Way  House,"  a  Michael  Balcon  production 
which  dips  into  the  realm  of  flesh  and  fantasy  to  present  a  tense  and  unusual 
story  about  a  little  group  of  war-troubled  people  who  have  been  drawn  to 
a  ghostly  hotel  deep  in  the  hills  of  Wales  and  there  find  themselves  living 
a  year  in  the  past  with  a  "reincarnated"  innkeeper  and  his  daughter  who  were 
killed  when  the  establishment  was  burned  to  the  ground  in  the  blitz.  The 
visitors  include  an  unscrupulous  black-market  operator,  a  discharged  young 
captain  just  out  of  prison,  a  famous  orchestra  conductor  with  a  bad  heart, 
a  disgraced  sea-captain  and  his  French  spiritualist  wife,  an  Irish  diplomat 
and  his  English  financee,  and  two  pleasant  young  people  who  provide  comedy 
relief  while  bickering  their  way  toward  a  divorce.  All  find  their  own  com- 
paratively minor  torments  dispersed,  however  when  confronted  with  the  re- 
enactment  of  the  inn's  bombing  and  the  tragic  deaths  of  the  innkeeper  and 
his  daughter. 

The  picture  marks  the  first  English-speaking  role  of  Franchise  Rosay  of 
the  French  film'  "Carnival  in  Flanders,"  who  turns  in  a  powerfully  emotional 
portrayal  as  the  spiritualist  mourning  the  loss  of  her  dead  son.  Credit  to  Basil 
Dearden  a  difficult  directorial  job  handled  with  delicacy  and  precision. 

A  screenplay  "by  Angus  MacPhail  and  Diana  Morgan  from  a  story  by 
Dennis  Ogden,  'The  Half-Way  House"  is  entitled  to  a  high  place  among 
psychological  film  dramas.  A.  Cavalcanti  was  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  88  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  August  4. 

  C.  L.  F. 

"Tell  It  to  a  Star" 

(Republic) 

ENTER  this  one  as  zestful  program  entertainment.  It  may  be  lacking  some 
in  plot  substance  but  compensating  for  this  are  many  moments  of  fun  pro- 
vided by  Alan  Mowbray  who  handles  the  many  farce  situations  in  deft  tongue- 
in-cheek  fashion  and  by  Ruth  Terry's  competent  song  offerings. 

Robert  Livingston  shares  the  top  billing  with  Miss  Terry  but  it  appears 
that  Mowbray's  comedy  is  mainly  responsible  for  nutting  the  film  across. 
Franklin  Pangborn,  Isobel  Randolph,  Eddie  Marr  and  Adrian  Booth  round 
out  the  cast.  Frank  McDonald  directed  for  associate  producer  Walter  H. 
Goetz  and  the  screen  play  is  by  John  K.  Butler  from  an  original  story  by 
Gerald  Drayson  Adams  and  John  Krafft. 

A  swank  Palm  Springs  hotel  is  the  setting.  Mowbray,  self-styled  business 
tycoon,  but  with  not  a  dime  to  his  name,  is  allowed  by  the  gullible  owner, 
Miss  Randolph,  to  avail  himself  of  the  hotel's  luxuries.  His  niece,  Miss  Terry, 
is  bent  on  an  audition  with  the  hotel's  bandleader,  Livingston,  and  this  Mow- 
bray arranges.  A  series  of  complications  develop  when  Mowbray's  financial 
position  is  learned,  these  involving  big  bills,  a  mattress  company  he  claims  to 
own,  and  a  radio  show  he  talks  of  sponsoring.  However,  smooth  operator 
that  he  is,  he  talks  himself  out  of  all  the  tight  spots,  wins  enough  from  Pang- 
born,  as  the  hotel  manager,  to  pay  his  bills  and  Miss  Terry  and  Livingston 
land  a  genuine  radio  contract. 

Running  time,  67  minutes.  Release  date,  Aug.  6.  General  audience  classi- 
fication. Gene  Arneel 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  14 

CORNEL  WILDE  has  been  select- 
ed for  20th  Century-Fox's  "Cen- 
tennial Summer"  ;  he  will  join  a  cast 
composed  of  Jeanne  Crain,  Linda 
Darnell,  William  Eythe,  Walter 
Brennan,  Joan  Bennett  and  Dorothy 
Gish.  .  .  .  Hugo  Haas  has  been  as- 
signed an  important  role  in  M-G-M's 
"What  Next,  Corporal  Hargrove?" 
• 

Walter  Morosco  has  purchased  an 
original,  "Sentimental  Journey''  and 
will  produce  it  for  20th  Century- 
Fox,  with  Maureen  O'Hara  and  Wil- 
liam Bendix  in  starring  roles  

Seven-year-old  Patrick  Griffin  has 
been  signed  by  Warners  for  a  key 
role  in  "The  Man  I  Love."  .  .  .  John 
Ince  has  been  added  to  the  cast  of 
RKO  Radio's  "Tale  of  Bedlam." 
• 

Thomas  Mitchell  has  had  his  20th 
Century-Fox  contract  extended.  .  .  . 
Vince  Barnett  has  been  selected  for 
one  of  the  top  parts  in  "The  Falcon's 
Alibi,"  soon  to  start  at  RKO  Radio. 
.  .  .  Norman  Lloyd  has  been  signed 
to  a  term  contract  by  M-G-M,  and 
will  have  a  leading  role  in  "The 
Green  Years." 

• 

Kathryn  Grayson  will  portray 
Marilyn  Miller  in  the  M-G-M  musi- 
cal, "Till  the  Clouds  Roll  By";  Rob- 
ert Walker  is  set  for  the  role  of 
Jerome  Kern.  .  .  .  Cecil  Kellway  has 
had  his  Paramount  contract  extended. 
.  .  .  Barbara  Whiting,  14-year-old 
who  scored  in  "Junior  Miss,"  has 
been  selected  for  a  top  role  in  "Cen- 
tennial Summer,"  soon  to  get  under 
way  at  20th  Century-Fox. 

• 

PRC  has  added  two  films  to  its 
production  schedule:  "Beggar's  Gold," 
to  be  written  and  produced  by  Harry 
Sauber,  and  "Kentucky  Mansion," 
which  will  be  produced  by  Martin 
Mooncy  in  Cinecolor.  .  .  .  Catherine 
McLeod  has  been  signed  for  the  lead- 
ing feminine  role  in  Frank  Borzage's 
production  of  "Concerto,"  which  is 
now  shooting  at  Republic. 

Greer  Garson  and  Robert  Mont- 
gomery will  be  co-starred  in  "Great 
Temptation,"  which  Arthur  Horn- 
blow  will  produce  for  M-G-M;  the 
story  is  based  on  Leonard  Frank's 
novel,  "Carl  and  Anna."  .  .  .  Charles 
Boyer  has  been  signed  by  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox for  the  leading  role  in 
"Any  Number  Can  Play,"  which  is 
to  be  produced  and  directed  by  Otto 
Preminger.  .  .  .  Producer-director 
Walter  Colmes  has  acquired  screen 
rights  to  Frank  Gruber's  eight  mys- 
tery novels,  which  relate  the  ad- 
ventures of  detective  Johnny  Fletch- 
er; Albert  Dekker  has  been  selected 
for  the  starring  role,  and  Mike  Ma- 
zurki  will  have  an  important  part 
in  the  projected  series. 


Meet  on  Greek  Relief 

Chicago,  Aug.  14.— Van  A.  Nom- 
ikos,  president  of  the  Van  Nomikos 
Circuit  here,  is  the  regional  director 
of  the  Greek  War  Relief  Association 
which  is  holding  a  three-day  meeting 
at  the  Morrison  Hotel,  this  week. 
The  motion  picture,  "This  Is  Greece 
Today,"  supervised  by  Spyros  Skou- 
ras,  20th  Century-Fox  president,  was 
shown  before  the  association's  1,000 
Midwest  officers. 


J  erry 
Fairbanks 


Does  it  again  with 

"FROM  A  TO  ZOO" 

he  latest  in  the  Two -Time -Academy 
Award -Winning-  Series 


Speaking 


Of  Animal 


THEY'RE  ALL  GREAT 

THEY'RE  ALL  AVAILABLE 

HAVE  YOU  PLAYED  THEM  ALL? 

All  18  subjects  in  this  series  are 
hilarious,  timely  entertainments 
that  top  most  brand-new  releases 
— good  any  time — on  any  program! 

CHECK  THIS  LIST  AND 
BOOK  ANY  YOU'VE  MISSED! 

□  "FROM  A  TO  ZOO" 

□  "IN  A  MUSICAL  WAY" 

□  "TALK  OF  THE  TOWN" 

□  "PUBLIC  EYE" 

□  "WHO'S  WHO  IN  ANIMAL  LAND"* 
p  "AS  BABIES" 

□  "MONKEY  BUSINESS" 

□  "IN  THE  HAREM" 

□  "YOUR  PET  PROBLEM" 

□  "IN  THE  NEWSREELS" 

□  "IN  WINTER  QUARTERS" 
q  "TAILS  OF  THE  BORDER" 
pj  "IN  THE  DESERT" 

rj  "IN  THE  GARDEN" 

□  "THE  CAGE-DOOR  CANTEEN" 

□  "IN  CURRENT  EVENTS" 
Q  "AT  THE  BIRD  FARM" 

□  "AND  THEIR  FAMILIES"** 

*Besl  J  reel  short  lor  1944 
**Besl  1-reel  short  for  1942 


The  Fu 

A 


nniest  — Most  Novel —  Most  Talked 
About  Shorts  On  Any  Screen  — 
from 


Paramount 


THE  BIG  SHO  TS 


10 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


Service  Admissions 
Will  Be  Continued 


The  policy  of  theatres  granting 
reduced  admission  prices  to  members 
of  the  Armed  Forces  as  well  as  the 
distribution  of  free  tickets  through 
USO  headquarters  and  other  organiza- 
tions, is  not  likely  to  be  halted  with 
V-J  Day  but  rather  will  be  continued 
until  demobilization  of  the  Services  is 
well  underway,  circuit  operators  in- 
dicate. 

The  admission  of  men  and  women 
in  uniform  by  circuits  and  in- 
dependents at  reduced  prices  was  a 
policy  formulated  by  individual  opera- 
tions, there  being  no  national  industry 
policy,  and  decisions  on  dropping  the 
practice  will  be  formulated  by  circuits 
and  individual  theatres.  Si  Fabian, 
chairman  of  the  theatres  division  of 
the  War  Activities  Committee,  told 
Motion  Picture  Daily  that  he  per- 
sonally plans  to  continue  the  policy 
of  admitting  servicemen  to  the  theatres 
of  his  circuit  until  the  Armed  Forces 
are  greatly  reduced  in  size.  This  might 
mean  for  a  year  or  more  after  V-J 
Day.  General  feeling  is  that  there  is  no 
reason  to  make  decisions  now. 

Also  USO  Admissions 

The  same  situation  applies  to  the 
granting  of  free  admissions  to  service- 
men through  the  USO  and  other  or- 
ganizations as  in  the  case  of  the  dis- 
tribution of  tickets  by  the  New  York 
Defense  Recreation  Committee,  which 
has  given  out  many  millions  of  free 
tickets.  New  York  first-run  theatres 
which  have  participated  in  the  pro- 
gram plan  to  continue  the  practice  as 
long  as  the  Committee  requests. 


Chicago  Film  Men 
To  Improve  Help 


Chicago,  Aug.  14. — Exhibitors  and 
exchange  managers  here  are  deter- 
mined to  dispense  with  all  incompetent 
help  as  soon  as  possible  after  V-J 
Day,  and  to  strengthen  their  staffs 
with  capable  manpower  as  it  becomes 
available.  Lack  of  competent  em- 
ployees has  been  the  chief  source  of 
grief  to  the  trade  in  Chicago. 

During  the  immediate  period  of  re- 
conversion, the  Chicago  area  will  ex- 
perience a  wave  of  unemployment 
which  is  expected  to  reflect  on  local 
theatre  grosses.  Over  300  war  plants 
are  scheduled  to  close  within  two 
weeks  after  V-J  Day  and  some  3,000 
subcontractors  will  be  forced  to  halt 
operations.  The  seriousness  of  the  sit- 
uation is  revealed  by  the  fact  that  10 
of  the  largest  government-owned 
plants  here  which  will  be  affected  by 
the  war's  end  employ  65,000  persons. 

Equipment  dealers  are  notifying 
their  accounts  that  their  orders  will 
be  filled  as  soon  as  possible,  under  a 
"date  of  order"  priority  system. 


WB  Atom  Bomb  Short 

"Miracle  Makers,"  Warner  short 
subiect  about  the  cyclotron  at  the 
University  of  California  which  played 
an  important  role  in  developing  the 
atomic  bomb,  has  been  set  for  gen- 
eral release  Sept.  1. 


Manpower  Controls  End 

Washington,  Aug.  14.  —  All  man- 
power controls  over  employers  and 
workers  were  abolished  tonight  by  the 
War  Manpower  Commission. 


Industry  Leaders  Hail 
The  Advent  of  Peace 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  peoples  of  the  world  will  be  able  to  live  together  peacfully  in  the 
future,  and  not  be  divided  against  each  other.  At  Warner  Bros,  we  are 
well  prepared  to  welcome  back  those  of  our  employes  who  have  been  serv- 
ing with  the  armed  forces  so  that  we  might  live  in  safety  at  home. 

"The  end  of  the  war  should  unleash  vast  amounts  of  purchasing  power 
which  during  the  war  has  been  carefully  restricted  and  conserved.  The 
conversion  to  peacetime  use  of  many  technological  advances  developed 
during  the  war  will  broaden  the  horizon  of  the  people  and  will  widen  the 
scope  of  the  motion  picture.  With  increased  manpower,  materials  and 
equipment  we  are  ready  to  meet  the  demand  for  fine  motion  picture  en- 
tertainment and  for  films  which  will  help  all  of  us  to  fulfill  our  duties  as 
good  citizens." 

Herbert  J.  Yates,  Sr.,  president,  Republic  Productions,  Inc.: 

"The  end  of  the  war  is  news  that  is  fervently  welcomed  by  every  one 
of  us  as  the  end  of  a  terrible  chapter  in  humanity's  history  and  the  begin- 
ning of  an  era  in  which  peace  must  be  maintained  if  we  are  to  live  as 
human  beings.  It  is  difficult  to  take  such  a  piece  of  news  as  this  and 
apply  it  to  ourselves  as  individuals  or  companies,  the  news  is  too  great — 
too  big  for  any  one  group. 

"However,  now  that  the  big  day  actually  has  arrived,  it  will  mean  full 
speed  ahead  for  Republic ;  everything  we  have  planned  in  the  way  of 
growth  and  physical  expansion,  will  get  underway  as  quickly  as  the  bars 
are  let  down  and  we  can  get  started.  Given  a  free  hand,  nothing  can  stop 
us  from  our  aims  and  objectives." 

Henry  Ginsberg,  vice-president,  Paramount  Pictures: 

"The  coming  of  peace  will  bring  the  importance  of  showmanship  into 
the  foreground  again,  as  exhibitors  find  successful  theatre  operation  de- 
manding more  energetic  promotion  than  has  been  required  under  war  con- 
ditions. The  Paramount  studio,  with  16  pictures  in  its  backlog  and  nine 
in  the  editing  stage,  is  confronted  with  no  reconversion  problems." 

Leon  Fromkess,  president,  PRC  Pictures: 

"The  end  of  World  War  II,  the  most  glorious  day  in  the  world's  his- 
tory, can  only  enhance  the  present  rapid  expansion  of  PRC.  It  will  hasten 
the  opportunity  we  have  been  waiting  for  to  increase  our  production  facil- 
ities and  resources.  The  return  of  our  men  and  women  in  the  armed 
forces  will  only  step  up  our  plans  for  added  expansion  in  all  branches  of 
our  organization.  Our  natural  growth  will  more  than  take  care  of  the 
reabsorption  of  those  to  whom  we  today  pay  homage." 

Kenneth  Thomson,  chairman,  Hollywood  Victory  Committee: 

"Hollywood  is  conscious  that  its  work  cannot  stop  with  the  end  of  fight- 
ing. Americans  in  uniform  will  be  overseas  for  many  months,  and  their 
need  for  entertainment  will  continue.  In  hospitals  here  at  home,  the  need 
for  the  cheer  our  people  can  bring  will  exist  even  longer,  in,  some  cases 
for  years.  These  men  who  brought  us  the  hope  of  permanent  peace  shall 
not  be  forgotten.  The  HVC  will  carry  on  its  functions  as  long  as  use 
for  any  organized  program  continues." 

Jack  L.  Warner,  vice-president  and  executive  producer,  Warner  Bros. 
Pictures: 

"There  will  be  no  change  in  policy  at  Warner  Bros.  We  will  continue 
to  make  pictures  which  will  make  the  finest  in  entertainment,  as  well  as 
pictures  which  bring  to  the  screen  the  great  human  problems  of  our  time. 
Our  studio  is  prepared  to  welcome  back  returning  service  men  and  we  are 
ready  to  expand  production  as  rapidly  as  conditions  warrant. 

"Lifting  of  the  terrible  burden  of  war  will,  of  course,  result  in  a  great 
expansion  of  the  demand  for  motion  picture  entertainment,  both  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  At  the  same  time,  the  war  and  the  problems  and 
ideas  remaining  after  it  will  continue  to  be  a  source  of  dramatic  material 
of  interest  to  motion  picture  audiences." 

Joseph  Bernhard,  general  manager,  Warner  Bros.  Theatres: 

"Now  we  have  to  solve  the  great  problems  of  peace  and  prosperity.  To 
keep  the  nation  united — to  find  jobs  for  everyone — to  justify  the  sacrifices 
of  the  dead  and  the  maimed  by  creating  a  world  in  which  there  will  be 
opportunity  for  all  and  prejudices  and  hatred  for  none.  In  this  world,  the 
American  motion  picture,  which  successfully  crossed  all  national  boun- 
daries before  the  war  and  was  accepted  and  enjoyed  by  all  the  civilized 
races  of  mankind,  can  play  a  major  role." 

Wolfe  Cohen,  vice-president,  Warner  Bros.  International,  in  charge 
of  Mexico,  Latin- America,  Australia  and  Far  East: 

"All  of  us  naturally  are  very  glad  to  learn  that  Japan  has  capitulated 
and  that  the  needless  sacrificing  of  lives  is  thus  brought  to  an  end.  We 
have  been  looking  forward  to  this  day  very  keenly,  not  only  for  the  good 
of  the  world  in  general,  but  also  because  it  will  enable  us  to  get  in  touch 
with  our  men  who  have  been  interned,  as  well  as  our  many  exhibitor 
friends  in  the  countries  that  have  been  occupied  by  the  Japs. 

"Our  first  thought,  of  course,  is  for  the  safety  and  welfare  of  our  men. 
We  already  were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  the  release  of  Michael  Shat- 
kin,  formerly  general  manager  in  Japan,  who  has  now  been  made  super- 
visor in  India ;  Harold  Dunn,  Far  Fast  supervisor,  who  returned  to  the 
U.  S.j,  and  Cliff  Almy,  former  general  manager  in  the  Philippines,  at 
present  recuperating  in  Los  Angeles. 

"We  are  now  making  efforts  to  locate  the  rest  of  our  staffs." 


1,040  Out  of  OWI 
By  September  30 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — The 
Office  of  War  Information  has 
announced  that  by  Sept.  30  its 
American  personnel  here  and 
abroad  will  have  been  reduced 
from  5,510  on  June  30  to  4,470, 
and  that  personnel  revisions 
now  are  being  determined 
bureau  by  bureau. 


War's  End  to  Wind 
Up  U.S.  Censorship 


Washington,  Aug.  14.— Proclama- 
tion of  victory  over  Japan  will  termi- 
nate censorship  of  news  from  the  U.  S. 
to  Europe,  Latin  America  and  Asia, 
the  Office  of  Censorship  has  an- 
nounced. Restrictions  on  the  printing, 
broadcasting  or  showing  of  hitherto 
restricted  subjects  will  end. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  war  all 
news  going  abroad  from  the  U.  S.  was 
subject  to  censorship  by  the  Govern- 
ment. The  elimination  of  wartime 
censorship  will  include  cable  as  well 
as  wireless  communications. 

The  U.  S.  press  and  radio  have  sub- 
mitted to  voluntary  censorship  during 
the  war. 

Recently  the  censorship  offices,  in 
New  York  and  Los  Angeles  which 
censored  films  exported  and  imported 
were  dissolved  and  scrutiny  of  such 
films  has  since  devolved  on  the  indus- 
try. 

The  Australian  press  censorship  will 
follow  the  example  of  the  U.  S.,  while 
the  British  are  expected  to  take  sev- 
eral weeks  longer  to  wind  up  their 
affairs. 


Congress  Recall  Is 
Set  for  Sept.  5th 

Washington,  Aug.  14. — Congress 
will  be  called  back  into  session  Sept. 
5  to  deal  with  major  reconversion 
problems,  it  was  announced  today  by 
Senate  majority  leader  Barkley,  cut- 
ting short  a  vacation  it  had  scheduled 
to  run  until  Oct.  8. 

First  item  on  the  calendar  will  be 
increased  unemployment  compensation 
payments  to  displaced  war  workers, 
in  which  Chairman  Robert  L.  Dough- 
ton  said  his  House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  would  open  hearings  Aug. 
27. 

Consideration  of  matters  pertaining 
to  reconversion,  including  the  first 
general  tax  relief  bill,  will  keep  Con- 
gress busy,  it  is  expected,  right  into 
the  year-end  holidays. 


Retitle  War  Fund  Film 

Title  of  the  National  War  Fund 
short  subject  "Furlough"  has  been 
changed  to  "Here  Come  the  Yanks." 
Release  date  has  been  set  back  from 
Aug.  23  to  Aug.  30,  to  make  possible 
changes  which  will  bring  the  film  up 
to  date  with  the  world  peace  situation. 
The  picture  will  be  distributed  by 
RKO-Radio. 


TV.  /.  Allied  to  Celebrate 

Allied  T.  O.  of  New  Jersey  will 
hold  a  "Victory  celebration"  and  out- 
ing at  West  End  Casino,  West  End, 
N.  J.,  Aug.  29,  for  all  members  and 
their  guests,  the  organization  an- 
nounced yesterday. 


I 

I 

■ 

■ 

I 

f 


THIS  IS  AMERICA 


presents 


Produced  by  FREDERIC  ULLMAN,  Jr. 
Distributed  by  RKO  RADIO  PICTURES 


■111  tiftlt 


RKO 
RADIO 

PICTURES 


12 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  15,  1945 


WPB  to  Spur  Raw 
Stock  Production 
For  Civilian  Users 


Washington,  Aug.  14. — Now  that 
the  nation's  military  requirements 
are  definitely  known  to  be  no  longer 
the  important  factor  they  have  been 
in  the  past,  Stanley  B.  Adams,  di- 
rector of  the  Consumers  Hard  Goods 
Bureau,  will  devote  himself  to  per- 
fecting policies  which  will  gear  pro- 
duction for  civilian  consumption. 
Revocation  of  the  War  Production 
Board's  L-178  allocation  order  is 
slated  for  early  action. 

Policy  of  Speed 

The  over-all  policy  of  WPB  will 
be  to  remove  all  handicaps  on  civilian 
production  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Orders  controlling  the  production  of 
photographic  equipment  were  re- 
voked some  weeks  ago,  and  produc- 
tion since  has  been  limited  only  by  the 
availability  of  material,  labor  and  ma- 
chinery, and  the  termination  of  war 
production  is  expected  to  improve  the 
situation  in  all  three  fields. 

While  the  capitulation  of  Japan  will 
bring  about  revocation  of  the  film 
order,  it  had  been  confidently  ex- 
pected up  to  the  time  this  week's  film 
manufacturers  Committee  meeting 
with  Adams  was  called  off  that  it 
would  be  possible  to  abandon  alloca- 
tions at  the  end  of  this  quarter,  on 
the  basis  of  the  current  supply  and 
demand  situation  alone. 


Four  Firms  Authorized  to 
Make  $339,600  Radio  Sets 

Other  late  developments  include 
authorization  by  the  WPB  Radio  and 
Radar  Division  for  production  of  $339,- 
600  worth  of  radio  sets  by  four  com- 
panies, $24,000  of  test  equipment  by 
a  fifth,  and  $37,500  of  amplifiers  by 
another.  These  are  the  first  spot 
authorizations  granted  in  that  field. 


Mrs.  E.  Schwarz  Dies 

A  solemn  requiem  Mass  at  St. 
Catherine  of  Sienna  Church  here  will 
be  held  tornorrow  for  Mrs.  Eleanor 
Marie  Schwarz,  wife  of  Edward 
Schwarz,  a  member  of  Columbia's  ad- 
vertising department.  Interment  will 
be  in  St.  John's  Cemetery,  Long  Is- 
land City. 


C.  Rolandsen  Dead 

Chicago,  Aug.  14. — Funeral  serv- 
ices were  held  here  Monday  for  Christ 
Rolandsen,  90,  veteran  exhibitor.  He 
built  the  Eagle  theatres  in  Milwaukee 
and  Chicago,  as  well  as  the  Crystal 
Theatre  here.  He  is  survived  by  a 
daughter,  Mrs.  Ellen  Darcy. 


Cuban  Houses  Close 
In  Protesting  Acts 

Havana,  Aug.  14. — More 
than  100  film  theatres  here 
have  closed  in  protest  against 
a  decree  obliging  them  to  in- 
clude in  their  programs  acts 
performed  by  musicians  and 
actors. 

House  managers  said  that 
the  theatres  would  stay  closed 
all  this  week,  and  possibly  in- 
definitely, if  the  Government 
maintained  its  position. 


AFL  Council  Orders  Walsh 
To  Revoke  New  Charters 


Chicago,  Aug.  14. — The  executive 
council  of  the  AFL  at  its  concluding 
session  at  the  Drake  Hotel  here  this 
afternoon  directed  the  IATSE  to  re- 
voke the  charters  issued  to  the 
Painters,  Carpenters,  and  Machinists 
within  60  days,  William  Green,  AFL 
president,  announced.  In  the  event 
the  'IA'  refuses  to  take  such  action, 
the  AFL  executive  council  will  decide 
what  future  steps  to  take,  Green  ex- 
plained. 

Richard  Walsh,  head  of  the  'IA,' 
earlier  this  afternoon  told  Motion 
Picture  Daily  that  he  has  already 
refused  to  revoke  the  charters  and 
that  this  decision  on  the  part  of  the 
council  will  not  change  his  stand.  He 
expected  to  leave  for  New  York  to- 
morrow. 

At  the  same  time  the  council  di- 
rected Green  to  meet  with  Walsh  and 
heads  of  all  international  unions  in- 
volved in  the  studio  strike  in  another 
effort  to  settle  the  issue.  Green  said 
the  meeting  will  be  held  in  the  near 
future,  probably  in  Chicago.  The 
AFL  will  also  appoint  a  committee  of 
two  or  three  executive  council  mem- 
bers, Green  revealed,  to  go  to  Holly- 
wood and  study  the  conflict  from  all 
angles.     Their   findings   will   be  re- 


vealed at  the  next  executive  council 
meeting  which  will  open  at  the 
Netherland  Plaza  Hotel  in  Cincinnati, 
Oct.  15. 


Hollywood,  Aug.  14.  —  IATSE 
vice-president  Felix  A.  Snow,  in 
charge  of  Hollywood  headquarters 
during  the  absence  of  Roy  M.  Brewer, 
issued  a  four-point  statement  regard- 
ing the  AFL  executive  council's  in- 
struction to  Walsh  to  revoke,  within 
60  days,  charters  issued  for  studio 
work  since  the  start  of  the  CSU 
strike,  declaring  the  IATSE  must  call 
a  meeting  of  the  general  executive 
board  to  approve  the  AFL  council's 
decision. 

Snow  asserted :  1.  The  AFL  has 
not  yet  recognized  the  strike  as  legal ; 
2.  IATSE  does  not  recognize  that  it 
has  issued  any  charters  illegally;  3. 
The  decision  of  the  AFL  council  will 
not  change  the  situation  with  re- 
spect to  the  studios  because,  even  if 
the  executive  board  should  decide  to 
revoke  the  charters,  it  will  not  mean 
that  men  who  held  out  will  go  back 
until  an  equitable  basis  of  settlement 
is  found;  4.  IATSE  is  not  receding 
from  its  position,  maintaining  that 
people  who  went  in  and  kept  the 
studios  running  should  be  retained. 


RCA's  Radar  Role 
Cited  by  Sarnoff 

The  Radio  Corporation  of  America, 
working  in  close  cooperation  with  the 
naval  and  military  services,  has 
pioneered  many  of  the  major  develop- 
ments in  radar  dating  as  far  back  as 
1932,  it  was  revealed  yesterday  by 
Brigadier  General  David  SarnofT, 
president  of  RCA. 

General  Sarnoff  reviewed  the  his- 
tory of  RCA's  contributions  in  scien- 
tific research  and  in  manufacturing  in 
radar  with  the  Government's  relaxa- 
tion of  the  ban  on  the  publication  of 
facts  concerning  radar,  and  at  the 
same  time  congratulated  the  Office  of 
Scientific  Research  and  Development, 
the  Army  and  Navy  research  labora- 
tories and  all  other  elements  of  the 
radio  industry  on  their  work  in  so 
perfecting  radar  that  it  became  one 
of  the  most  powerful  weapons  in  win- 
ning the  war. 

Citing  the  direct  benefits  of  radar, 
General  Sarnoff  said  that  indirectly 
the  rapid  and  extensive  development  of 
radar  techniques  will  have  a  definite 
effect  on  the  television  industry  and 
in  certain  forms  of  point-to-point  com- 
munication. 


Wins  Second  M-G-M 
Annual  Book  Award 

"Before  the  Sun  Goes  Down,"  a 
first  full-length  novel  by  Elizabeth 
Metzger  Howard  to  be  published  by 
Doubleday  Doran,  is  the  winner  of  the 
second  M-G-M  annual  novel  award. 

By  the  terms  of  the  award,  the 
author  is  to  receive  a  minimum  sum 
of  $125,000  with  a  possible  additional 
payment  of  $50,000,  contingent  upon 
book  sales  with  motion  picture  and 
allied  rights  being  assumed  by  M-G-M. 
A  payment  of  $25,000  will  be  made 
to  the  publishers.  The  book  which  also 
won  the  Doubleday  Doran  $20,000 
novel  contest  is  described  as  "a  many- 
people  story  of  a  small  Pennsylvania 
town  in  the  1880's." 


Illinois  Owners  to 
Study  Union  Demand 

Chicago,  Aug.  14.  Jack  Kirsch, 

president  of  Allied  of  Illinois,  has 
called  a  special  membership  meeting 
for  tomorrow  to  present  the  demands 
made  by  the  IATSE  Chicago  Moving 
Picture  Operators  Union.  The  cur- 
rent contract  will  expire  Aug.  31  and 
theatre  executives  are  still  a  long  way 
from  seeing  eye-to-eye  with  union  of- 
ficials on  terms  of  a  new  pact. 

Eugene  Atkinson,  head  of  the 
union,  told ,  Motion  Picture  Daily 
that  he  will  not  call  a  strike  but  at 
the  same  time  stated  that  he  will  con- 
tinue to  insist  upon  a  15  per  cent  wage 
increase. 


WB  to  Send  20  Films 
To  the  Far  East 

For  liberated  countries  in  the 
Orient,  prints  of  at  least  20  specially- 
selected  pictures  have  been  set  aside 
by  Warners  for  shipment  as  soon 
as  facilities  are  reopened,  according 
to  Wolfe  Cohen,  vice-president 
Warner  International. 

These  films  were  picked  not  JKiiy 
for  entertainment  value  but  also  for 
morale  and  readjustment  needs  of 
populations  that  have  been  under  Jap 
domination. 


Nat  Wolff  Quits  M-G-M 

Hollywood,  Aug.  14. — Nat  Wolff, 
who  joined  the  -M-G-M  editorial  board 
in  November,  1943,  after  a  career  as 
a  radio  agent  and  later  a  member  of 
the  Office  of  War  Information,  has  re- 
signed. He  did  not  announce  his  fu- 
ture plans. 


Gordon  a  20th  Producer 

Hollywood,  Aug.  14.  —  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  today  appointed  song 
writer  Mack  Gordon  to  a  producer- 
ship. 


Return  of  British 
Studios  Delayed 

London,  Aug.  14. — The  de- 
requisitioning of  studio  space 
here  by  the  government  has 
been  delayed  due  to  a  short- 
age of  labor  needed  for  recon- 
ditioning the  studios  before 
they  can  be  returned  to 
peacetime  uses.  The  Board  of 
Trade,  however,  is  confident 
that  from  50  to  75  per  cent 
more  studio  space  will  be 
available  to  British  film  pro- 
ducers before  the  summer  of 
1946. 


$20,000  Advance 
Sale  for  'Follies' 


Boston,  Aug.  14.— Following  its 
world  premiere  at  the  Colonial  Thea- 
tre here  last  night,  M-G-M's  "Ziegfeld 
Foil  ies"  has  chalked  up  an  advance 
sale  of  approximately  $20,000,  the 
company  reports. 

M-G-M  and  Loew's  home  office  ex- 
ecutives who  attended  the  premiere  in- 
cluded Willi  am  F.  Rodgers,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  sales  manager  ;  How- 
ard Dietz,  vice-president  and  director 
of  advertising,  publicity  and  exploita- 
tion ;  Joseph  R.  Vogel,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  Loew  out-of-town  thea- 
tre operations;  Silas  F.  Seadler, 
M-G-M  advertising  manager;  Wil- 
liam R.  Ferguson,  exploitation  direc- 
tor ;  Edward  K.  O'Shea,  M-G-M  East- 
ern sales  manager ;  Charles  K.  Stern, 
assistant  treasurer  of  Loew's,  and  Os- 
car A.  Doob,  publicity  and  advertis- 
ing manager  for  the  Loew  circuit. 

The  premiere  celebration  was  cli- 
maxed by  an  informal  luncheon  for  lo- 
cal exhibitors  at  the  Ritz  Carlton  Ho- 
tel, here.  Rodgers  acted  as  host  with 
home  office  and  local  M-G-M  execu- 
tives attending. 

Pittsburgh  Second 

The  film's  second  roadshow  will 
take  place  at  the  Nixon,  Pittsburgh, 
on  Aug.  26,  and,  like  the  local  show- 
ing, will  run  there  for  two  weeks. 

Seadler,  Ferguson,  Dietz  and  Judy 
Garland  and  her  husband,  director 
Vincente  Minnelli,  who  also  attended : 
the  "Ziegfeld  Follies"  premiere,  left 
for  New  York  today.  Entraining  for 
New  York  tomorrow  are\ Rodgers, 
O'Shea,  Vogel  and  Doob. 


PPDA  to  Welcome 
Baker,  KRS  Head 

The  MPPDA  will  be  host  '  at  a 
luncheon  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Ho- 
tel on  Friday  to  Reginald  Baker, 
president  of  the  Kinematograph  Rent-, 
ers  Society  (distributors)  of  Britain, 
who  is  scheduled  to  arrive  in  New 
York  today  from  London.  Foreign 
managers  of  American  distribution 
companies  and  trade  press  representa- 
tives will  attend.  Will  H.  Hays,  who 
is  in  Hollywood,  will,  not  be  present. 


Dollar  in  RCA  Post 

Appointment  of  Archibald  F.  Dol- 
lar as  manager  of  finance  of  the  Inter- 
national Division  of  RCA  has  been 
announced  by  John  G.  MacKenty, 
managing  director  of  the  division. 


i)VOL.  58.  NO.  33  NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  AUGUST  16,  1945  TEN  CENTS 


MOTION  PICTUKiv 

DAILY 


Alert, 


tion 


Picture 
Industry 


First  Victory 
Day  is  Boon 
To  Theatres 


OP  A  Ends  Gasoline  and  Fuel  Oil 
Rationing;  WMC  Drops  Controls 

WASHINGTON,  Aug.  15— The  first  concrete  evidence  of  the  re- 
turn of  peace  came  shortly  before  noon  today  when  the  Office  of 
Price  Administration  announced  the  end  of  gasoline  and  fuel  oil 
rationing.  The  OPA  order  was  the  first  of  a  long  series  to  be 
issued  over  the  next  few  days,  lifting  wartime  controls. 

The  release  of  gasoline  is  expected  to  result  in  the  reopening  of 
many  roadside  open-air  theatres  and  will  be  a  boon  to  film  sales- 
men contacting  exhibitors. 

The  end  of  fuel  oil  rationing  will  mean  that  exhibitors  using 
that  fuel  will  be  able  to  return  their  houses  to  accustomed  tem- 
peratures this  winter. 

Also,  all  manpower  controls  over  employers  and  workers  were 
abolished  by  the  War  Manpower  Commission,  enabling  employers 
to  hire  workers  where  and  when  they  pleased. 


Peacetime  Problems 


/1MONG  the  chief  problems  confronting  the  in- 
dnstrx  with  the  end  of  the  war  arc: 

1.  Product  that  will  maintain  attendance  de- 
spite lessening  of  national  income. 

2.  Adjustments  in  production  costs. 

3.  Rebuilding  and  development  of  foreign 
markets. 

4.  Retter  theatre  service  to  the  public  and  bet- 
ter exploitation  of  product  values. 

5.  Maintenance  of  sound  and  far-visioned 
public  relations,  to  the  end  of  retaining  and  in- 
creasing the  high  measure  of  public  goodwill 
earned  through  the  industry's  wartime  efforts. 


Gives  Rule 
For  Nation's 
Reconversio] 


Tuesday  Celebrations  Cut 
Receipts  As  Much  as  50% 

President  Truman's  proclamation 
of  a  two-day  Victory  holiday  for 
Government  workers,  which  has 
been  widely  adopted  by  other  busi- 
nesses throughout  the  nation,  proved  a 
boon  to  theatres  throughout  the  coun- 
try yesterday,  the  first  day  of  the  two- 
day  holiday. 

Theatre  business  was  off  as  much 
as  50  per  cent  in  some  spots  Tuesday 
night  following  the  announcement 
from  the  White  House  of  the  Japanese 
surrender,  which  touched  off  spon- 
taneous celebrations  throughout  the 
nation. 

New  York's  first-run  theatres  did 
big  business  yesterday  with  holiday 
prices  prevailing  at  some  theatres  and 
regular  weekly  admission  prices  pre- 
vailing in  others.  Business  was  off 
between  10  and  25  per  cent  on  Broad- 
way Tuesday  night  as  an  estimated 
(Continued  on  pane  5 1 


Strikers  Threaten 
Mexican  Companies 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  15. — The  strike 
situation  here,  already  involving  the 
eight  major  American  companies  drew 
to  a  climax  today  with  the  issuance  of 
an  ultimatum  by  the  National  Cine- 
matographic Industry  Workers  Union 
to  the  17  leading  Mexican  producers 
and  distributors  threatening  a  strike  by 
Aug.  21  against  them,  as  well,  unless 
by  that  time  they  grant  the  same  50 
per  cent  pay  raise  which  the  Amer- 
icans have  refused. 

As  a  result,  the  Mexican  companies 
(.Continued  on  page  5) 


Danz   Anti  -  Trust 
Suit  Is  Settled 

Portland,  Ore..  Aug.  15. — The 
$200,000  triple  damage  anti-trust 
suit  filed  by  John  Danz  and 
Granada  Theatre  Corp.,  Seattle, 
against  major  distributors,  Na- 
tional, Evergreen  and  Fox  Paci- 
fic Theatres  has  been  settled  out 
of  court,  Danz  revealed  here  to- 
day. No  details  of  settlement 
terms  were  given. 


Postwar  Plans  Up 
At  PC C IT O  Meet 

Portland.  Ore.,  Aug.  15. — Postwar 
plans  for  the  1,500  theatres  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  area  and  Alaska,  repre- 
sented by  the  Pacific  Coast  Conference 
of  Independent  Theatre  Owners,  were 
outlined  here  at  a  three-day  meeting  of 
the  organization's  board  of  trustees, 
which  closes  at  the  Benson  Hotel  to- 
morrow. 

Participants  in  the  meeting  included 
William  Graeper,  Jr.,  and  O.  J.  Miller 
of  this  city;  M.  M.  Mattecheck,  Mc- 
Minnville,  Ore. ;  Hugh  Bruen  and 
Robert  Poole,  Los  Angeles ;  George 
Diamos,  Phoenix ;  Rotus  Harvey  and 
Ben  Levine,  San  Francisco;  L.  O. 
Lukan,  LeRoy  Johnson  and  James 
Hone,  Seattle.  • 


8  Companies  Close  2 
Days  for  Victory 

With  President  Truman  proclaim- 
ing yesterday  and  today  a  holiday  for 
Government  workers  in  observance  of 
the  capitulation  of  Japan,  and  New 
York's  Governor  Dewey  and  Mayor 
LaGuardia  following  suit,  the  great 
majority  of  film  company  home  offices 
and  exchanges  are  conforming  with 
the  proclamations. 

Eight  companies  were  observing  the 
two-day  holiday  at  their  home  offices 
and  exchanges  including  :  RKO  Radio, 
Warners,  Columbia.  United  Artists, 
Monogram,  Republic,  Paramount  and 
Universal.  Two  companies,  M-G-M 
and  20th  Century-Fox,  decided  to  re- 
main open  today.  Nobody  was  avail- 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


s 


Curbs  on  Inflation  and 
Production  Aids  Remain 

Washington,  Aug.  15.  —  Rules 
for  returning  the  nation  from  a  war 
to  a  peacetime  economy  were  laid 
down  today  by  John  W.  Snyder, 
Director  of  War  Mobilization  and 
Reconversion. 

Foreseeing  that  8,000,000  persons 
may  be  out  of  jobs  by  next  Spring, 
Snyder  warned  that  it  will  take  at 
least  12  to  18  months  to  reach  the 
expanded  peacetime  production  neces- 
sary to  get  the  unemployed  back  to 
work. 

The  reconversion  director  said  that 
many  wartime  production  and  distri- 
bution controls  will  be  removed  at 
once,  but  explained  that  some  must  be 
retained  to  expedite  production,  break 
bottlenecks,  prevent  inventory  hoard- 
ing and  maintain  economic  stabiliza- 
tion. 

Price  ceilings  and  wage  stabilization 

(Continued  on  page  5) 

Broadway  to  Blaze 
With  New  Lights 

Broadway  will  take  on  a  new  ap- 
pearance as  soon  as  materials  become 
available  with  theatre  marquees  ex- 
pected to  undergo  changes,  while  new 
and  spectacular  signs  are  expected  to 
appear  which  will  not  only  provide 
more  brilliance'  to  the  "Great  White 
Way"  but  which  are  expected  to  pro- 
vide street  attractions  for  passers-by. 

The  first  of  scores  of  these  new 
spectaculars  is  the  new  "Wondersign" 
covering  the  entire  eight  story  front  of 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


Reels  Rush  Victory 
Issues  to  Theatres 

The  newsreels  gave  their  vic- 
tory special  issues  the  "urgent — 
rush"  treatment  in  shipments 
to  theatres  around  the  country 
with  the  result  that  the  reels 
were  shown  to  audiences  in 
Eastern  states  during  the  mat- 
inee programs  yesterday  and 
subsequently  hit  farther  outly- 
ing regions  as  fast  as  air  ex- 
press transportation  allowed. 


s  for  ring 


JOHN  GAR 


J] 

1 


ill  II 


D; 


ELEANOR  PARKER- DANE  CLARK 


Directed  by 

DELMER  DAVES 

Screen  Play  by  Albert  Maltz 
Adaptation  by  Marvin 
Borowsky 


Produced  by 

JERRY  WALD 

From  a  Book  by  Roger 
Butterfield  •  Music 
by  Franz  Waxman 


i 


IS 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  August  16,  1945 


Status  Quo  Policy 
Toward  Industry 
Is  Byrnes  Intent 


Washington,  Aug.  15. — Reorgani 
zation  of  the  Department  of  State,  ex 
pected  to  be  put  into  effect  in  the  near 
future  by  Secretary  Byrnes,  is  not 
expected  adversely  to  affect  either  its 
motion  picture  policies  or  relations 
with  the  industry.  On  the  contrary, 
there  are  indications  that  Department 
policies  will  be  strengthened  in  many 
ways,  and  particularly  in  the  protec- 
tion of  American  interests  abroad. 

Secretary  Byrnes  is  not  expected  to 
deviate  materially  in  this  respect  from 
the  lines  laid  down  by  former  Secre- 
tary Hull  for  an  alert,  efficient  foreign 
service  to  support  the  international  op- 
erations of  American  business  men. 
Motion  pictures  have  long  been  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  important 
items  in  our  foreign  trade  not  only 
because  of  the  millions  of  dollars  of 
business  which  they  represent  but  also 
because  of  the  selling  job  they  do  for 
other  American  .  commodities  and 
American  ideas.  Any  doubts  which 
may  have  existed  on  that  score  were 
dispelled  by  Europe's  experience  with 
Nazi  film  propaganda. 

Government-Industry  Partnership 

The  changes  which  will  be  made  in 
the  Department  in  Washington  will 
not  materially  affect  the  day-to-day 
activities  of  its  representatives  abroad 
which  are  the  expression  of  Depart- 
mental policy  over  a  considerable  pe- 
riod. The  Department  has  been  tend- 
ing more  and  more  toward  closer  re- 
lations with  the  industries  it  repre- 
sents abroad,  and  this  Government-in- 
dustry partnership  is  expected  to  be 
further  strengthened  in  working  out 
definite  postwar  problems. 

Although  he  has  headed  the  Depart- 
ment only  a  short  time,  Secretary 
Byrnes  has  apparently  approved  the 
efforts  which  have  been  made  to  pro- 
tect our  film  interests  in  many  coun- 
tries where  difficult  situations  have 
arisen,  and  he  is  expected  to  continue 
to  give  encouragement  to  such  efforts. 


Davis  Urges  That 
OWI  Be  Continued 

Washington,  Aug.  15. — Continua- 
tion of  the  Office  of  War  Information 
as  a  peacetime  agency  was  urged  today 
by  Director  Elmer  Davis. 

From  the  Naval  Medical  Center, 
Bethesda,  Md.,  where  he  is  recovering 
from  an  operation,  Davis  expressed  the 
hope  that  since  the  life  of  the  OWI  is 
almost  over,  the  Administration  and 
Congress  will  find  some  means  of 
assisting  and  supplementing  private  in- 
formation agencies  in  providing  the 
world  with  "a  balanced  picture"  of 
America. 


Personal  Mention 


On  Air  15  Years 

4'Let's  Pretend,"  CBS  air  show 
which  was  voted  'Best  Program  for 
Children'  for  several  consecutive 
years  in  the  Motion  Picture  Daily- 
Fame  annual  radio  polls,  will  cele- 
brate its  15th  year  on  the  air  Aug.  18. 


TAMES  O'SHEA,  son  of  E.  K. 
»J  O'Shea,  M-G-M  Eastern  sales 
manager,  has  been  promoted  from  first 
lieutenant  to  captain  in  the  Army  Air 
Corps  at  Bowman  Field,  Louisville, 
Ky.,  where  he  is  pilot  for  Mat.  Gen. 
Ralph  Royce. 

0 

Joel  Bezahler,  home  office  assis- 
tant to  John  E.  Flynn,  M-G-M 
Western  sales  manager  with  head- 
quarters in  Chicago,  will  leave  to- 
day for  a  visit  to  the  Milwaukee  ex- 
change. 

• 

Harry  Krebs,  former  M-G-M  press 
book  editor,  recently  discharged  from 
the  service,  has  rejoined  the  company 
in  his  old  post. 

Randy  Bryan,  National  Screen 
Service  Atlanta  branch  manager,  has 
become  the  father  of  a  son. 

• 

J.  Lawrence  Schanberger,  owner 
of  Keith's,  Baltimore,  is  spending  three 
weeks  at  Atlantic  City. 

Oscar  Lam,  president  of  Lam 
Amusement  Co.,  Atlanta,  now  has  six 
sons  in  the  Armed  Forces. 

• 

H.  C.  Fuller  of  the  Sheffield-Re- 
public office  in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  in 
Idaho. 


ERNEST  MORRELL,  who  handles 
transportation  for  the  M-G-M 
sales  department,  will  leave  here  to- 
morrow for  a  vacation  in  Cincinnati, 
where  he  will  visit  his  son,  Robert  F. 
Morrell,  head  booker  at  the  M-G-M 
exchange  there. 

• 

Phil  Schwartz,  manager  of  the 
Park  Theatre,  Thomaston,  Conn.,  re- 
cently became  the  father  of  a  third 
son. 

• 

Julius  Lamm,  manager  of  War- 
ners' Uptown  Theatre,  Cleveland,  and 
Mrs.  Lamm  are  on  a  Great  Lakes 
trip. 

• 

Lizabeth  Scott,  star  of  Hal  B. 
Wallis  Prod.,  will  complete  a  personal 
appearance  tour  of  Kansas  City,  Min- 
neapolis and  Denver  today. 

• 

Harry  Rose,  manager  of  the  Ma- 
jestic Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  and 
Mrs.  Rose  celebrated  their  25th  wed- 
ding anniversary  last  weekend. 
• 

Gus  King,  president  of  Capital  The- 
atre Supply  Co.,  Atlanta,  has  returned 
there  after  a  two-week  trip  to  New 
York. 

• 

Sidney  Schreiber,  MPPDA  attor- 
ney, is  on  vacation  this  week. 


France  Producing 
New  Documentaries 


Hollywood,  Aug.  15.  —  France  is 
copying  a  documentary  film  program 
of  the  United  States  according  to  in- 
formation received  here  recently  by 
Robert  Riskin,  former  overseas  head 
of  the  motion  picture  bureau  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information. 

Riskin,  who  is  now  engaged  in  set- 
ting up  his  own  production  organiza- 
tion and  completing  his  script  of  the 
"Magic  City,"  first  picture  to  be 
undertaken  by  him  since  his  return  to 
civilian  activities,  has  been  advised 
that  the  French  have  initiated  an  ex- 
tensive documentary  program  for  the 
purpose  of  cementing  Franco-Amer- 
ican goodwill  through  motion  pictures. 

The  program  is  being  developed  in 
cooperation  with  the  OWI  in  Paris. 
The  first  series  of  pictures  will  be  on 
the  theme  of  "What  We  Don't  Like 
About  Americans- — and  What  Amer- 
icans Don't  Like  About  Us,"  and  will 
set  forth  many  misconceptions  existing 
in  each  country  about  the  other.  The 
films  will  attempt  to  show  that  these 
misconceptions  all  too  frequently  grow 
out  of  situations  which  have  mutual 
acceptance  in  both  countries  but  which 
need  interpretation  to  bring  about 
complete  understanding  between  the 
U.  S.  and  France.  It  is  expected  that 
the  first  of  these  films  will  be  offered 
to  American  audiences  within  the  near 
future. 


SOPEG  to  Vote  on 
Re-routing  Monday 

The  coming  of  peace  has  delayed 
to  next  Monday  the  general  member- 
ship meeting  of  the  Screen  Office  & 
Professional  Employees  Guild  which 
is  to  determine  the  stand  to  be  taken 
by  the  New  York  readers  chapter  in 
consequence  of  the  reported  re-routing 
of  story  material  to  the  home  offices 
from  the  studios  where  the  Screen 
Analysts  are  on  strike. 

A  committee,  appointed  by  the 
SOPEG  executive  board,  has  taken  up 
the  issue  with  representatives  of  the 
home  offices  and  results  of  these  dis- 
cussions will  be  placed  before  the 
meeting  which  will  then  decide  the 
action,  if  any,  to  be  taken. 


Legion  of  Decency 
Classifies  6  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
reviewed  and  classified  six  new  films 
last_  week  giving  Class  A  or  unob- 
jectionable for  general  patronage 
ratings  to  "Our  Vines  Have  Tender 
Grapes,"  M-G-M ;  "Springtime  in 
Texas,"  Monogram ;  and  "You  Can't 
Do  Without  Love,"  Columbia.  Listed 
as  unobjectionable  for  adults  were 
"Paris  Underground,"  United  Art- 
ists ;  and  "Uncle  Harry,"  Universal. 
United  Artists'  "Guest  Wife"  was 
found  objectionable  in  part. 


******* 

BIGGEST. 


★  THE 


CITY 


****** 
IN  U.  S.  A.  IS  NEW  YORK  * 


WB  to  Issue  BMI  Film 

"The  Nine  Hundred,"  one-reel 
British  Ministry  of  Information  film, 
will  be  released  here  by  Warners,  ac- 
cording to  the  British  Information 
Services. 


BIGGEST 

MOTION    PICTURE   EVER  PRODUCED... 


vote* 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  •  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Thursday,  August  16,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Strikers  Threaten 
Mexican  Companies 


{Continued  from  page  1) 
re  withholding  their  pictures  from  the 
provinces   until   the   situation  clears, 
causing  great  embarrassment  to  pro- 
vincial exhibitors  who  are  confronted 
with  difficulty  in  arranging  programs, 
ince  the  only  films  now  available  are 
ji  few  minor  and  independent  American 
>ictures  and  some   Argentinian  and 
French  films. 

The  Union's  move  against  the  Mexi- 
can companies  is  understood  to  have 
been  provoked  by  a  full  page  news- 
paper advertisement  which  the  com- 
panies ran  under  the  caption :  "Death 
Sentence  to  the  Mexican  Picture  In- 
dustry." It  asserted  that  the  invention 
of  the  Yankee  imperialism  phantom  is 
really  a  guillotine  for  decapitating  the 
national  film  business.  It  denied  that 
Americans  sought  control  of  the  Mexi- 
can industry  by  limiting  raw  stock 
supplies  to  Mexico. 

The  Federal  Board  of  Conciliation 
and  Arbitration  has  not  yet  ruled 
whether  or  not  the  strike  against  the 
Americans  is  legal.  A  ruling  is 
anxiously  awaited  by  the  Mexican 
companies  for  it  is  seen  as  having  a 
great  bearing  on  the  issue's  outcome. 
Strikers  have  made  Yankee  imperial- 
ism their  war  cry,  but  it  is  bringing 
them  much  ridicule. 


Broadway  to  Blaze 
With  New  Lights 

(Continued  from  page   1)  ' 

the  KKO  Palace  Theatre  in  Times 
Square.  Victory  over  Japan  was  the 
signal  for  the  unveiling  of  the  new- 
display  which  has  27,000  lights  in  four 
colors.  The  Victory  night  program 
brought  the  glad  tidings  as  follows :  a 
sequence  of  the  photograph  of  Iwo 
Jima;  the  Service  Flag  with  a  star  in 
the  center,  dissolving  to  show  the  dis- 
charge emblem ;  a  picture  of  a  home- 
coming scene  between  a  soldier  and  his 
sweetheart ;  a  picture  of  a  broken 
sword  over  the  large  letter  V ;  a 
mother-son  homecoming  scene ;  a  re- 
production of  the  upper  arms  of  the 
Statue  of  Liberty  bearing  a  torch ;  and 
finally  letters  reading  "V-J  Day." 


Reconversion  Rules 
For  Nation  Are  Set 

I  (Continued   from   page  1) 

must  be  continued  until  all  danger  of 
inflation  completely  disappears,  he  de- 
clared. Rationing  of  certain  scarce 
commodities  must  continue  for  a  while 
and  transportation  controls  are  to  be 
kept  in  effect  temporarily. 

Snyder's  statement  blueprinted  the 
Administration's     reconversion  pro- 
i   gram.    He  made  no  attempt  to  mini- 
|   mize  the  seriousness  of  the  situation 
with  which  the  nation  is  faced  in  re- 
I   shuffling  its  labor  force,  caring  and 
I   providing  jobs  for  seven  to  eight  mil- 
1   lion  service  men  who  will  be  released 
during  the  coming  year  and  getting 
industry  and  trade  back  on  normal 
levels. 


Cowan  in  Cleveland 

Cleveland,  Aug.  15. — Lester  Cow 
an,  producer  of  "The  Story  of  G.I. 
Joe,"  is  here  for  the  film's  opening  at 
Loew's  State  tomorrow.  Freddie  Steel 
will  make  two  personal  appearances  on 
the  opening  day. 


First  Victory  Day  a  Boon 
To  Theatres  of  Nation 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

2,000,000  people  milled  into  Times 
Square  bent  upon  registering  their'  en- 
thusiasm over  the  end  of  the  war. 
There  were  no  acts  of  violence  in  any 
of  the  theatres  here,  and  San  Fran- 
cisco was  reported  to  be  the  only  city 
where  closings  were  necessary.  With 
crowds  milling  in  Times  Square 
throughout  Tuesday  as  the  final  news 
was  awaited,  theatres  in  this  area  did 
good  business  during  the  afternoon, 
giving  them  a  normal  day's  receipts 
despite  the  drop  in  the  evening. 

Another  national  holiday  is  expected 
after  the  formalities  of  the  Japanese 
surrender  are  completed,  when  V-J 
Day  will  be  proclaimed. 

Business  at  New  York  first-run  the- 
atres was  strong  at  opening  yesterday, 
with  several  houses  quickly  attaining 
capacity  and  being  obliged  to  suspend 
selling  of  tickets.  The  Capitol  was  one 
of  these,  and  the  house  also  did  ca- 
pacity business  Tuesday  njght  when 
business  was  off  at  most  of  the  other 
houses.  Holiday  admission  prices  pre- 
vailed at  some  theatres  at  opening 
while  others  charged  regular  weekda\ 
admission  prices  throughout  the  day 
and  evening,  among  them  being  Radio 
City  Music  Hall.  Around  noon  some 
of  the  theatres  which  had  opened  with 
holiday  prices,  modified  their  plan  to 
swing  into  week  day  prices,  while- 
others  which  had  opened  with  weekday 
prices  switched  to  holiday  prices. 

Several  theatres  added  special 
tributes  to  Victory  to  stage  shows  and 
film  entertainment. 

Reports  on  attendance  elsewhere, 
received  from  Motion  Picture  Daily 
correspondents  in  the  field,  follow : 

'Frisco  Theatres  Damaged 

San  Francisco,  Aug.  15. — This  city 
went  wild  when  word  of  the  war's  end 
was  flashed.  Theatres  previously  had 
announced  that  they  would  remain 
open,  but  as  the  full  impact  of  the 
celebration  hit  Market  Street  around 
6  P.M.,  a  shutdown  was  ordered. 

War  bond  booths  in  front  of  most 
houses  were  tossed  on  bonfires.  Post- 
ers were  ripped  from  lobbies  and  plate 
glass  in  some  box  offices  smashed. 
Hardest  hit  was  the  Telenews,  when, 
the  box  office  was  crushed  and  poster 
cases  destroyed. 

Normal  schedules  were  resumed 
this  morning,  with  admission  prices 
boosted  to  holiday  scales. 


Cleveland  Business  Good 

Cleveland.  Aug.  15. — An  unprece- 
dented and  noisy  but  well-behaved 
crowd  thronged  the  downtown  area 
here  last  night,  with  only  a  few 
trickling  into  the  theatres.  Managers 


reported  no  destruction,  no  misde- 
meanors and  no  demonstrations. 

Today  matinee  and  evening  business 
was  excellent. 


slump  Prompts  Early 
Closings  in  Dallas 

Dallas,  Aug.  15.  —  Downtown 
Dallas  theatres  closed  their  box  offices 
at  about  8 :20  p.m.  yesterday  as  Vic- 
tory celebrants  thronged  the  streets. 
No  one  entered  theatres  from  the  time 
of  the  official  announcement  of  peace, 
and  business  up  to  closing  time  was 
way  off. 


Pittsburgh  Theatres 
Remain  Open 

Pittsburgh,  Aug.  15. — Theatres  are 
open  here  today.  A  few  business  offices 
are  open,  but  all  Pittsburgh  stores  are 
closed.  Restaurants  were  jammed  with 
hilarious  V-J  celebrants  since  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning. 


Hub  Houses  Emptied 

Boston,  Aug.  15. — Eager  to  join  in 
street  celebrations,  theatre  audiences 
here  made  for  exits  upon  receiving 
word  of  the  official  peace  proclamation. 
The,  houses  continued  to  operate,  how- 
ever. 


Baltimore  Business  Off 

Baltimore,  Aug.  15. — Theatre  at- 
tendances here  dropped  to  practically 
nothing  last  night  as  victory  celebra- 
tions in  the  streets  progressed.  No  dis- 
orders were  reported  by  theatre  man- 
agers. 


Atlanta  Gross  Down 

Atlanta,  Aug.  15. — Theatre  busi- 
ness here  slumped  to  50  per  cent  of 
normal  last  evening  following  the  offi- 
cial peace  proclamation.  City  officials 
have  requested  that  all  places  of 
amusement  remain  open  today. 


N.  O.  Houses  Open 

New  Orleans,  Aug.  15.— Theatres 
here  remained  open  following  the  offi- 
cial proclamation  of  peace.  Business 
was  off,  however. 


30%  St.  Louis  Slump 

St.  Louis,  Aug.  15. — Attendance  at 
theatres  here  was  off  about  30  per 
cent  last  night,  with  no  serious  dis- 
order reported.  All  houses  had  ca- 
pacity crowds  today  as  stores  and  of- 
fices remained  closed. 


Big  Day  in  Denver 

'Denver,  Aug.  15. — Theatre  business 
was  terrific  here  today  following  a 
slump  during  the  celebration  last 
night.  There  were  no  disturbances. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  August  15 

FRANCHOT  TONE  has  been 
signed  to  co-star  with  Deanna  Dur- 
bin  and  Charles  Laughton  in  Univer- 
sal's  "Because  of  Him,"  formerly 
known  as  "Catherine  the  Last."  .  .  . 
Nancy  Guild,  latest  20th  Century-Fox 
discovery,  has  been  assigned  the  fem- 
inine lead  opposite  John  Hodiak  in 
"The  Lonely  Heart,"  which  will  be 
Anderson  Lawler's  first  production  for 
the  studio. 

John  Garfield  will  be  starred  in 
"Patent  Leather  Kid,"  which  Arnold 
Albert  is  slated  to  produce  for  War- 
ners. .  .  .  Joseph  Schildkraut  has  been 
assigned  a  co-starring  role  with  Vera 
Hruba  Ralston  in  "The  Uninvited 
Guest."  Herman  Millakowsky  will 
function  as  associate  producer  on  the 
Republic  feature. 

• 

Fred  Zinneman  is  to  direct  MGM's 
"Anny  Brat,"  with  Butch  Jenkins  and 
Sharon  McManus  heading  the  cast.  .  .  . 
Hugh  King,  formerly  with  Myron 
Sclznick,  has  joined  the  Harold  Rose 
agency  as  an  associate.  .  .  .  Radio  com- 
edian Harry  Von  Zell  has  been  signed 
to  a  contract  by  PRC,  under  the  terms 
of  which  he  will  appear  in  at  least  one 
picture  a  year  for  that  studio. 

Due  to  the  illness  of  Harold  S.  Buc- 
quet,  Victor  Saville  will  replace  him 
as  director  of  MGM's  film  version  of 
"The  Green  Years."  .  .  .  "For  Senti- 
mental Reasons,"  which  Charles  Hoff- 
man will  produce  for  Warners,  has 
been  designated  as  a  starring  vehicle 
for  Joan  Crawford.  .  .  .  John  H.  Aucr 
has  been  assigned  by  RKO  Radio  to 
direct  "The  Calico  Kid,"  in  which  Ed- 
die Cantor  and  J oan  Davis  will  co-stoyr. 


8  Companies  Close  2 
Days  for  Victory 

(Continued  from   payc  1) 

able  at  PRC  yesterday  to  say  whether 
that  office  would  be  open  today. 

Although  office  staffs  at  the  various 
exchanges  were  observing  the  two-day 
holiday  in  most  cases,  their  shipping 
and  booking  departments  were  mostly 
being  maintained  on  a  holiday  basis 
with  skeleton  staffs  on  hand. 


Johnston,  McCann  V.-P. 

Russ  Johnston,  who  was  called  to 
Washington  two  years  ago  from 
the  McCann  -  Erickson  Advertising 
Agency,  here,  to  become  special  radio 
consultant  in  developing  the  Govern- 
ment's anti-Axis  propaganda  cam- 
paign, has  returned  to  the  agency  and 
been  appointed  vice-president  in 
charge  of  radio  production. 


Field,  Para.  Producer 

Hollywood,  Aug.  15. — Leonard 
Field,  writer,  story  editor  and  pro- 
ducer before  joining  the  Navy  three 
years  ago  and  now  discharged,  will 
join  Paramount  next  week  as  a  pro- 
ducer. 


Andrews  to  Paramount 

Hollywood.  Aug.  15. —  S.  James 
Andrews,  vice-president  of  Lennen 
and  Mitchell,  advertising  company, 
will  join  the  'Paramount  production 
staff  Sept.  10.  His  duties  have  not 
yet  been  determined. 


*  In  "HOLLYWOOD". . . 

i  Of  course  you  will  find  Bank  of  America 
ready  to  serve  you.  23  conveniently  located 
branches  —  complete  metropolitan  service. 

THE  BANK  OF  THE  MOTION   PICTURE  INDUSTRY 

IKmtk  of  jktntvxm 

NATIONAL  Ja^Vgs  ASSOCIATION 

MEMBER  FEDERAL  DEPOSIT  INSURANCE  CORPORATION 

When  you  travel  carry  Bank  of  America  Travelers  Cheques 


* 
* 
★ 


GO 

fa 
H 
S3 
fa 
< 


2  F-h  o 

»-J  >>  co  "3"  \~ 

£2  2-S«  > 

xp^Q  |  £ 


w 

.  *o  41  -  ^ 
x&2  E$ 

o  o  i  pa 


~>.  2a. 

f 

~o,pa.a  5 

wos 


< 

fa 
> 


Wq  u  aim 

9o'-2  -S3: 


■4  f^S 

sr  >  .e 

i, «  » 

<u.t:.s 

M    «2  | 

u 


2  o 

gwJ3. 


25  s 


c 


« « su «>£ 

41 

3  O 


"<    S  8  E  S£ 

qh  a-g-a  i  > 


2  B 


J  o 

as  %n 


«  5 
Ed  S 

2|<w: 

ZQ  S»; 

U  3 


o 

2  e  e 
5  ".2  ~ 

QPIO 

OS  M 

2o  ° 

PS 


,osioM 


r1  oix  4> 
D  °  uJiJ.0S 
O  C.N  ~ 


Q  — c 

Q-d  2  V  — 

Oh  o  S  raQpS 
<(3Q  J=0S  - 


2  C^-, 

X  S3  O  ro 


l«  j)  (»  • 

,  ^  +j  > 
H  S  S  «  «i 


03  O  *  ,2 .« 
OS     oj  <u  fc  ^ 

zu  ° 


"  J  tyj  3  u 

"a 


X 

o 

fa 

H 
o 

CM 


rtiJ    <3  2 

DM  o 

«   o  am-i. 


W    ^  2 


i-iZ 


2<s<T^ 


«  o 


»  mQ  u  ci  c  ^ 


o 

„  c 

d  »f  a'i i" 

>  S^^DS 

<<->  I  w 


^  o 

I—,  o  I 
Oh  U 


><  E 

>UJ: 

ax-B 
x<-c 


^    o  ^ 


tu 

>  \ 

2  g'S 
2'E10 

q2ps 


cu  M 
jg 

wed 

hJH 
uPh 
2<! 


«>E  |  5 


3  •=  - 


<u  n  ss 


Q 
< 

O 


rt  rt  eu  3  w  ' 

J>  <<M  C  a  =  < 

„  C  U-311 

SO     c  n  ■ 

o 


-  oso g.E* 
°d  os  s 

^  p 


2  Q 
O  OS        n  ^ 

OO  3^  ^SJ 


as 


a  (_,  s  °,>o  os 


^<Egi 
< 


H  x 

"233  .5. 
hOs     « »» 

,  W    s  E  ■ 

5  K  A 


5  < 
*  s 

as  < 


Wo 
■ 

>  oS^ 
>3  o  PS 

u 


tdcoj.2 

O  a  <  %  n  „■  ^ 

OSHQQK  =^ 


o  ^ 

2»5>,>,§S 

MH  CO   CO  ^  T 

22  §  S 
O  OS  £ 

<:  Q 


o  ^ 


o, 

2  *5  >  w  -t 
<«  £ 

41  H  =  J? 
>.  tat)  u'3  ^ 

2  O.SS  =  > 

X°^ 
O  z 


o  ^ 


"      u  to  c 

92  33 

<0  2 
os  . 


D 
fa 


JEALOUSY 

D— 71   mins.  (424) 

(Rev.  8/1/4S) 
THE  CHEATERS 

D— 87  mins.  (421) 
(Rev.  7/2/45) 

STEPPIN'  IN 
SOCIETY 
Edward  E.  Horton 
Gladys  George 
C — 72  mins. 
(Rev.  6/7/45) 

MAN  FROM 
OKLAHOMA 

Roy  Rogers 
Gabby  Hayes 

OM— 68  mins.  (443) 
(Rev.  7/30/45.) 

TELL  IT  TO 
A  STAR 
Ruth  Terry 
Robt.  Livingston 

C— 67  mins.  (425) 

SWINGING  ON  A 
RAINBOW 
Jane  Frazee 
Grad  Taylor 

C— 72  mins.  (426) 

THREE  IN  THE 
SADDLE 
Dave  O'Brien 
Tex  Ritter 

(O — 61  mins.) 
(Rev.  6/27/45) 

STAGE  COACH 
OUTLAWS 
Buster  Crabbe 
Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John 
O — 58  mins. 
(Rev.  7/16/45) 

02  o 
<  t  S  , 

HQ°«>  J 

Q  pa  s  h 

3  (M)o 


O 
fa 
fa 


Ol  £  E  3  o< 
W  ffl  fv* 


I 


5«ES 

2  H  ra  CO 


< 
fa 
< 
fa 


ZJrV  COJu, 

«Q22K  „.£> 
Sum    IS  5 

g5  M^TS 


(0 

—  j;H  -o 
wfeosm  33^ 
5°0»g'E  > 

o  i 


C2  h 

l-lfrl^  CO  2-^, 

2*  g"3!^ 
D5  ra  3  b  > 

gSS<Sos 


<2  §  2!« 

•->|J       41  3  . 

os  A 


~Og    O  J3£ 

2  |ES 
o 


OS 

o  ; 
h  s: 

pos  I 

X  -a 
w     « • 

l-H      M  i 

H  : 


o 
o 


w 

w  >  _  10 

g  ^KQPS 

x  w 
o 


F  5  S 

<SSE* 

coO  c7PS 
«  ■§  I  ^, 


02?  c 
Q  W  >.  E 
<05  S^. 

O 


as  S3 
os  §™  „ 

o£  c^.3 

M  c^g  C 

Q«oat| 


a 

1 

o 

I 

a 


D 
O 


X  .0 

pa  I  S 
P 


<;  00 

2  S3  3^ 
ijSu"  . 

osrs    0  u 
TPS 

X  s 


ta»t 
oa  J; 

r-i  ^3 

lis 


S02 

n  o 
&s><>-j 

1/1  ?* 


01  cj 

^os 


M  3j  Ed  *  t> 


°>  - 

2E-"Jot  B 
OS  Qu 


Q 

2m 

H       U  41  2 

a  =  >.-3? 


^  O  ~-  C  On  O 
3^  I 

go  uw^g 


04  _ 
^  u  C 
w,  <  3  C  rt  ■ 


0SK° 


5  «  £ 

"  00 


osQfe^ 

><l>  C  1— ■ 
c  fd  7  > 

°«Iup< 


OSiL  S"0 

20S  °  u- 
W     O  13 

>  Ph  T3  M 
OO^  So 

<  ,  g 


«  3 

<Q-2  £ 
>Ed4S  CU 
►jQx.2 

pa 


Ed  s 
3h>7  f 

Ph  *^  u 

PS  j  ™ 
S^ips  a 


CQ 


Ed  42 

H  Cd  ~  S  I 

o«  g  3.2 

20-^  3  g 

o  £ 

03  X 


«fa 

go 
5 


s 


be 

•a* 

< 


CO 


s  s 

< 


00 


4fa 

in 


5,  o 
on 


■a 

00 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWgei 

awfy 

In^oey 

same 

to  the^l 

gtion 

Picture 

Industry 

■VOL.  58.  NO.  34 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  AUGUST  17,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Shutdown  of 
All  Mexican 
Houses  Seen 


Theatres  Lack  Product 
As  Result  of  Strike 

By  LUIS  BECERRA  CELIS 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  16.  —  The 
strike  by  the  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Workers  Union 
against  the  eight  major  American 
companies  was  further  complicated  to- 
day by  the  strong  possibility  of  a  shut- 
down on  Monday  of  1,187  of  Mexico's 
1,238  theatres  because  of  the  deter- 
mination of  Mexican  producers  not  to 
supply  them  during  the  strike.  Pro- 
ducers have  frozen  18  new  pictures 
which  just  started  to  go  into  release. 

This  action  by  the  Mexicans  is 
deemed  sufficient  to  force  the  closing 
of  the  rest  of  the  theatres  as  the  public 
has  manifested  little  interest  in  the 
union,  instigator  of  the  strike  against 
the  Americans. 

Accepting  the  mediation  of  the  Fed- 
eral Board  of  Conciliation  and  Arbi- 
tration, the  union  has  agreed  to  post- 
pone until  Sept.  6  strike  action  against 
three  of  the  17  Mexican  producers 
(.Continued  on  page  6) 


|  Six  'Victory  Year' 
Meetings  for  20th 


Tom  Connors ,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion, has  announced  that  the  first  of 
six  district  sales  meetings,  to  be 
known  as  "victory-year  business  con- 
ferences" started  yesterday  at  the 
home  office  and  will  continue  through 
tomorrow.  The  remaining  five  con- 
ferences will  take  place  between  now 
and  Sept.  7  in  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Des 
Moines,  Kansas  City  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Conducting  the  meetings  with  Con- 
nors in  New  York  are  W.  J.  Kupper, 
general  sales  manager ;  A.  W.  Smith, 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


All  Home  Offices 
Closed  Two  Days 

The  industry  returns  to  normal 
operation  today  after  the  two-day  vic- 
tory holiday.  Home  offices  of  three 
companies,  20th  Century-Fox.  Loew's 
and  Producers  Releasing  Corp.,  closed 
yesterday  morning  instead  of  having 
a  regular  work  day  as  originally 
scheduled.  All  other  home  offices 
were  closed  for  two  days. 


Cuban  Houses  Open 
As  Decree  Suspends 

HAVANA,  Aug.  16.— Motion 
picture  theatres  throughout 
Cuba  opened  yesterday  after- 
noon as  the  Government  sus- 
pended a  decree  against  which 
owners  had  closed  in  protest 
Monday. 

The  decree,  which  ordered 
the  theatres  to  present  stage 
shows  with  films  as  a  means 
of  aiding  Cuban  performers, 
will  be  modified,  according  to 
a  Government  spokesman. 


Baker  Sees  British 
Industry  Unchanged 


The  British  film  industry  expects 
td  experience  no  fundamental  changes 
in  consequence  of  the  policies  of  the 
new  Attlee  government,  specifically, 
no  nationalization  of  production  or 
divorcement  of  theatres,  Reginald 
Baker,  president  of  the  Kinemato- 
graph  Renters  Society  of  Britain,  who 
is  visiting  in  New  York,  said  yester- 
day. 

Baker  remarked  that  the  results  of 
the  recent  British  election  "created 
a  stir  all  over  the  world  except  in 
England"  where,  he  added,  the  victory 
of  the  Labor  Party  came  as  no  great 
surprise. 

Curtailed  film  production  in  En- 
gland, he  said,  will  continue  but  he 
emphasized  that  this  applies  to  the 
number  of  pictures  and  not  to  qual- 
ity, which  is  continuing  to  improve. 
The     re-establishment    of  adequate 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


'Unlimited'  Fund  Is 
Voted  to  Protect 
PCCITO  Members 


Portland,  Ore.,  Aug.  16.- — Money 
talks  louder  than  resolutions,  says 
the  Pacific  Coast  Conference  of  In- 
dependent Theatre  Owners.  Ending  a 
three-day  meeting  here  today,  the 
board  of  trustees  adopted  a  plan  to  es- 
tablish a  special  "unlimited"  fund  to 
protect  PCCITO  members  from  "un- 
warranted theatre  expansion  and  in- 
vasion, loss  of  clearance  and  runs, 
discriminatory  sales  policies  and  un- 
fair trade  practices." 

They  also  condemned  the  practice 
of  large  theatre  circuits'  double-bill- 
ing two  "A"  pictures  where  inde- 
pendents cannot  secure  terms  to  en- 
able them  to  do  the  same.  PCCITO 
demands  that  all  distributors  modify 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Agencies  Projecting 
Return  to  Normal 


Washington,  Aug.  16. — Prompt 
elimination  of  wartime  controls  on 
raw  stock  was  seen  today  in  the  an- 
nouncement by  chairman  J.  A.  Krug 
of  the  War  Production  Board  that 
inventory  control  will  be  largely  re- 
lied upon  to  make  possible  the  quick 
release  of  materials  from  all  restric- 
tions. 

"All  but  a  handful  of  orders  will 
be  cancelled  within  a  few  weeks," 
Krug  said,  in  outlining  WPB's  re- 
conversion plans.  Orders  controlling 
materials  that  are  still  in  short  sup- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


"Duffy's  Tavern 


[Paramount] 

THOSE  millions  of  radio  listeners  who  revel  in  the  goings-on  of 
Archie  and  his  company  at  Duffy's  Tavern  will  find  further  revel- 
ry in  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  aggregation  come  to  life. 
Those  other  millions  who  find  it  enough  inducement  just  to  go  to  a  pic- 
ture show  won't  be  shortchanged.  The  outcome  for  "Duffy's  Tavern," 
consequently,  seems  assured. 

Paramount  was  astute  enough  to  draw  heavily  upon  both  potentials. 
Employing  the  famous  radio  show  as  a  base,  Melvin  Frank  and  Norman 
Panama  succeeded  in  working  up  a  story  which  preserves  the  flavor  of 
Archie  (Ed  Gardner)  and  his  adventures.  Decidedly  plus  values  were 
added  through  a  slim  and  convenient,  but  acceptable,  story  device  which 
brings  practically  the  entire  Paramount  roster  onto  the  scene  in  song 
and  skit. 

The  narrative  thread  is  thin,  yet  it  serves  its  purpose  well  enough. 
Victor  Moore,  phonograph  record  manufacturer,  is  down  on  his  luck ; 
he  can't  raise  the  funds  to  buy  the  shellac  necessary  for  his  business. 
Archie  has  been  taking  care  of  some  of  the  factory  hands  at  Duffy's  on 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Great  Second 
Victory  Day 
In  Theatres 


Grosses  in  Some  Houses 
Exceed  Big  First  Day 


The  nation's  second  Victory  Day 
holiday  yesterday,  which  saw  fewer 
business  establishments  closed  than 
on  Wednesday,  nevertheless  proved 
a  banner  day  for  theatres  in  many 
sections  of  the  country. 

Theatres  in  some  cities  reported 
bigger  business  yesterday  than  on 
Wednesday  when  the  populace  was  in 
more  of  a  celebrating  than  theatre- 
going  mood. 

New  York  first-run  theatres  in 
some  instances  yesterday  exceeded 
Wednesday's  business,  with  modified 
holiday  prices  prevailing.  Managers 
reported  that  the  people  seemed  more 
inclined  to  go  to  theatres  than  on 
Wednesday,    when    almost  1,200,000 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Ticket,  Income  Tax 
Cuts  Are  Predicted 


The  Associated  Press,  in  a  dispatch 
from  Washington  yesterday  quoted 
unnamed  Congressional  and  other  tax 
authorities  as  saying  that  there  is  a 
great  likelihood  of  a  reduction  in  ex- 
cise, corporate  and  personal  taxes 
after  Jan.  1.  The  tax  experts  pre- 
dicted that  the  95  per  cent  excess 
profits  tax  on  corporations  will  be 
killed.    Congress  reconvenes  Sept.  5, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Signal  Corps  Cuts 
War  Procurements 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  16. — The  Sig- 
nal Corps  procurement  agency  an- 
nounced that  a  total  of  $804,900,000 
in  war  contracts  throughout  the  nation 
has  been  terminated  following  the  sur- 
render of  Japan. 

The  number  of  contracts  cancelled, 
including  partial  termination,  is  21,446, 
with  approximately  526  contracts  still 
outstanding.  About  5,000  prime  con- 
tractors are  affected,  according  to  the 
agency. 


Also  Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Follow  That 
Woman"  appears  on  page  6. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  17,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


F.  AGNEW,  vice-president 
has  r 
Coast. 


MEIL- 

of  Vanguard  Films,  has  returned 
to  New  York  from  the 
• 

W.  C.  Gehring,  20th-Fox  West- 
ern division  sales  manager,  returned 
to  the  home  office  yesterday  after  a 
brief  illness. 

• 

Walter  Gould,  United  Artists  for- 
eign manager,  is  expected  back  in 
New  York  from  a  two  months'  Euro- 
pean trip  around  Aug.  30. 

• 

Robert  K.  Shapiro,  assistant  to 
Robert  M.  Weitman,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  New  York  Paramount 
Theatre,  is  on  vacation. 

• 

Maurice  Bergman,  Universal  East- 
ern advertising-publicity  director, 
will  leave  Hollywood  for  New  York 
by  train  tomorrow. 

• 

Spvros  P.  Skouras,  20th  Century- 
Fox  president,  will  leave  Hollywood 
by  plane  today  for  New  York,  accom- 
panied by  Donald  A.  Henderson. 
• 

Phil  Rapp,  manager  of  the  Plaza, 
Schenectady,  will  be  recuperating  _  at 
home  for  two  weeks  from  an  operation 
performed  at  Leahy  Clinic  in  Boston. 
• 

M-Sgts  Sid  Perl  and  Lou  Wolf, 
formerly  of  Brandt  Theatres,  are  in 
the  U.  S.  after  two  and  a  half  years 
overseas. 

• 

Louis  D.  Frohlich  of  the  Schwartz 
&  Frohlich  law  firm  will  return  from 
an  up-state  vacation  on  Monday. 


Postpone  3D  A  Drive 
Luncheon  Meeting 

Luncheon  meeting  of  the  entertain- 
ment industry  committee,  which  is  set- 
ting plans  for  the  industry's  participa- 
tion in  the  1945  Joint  Defense  Appeal 
campaign  for  the  American  Jewish 
Committee  and  the  Anti-Defamation 
League  of  B'nai  B'rith.  scheduled  to 
be  held  at  the  Hotel  Astor  yesterday, 
was  called  off  because  of  the  holiday. 

The  meeting  will  be  held  next 
Thursday,  Aug.  23,  at  the  Hotel  Astor. 
Plans  will  be  made  then  for  a  repre- 
sentative industry  attendance  at  the 
testimonial  dinner  to  Jack  Cohn,  Col- 
umbia Pictures  executive  vice-president 
at  the  Hotel  Waldorf-Astoria  here 
Sept.  27,  which  will  be  a  highlight  of 
the  JDA  drive. 


Patricia  Roc  to  'U' 
Under  Rank  Compact 

An  interchange  of  talent  between 
Universal  Pictures  and  J.  Arthur 
Rank  enterprises  in  London  was  an 
nounced  yesterday.  The  first  star  in- 
volved in  this  exchange  is  the  British 
actress,  Patricia  Roc,  who  will  ap 
pear  in  Universal's  Technicolor  West 
ern,  "Canyon  Passage." 

Miss  Roc  leaves  London  Sunday 
and  arrives  in  Baltimore  Monday  en 
route  to  New  York  and  the  Coast. 


Insider's  Outlook 


•By  RED  KANN' 


V 


ICTORY  has  come  to  our 
arms  and  to  our  cause.  Af- 
ter three  years  and  eight  months 
of  struggle,  peace  is  here  at  last. 

With  it  come  responsibilities 
no  less  serious  and  no  less  com- 
plex than  the  war  itself.  But  it 
also  finds  an  industry  fully  con- 
fident of  the  future,  assured  that 
the  paths  leading  to  its  tomor- 
rows will  be  forward  and  bright. 
■ 

We  have  prospered  during  the 
war.  Other  industries  have  as 
well,  but  the  difference  is  other 
industries  have  been  the  bene- 
ficiaries of  war  work  whereas 
the  motion  picture  business  has 
benefited  chiefly  from  its  inher- 
ent function  of  providing  the  na- 
tion, and  the  free  world,  with 
something  vital  to  their  being — 
the  relief  which  entertainment 
agelessly  is  able  to  contribute. 

Viewed  in  these  terms,  the  in- 
dustry surely  has  strengthened 
the  sinews  of  war.  It  has  made 
a  contribution — a  profitable  one 
to  itself,  as  it  happens,  but  a 
contribution  nonetheless. 
■ 

No  one  of  authority  expects 
wartime  levels  to  perpetuate 
themselves.  The  curve  in  thea- 
tre grosses  began  its  downward 
spiral  about  Labor  Day  of  last 
year.  Today,  it  stays  high  and 
beyond  averages  known  before 
the  war's  outbreak,  yet  the  peak 
is  gone.  It  would  be  sensible  to 
allow  that  it  will  not  return  in 
the  foreseeable  future. 

Moreover,  the  day  is  ap- 
proaching when  no  longer  will 
it  be  enough  for  the  theatre 
manager  to  jump  to  the  sidelines 
of  his  house  if  he  intends  to 
avoid  trampling  in  the  crush. 
The  premium  in  applied  show- 
manship and  in  service  to  the 
public  will  be  higher  and  per- 
haps more  so  than  ever  before. 
■ 

Loose  money  in  untold  mil- 
lions of  pockets  will  beat  an 
eager  way  to  other  outlets.  Au- 
tomobiles, refrigerators  and 
radios  are  not  far  off  now.  The 
numberless  items  of  living  and 
convenience  which  make  the 
American  standard  the  world's 
highest  are  on  the  march  again. 
Swelling  them  will  be  many 
others  released  from  the  wartime 
security  of  laboratory  and  tech- 
nician. 

It  would  be  sensible  again, 
therefore,  to  allow  that  the  thea- 
tre industry  will  be  affected,  at 
least  until  the  unaccustomed 
freedoms  of  peace  are  no  longer 
a  noveltv. 


The  burden,  by  many  ap- 
proaches, largely  rests  on  Holly- 
wood. Its  brainpower  faces  a 
test.  For  it  is  axiomatic  and  in- 
escapable that  the  prosperity  of 
the  industry,  regardless  of  its 
precise  measure,  depends  upon 
what  Hollywood  delivers  to  the 
market  place.  Exhibition  can- 
not thrive  unless  it  is  provided 
nourishment  without  interrup- 
tion. 

It  is  reassuring,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  Hollywood  shows  the 
signs  of  full  awareness.  Its 
overall  effort,  and  its  ambition, 
year  by  year  has  been  to  do  an 
ever  better  job.  That  job  has 
been  done.  What  confronts  the 
studios  now,  however,  is  the 
need  to  maintain  performance 
and  improve  it  at  a  cost  in  keep- 
ing with,  national  income  as  we 
shall  probably  get  to  know  it, 
not  as  we  have  had  it. 

■ 

In  the  spirit  of  the  United  Na- 
tions charter  and  within  its 
framework  there  looms  ahead  a 
gargantuan  task  in  recouping 
and  in  developing  foreign  mar- 
kets. The  rising  tides  of  na- 
tionalism already  stand  athwart 
a  free  interchange  of  films. 
Democracy  in  commerce  should 
be  no  less  the  order  than  the 
democracy  of  arms  and  the  ob- 
jectives of  peace  in  the  post-war 
world. 

It  will  not  be  easy  to  ac- 
complish this,  yet  the  course  is 
apparent  and  its  desirability  un- 
challenged. 

■ 

Serious  thinkers  can  devote 
themselves  to  no  more  important 
purpose  than  an  enhancement  of 
the  industry's  public  relations. 
We  continue  the  object  of  un- 
reasonable and  unwarranted  at- 
tack, yet  in  the  light  of  the  in- 
dustry's wartime  record  there  is 
no  need  for  apology.  We  de- 
serve to  be  treated  better  than 
we  are  in  the  forums  of  public 
opinion,  but  the  fault  is  ours 
that  we  are  not. 

The  reputation  of  this  busi- 
ness has  been  enhanced  beyond 
accurate  measure  by  its  deeds. 
We  should  see  to  it  that  we  re- 
tain the  benefits.  We  should 
likewise  see  to  it  that  we  acquire 
new  benefits. 

■ 

But  we  must  realize  also  that  a 
good  reputation  is  not  an  endow- 
ment handed  down  in  perpetuity. 
A  good  name  has  to  renew  itself 
by  impeccable  conduct,  a  reali- 
zation of  its  responsibilities  and 
a  faithful  observance  of  its 
trusts. 


Censorship  Office 
Closes  Its  Doors 

Washington,  Aug.  16. — The  Of- 
fice of  Censorship  went  out  of  busi- 
ness yesterday,  the  first  war  agency 
to  close  its  doors.  An  order  abolish- 
ing all  censorship  was  issued  by 
President  Truman  20  hours  after  re- 
ceipt of  the  surrender  of  Japan.  It 
was  made  effective  immediately. 

While  censorship  will  perform  no 
further  functions,  some  time  will  be 
required  to  liquidate  the  agency  an, 
a  small  group  of  employees  will  bl 
retained  for  that  purpose.  All  other 
employees  got  30  days'  notice. 


150  May  Now  Convene 

Washington,  Aug.  16. — The  Office 
of  Defense  Transportation  today 
eased  the  convention  ban,  allowing 
gatherings  of  as  many  as  150  travel- 
ers. The  limit  set  last  February 
was  50. 


i 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.   &.  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 


OVER  21 


A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 


M-G-M's 

'VALLEY  of 


IN  PERSON 
BENNY 

RUBIN 

EXTRA ! 

SARA  ANN 

McCABE 


r^^^YH^^^^ArmjR^D^rjRDovA^ 

in  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


B  WAY  & 
47th  St. 


PALACE 


Gary  Cooper  Loretta  Young  I 
"ALONG  CAME  JONES"  I 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED  I 
BY  RKO 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

"CAPTAIN  EDDIE 


20th  Century-Fox — A  Eureka  Picture 
Plus  on  Stage— Phil  Silvers    .  Berry  Brothers 
Extra!  Prof.  Lamberti 

but  moke  n  fy  Y  V  7TH  AVE-  & 

BONDS      Kw  A    I        50TH  ST. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher:  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigle>  , 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco.  New  \  ork  Martin  (Juigle> 
President;  Red  Kami.  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Bradv,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  \  .  Fecke, Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau. 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald  Better  lneatres.| 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  18/9.  Subscnptior 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


riday.  August  17,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Second  Victory  Day  Brings 
Banner  Theatre  Receipts 


London's  Victory 
Days  Are  Riotous 

LONDON.  Aug.  16 — Except 
for  the  Odeon,  all  West  End 
cinemas  were  floodlighted  and 
open  during  the  British  cap- 
ital's two-day  tumultuous  Vic- 
tory holiday,  with  morning 
business  good  on  both  days. 
However,  the  streets'  counter- 
attractions  resulted  in  a  low- 

i     ering  of  theatre  attendance  in 

i    the  evenings. 

At  the  height  of  the  cele- 
bration a  Piccadilly  Circus 
mob  stripped  a  neon  installa- 
tion from  a  London  pavilion. 
Fireworks  were  flung  into  a 
theatre  operating  booth  dur- 
ing a  performance,  but  quick 
action  by  the  operator  pre- 
vented serious  damage. 


Baker  Sees  British 
(Industry  Unchanged 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

housing  facilities  takes  top  priority 
over  the  re-building  and  renovation 
of  studios  and  theatres,  he  reported, 
and  it  follows  that  the  number  of 
pictures  to  be  made  in  England  must 
remain  limited.  Moreover,  many  stu- 
dios requisitioned  by  the  government 
Jhave  not  been  returned  to  civilian 
production  as  yet,  he  said. 

Baker  described  the  situation,  thus : 
"England  cannot  turn  on  the  taps  (of 
peacetime  operation)  as  you  can  in 
America."  New  equipment  is  ur- 
gently required,  he  stated.  Also, 
manpower,  particularly  the  craftsmen 
trades  which  are  needed  for  enlarg- 
1  ing  and  renewing  production  facili- 
ties, must  turn  to  the  essential  hous- 
ing work. 

Discussing  the  matter  of  film  allo- 
cations to  producers.  Baker  said  he 
expects  a  large  increase  in  raw  stock 
rations  very  shortly  but  to  date  no  in- 
crease has  been  made  available.  He  ex- 
plained that  while  the  Army's  need 
for  military  films  fell  sharply  when 
Germany  collapsed,  the  use  of  enter- 
-  tainment  pictures  for  the  unoccupied 
troops  rose  proportionately. 

Speaks  for  Self 

During  the  course  of  the  interview, 
Baker  stressed  that  his  reports  were 
strictly  his  personal  views, 
i  As  president  of  the  KRS,  Baker 
supervises  the  distribution  of  all  prod- 
uct of  the  major  British  producers 
and  the  eight  major  American  com- 
panies which  are  members  of  the  or- 
ganization in  England.  He  will  be 
honor  guest  at  a  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Distributors  of  America 
luncheon  today  at  the  Waldorf-As- 
toria Hotel.  He  plans  to  return  to 
England  early  next  month. 

Bolton  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  16. —  Bolton 
Theatres,  Inc.,  has  been  incorporated 
to  conduct  a  theatrical  business  in 
New  York.  Weisman,  Celler, 
Quinn,  Allan  &  Spett,  New  York, 
were  incorporating  attorneys. 

Benny,  Bergman  Back 

Jack  Benny,  Ingrid  Bergman  and 
Larry  Adler  have  returned  from 
Europe  and  will  hold  a  press  con- 
ference at  the  Sherry-Netherland 
Hotel  here  today. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

people  crowded  into  Times  Square  in 
the  evening  for  a  second  celebration 
following  the  estimated  2,000,000  in 
Tuesday  night's  record  crowd  there. 
However,  theatre  receipts  were  not  af- 
fected Wednesday  night  as  they  were 
on  Tuesday  night. 

Suburban  and  neighborhood  houses 
in  the  New  York  area  also  counted 
heavy  receipts  during  both  days  with 
many  houses  maintaining  regular 
prices  rather  than  holiday  prices. 

Many  in  Line 

Long  lines  of  waiting  patrons  were 
the  order  of  the  day  yesterday  at  the 
de  luxe  first-run  theatres  in  New 
York  presenting  stage  shows  and  at 
several  other  theatres.  The  Radio 
City  Music  Hall  which  opened  with 
a  new  film,  "Over  21,"  yesterday 
morning  was  quickly  filled  with  pa- 
trons waiting  hours  in  some  instances 
to  gain  admission.  A  similar  situation 
existed  throughout  the  day  at  the 
Capitol  where  "Anchors  Aweigh"  and 
a  stage  show  brought  close  to  $98,000 
for  a  fourth  week  ending  Wednesday 
night,  a  new  house  record.  The  pic- 
ture started  a  big  fifth  week  yester- 
day. The  Strand,  with  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut"  and  a  stage  show,  also 
drew  big  receipts  both  days.  The 
Paramount  expects  to  equal  first 
week's  receipts  of  $90,000  on  its 
fourth  week  with  "Incendiary 
Blonde"  and  a  stage  presentation  as 
a  result  of  the  strong  business  of  the 
last  two  days.  The  Roxy  with  "Cap- 
tain Eddie,"  also  had  lines  outside  the 
theatre.  Other  theatres,  including  the 
Hollywood,  Astor,  Rivoli,  Palace,  Cri- 
terion, Globe,  Gotham  and  Rialto  had 
similar  stories  to  tell. 


Victory  Holidays  Boon 
To  Omaha  Theatres 

Omaha,  Aug.  16. — Theatres  here 
report  capacity  business  for  both  days 
of  the  victory  holiday,  with  today's 
and  yesterday's  downtown  street 
crowds  small  compared  with  the  mill- 
ing throngs  on  hand  at  the  time  of 
the  official  proclamation  of  peace. 
Theatre  admission  prices  were  un- 
changed yesterday  and  today,  at  44 
and  60  cents,  except  that  the  44-cent 
deadline  has  been  moved  up  from  6 
p.  m.  to  2  p.  m.,  as  on  Sundays. 

Samuelson  Reports 
Phila.  War  Bond  High 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  16. — A  record 
$80,000,000  in  war  bond  sales,  one  of 
the  best  returns  for  any  exchange  area 
in  the  country,  was  reported  here  for 
the  Seventh  War  Loan  by  Sidney 
Samuelson,  exhibitor  co-chairman  for 
the  drive.  Special  commendation  came 
to  the  theatres  in  this  area  from  the 
War  Finance  Division  for  its  'E'  bond 
effort.  Of  the  record  sum,  Warner 
Theatres  in  the  Philadelphia  zone  sold 
a  record  $42,501,469  in  bonds  in  the 
Seventh. 


R.  J.  O'Donnell  Feted 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  16. — Robert  J. 
O'Donnell  of  Dallas,  president  of  the 
Variety  Clubs,  was  tendered  a  ban- 
quet by  the  National  Cinematographic 
Industry  Chamber,  headed  by  Luis  R. 
Montes.  O'Donnell  is  being  feted  by 
various  sectors  of  the  picture  industry. 


Will  Singer,  manager  of  the  RKO- 
Brandeis,  reports  that  the  Victory 
holidays  have  brought  long  lines  to 
that  theatre.  William  Miskell,  Tri- 
state  Theatres  district  manager,  said 
that  the  two-day  holiday  business  was 
big  in  the  circuit's  houses  here  and 
throughout  the  state,  with  all  crowds 
well  behaved. 


Nashville  Better 
After  Initial  Slump 

Nashville,  Aug.  16 — Yesterday's 
business  here  was  reported  far  below 
normal.  However,  today,  the  second 
day  of  the  victory  holiday,  theatre  at- 
tendance is  expected  to  hit  an  above- 
normal  peak'  Neighbohood  theatres, 
although  below  normal  in  attendances 
yesterday,  did  better  than  uptown 
houses. 

Lifting  of  gasoline  rationing  is  seen 
as  a  boon  to  all  suburban  houses,  and 
will  probably  be  the  "green  light"  to 
plans  for  several  drive-ins  outside  city 
limits. 

Memphis,  Chattanooga  and  Knox- 
ville  holiday  theatre  business  is  re- 
ported substantially  the  same  as  here. 

Capacity  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  Aug.  16. — Capacity  the- 
atre business  prevailed  here  over  the 
two-day  Victory  holiday.  Stores  and 
most  offices  were  closed.  Today's 
grosses  were  slightly  under  yester- 
day's, however,  but  still  very  big. 
Neighborhood  houses  added  special 
matinees  on  both  days.  Film  row 
operated  with  skeleton  staffs. 


Way  Up  in  Albany 

Albany,  Aug.  16.  —  Business  in 
downtown  theatres  here  was  way 
above  average  yesterday  and  today, 
especially  after  three  P.  M.,  but  some 
neighborhood  houses  reported  average 
or  a  little  below  today.  Grosses  were 
far  below  par  during  the  Tuesday 
night  celebration,  and  the  audiences 
were  generally  orderly. 


Kansas  City  Business 
Pr'  ves  Outstanding 

Kansas  City,  Aug.  16. — Down- 
town and  suburban  theatres  here  did 
exceptionally  well  last  night  and  yes- 
terday. A  few  theatres  observed 
holiday  schedules.  Tuesday  night  all 
but  two  downtown  theatres  closed 
shortly  after  the  surrender  news. 


'Wonder  Man'  Brings 
$468,880  in  10  Weeks 

Samuel  Goldwyn's  "Wonder  Man" 
completed  a  tenth  week  at  the  Astor 
Theatre  in  New  York  last  night  with 
almost  $40,000  to  give  the  house  a 
record  of  $468,880  for  the  period,  an 
average  of  $46,880  for  each  week 
which  exceeds  the  previous  first  week 
mark  of  $45,000  set  by  "Princess  and 
the  Pirate"  earlier  this  year. 

"Wonder  Man"  is  expected  to  re- 
main at  the  Astor  until  October,  ac- 
cording to  Maurice  Maurer,  manager. 
Selznick's  "Spellbound"  is  set  to.  fol- 
low. 


Buys  Poster  Service 

Kansas  City,  Aug.  16.— Ed  Hart- 
man,  operating  the  Motion  Picture 
Booking  Agency,  has  bought  the  Mid- 
west Poster  Service. 


Well,  You  Can  Work 
Saturday,  Sunday 

You  were  not  oflicially  en- 
titled to  those  two  holidays, 
Wednesday  and  yesterday, 
even  though  most  industry 
employers  granted  them  or 
will  probably  pay  you  over- 
time if  you  did  work  thosa 
days.  Your  official  holiday 
will  be  V-J  Day,  when  it  is 
declared  by  President  Truman 
after  the  signing  of  the  Jap 
surrender. 

It's  all  because  of  two  Ex- 
ecutive orders,  one  which  was 
issued  as  it  should  have  been 
granting  a  two-day  holiday  to 
all  Government  employes  who 
could  be  spared  from  their 
jobs  and  which  was  widely 
adopted  in  the  industry  and 
elsewhere.  The  second  order 
should  have  been  issued  when 
President  Truman  officially 
sets  V-J  Day  and  provides  for 
premium  pay.  However,  it 
was  issued  in  error  in  connec- 
tion with  the  two-day  Victory 
holidays. 


L.  A.  Theatre  Ticket 
Tax  Proposed  Again 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  16. — Council- 
man Meade  McClannahan,  chairman 
of  the  city  revenue  and  taxation  com- 
mittee, has  announced  his  intention 
of  framing  a  measure  calling  for  a  tax 
on  theatre  tickets.  Following  a  meet- 
ing this  morning  between  exhibitor 
leaders  and  several  members  of  the 
council,  McClannahan  shifted  his  orig- 
inal five-cent-per-ticket  basis  to  five 
per  cent  of  the  gross. 

The  measure  is  still  in  its  formative 
stage,  and  the  committee,  which  met 
the  exhibitors  also  yesterday,  had 
agreed  to  hold  more  meetings  with 
them  before  drafting  an  ordinance  for 
submission  to  the  council,  which  has 
rejected  similar  proposals  several 
times  in  the  past. 

Ticket,  Income  Tax 
Cuts  Are  Predicted 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  a  tax-cutting  mood,  they  asserted. 

The  following  excise  taxes,  they 
predicted,  will  be  reduced  automat- 
ically six  months  after  the  official 
"termination  of  hostilities,"  as  pro- 
claimed by  either  the  President  or 
Congress  : 

General  admissions  tax  of  one  cent 
for  each  five  cents  of  admission  price 
will  go  down  to  one  cent  for  each  10 
cents ;  local  telephone  service  at  pres- 
ent 15  per  cent  of  monthly  bill  will 
drop  to  10;  long-distance  telephone 
service,  25  per  cent,  down  to  20;  do- 
mestic cable  and  telegraph  messages, 
25  per  cent,  down  to  15;  transporta- 
tion of  persons,  15  per  cent,  down 
to  10. 


Phila.  Taxes  Rising 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  16. — City  treas- 
urer Edgar  W.  Baird,  Jr.  reveals  that 
city  amusement  tax  receipts  for  the 
first  six  months  of  1945  totalled  $820,- 
937,  compared  to  $720,449.14  in  the. 
same  period  in  1944.  The  receipts  rep- 
resent an  increase  of  14  per  cent  over 
last  year.  Estimates  on  1945  budgets 
placed  $1,500,000  as  the  figure  ex- 
pected to  be  derived  from  the  amuse- 
ment tax.  In  1944,  the  total  collec- 
tions reached  $1,494,346.90. 


copies 


Ifat*  airauT 600,000  mJ^WfiuMw  vm 


r 


he  figures  speak  for  themselves. 


But  perhaps  we  should  remind  you 
that  this  makes  us  not  just  the 
biggest  movie  magazine — but  one 
of  the  leading  national  magazines. 


Ivsnc*  3  /  '  When  y°u've  90t  Wf// 

ff  |Uf\<5t«*    you  get  quantity! 


ALBERT  P.  DELACORTE,  Mfot 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  17,  1945 


"Duffy's  Tavern" 


{Continued  from   pane  1) 

the  cuff.  The  inroads  into  the  bookkeeping  system  are  obvious,  as  Duffy  learns. 
Archie  is  heading  for  the  clink. 

Meanwhile,  a  lot  of  Hollywood  performers  happen  to  be  in  New  York  and 
at  the  hotel  where  Marjorie  Reynolds,  Moore's  daughter,  is  a  telephone 
operator.  The  fuss  and  feathers  for  quite  a  stretch  of  early  footage  revolve 
around  the  frantically  ludicrous  maneuvers  of  Archie  and  Moore  to  get  these 
Hollywood  lights  for  a  benefit  show.  Of  course,  the  money  is  designed  to 
buy  the  shellac  that  reopens  the  factory,  aids  the  unemployment  curve,  cements 
Miss  Reynolds'  love  affair  and  keeps  Archie  out  of  jail. 

Patently  enough,  this  earlier  nonsense — some  of  it  slow  and  on  the  linger- 
ing side — is  merely  an  excuse  to  bring  the  Paramount  personalities  on  parade. 
Figuring  in  the  line  of  march  are  Bing  Crosby  and  his  four  kids,  Dorothy 
Lamour,  Veronica  Lake,  Paulette*  Goddard,  Sonny  Tufts,  Betty  Hutton,  Eddie 
Bracken,  Brian  Donlevy,  Barry  Fitzgerald,  Alan  Ladd,  Walter  Abel,  Diana 
Lynn,  Robert  Benchley,  Cass  Daley  and  others.  Bob  Hope  appears  to  be  about 
the  only  missout. 

These  personalities  do  the  performing  normally  associated  with  them,  but 
running  throughout  in  a  recurring  vein  is  a  gentle  and  occasionally  broad 
kidding  of  themselves.  This  shows  up  in  the  Bracken  sequence  wherein  he 
doubles  for  the  handsome  Western  star  and  takes  quite  a  beating  for  employ- 
ment's sake.  It  comes  up  again  in  a  takeoff  of  the  "Swingin'  on  a  Star" 
number  out  of  Crosby's  memorable  ''Going  My  Way."  All  of  it  adds  to  the 
fun  and  steps  up  a  generous  quotient  of  entertainment  values  to  an  undeni- 
able high. 

The  widest  sort  of  popularity,  therefore,  is  indicated  for  "Duffy's  Tavern." 
No  one  will  pick  it  for  the  Academy  awards,  but  no  one,  wise  to  show  busi- 
ness, will  fail  to  pick  it  for  plenty  of  winnings  at  the  box-office. 

Hal  Walker  directed,  with  competence  and  nicety.  Danny  Dare  served  as 
associate  producer.  General  classification.  In  Paramount  Block  1,  for  1945-46. 

Red  Kann 


"Follow  That  Woman" 

(Paramount) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  16 

WILLIAM  GRAHAM,  Nancy  Kelly  and  Edward  Gargan  contribute  to 
this  offering  trouping  of  high  order,  as  well  as  some  billing  above  par 
for  the  William  Pine-William  Thomas  output.  Add  the  skilled  direction  by 
Lew  Landers,  and  a  script  by  Winston  Miller  and  Maxwell  Shane  which 
carves  its  own  pattern,  and  you've  got  69  minutes  of  melodrama  that  pays  its 
own  way. 

Suspense  is  derived  from  a  night  club  murder  which  a  private  detective  is 
furloughed  from  training  camp  to  solve  when  his  wife,  undertaking  the  job 
against  his  wishes,  is  menaced  by  unseen  killers.  Humor  is  featured  in  her 
continuing  efforts  to  find  the  killer,  but  seriousness  as  well  as  novelty  marks 
the  finale.  In  addition  to  collaborating  on  the  script,  based  on  a  story  by  Ben 
Herry,  Shane  functioned  as  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  69  minutes.  General  classification.   Release  date  not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver. 


Agencies  Advance 
Plans  for  Rapid 
Return  to  Normal 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

ply,  such  as  lumber  and  certain  others 
which  are  important  in  either  film 
industry  operations  or  production  of 
equipment,  will  be  retained,  however, 
until  shortages  ease  or  until  there  is 
no  longer  any  danger  of  undue  buy- 
ing competition. 

Policies  of  the  Foreign  Economic 
Administration  call  for  quick  restora- 
tion of  normal  trade  and  commerce, 
but  with  an  orderly  transition  so  as 
not  to  raise  new  problems.  Restric- 
tions such  as  licensing  of  exports  and 
control  of  imports  will  be  eased  as 
quickly  as  is  possible  without  jeop- 
ardizing the  interests  of  the  military 
forces  and  domestic  industry,  it  was 
assured  by  Administrator  Leo  T. 
Crowley. 

Limited  Lend-Lease 

Lend-lease  will  be  continued  on  a 
limited  basis,  but  projects  based  on 
war  needs  will  be  closed  as  rapidly 
as  possible  to  clear  the  way  for  pri- 
vate trade  "employing  the  peacetime 
instruments  of  credit  which  are  avail- 
able to  governments  and  private  in- 
terests," Crowley  said. 

"I  feel  that  the  end  of  the  war 
opens  vast  possibilities  for  world 
trade,  and  that  the  role  of  the  United 
States  will  be  a  vital  one,"  he  com- 
mented. "I  feel  also,  however,  that 
wherever  possible  Government  should 
be  employed  principally  as  a  factor  in 
aiding  private  interests  to  assume  re- 
sponsibilities for  that  trade.  Instru- 
ments intended,  therefore,  to  strength- 
en Government  regulation  for  emer- 
gency needs,  as  has  been  the  case  in 
war-time,  when  the  need  for  mar- 
shalling and  controlling  our  assets 
was  paramount,  should  be  eliminated 
as  expeditiously  as  possible  when  the 
emergency  has  passed." 

Military  requirements  for  motion 
picture  film  have  been  scaled  down 
to  a  minimum,  releasing  large  quan- 
tities of  raw  stock  which  will  find  its 
way  into  civilian  channels  as  soon  as 
the  WPB  control  order  is  lifted.  Offi- 
cials said  there  will  be  plenty  of  film 
for  all  purposes,  as  a  result. 


CIO  Not  to  Enter 
The  Studio  Field 

Hollywood,  Aug.  16. — The  Confer- 
ence of  Studio  Unions'  strike  strategy 
committee  this  morning  explained  the 
studio  strike  issues  to  officials  of  sev- 
eral CIO  unions,  whereupon  the  lat- 
ter clarified  recent  utterances  from 
their  quarter  by  stating  that  CIO 
has  no  intention  to  enter  the  studio 
field  but  does  regard  "ignoring  union 
bargaining  rights"  and  "refusal  to 
abide  by  Government  agency  direc- 
tives" as  constituting  a  threat  to  the 
basic  structure  on  which  all  union 
labor  depends. 

The  strike  committee  expressed 
disappointment  over  the  AFL  execu- 
tive committee's  "leniency"  in  giving 
Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
60  days  in  which  to  revoke  charters, 
but  voiced  confidence  in  assurances  by 
L.  P.  Lindelof,  Painters'  president, 
that  the  building  trades  unions  expect 
additional  moves,  not  yet  specified,  as 
a  result  of  the  recent  Chicago  meet- 
ings. 


Set  'Unlimited'  Fund 
For  PCCITO  Drives 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
their  terms  and  allocations,  so  that 
independent  exhibitors  may  have 
the  opportunity  to  book  and  play 
films  on  the  same  basis  as  large  cir- 
cuits. 

Robert  H.  Poole  and  Hugh  Bruen, 
PCCITO  executives,  are  en  route  to 
the  national  convention  in  Pittsburgh. 


'First  Yank'  to  Bow 
In  'Frisco  Sept  12 

Chicago,  Aug.  16.— At  RKO  Radio's 
regional  sales  meeting,  which  wound 
up  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  here  today, 
Ned  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  president, 
revealed  that  "First  Yankee  into 
Tokyo"  will  open  in  San  Francisco  in 
its  first  engagement  on  Sept.  12. 


WLW  Executives  Remain 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  16. — In  the  trans- 
fer of  station  WLW  by  the  Crosley 
Corp.  here  to  the  Aviation  Corp.  of 
New  York,  as  authorized  by  the  FCC 
in  a  four  to  three  vote  recently, 
Powel  Crosley  Jr.,  James  D.  Shouse 
and  Robert  E.  Dunville  will  remain 
as  top  executives  and  members  of  the 
board  of  directors,  it  is  learned  from 
authoritative  sources. 


Six  'Victory  Year' 
Meetings  for  20th 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Jr.,  Eastern  sales  manager ;  W.  C. 
Gehring,  Western  sales  manager,  and 
L.  J.  Schlaifer,  Central  sales  mana- 
ger. The  latter  two  will  assist  Con- 
nors in  conducting  the  meetings  in 
their  respective  territories.  Morris 
Caplan,  special  home  office  repre- 
sentative, will  attend  all  six  meetings. 

In  town  for  the  New  York  confer- 
ences are  district  managers  Edgar 
Moss  and  E.  X.  Callahan  and  branch 
managers  Ray  Moon,  New  York ; 
Sam  Gross,  Philadelphia  ;  H.  R.  Bei- 
erdsdorf,  Pittsburgh ;  C.  E.  Peppiatt, 
Washington ;  H.  S.  Alexander,  Al- 
bany ;  M.  N.  Grassgreen,  Boston,  and 
B.  A.  Simon,  New  Haven. 


Wolff,  PRC  Producer 

Hollywood,  Aug.  16. — Roy  Wolff, 
Fanchon  and  Marco  executive,  has 
been  signed  by  PRC  to  produce  sev- 
eral pictures,  first  of  which  will  be 
"Music  Hall  Varieties  of  1946."  He 
will  retain  his  circuit  affiliation. 


Chicago  Union  Stalemate 

Chicago,  Aug.  16. — At  a  regularly 
scheduled  meeting  of  Allied  of  Illinois, 
a  report  on  the  pending  projectionists 
pact  was  made  by  president  Jack 
Kirsch.  It  was  indicated  that  no 
agreement  is  in  sight  as  yet. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  August  16 

CLARK  GABLE  has  been  selected 
to  star  in  "Christian  of  the 
Bounty,"  a  sequel  to  "Mutiny  on  the 
Bounty."  Carey  Wilson  will  produce 
for  MGM.  .  .  .  Mack  Gordon  has  been 
promoted  to  a  producership  at  20tl/ 
Century-Fox,  and  will  make  the  Tech- 
nicolor musical,  "Three  Little  Girls  in 
Blue."  Cesar  Romero  will  be  starred. 
.  .  .  George  Brent  has  been  signed  for 
stellar  roles  in  two  forthcoming  RKO 
Radio  productions :  "Some  Must 
Watch,"  and  "Desirable  Woman."  In 
the  latter  he  will  play  opposite  Joan 
Bennett. 

• 

John  O'Hara,  author  of  many  short 
stories,  has  been  signed  to  a  term  writ- 
ing contract  by  MGM. . . .  Tim  Whelan 
has  been  signed  to  direct  "Badman's 
Territory"  for  RKO.  Nat  Holt  will 
produce,  and  Randolph  Scott  and 
George  'Gabby'  Hayes  are  definitely 
set  for  top  roles.  .  .  .  Craig  Stevens  has 
been  added  to  the  cast  of  Warners' 
"The  Man  I  Love." 

• 

John  Payne  will  have  the  roman- 
tic lead  opposite  Maureen  O'Hara 
in  "Sentimental  Journey,"  soon  to 
start  at  20th  Century-Fox.  .  .  .  Pres- 
ton Foster  has  been  chosen  for  an 
important  role  in  "Canyon  Passage," 
which  Jacques  Tourneur  is  direct- 
ing for  Universal.  .  .  .  Frank  Morgan 
has  been  borrowed  from  MGM  by 
RKO  Radio  for  a  top  role  in  "Ladv 
Luck." 

• 

Brenda  Marshall  is  set  to  star  in 
"The  Glass  Alibi,"  which  William 
Wilder  will  produce  for  major  com- 
pany release.  .  .  .  Pat  O'Brien  has  been 
selected  as  the  star  of  RKO's  forth- 
coming melodrama,  "Galveston."  .  .  . 
Liberty  Films,  the  independent  produc- 
tion company  organized  by  Samuel 
Briskin,  Frank  Capra  and  William 
Wilder,  has  purchased  "It  Happened 
on  Fifth  Avenue,"  by  Frederick  Ste- 
phani  and  Herbert  Clyde  Lewis. 
• 

Connie  Marshall  will  have  an  im- 
portant role  in  the  forthcoming  20th 
Century-Fox  production,  "Centennial 
Summer." 

Shutdown  of  Mexican 
Theatres  Impends 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
and  distributors  originally  set  to  start 
Aug.  21  in  order  to  enforce  demands 
of  the  union  for  a  SO  per  cent  pay  rise, 
similar  to  that  requested  of  and  re- 
fused by  the  American  companies. 
There  is  a  demand  that  the  board  ob- 
tain the  avoidance,  or  at  least  the  post- 
ponement, of  the  threatened  strike 
against  the  other  14  Mexican  com- 
panies. 

The  National  Cinematographic  In- 
dustry Chamber  and  the  Association 
of  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
Mexican  Motion  Pictures  today  peti- 
tioned President  Manuel  Avila 
Camacho  to  intervene  in  the  case,  as- 
serting that  the  American  companies 
contribute  much  toward  the  adequate 
distribution  of  Mexican  films  in  the 
U.  S.  and  accusing  the  union  leaders 
of  striving  to  destroy  an  industry  that 
supports  thousands  of  Mexicans  and  j 
maintains  a  high  standard  of  living 
for  its  people. 


SO  THAT  HE  WHO 
RUNS   MAY  READ! 


International  Motion  Picture 
Almanac  is  designed  for  speedy  refer- 
ence —  to  provide  authentic,  up-to-the- 
minute  finger-tip  information  on  any  and 
every  phase  of  the  motion  picture  busi- 


ness. 


Look  at  any  issue  of  the  Almanac  and 
you  will  not  only  find  it  well  thumbed 
from  use  but  always  within  easy  reach  of 
its  owner,  for  the  Almanac  is  a  treasure 
trove  of  statistical  industry  information 
that  is  exhaustive  in  its  scope  and  unim- 
peachable in  its  authority. 

The  new  1945-46  International  Motion 
Picture  Almanac  is  now  on  the  Press 
and  in  keeping  with  these  changing  times 
it  will  present  a  greater  compilation  of 
facts  and  figures  than  ever  before  — 
everything  with  which  to  check  the  past 
and  chart  the  future. 


Edited  by  TERRY  RAMSAYE 

RESERVE  YOUR  1945-46 
MOTION  PICTURE  ALMANAC  NOW! 

$3.25  Postpaid  in  U.  S.  A.,  $5  Elsewhere 


QUICLEY  PUBLICATIONS 


ROCKEFELLER    CENTER,  20 


NEW  YORK 


QP 


U.S.  Army  Signal  Corps  Photo 

WORLD  PREMIERE 

-in  Normandy 


°ne  Of  a  series  of 
advertisements  by 
KODAK  testifying  to 
the  achievements  of 
the  movies  at  war 


Overseas  troops  —  to  ease  the  inevitable 
waiting  —  now  see  more  and  more  movies 

NO  "third-run"  shows  for  the  boys  in  Europe,  either .  They've 
been  getting  world  premieres  . . .  are  still  seeing  the  cream  of  the 
Hollywood  crop,  in  barns,  halls,  any  available  bit  of  space  ...  as  part 
of  a  vast  entertainment  program. 

Many  pictures  that  would  rate  brass  bands  and  floodlights  at  a 
Hollywood  opening  now  get  their  initial  showings  where  they'll  lift 
the  spirits  of  weary  fighting  men — men  waiting  for  redeployment  to 
the  Pacific — or  "standing  guard"  in  Europe. 

The  morale  value  of  movies  to  our  armed  forces  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. Motion  pictures  fill  an  important  prescription — during 
this  difficult  transition  period. 

Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  N.  y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 
FORT  LEE  CHICAGO  HOLLYWOOD 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


VOL.  58.  NO.  35 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  AUGUST  20,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


IATSE  Board 
To  Study  AFL 
Charter  Order 


May  Dissolve  New  Locals 
But  Retain  New  Workers 


A  meeting  of  the  IATSE  execu- 
tive board  will  be  held  shortly  to 
consider  the  demand  of  the  Ameri- 
can Federation  of  Labor  executive 
council  that  the  IATSE  revoke  char- 
iters  issued  to  painters,  carpenters  and 
machinists,  Richard  F.  Walsh. 
, IATSE  president,  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  here  Friday. 

Indications  are  that  the  executive 
hoard  will  seek  a  way  to  retain  juris- 
diction over  painters,  carpenters  and 
machinists,  possibly  by  incorporating 
them  into  IATSE  locals  existing  be- 
fore the  strike. 

Walsh  is  presently  studying  ar- 
rangements for  the  meeting  but  no 
decision  has  been  made  as  to  when  and 
where  it  will  be  held.  The  AFL  coun- 
cil had  directed  that  the  charters  be 
revoked  within  60  days  but  Walsh  said 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


IATSE  Will  Study 
'306'  Strike  Plea 


Immediate  action  by  the  IATSE  on 
the  bid  of  New  York  Motion  Pic- 
ture Machine  Operators  Union,  Local 
No.  306,  for  authorization  to  call  a 
strike  against  downtown  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  first-run  theatres ; 
Loew's  and  RKO  circuit  houses ;  and 
of  home  office  and  exchange  projec- 
tionists, was  not  forthcoming  Friday. 
Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
had  not  received  the  Local  306  bid 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Coast  Film  Heads 
Quizzed  by  Wright 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — Winding  up 
quietly  a  two-day  examination  of  wit- 
nesses in  the  Government's  New  York 
anti-trust  suit,  scheduled  for  October, 
Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant  to 
the  Attorney  General,  entrained  from 
here  Friday  for  San  Francisco  en- 
route  to  Washington,  possibly  via 
Portland. 

Wright  checked  over  evidence  col- 
lected by  Frederick  Rarig,  local  head 
of  the  anti-trust  division  of  the  De- 
partment of  Justice,  and  talked  with 
exhibition  and  studio  executives. 


Nelson  Volunteers 
Strike  Mediation 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19.— Don- 
ald Nelson,  new  president  of 
the  Society  of  Independent 
Motion  Picture  Producers, 
which  is  not  directly  affected 
by  the  studio  strike,  returned 
Thursday  from  Washington, 
where  he  is  understood  to 
have  conferred  with  Govern- 
ment officials  about  matters 
including  the  walkout,  and 
over  the  weekend  volunteered 
his  services  as  mediator  in 
the  dispute,  canvassing  the 
principals  with  proposals  for 
a  conference  or  series  of  con- 
ferences. 


Companies  Reenter 
Italy  by  Sept.  15 


American  film  operations  in  Italy, 
long  under  the  control  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information  overseas  film 
bureau  and  the  Psychological  Warfare 
Branch,  will  be  turned  back  to  the 
companies  within  the  next  few  weeks, 
it  was  learned  here  at  the  weekend. 
Two  probable  dates  have  been  prom- 
inently mentioned  for  the  transfer, 
Sept.  1  and  Sept.  15,  with  the  first 
considered  as  most  likely. 

Transfer  of  film  distribution  in  It- 
aly from  the  Government  to  private 
enterprise  entails  the  return  of  the 
40  feature  films  acquired  by  OWI 
from  the  eight  companies  and,  pre- 
sumably, the  handing  over  of  the 
considerable  sums  of  money  derived 
from  their  exhibition  and  held  by 
OWI  in  escrow  for  the  companies. 

Distribution  is  expected  to  be  re- 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Peacetime  Problems 
Of  Exhibition  up 
At  Allied-CIE  Meet 


Pittsburgh,  Aug.  19.  —  The  first 
meeting  of  independent  exhibitors  to 
discuss  peacetime  industry  problems 
will  be  held  here,  Wednesday  and 
Thursday,  when  the  board  of  directors 
of  Allied  States  convenes  at  the  Wil- 
liam Penn  Hotel.  On  Tuesday,  the 
Conference  of  Independent  Exhibitors 
will  meet  also. 

Tentative  agenda  for  the  first  day's 
Allied  board  meeting,  at  which  Mar- 
tin G.  Smith  will  preside,  includes  a 
report  from  the  CIE,  a  report  on  the 
Government's  New  York  suit  against 
the  major  companies,  including  "re- 
cent developments  in  Washington" ; 
reports  on  field  investigations  in  Al- 
lied and  cooperating  territories ;  the 
recent  Goldman  case  decision  with 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Film  Deliverers' 
Problems  Remain 

Wartime  problems  of  the  film  deliv- 
ery services  are  expected  to  continue 
for  several  months,  since  the  truck  and 
tire  situation  remains  critical  and  can- 
not be  remedied  until  new  trucks  and 
tires  are  made  available,  carrier  execu- 
tives said  at  the  weekend. 

Lifting  of  some  restrictions  by  the 
Office  of  Defense  Transportation  is  not 
expected  to  have  any  effect  on  the  film 
deliverers.  They  plan  to  continue  their 
present  system  of  curtailed  deliveries 
which  holds  servicing  of  theatres  to 
five  or  six  deliveries  weekly  in  New 
York  and  other  large  cities  and  three 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Returning 'G.L  's '  May  Offer 
Exhibitor  Competition 


Washington,  Aug.  19. — Returning 
servicemen  may  create  new  problems 
in  competition  for  motion  picture  ex- 
hibitors, it  was  disclosed  Friday  in 
inquiries  reaching  Washington  from 
'G.  I.  Joes'  looking  forward  to  de- 
mobilization, as  to  how  they  can  en- 
gage in  the  industry. 

During  the  war,  thousands  of  men 
have  been  taught  how  to  handle  a 
projector,  splice  film  anji  stage  a 
show.  Many  of  them,  it  is  indicated, 
are  thinking  seriously  of  getting  into 
exhibition  upon  their  return  to  civil 
life,  some  of  them,  of  course,  as  em- 
ployees in  established  theatres,  but  a 
majority  as  owners. 

Inquiries    reaching   agencies  inter- 


ested in  assisting  returning  veterans 
indicate  that  many  of  those  interested 
in  motion  pictures  have  in  mind  the 
purchase  of  army  surplus  projectors. 
With  a  16  mm.  projector  and  film 
which  could  be  picked  up  here  and 
there,  they  could  put  a  screen  around 
a  vacant  lot,  set  up  a  sheet  and  get 
into  business  with  little  outlay  of  cap- 
ital, or  they  could  take  over  a  vacant 
hall  for  little  more. 

A  large  proportion  of  such  ventures 
would  probably  fail,  but  while  they 
lasted  they  could  offer  real  competi- 
tion for  exhibitors  with  heavy  invest- 
ments in  theatres  and  equipment  and 
large  film  rental  obligations,  observers 
say. 


WPB  May  End 
Raw  Stock 
Control  Today 

Surplus  This  Quarter 
Of  75  Million  Feet 


Washington,  Aug-.  19. — Revo- 
cation of  the  raw  stock  allocation 
order  L-178  may  be  ordered  by 
the  War  Production  Board  with- 
in the  next  day  or  two,  it  was  indi- 
cated at  the  weekend. 

With  Army  and  Navy  orders 
reduced  by  75,000,000  feet  this 
quarter,  outside  of  raw  stock 
for  the  Army  Motion  Picture 
Service,  medical  X-ray  and  one 
or  two  other  specialties,  film 
manufacturers  now  will  have  a 
surplus  of  the  same  amount 
available  for  civilian  distribu- 
tion, which  makes  possible  a 
free  market. 

While  announcement  of  revocation 
may  be  held  up  until  after  the  in- 
dustry advisory  committees  have  had 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


British  Attendance 
Declining:  Baker 


Theatre  attendance  in  Britain  al- 
ready has  begun  to  decline  and  will 
go  lower,  Reginald  Baker,  presi- 
dent of  the  Kinematograph  Renters 
Society,  British  distribution  associa- 
tion, told  an  industry  audience  at  a 
luncheon  in  his  honor  at  the  Hotel 
Waldorf-Astoria  here  on  Friday. 
Baker  is  in  New  York  from  London 
for  a  four  weeks'  visit. 

The    British   theatre-going  public, 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Zanuck  Is  Against 
Outright  Propaganda 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — Commenting 
on  entertainment  films  with  relation 
to  their  effectiveness  in  Germany  and 
Japan,  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  said  at  the 
weekend :  "A  drastic  change  away 
from  outright  propaganda  is  essential 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Love  Letters" 
appears  on  page  6;  "State 
Fair,"  "Paris  Underground," 
page  7. 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  August  20,  1945 


Expand  16mm  Role 
In  Victory  Loan 


Washington,  Aug.  19. — Increased 
use  of  16mm  films  to  aid  the  sale  of 
war  bonds  in  the  coming  8th  Loan 
drive  was  decided  upon  by  state  16mm 
chairmen  and  distributors  at  a  two- 
day  planning  and  production  confer- 
ence with  War  Finance  Division  of- 
ficials concluded  here  on  Saturday. 
Particular  emphasis  will  be  placed  on 
the  use  of  films  as  promotional  fea- 
tures in  campaigns  to  increase  bond 
purchases  in  farm  and  rural  areas,  and 
through  payroll  savings  deductions. 
The  drive  may  be  held  early  in  Oc- 
tober. 

Shugrue  in  Charge 

The  meetings  were  under  the  direc- 
tion of  J.  Edward  Shugrue,  War 
Finance  director  of  motion  pictures 
and  special  events,  and  were  presided 
over  by  Merriman  H.  Holtz,  the  di- 
vision's 16mm  consultant.  A  new  na- 
tional war  loan  committee  was  formed, 
of  which  D.  T.  Davis,  president  of 
the  National  Association  of  Visual 
Education  Dealers,  was  appointed 
chairman. 

Shugrue  announced  that  another 
war  bond  picture,  "Hollywood  Bond 
Caravan,"  will  be  produced  by  Para- 
mount along  the  same  lines  as  "All- 
Star  Bond  Rally." 

C.  R.  Reagan  of  the  Bureau  of  Mo- 
tion Pictures  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information  was  cited  by  Shugrue  for 
his  cooperative  work  in  effecting 
"tremendous"  advances  in  the  16mm 
operation  during  the  7th  War  Loan. 


Personal  Mention 


Lengel,  Others  Named 
To  War  Loan  Group 

William  C.  Lengel,  executive  editor 
of  Fawcett  Publications'  women's 
magazines,  has  been  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  newly  organized  Magazine 
Editor's  Council,  to  promote  the  forth- 
coming Victory  Loan  Drive. 

Others  on  the  committee  are  :  Arnold 
Gingrich,  Esquire;  Herbert  Mayes, 
Good  Housekeeping ;  John  Shaw  Bil- 
lings, Life;  Otis  Wiese,  McCaU's  and 
Ben  Hibbs,  Saturday  Evening  Post. 


'Caravan'  Starts  Today 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — "Hollywood 
Victory  Caravan,"  two-reeler  for  the 
next  U.  S.  and  Canadian  victory  loan 
drives,  will  go  into  production  at 
Paramount  tomorrow,  with  Bing 
Crosby  starring  in  the  first  of  sev- 
eral all-star  production  numbers. 


Warter  Is  ABPC 
Board  Chairman 

London,  Aug.  19. — Sir  Philip  War- 
ter, wartime  factories  director  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  and  also  the  son-in- 
law  of  the  late  John  Maxwell,  has 
been  appointed  chairman  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  Associated  British  Pic- 
ture Corp.,  the  company  announced 
Friday. 

Eric  Fletcher,  an  ABPC  director, 
has  been  appointed  deputy  chairman. 
The  company's  production  chief,  Rob- 
ert Clark,  and  Edward  Maloney, 
prominent  accountant,  have  joined  the 
board.  Max  Milder  will  continue  as 
managing  director. 


JAMES  R.  GRAINGER,  Republic 
president,  returned  to  Hollywood 
from  Mexico  City  on  Friday. 
• 

John  Joseph,  Universal  director  of 
advertising,  publicity  and  exploita- 
tion, returned  to  Hollywood  Friday 
from  a  sales  meeting  in  Salt  Lake 
City. 

• 

Wolfe  Cohen,  Warner  Interna- 
tional vice-president,  plans  to  leave 
Sept.  4  for  his  first  tour  of  the  South 
American  territory  under  his  jurisdic- 
tion. 

• 

Edmund  Grainger,  Jr.,  son  of 
Eddie  Grainger,  head  of  the  Fulton- 
Shea  Theatre  Co.,  recently  passed 
the  New  York  Bar  exam. 

• 

Kenneth  Hargreave  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox's London  office,  winds  up  a 
four  weeks'  visit  here  today  and  will 
leave  for  London  by  boat. 

• 

Phil  Langdon,  20th  Century-Fox's 
Dallas  district  manager,  is  visiting 
Atlanta  for  a  conference  with  Harry 
Ballance. 

• 

N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO  presi- 
dent, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Mexico  City. 

• 

John  Kane,  Columbia's  personnel 
manager,  returns  to  his  desk  today 
from  a  two-week  vacation. 

John  Jenkins,  president  of  Astor 
Pictures,  is  in  Atlanta  from  Dallas. 
• 

A.  G.  Edwards,  PRC  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  is  visiting  Denver. 


WALTER     VINCENT,  execu- 
tive of  Fabian-Wilmer  and  Vin- 
cent Theatres,  has  returned  from  a 
six  weeks'  vacation  at  Norway,  Me. 
• 

E.  O.  Wilschke,  assistant  to  the 
vice-president  of  Altec  Service  Corp., 
has  returned  to  New  York  from  a 
business  trip  in  the  South  and  Mid- 
west. 

• 

Hall  Baetz,  division  manager  for 
Fox  Intermountain  Theatres,  is  en 
route  back  to  Salt  Lake  City  from  a 
field  trip  in  his  territory. 

• 

Simon  Schiffrin,  head  of  the  film 
division  of  the  French  Press  and  In- 
formation Service,  will  leave  today  for 
Washington. 

William  H.  Fass,  traffic  manager 
for  Paramount  International,  is  cele- 
brating his  25th  anniversary  with  the 
company. 

• 

Charles  Walker,  district  manager 
for  20th  Century-Fox,  has  left  Salt 
Lake  City  for  a  week's  stay  in  Den- 
ver. 

Rodney  Bush,  20th  Century-Fox 
exploitation  manager,  left  New  York 
over  the  weekend  for  Des  Moines. 
• 

Caroll  Trowbridge,  manager  for 
United  Artists,  has  returned  to  Salt 
Lake  City  from  Los  Angeles. 
• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Eastern  division 
sales  manager  for  Warners,  returns 
today  from  a  tour  of  the  Cleveland 
territory. 


Benny  Cites  Army 
USO  Show  Direction 


Connors,  Smith  Open 
20th  Meet  Tomorrow 

Tom  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice  president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion ;  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  Eastern  sales 
manager ;  Clarence  Hill,  executive  as- 
sistant to  Smith,  and  Morris  Caplan, 
branch  coordinator,  left  here  over  the 
weekend  for  Atlanta,  where  the  sec- 
ond of  six  company  district  sales 
meetings  will  be  held  beginning  to- 
morrow and  continuing  through  Aug. 
24.  Connors  and  Smith  will  conduct 
the  conferences. 

Others  who  will  attend  the  meetings 
include :  division  manager  Harry  G. 
Ballance ;  district  managers  Paul  S. 
Wilson  and  Philip  Longdon;  branch 
managers,  Fred  R.  Dodson,  Atlanta ; 
John  E.  Holston,  Charlotte;  E.  V. 
Landaiche,  New  Orleans ;  Cecil  E. 
House,  Dallas  ;  T.  W.  Young,  Mem- 
phis, and  M.  W.  Osborne,  Oklahoma 
City. 

The  third  company  meeting  will  be 
held  in  Chicago.  Other  cities  sched- 
uled for  meetings  include  Des  Moines, 
Kansas  City  and  San  Francisco. 


'Duffy's  Tavern'  97  Min. 

Running  time  of  Paramount's  "Duf- 
fy's Tavern"  is  97  minutes.  The  run- 
ning time  was  inadvertently  omitted 
from  the  review  of  the  picture  pub- 
lished in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
Friday. 


Depinet  Opens  RKO 
Coast  Meet  Today 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  19. — Ned  E. 
Depinet,  RKO  Radio  president,  will 
open  the  fourth  of  a  series  of  three- 
day  regional  sales  meetings  tomor- 
row at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  here. 

Among  those  who  will  attend  are : 
A.  A.  Schubart,  Robert  Mochrie 
Harry  Michalson,  Walter  Branson, 
M.  G.  Poller,  S.  Barret  McCormick, 
Terry  Turner,  A.  W.  Schwalberg, 
William  Goetz,  Leo  Spitz,  Roy  Dis- 
ney, Joseph  Reddy  and  Verne  Cald- 
well. Samuel  Goldwyn  and  Danny 
Kaye  are  scheduled  to  appear  at  one 
of  the  sessions.  Also :  J.  H.  Mcln- 
tyre,  Rocky  Mountain  and  Western 
districts  manager ;  H.  C.  Cohen,  Los 
Angeles ;  N.  P.  Jacobs,  San  Francis- 
co ;  Torn  H.  Bailey,  Denver ;  G.  Da- 
vidson, Salt  Lake  City;  E.  A.  Lamb 
Seattle  and  M.  E.  Corey,  Portland. 


Bakal  Back  to  Agency 

Sid  Bakal,  ex-'GI,'  will  join  the 
publicity  staff  of  the  William  Morris 
Agency,  under  Les  Zimmerman,  re- 
placing Nat  Lorman  who  has  resigned. 
Bakal  was  associated  with  William 
Morris  before  entering  the  Army. 


Ober  Joins  Lawrence 

Ralph  Ober  has  resigned  from  the 
United  Artists'  home  office  publicity 
staff  to  join  Jock  Lawrence. 


Recent  critism  of  the  Army's  Spe- 
cial Services'  handling  of  shows  in- 
volving Hollywood  and  other  person- 
alities sent  overseas  by  the  USO  and 
the   Hollywood   Victory  Committee, 
involves  only  half  of  the  situation, 
Jack  Benny  explained  during  an  in- 
terview at  the  Hotel  Sherry  Nether- ^ 
land  here  Friday.     With  him  weref 
Ingrid  Bergman,  Martha  Tilton  and 
Larry  Adler,  members  of  his  overseas  ] 
troupe,  which  spent  eight  weeks  in  the  \ 
European  Theatre  of  Operations. 

Benny  said  50  per  cent  of  the  shows  j 
were  handled  badly  and  50  per  cent  i 
were  good,  answering  recent  remarks  j 
attributed  to  him  that  all  the  shows  + 
were  handled  badly.  He  sees  a  need 
for  entertainers  to  continue  to  go  J 
overseas. 

Benny  still  has  plans  to  produce  ^ 
films  on  his  own  and  would  release 
them    through    United    Artists,  al- 
though he  would  not  necessarily  act 
in  these  pictures.     He  is  scheduled 
to  make  one  film  shortly  for  20th 
Century-Fox  and  he  is  under  contract 
for  two  more  for  Warners.     Miss  j 
Bergman  will  appear  in  "Notorious," 
a  David  O.  Selznick  property  recent-  , 
ly  acquired  by  RKO,  and  will  then 
appear   in  a   Broadway   play,  "The 
Girl   From   Lorraine,"   by  Maxwell 
Anderson,   dealing  with  the  life  of 
Joan  of  Arc.    Miss  Tilton,  who  has  i 
made  two  films  for  PRC,  will  short-  ! 
ly  start  a  third. 


Cowan  Schedule  1st 
Altered  by  Peace 

Chicago,  Aug.  19. — Although  first 
indications  were  that  the  end  of  the 
war  would  cause  no  changes  in  pro- 
duction schedules,  Lester  Cowan, 
here  at  the  weekend  en  route  to 
Hollywood,  revealed  that  he  has  laid 
aside  plans  for  films  on  the  relation- 
ship of  the  U.  S.  and  the  Philippines 
and  the  story  of  Dr.  Sun-Yat-Sen,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Chinese  Re- 
public. 

He  indicated  that  his  next  picture 
will  be  "Free  Press,"  with  the  pos- 
sibility of  "G.  I.  Joe  Comes  Home" 
to  follow.  He  will  go  to  Europe  next 
month  in  search  of  ideas  for  future 
productions. 


Michael  Lee  Heads 
PRC  Omaha  Branch 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Aug.  19. — Mi- 
chael Lee  has  resigned  as  Monogram 
branch  manager  here  to  become  PRC 
branch  manager  in  Omaha.  He  is 
succeeded  by  Harry  Gaffney,  who 
had  been  with  Warner  Brothers  here 
for  16  years,  the  last  seven  as  city 
salesman. 


Charles  Fais  Dies 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — Charles  C. 
Fais,  83,  once  associated  with  Alack 
Sennett  in  film  production,  died  here 
Friday  following  a  short  illness. 
Private  burial  services  were  held  yes- 
terdav. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York  Martin  yuigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  *  ecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Ineatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Monday.  August  20,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


i 

LI  |.| 

a 


Newsreels  Showing 
Atom  Bomb  Blast 

U.  S.  Army  Signal  Corps 
footage  showing  the  explosion 
of  the  test  atomic  bomb  in 
New  Mexico  in  mid- July  has 
been  turned  over  to  the  news- 
reels  and  the  footage  is  being 
used  in  issues  which  will  hit 
theatre  screens  tomorrow. 

The  atomic  bomb  footage 
runs  less  than  100  feet  and 
takes  less  than  a  minute  but 
through  sound  and  sight  the 
dramatic  explosion  and  ter- 
rific flash  of  light  are  graphic- 
ally delivered  in  shots  taken 
from  three  different  angles 
from  a  distance  of  six  miles. 


IATSE  Will  Study 
'306'  Strike  Plea 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 
to  _  be  released  from  its  AFL  "no- 
strike"  pledge  and  for  permission  to 
call  a  meeting  to  vote  on  a  strike. 

Walsh  indicated  that  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation would  have  to  be  made  be- 
fore any  such  action  as  contemplated 
by  Local  306  could  be  authorized. 

Local  306  officials  headed  by  Her- 
man Gelber,  president,  will  meet  with 
■circuit  and  New  York  first-run  repre- 
sentatives today  for  a  second  meeting 
m  the  union's  demands  for  a  new  con- 
tract covering  Loew's  and  RKO  cir- 
cuit houses  and  first-runs  in  New 
York,  following  a  long  delay  since  the 
last  meeting,  May  24,  at  which  the 
union  presented  its  demands.  These 
contracts  expire  Aug.  31  and  Local 
306  has  already  indicated  a  plan  to 
order  vacations  for  the  projectionists 
involved  in  the  dispute  starting  Sept. 
1  and  staggered  over  the  next  two 
weeks  with  substitute  operators  being 
sent  into  the  Broadway  houses,  home 
offices  and  exchanges,  and  circuit 
houses  involved. 


Proposals  Rejected 

The   negotiating   committee  repre- 
senting the  home  offices  and  exchanges 
has  turned  down  two  counter-propos- 
als made  by  Local  306  on  its  bid  to 
;  eliminate  the  right  of  selection  of  pro- 
jectionists from  new  contracts.  The 
most  recent  compromise  offered  by 
Local  306  would  have  permitted  the 
i  companies  to  select  one  projectionist 
and  the  union  to  designate  one  out 
of  every  two  employed.  Previously, 
.  the  union  had  offered  to  give  the  home 
.  offices  the  right  to  turn  down  a  pro- 
jectionist sent  by  the  union  from  its 
j  list  after  a  week's  trial.  Elimination 
.  of  the  "request  clause"  is  probable  for 
"  the  Broadway  houses  and  circuits. 
A  contract  covering  the  home  office 
and  exchange  projectionists  was  con- 
'  sidered  set  by  Local  306  as  of  July  2, 
but  it  developed  that  the  companies 
insist  upon  retaining  the  request  clause 
and  deny  that  agreement  was  reached. 
Instead  of  putting  the  other  provisions 
i  of  the  contract  into  effect  as  demanded 
j  by  the  union,  the  companies  have  been 
considering    negotiations  deadlocked. 
Meanwhile  Local  306  members  in  the 
home  offices  and  exchanges  are  un- 
"  derstood  to  be  putting  in  the  extra 
;  hours  of  maintenance  work  as  provid- 
ed for  in  the  union's  claimed  agree- 
;  ment  and  are  not  getting  paid  for  it. 
.'  Gelber  indicated  Friday  that  he  was 
considering  a  move  to  force  a  show- 
down on  this  issue. 


British  Film  Attendance 
On  Decline,  Baker  Says 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
Baker  said,  is  more  discriminating  to- 
day than  it  was  before  the  war.  Its 
viewpoint  underwent  a  change  in  the 
critical  years  with  the  result  that,  en- 
tirely apart  from  economic  factors,  it 
now  has  different  entertainment  tastes 
which  will  be  reflected  in  more  dis- 
criminating patronage  of  films,  he  be- 
lieves. 

Baker  expressed  the  belief  that 
English-speaking  nations  have  a  duty 
to  picture  their  ways  of  democratic 
life  faithfully  and  inspiringly  to  the 
rest  of  the  world.  He  feels  that  this 
can  be  accomplished  best  through  mo- 
tion pictures.  In  this  regard,  Baker 
said  the  responsibility  of  Hollywood 
is  greater  than  that  of  the  British 
studios  because  the  American  indus- 
try is  the  biggest  and  best  equipped. 

"Our  motion  pictures  can  be  a  great 
force  for  world  good,"  Baker  said. 
"Through  them,  nations  may  speak 
to  each  other  from  the  heart,  and  be 
understood  around  the  world." 

Baker  said  that  British  producers 
do  not  expect  gratuitous  showing  in 
America  of  all  their  films,  but  they 
do  feel  that  their  good  pictures  should 
be  able  to  get  playing  time  here.  Mil- 
lions of  returned  American  service 
men  who  have  visited  England  will 


want  to  see  British  pictures  and  Brit- 
ish themes  on  the  screens  of  America, 
he  said. 

Speaking  of  his  visit  to  New  York, 
his  first  in  eight  years,  Baker  said 
he  is  in  the  unique  position  of  "hav- 
ing nothing  to  sell,  wanting  to  buy 
nothing  and  having  no  complaints  to 
make.    It  is  just  a  visit." 

The  MPPDA  was  host  at  the 
luncheon,  at  which  Carl  E.  Milliken, 
secretary,  presided.  Among  those 
present  were :  Barney  Balaban,  Mar- 
tin Quigley,  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  Jack 
Cohn,  E.  W.  Hammons,  Maurice  Sil- 
verstone,  W.  C.  Michel,  George  J. 
Schaefer,  Capt.  Harold  Auten,  J.  H. 
Seidelman,  George  Weltner,  Red 
Kann,  Terry  Ramsaye,  Sherwin  Kane, 
Floyd  Stone,  Chester  Bahn,  James 
Jerauld,  William  German  and  Abe 
Schneider. 

Also:  Al  Daff,  Tom  Mulrooney, 
Mike  Wear,  Jack  Segal,  R.  K.  Hawk- 
inson,  Walter  Titus,  Jr.,  Phil  Reis- 
man,  Karl  G.  McDonald,  Norton 
Ritchey,  Francis  Harmon,  Harry 
Schroeder,  George  Borthwick,  Leo 
Samuels,  Arthur  DeBra,  Fred  Croft, 
Kenneth  Hargreave,  Paul  Graetz, 
Samuel  Berger,  R.  H.  O'Brien, 
Eugene  Gregg,  Jock  Lawrence,  Roger 
Albright  and  L.  A.  Bonn. 


22  Independents 
Sign  SPG  Pacts 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — Twenty-two 
members  of  the  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers  Association  were 
signed  to  Screen  Publicists  Guild  con- 
tracts last  week  by  business  agent 
Milton  Gottlieb  in  the  presence  of 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  president 
Herbert  Sorrell. 

The  producers  signed,  including 
Monogram  and  PRC,  have  been  un- 
affected by  the  studio  strike  because 
of  their  compliance  with  the  striking 
unions'  contracts.  The  present  inclu- 
sion of  some  previously  unsigned  pro- 
ducers was  described  as  a  "formality" 
by  the  guild,  although  its  timing  coin- 
cides with  the  period  since  SPG 
joined  the  strikers,  and  Sorrell's 
presence  at  the  negotiations  is  an  in- 
dication that  the  Painters'  Union  stood 
ready  to  reinforce  the  guild's  demands. 


Utah  Showmen  May 
Propose  Pay  Scales 

Salt  Lake  City,  Aug.  19. — Follow- 
ing proposals  of  the  State  Industrial 
Commission  on  minimum  wage  scales 
to  govern  industries  in  Utah,  including 
theatres,  showmen  will  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  present  any  proposals  or 
counter-proposals  they  might  offer, 
according  to  an  announcement  issued 
here  by  the  Intermountain  Motion  Pic- 
ture Owners'  Association. 


MacLeish  Resigns 

Washington,  Aug.  19. — President 
Truman  on  Friday  accepted  the  resig- 
nations of  Archibald  MacLeish  and 
Gen.  J.  C.  Holmes  as  Assistant  Secre- 
taries of  State.  MacLeish  had  charge 
of  cultural  and  public  relations. 


IATSE  Board  to 
Study  AFL  Order 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

he  was  not  told  when  the  60  days 
begin  and  end. 

According  to  Walsh,  the  AFL  ex- 
ecutive council  has  failed  to  tell  him 
what  will  be  done  about  settling  the 
studio  strike  even  if  the  IATSE 
withdraws  the  charters.  He  reiterat- 
ed that  the  "IATSE  wants  to  con- 
tinue making  pictures  and  will  not  do 
anything  to  prevent  this  by  making 
it  impossible  to  continue  production  by 
withdrawing  necessary  workers  like 
carpenters,  machinists  and  painters." 

Walsh  will  meet  with  the  heads  of 
the  other  international  unions  in- 
volved in  the  studio  jurisdictional 
fight  when  William  Green,  AFL 
president,  arranges  the  meeting.  He 
expressed  no  concern  over  the  action 
of  other  Conference  of  Studio  Union 
affiliates,  including  publicists,  story 
analysts  and  office  workers  joining  the 
strike. 

The  nature  of  what  punitive  action 
might  be  taken  by  the'  AFL  executive 
council  against  the  IATSE  should  it 
refuse  to  revoke  the  charters  was  not 
revealed  to  him,  Walsh  said. 


Members  Get  Results  of 
SWG  Settlement  Plan 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19.  —  The  pro- 
ducers' reply  to  the  Screen  Writers 
Guild's  proposal  for  settlement  of  the 
studio  strike  was  among  topics  dis- 
cussed with  the  guild's  rank  and  file 
Friday  at  a  general  membership  meet- 
ing. Also  discussed  was  a  conference 
held  Thursday  between  an  SWG 
committee  and  a  deputation  from  the 
producers  on  plans  for  guaranteeing 
reemployment  opportunities  to  writ- 
ers returning  from  the  armed  service 
who  were  not  under  contract  at  time 
of  induction. 


Companies  Reenter 
Italy  by  Sept.  15 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

sumed  in  Italy  free  of  the  onerous 
restrictions  imposed  by  the  Mussolini 
government,  and  which  impelled  them 
to  pull  out  of  that  territory  in  1939 
as  it  was  impossible  to  continue  in 
operation.  The  State  Department  is 
said  to  have  arranged  for  the  elimina- 
tion of  quotas,  compulsory  dubbing 
and  import  restrictions,  and  has 
reached  an  agreement  for  a  moderate 
import  tariff,  it  is  reported.  At  one 
time  the  Motion  Picture  Export  As- 
sociation considered  Italy  as  its  first 
sphere  of  operation  because  the  Mus- 
solini restrictions  were  still  on  the 
books,  but  abandoned  this  step  with 
the  prospect  of  their  early  removal 
through  the  intervention  of  the  U.  S. 

Even  after  the  OWI  returns  the 
money  to  the  film  companies,  expecta- 
tions of  taking  it  out  of  the  country 
are  not  very  great,  foreign  department 
spokesmen  admit.  The  money  could 
be  utilized,  however,  in  reestablish- 
ing branches  and  setting  up  sound 
studios  for  dubbing. 

The  British  are  expected  to  re- 
enter the  Italian  market  commercially 
at  the  same  time  as  the  U.  S.  com- 
panies. 


Zanuck  Is  Against 
Outright  Propaganda 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
if  American  pictures  are  to  be  of  real 
service  in  teaching  our  former  enemies 
the  privileges  and  benefits  of  decency, 
democracy  and  peace.  Those  people 
have  been  on  an  unbroken  diet  of 
propaganda  for  years.  They've  had 
it  not  only  in  pictures  but  in  all  their 
periodicals,  books,  plays  and  radio. 
They  detect  it  instantly.  They  no 
longer  believe  it. 

"Almost  any  American  picture  you 
can  name  is,  in  its  very  nature,  a 
graphic  and  convincing  argument  for 
a  peaceful  and  decent  way  of  life.  The 
emphasis  is  on  free  men  following  a 
freely  chosen  course  and  enjoying  ma- 
terial and  spiritual  benefits  given  no 
other  nation.  I  believe  documentary 
films  have  a  definite  place  in  the 
process  of  re-education.  They  should 
be  carefully  selected,  however.  I 
believe  the  decision  of  General  Mac- 
Arthur  to  show  the  Japs  the  atrocity 
films  is  very  wise.  But  after  that  I 
think  the  emphasis  should  be  on  en- 
tertainment films  which  can  put  their 
message  over  without  encountering 
the  resistance  that  would  meet  the 
propaganda  pictures." 


Monogram  to  Open 
3  Offices  Abroad 

Monogram  International  Corp.  will 
open  distribution  offices  in  Buenos 
Aires,  Cairo  and  Manila  at  an  early 
date,  it  was  decided  during  recent  con- 
ferences in  Los  Angeles  between  W. 
Ray  Johnston,  president,  and  Norton 
V.  Ritchey,  president  of  the  newly- 
formed  Monogram  International  Corp. 
Other  offices  will  be  opened  by  the 
company  in  other  foreign  centers  as 
fast  as  conditions  permit  and  men  can 
be  trained  for  the  added  operations. 

The  International  company  plans  to 
send  special  sales  representatives  to 
London,  Paris,  Canada  and  Australia 
to  cooperate  with  local  franchise  hold- 
ers in  the  distribution  of  Monogram 
product,  it  was  stated. 


I 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  August  20,  1945 


Peacetime  Problems 
Of  Exhibition  up 
At  Allied-CIE  Meet 


(Continued  from  page  i) 

emphasis  on  its  "importance  to  exhib- 
itors who  cannot  qualify  for  relief 
under  section  10  of  the  consent  de- 
cree." 

Peacetime  problems  are  scheduled 
for  elaborate  discussion  and  include : 
"jack-rabbit  16mm.  shows,"  sale  of 
Government  surplus  motion  picture 
equipment  and  films,  reemployment  of 
returning  veterans,  furnishing  em- 
ployment by  renovation  of  theatres, 
pre-frabricated  theatres,  Government 
financing  for  small  business  and  tele- 
vision. 

The  agenda  also  includes  film  prices 
relative  to  policies  of  "particular  dis- 
tributors," M-G-M's  10-point  sales 
policy,  recently  publicized,  and  the 
"need  for  downward  revision  during 
demobilization  and  reconversion."  S. 
E.  Samuelson  will  lead  a  panel  dis- 
cussion on  the  Allied  Caravan..  Check- 
ing will  be  dealt  with  in  relation  to 
distributor  methods,  and  Confidential 
Reports  and  the  Copyright  Protection 
Bureau  will  be  discussed. 

The  second  day  the  board  will  hold 
a  closed  meeting  followed  by  reports 
on  new  sources  of  product,  including 
a  statement  by  Nathan  Yamins,  and 
the  usefulness  of  the  War  Activities 
Committee  in  peacetime. 

CIE  Meets  Tomorrow 

Prior  to  the  Allied  board  meeting, 
the  CIE  will  meet  on  Tuesday,  Aug. 
21,  with  Smith,  temporary  moderator, 
presiding.  The  following  are  sched- 
uled to  be  present,  in  addition  to  Al- 
lied directors :  Hugh  W.  Bruen  and 
Robert  H.  Poole,  representing  the 
Pacific  Coast  Conference  of  Inde=- 
pendent  Theatre  Owners ;  Jesse  L. 
Stern,  Unaffiliated  Independent  Ex-' 
hibitors  of  New  York ;  Bennie  Berger, 
North-Central  Allied  (Minnesota)  ; 
Leo  F.  Wolcott,  Allied-Independent 
Theatres  of  Iowa  &  Nebraska.  WiU 
liam  F.  Crockett  of  MPTO  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  attended  earlier  CIE  meet- 
ings, will  not  be  present. 

Those  scheduled  to  attend  the  board 
meeting  include :  Yamins,  Francis 
Lydon  and  Walter  Littlefield,  New 
England ;  Dr.  J.  B.  Fishman,  Max- 
well Alderman,  Connecticut ;  Harry 
H.  Lowenstein,  Irving  Dollinger  and 
E.  Thornton  Kelley,  New  Jersey ; 
Sidney  Samuelson  and  Harry  Chert- 
coff ,  Eastern  Pennsylvania ;  Meyer 
Leventhal,  Maryland;  M.  A.  Rosen^ 
berg,  Morris  Finkel,  Fred  J.  Herring- 
ton,  Western  Pennsylvania;  Smith, 
Leo  Jones,  Leo  Yassenoff,  C.  F.  Pfis- 
ter,  Ohio;  Ray  Branch  and  Fred 
Pennell,  Michigan ;  Roy  Harrold  and 
Trueman  Rembusch,  Indiana ;  Jack 
Kirsch,  Illinois;  John  P.  Adler,  W. 
L.  Ainsworth  and  Harry  Perlewitz, 
Wisconsin,  and  H.  A.  Cole,  Texas. 

Participants  in  the  CIE  will  be 
guests  of  the  Allied  MPTO  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  on  Tuesday,  Aug. 
21,  and  the  latter  organization  will 
be  host  at  a  luncheon  to  Allied  direc- 
tors and  observers  on  Wednesday,  and 
to  Allied  directors  and  their  guests 
at  dinner  on  the  same  night. 


Review 


delivered  "Af- 
he  now  essays 
His  third  is 


"Love  Letters" 

(Paramount) 

HAL  B.  WALLIS  keeps  right  on  rolling  along.  Having 
fairs  of  Susan"  and  'You  Came  Along"  to  Paramount, 
straight  drama  in  "Love  Letters"  and  comes  through  again, 
an  expert  attraction  very  well  handled  in  all  of  its  necessary  departments. 

Chief  among  them  are  starring  assets.  Jennifer  Jones  is  the  girl  and  Joseph 
Cotten  the  man,  reunited  for  the  first  time  since  their  appearance  in  the  ex- 
tremely successful  "Since  You  Went  Away,"  which  probably  accounts  for 
their  re-casting  anyway.  Important,  too,  is  the  interesting  story  based  on  a 
novel  by  Chris  Massie  and  reduced  to  script  by  Ayn  Rand. 

It  concerns  Cotten,  British  officer  invalided  out  of  the  Army.  He  falls  in 
love  with  Miss  Jones  through  her  letters,  as  she  does  with  him  through  his 
correspondence,  despite  the  fact  neither  one  has  ever  met  the  other.  Cotten 
first  willingly  and  later  reluctantly,  writes  them  for  an  officer  pal,  who  mar 
ries  the  girl.  The  match  is  short-lived  and  unhappy.  There  is  also  a  murder 
for  which  Miss  Jones  takes  a  manslaughter  rap  and  serves  a  year  in  prison 
She  suffers  amnesia,  as  well.  As  it  turn  out,  she  finds  herself  living  in  the 
present  and  hopefully  for  the  future  unburdened  by  the  past.  As  for  Cotten 
he  has  his  past,  tinged  by  the  brutalities  of  war,  and  a  futile  present  and  fu 
ture  until  along  comes  Miss  Jones.  Their  common  bond  is  their  love  letters 
Through  Ann  Richards,  protector  and  friend  of  the  girl,  Cotten  learns  the 
truth.  But  he  is  in  love  with  Miss  Jones,  is  aware  of  her  dual  personality 
and  determines  to  marry  her  anyway.  Thereafter  and  gradually,  amnesia  re 
cedes  and  memory  returns.  Whether  faithful  to  the  novel  or  not  this  reviewer 
knows  not — and  besides  it  makes  no  particular  difference — but  the  involved 
situation  clarifies  finally  with  a  dying  confession  from  Gladys  Cooper,  who 
had  adopted  and  raised  Miss  Jones  from  childhood,  that  she  had  killed  Hus 
band  No.  1.  She  would  have  told  the  truth  earlier  had  not  a  paralytic  stroke 
interfered  with  her  speech.  The  clarification  process  is  on  the  pat  side,  and 
convenient,  too,  but  it  gives  decided  audience  satisfaction  by  removing  the 
stigma  of  crime  from  the  romantic  feminine  lead. 

Story  involvements  tend  toward  the  out-of-hand  here  and  there,  but  dra- 
matic values  are  undeniable.  They  are  buttressed  very  considerably  by  Miss 
Jones'  charm  and  her  capabilities  as  an  actress  of  dramatic  persuasion.  Cot- 
ten is  competent  to  about  his  usual  degree,  which  is  plenty.  Miss  Richards 
does  an  able  job  in  a  rather  difficult  role.  Others  deserving  commendation 
include  Anita  Louise,  Cecil  Kellaway  and  Miss  Cooper.  Additional  support 
is  provided  by  Reginald  Denny,  Robert  Sully,  Ernest  Cossart,  Lumsden 
Hare,  Alec  Craig  and  Arthur  Hohl. 

William  Dieterle's  direction  is  persistently  aware  of  situations  and  the 
drama  residing  in  them ;  a  first-rate  directorial  performance  in  a  first-rate 
attraction. 

Running  time,  101  min.  General  classification.  In  Paramount  Block  1, 
for  1945-46. 

Red  Kann 


Variety  Launching 
Is  Set  for  Today 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  19.- — Launching 
the  Des  Moines  Variety  Club  to- 
morrow will  be  marked  with  a  golf 
tournament  at  Wakonda  country 
club  and  an  outing  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Tri-States  circuit. 

Tournament  and  outing  details  are 
being  completed  by  G.  Ralph  Branton, 
Tri-States  general  manager,  who  is 
in  charge  of  arrangements,  and  the 
affair  will  be  a  tribute  to  Robert 
O'Donnell,  chief  barker  of  National 
Variety. 


Bausch  &  Lomb  on 
Atomic  Bomb  Work 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  19.— Bausch 
&  Lomb  Optical  Co.  produced  a 
number  of  quality  precision  instru- 
ments used  in  development  of  the 
atomic  bomb,  it  is  revealed  here. 

Production  of  the  instruments,  for 
use  on  apparently  unrelated  contracts, 
remained  a  secret  until  President  Tru- 
man's disclosure  of  development  of  the 
atomic  bomb. 


Cohen  Joins  Warners 

Montreal.  Aug.  19.— Archie  Coh- 
en, formerly  with  Columbia,  has 
joined  Warners  as  salesman  here. 


Barrie  Is  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  19.  —  Betty 
Barrie  Enterprises,  Inc.,  has  been  in- 
corporated to  operate  amusement  cen- 
ters of  all  kinds  in  New  York.  In- 
corporators are :  Elizabeth  Blount, 
Morton  Slater,  H.  David  Frackman, 
all  of  New  York.  Frackman  was  in- 
corporating attorney. 


GE  Transmitter  for 
Don  Lee  System 

General  Electric  is  preparing  to 
build  a  40-kilowatt  television  trans 
mitter,  described  as  one  of  the  world's 
largest,  for  the  Don  Lee  Television 
and  Broadcasting  System,  it  has  been 
announced  by  James  D.  McLean, 
manager  of  G-E  transmitter  sales. 

The  West  Coast  network  has  al- 
ready filed  with  the  Federal  Communi- 
cations Commission  for  permission  to 
install  the  transmitter  on  Mt.  Wilson, 
outside  Hollywood.  Station  W6XAO, 
the  network's  television  station,  operat- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  since  Dec.  23, 1941, 
will  be  used  as  a  television  relay  sta- 
tion and  studio  site  after  the  new 
transmitter  is  installed,  according  to 
Harry  R.  Lubcke,  Don  Lee  television 
director. 

General  Electric  has  a  40-kilowatt 
television  transmitter  in  operation  for 
its  station  WRGB  at  Schenectady  and 
is  preparing  to  build  40-kilowatt 
television  transmitters  for  the  Chicago 
Tribune  and  New  York  Daily  News. 


PRC  Atlanta  Meet 

Atlanta,  Aug.  19.— Ike  and  Harry 
Katz,  Producers  Releasing  Corp. 
franchise  holders  in  Atlanta  and 
Charlotte,  held  their  annual  sales 
meeting  here  last  week  with  Fred 
Rohrs,  district  manager,  W.  H.  Ru- 
disill,  D.  O.  Graham,  R.  W.  McClure, 
A.  D.  Lewis,  Jr.,  E.  E.  Heller,  R.  M. 
Boovy  and  Jackie  Tadlock  among 
those  attending. 


Sees  $16,000,000 
Video  Station  Pay 


Television  stations  will  have  a  to- 
tal payroll  of  over  $16,000,000,  Paul 
E.  Carlson,  merchandising  manager 
of  Allen  B.  DuMont  Laboratories, 
Inc.,  predicted  Friday  in  an  address 
before  the  opening  session  of  the 
Board  of  Education  sponsored  War 
Industries  Training  Program  at  the 
Radio  &  Marine  Trade  Center  here. 

$128,000  Per  Station 

Carlson  told  the  group  of  about 
150  radar-trained  veterans  taking  the 
course  that  this  figure  was  based  on 
an  estimated  annual  station  staff  pay- 
roll of  $128,000,  multiplied  by  the  121 
commercial  television  stations  for 
which  applications  are  now  in  the 
hands  of  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission,  plus  the  nine  tele- 
vision stations  now  operating.  It  does 
not  include  the  30  non-commercial  and 
relay  stations  for  which  applications 
are  on  file  nor  any  of  the  other  re- 
lated fields  in  television. 

Among  other  phases  of  television 
work  which  he  described  as  offering 
considerable  potential  employment 
were  manufacture  of  receivers  and 
transmitters,  station  installation,  pro- 
gramming and  sales  and  receiver  in- 
stallation and  maintenance. 


Jamaica  Television 
Station  Sets  Staff 

The  formation  of  a  voluntary  pro- 
gram and  engineering  staff  is  an- 
nounced by  William  B.  Still,  indepen- 
dent owner  and  operator  of  television 
station  W2XJT,  an  experimental  sta- 
tion which  will  operate  from  Jamaica, 

The  station  will  operate  on  Channel 
13  and  plans  to  be  on  the  air  with  one 
hour  of  live  programming  per  week. 
In  addition,  they  will  do  approximately 
three  hours  of  film  programming  per 
week. 


BMB  Staff  Ready  for 
First  Radio  Survey 

The  Broadcast  Measurement  Bureau 
has  completed  formation  of  its  operat- 
ing staff  and  finds  itself  on  schedule  in 
the  development  of  its  first  nationwide 
survey,  planned  for  early  in  1946,  ac- 
cording to  John  K.  Churchill,  general 
manager  and  director  of  research. 

Headquarters  are  now  fully  equipped 
and  manned  and  numbered  among  the 
17  members  of  the  staff  are  men  who 
are  leaders  in  many  fields  of  radio  and 
advertising. 


Dumestre  Joins  New 
Equipment  Company 

Atlanta,  Aug.  19.— Jack  Dumestre 
has  resigned  from  the  Radio  Corp. 
of  America  to  become  general  mana- 
ger of  the  Southeastern  Theatre 
Equipment  Co.,  a  new  organization 
which  will  open  offices  Sept.  1  in  At- 
lanta, Charlotte  and  Jacksonville.  Du- 
mestre is  chief  barker  of  Atlanta  Tent 
No.  21,  Variety  Clubs  of  America. 


Uswetsky-Quinn  Expand 

Chicago,  Aug.  19.— Russ  Uswetsky 
and  Dan  Quinn,  formerly  with  the 
H.  and  E.  Balaban  Circuit,  have  ac- 
quired the  Revue  Theatre  here,  from 
Harry  Helfet.  This  is  their  third 
neighborhood  house,  the  others  being 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Webster. 


Monday,  August  20,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


Reviews 


"State  Fair" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

^TWENTIETH  CENTURY-FOX  has  excellent  and  saleable  box  office 
-1  merchandise  in  its  remake  of  "State  Fair,"  one  of  the  top  pictures  of  1933, 
which  now  is  an  eye-filling  Technicolor  musical  of  1945  with  a  score  by 
Richard  Rodgers  and  Oscar  Hammerstein  II,  who  fashioned  the  long-run 
Broadway  musical  comedy,  "Oklahoma."  The  1945  version  of  "State  Fair" 
is  an  appealing  and  thoroughly  entertaining  romantic  film  with  several  lively 
and  tuneful  musical  numbers.  It  should  appeal  to  all  types  of  audiences  and 
will  probably  score  big  at  the  box-office. 

Jeanne  Crain,  Dana  Andrews,  Dick  Haymes  and  Vivian  Blaine,  the  com- 
pany's four  up  and  coming  players,  are  starred  and  Charles  Winninger,  Fay 
Bainter,  Donald  Meek,  Frank  McHugh,  Percy  Kilbride  and  Henry  Morgan 
are  featured.  However,  what  will  send  this  film  into  the  champion  box-office 
class  is  the  fact  that  it  is  Rodgers  and  Hammerstein's  "State  Fair"  .and  it 
is  in  a  mood  and  vein  similar  to  "Oklahoma." 

Producer  William  Perlberg  provided  a  handsome  production  with  the  Iowa 
State  Fair  and  its  surrounding  carnival  spirit  as  the  background.  Emphasis 
in  Walter  Lang's  direction  is  upon  romance  and  music  and  a  good  share  of 
comedy  provided  by  Winninger  and  his  blue-ribbon  boar.  As  his  wife,  Miss 
Bainter  comes  up  with  a  few  prize-winning  dishes. 

The  story  which  Phil  Stong  originally  fashioned  as  a  novel  is  a  simple  one. 
It  relates  the  romance  between  Miss  Crain,  as  the  starry-eyed,  restless  daughter 
of  the  Frakes  (Winninger  and  Miss  Bainter)  and  a  likeable  newspaper  re- 
porter played  by  Andrews.  Haymes,  the  son,  also  finds  romance  at  the  fair 
with  Miss  Blaine,  a  soloist  with  one  of  the  bands,  but  things  only  work  out 
for  Miss  Crain  and  Andrews.  Haymes  returns  to  his  farm  sweetheart  when 
it  develops  that  Miss  Blaine  has  a  husband  from  whom  she  is  separated. 
Hammerstein  wrote  the  screen  play  from  an  adaptation  by  Sonya  Levien  and 
Paul  Green. 

It  is  the  music  that  provides  a  great  deal  of  the  charm  and  appeal  of  "State 
Fair."  There  are  six  numbers  in  the  Rodgers-Hammerstein  score.  Highlights 
are  "It's  a  Grand  Night  For  Singing,"  "It  Might  As  Well  Be  Spring"  and 
"All  I  Owe  Iowa."  Between  them,  Miss  Crain,  Haymes  and  Miss  Blaine  turn 
in  a  grand  job  with  the  songs.  There  is  also  a  spritely  opening  number  in 
"Our  State  Fair."  The  numbers  are  gay  and  bright,  if  not  spectacular,  and 
the  same  applies  to  the  production  numbers. 

Results  are  good  in  all  departments.  Leon  Shamroy's  photography  catches 
the  spirit  of  the  carnival  to  good  advantage.  Alfred  Neuman  and  Charles 
Henderson  have  done  a  swell  job  on  musical  direction  and  Edward  Powell's 
orchestral  arrangements  also  deserve  plaudits.  "State  Fair"  may  not  have 
too  many  marquee  names  but  shrewd  showmanship  will  bring  in  the  dollars 
at  the  exhibitor's  box  offices. 

Running  time,  100  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  To  be  released 
in  October.  Milton  Livingston. 


"Paris  Underground" 

(United  Artists-Constance  Bennett) 

ETTA  SHIBER'S  widely  read  account  of  two  women,  one  American,  the 
other  British,  who  by  chance  came  to  develop  an  effective  underground 
organization  in  Paris  during  the  Nazi  occupation,  comes  to  the  fore  as  a 
Constance  Bennett  production.  It  stars  Miss  Bennett  and  Gracie  Fields,  and 
is  directed  by  Gregory  Ratoff.  The  potentialities  were  huge  in  view  of  the 
successful  story  material,  the  two  well  established  cast  names  and  a  top-rank- 
ing director. 

"Paris  Underground"  falls  short  of  expectations,  however,  erring  in  some- 
what over-expanded  footage  in  laying  the  groundwork  for  the  plot.  Its  sub- 
sequent movement  is  hampered  at  times  by  wordiness  in  lieu  of  what  might 
have  been  taut  action.  Almost,  but  not  quite,  balancing  the  debit  side  are 
fine  performances  and  Ratoff's  direction,  both  of  which  wring  from  the  working 
script  many  diverting  moments. 

Miss  Bennett  and  Miss  Fields,  as  the  American  and  British  women  of  the 
story,  fail  in  their  attempt  to  leave  Paris  as  the  Germans  march  in.  By 
accident  they  become  acquainted  with  a  British  flier,  shot  down  over  France, 
and  now  bent  on  leaving  the  country.  Their  assistance  to  him  leads  to  con- 
tacts with  the  Paris  underground.  The  patriotic  and  very  perilous  work  ap- 
peals to  them.  They  go  into  it  wholeheartedly,  and  eventually  under  the 
pretense  of  friendship  with  the  enemy  manage  to  steal  many  concealed  British 
casualties  past  the  border.  After  many  successful  operations  the  pair  are 
apprehended  and  interned  in  a  medieval  prison.  In  an  unexpected  and  quite 
melodramatic  climax  they  are  rescued  by  the  Yank  captors  of  Paris  after 
the  months  of  privation. 

George  Rigaud,  as  Miss  Bennett's  husband,  does  well  in  the  prominent  role 
of  the  patriotic  Frenchman  who  barely  escapes  the  Gestapo.  Kurt  Krueger 
is  very  convincing  as  the  German  officer  whose  designs  on  Miss  Bennett  blind 
him  to  her  work.  Leslie  Vincent,  Charles  Andre  and  Eily  Malyon  are  among 
those  in  support.  The  screenplay  is  by  Boris  Ingster  and  Gertrude  Purcell. 

Running  time,  97  minutes.  Release  date,  September  13.  General  audience 
classification.  Gene  Arneel 


2  Clearance  Cases 
Filed  in  Boston 


Two  clearance  complaints  have  been 
tiled  in  the  Boston  tribunal,  the 
American  Arbitration  Association  re- 
ported Friday. 

Randolph  Theatres,  Inc.,  operating 
[  the  Randolph  Theatre,  Randolph, 
Mass.,  states  in  its  complaint  against 
Paramount,  Loew's,  RKO  Radio  and 
20th  Century-Fox  that  the  theatre  is 
subj  ect  to  the  following  clearances : 
30  days  after  first  run  Brockton  and 
one  day  after  first  run  Quincy ;  but 
in  no  event  later  than  21  days  after 
availability  to  first  run  Quincy. 

Double  Clearance  Charge 

Complainant  claims  that  he  is  un- 
fairly subjected  to  double  clearance 
through  both  the  Brockton  and  Quin- 
cy sequences.  Further,  he  alleges, 
the  30-day  clearance  of  the  Brockton 
is  excessive  and  unreasonable,  and 
asks  that  clearance  in  favor  of  either 
the  Brockton  and  Quincy  be  elim- 
inated. If  it  is  determined  that  the 
Brockton  sequence  rather  than  the 
Quincy  sequence  be  maintained,  com- 
plainant asks  that  clearance  of  first 
run  Brockton  over  the  Randolph  be 
reduced  to  14  days. 

At  the  same  time,  the  AAA  re- 
ported that  Newman  R.  Robinson, 
operating  the  Town  Hall  Theatre, 
West  Rutland,  Vt.,  has  filed  a  clear- 
ance complaint  against  the  five  con- 
senting companies.  Robinson,  who  is 
subject  to  90-day  clearance  after  first 
run  Rutland  on  product  of  the  five 
companies,  which,  he  says  is  unreason- 
able, is  asking  that  they  be  reduced 
to  30  days. 

Academy  Puts  Brake 
On  Eqipment  Rush 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19.  —  The  re- 
search council  of  the  Academy  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  has 
announced  the  inauguration  of  a  series 
of  tests  "to  derive  a  method  for 
measuring  the  efficiency  of  theatre 
loudspeaker  systems"  and  has  dis- 
patched a  letter  to  theatre  equipment 
companies  stating  the  council's  opinion 
that  "all  benefits  achieved  from  higher 
efficiencies  of  new  loudspeaker  sys- 
tems should  be  retained  for  better 
over-all  sound  results  and  that  the 
new  and  more  efficient  loudspeaker 
systems  should  not  be  used  to  reduce 
the  electrical  power  in  any  given  the- 
atre." 

Purpose  of  the  letter  is  to  forestall 
possible  changes  in  equipment  which 
would  prevent  theatres  from  taking 
advantage  of  developments  now  being 
tested  with  special  equipment  installed 
in  the  Academy  Theatre  at  Inglewood. 


Salesmen  to  Exhibition 

Cleveland,  Aug.  19. — Oscar  Bloom 
and  Jack  Share,  former  local  Colum- 
bia salesmen,  have  purchased  the 
Cedar  and  Quincy  Theatres  from 
Frank  and  Roy  Gross.  Both  are 
neighborhood  houses  and  cater  to  col- 
ored trade. 


Classics  Increases  Stock 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  19. — Film 
Classics,  Inc.,  of  New  York,  has  in- 
creased its  capital  stock  from  200 
shares,  no  par,  to  3,000  shares,  with 
2.000  preferred  at  $10  par,  and  1,000 
common  at  no  par.  Stillman  and  Still- 
man,  New  York,  were  recording  at- 
torneys. 


Monogram  Dividend 

Hollywood,  Aug.  19. — The  Mono- 
gram board  of  directors  has  declared 
a  dividend  of  13M  cents  per  share  on 
its  outstanding  convertible  preferred 
stock,  payable  Sept.  15  to  stockholders 
of  record  Sept.  1. 


850,000  See  'BelV 

"A  Bell  for  Adano"  brought  nearly 
850,000  paid  admissions  to  the  Music 
Hall  during  its  six  weeks  there,  man- 
aging director  G.  S.  Eyssell  informed 
Tom  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  sales. 


WPB  May  End 
Raw  Stock 
Control  Today 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

an  opportunity  to  discuss  it  with  Stan- 
ley B.  Adams,  director  of  the  Con- 
sumers Hard  Goods  Bureau,  next 
week,  the  WPB  is  acting  on  a  policy 
of  throwing  all  controls  overboard 
that  do  not  absolutely  have  to  be  re- 
tained because  of  material  shortages — 
which  are  not  involved  in  the  raw 
stock  situation — and  it  is  generally  be- 
lieved earlier  action  will  be  taken. 
In  fact,  next  week's  scheduled  meet- 
ings with  Adams  may  be  canceled. 

Could  Ration  Customers 

While  the  film  manufacturers  have 
a  heavy  backlog  of  orders  and  could 
expect  a  large  additional  demand  if 
the  curbs  were  taken  off,  they  could 
ration  their  customers,  as  they  have 
in  the  past,  and  it  is  believed  that 
only  a  few  weeks  would  be  required 
for  the  situation  to  stabilize,  it  is 
pointed  out. 

The  military  is  not  hereafter  ex- 
pected to  be  an  important  factor  in  the 
film  situation,  it  being  pointed  out 
that  there  will  be  no  further  combat 
demand  or  inventory  problem.  Army 
stocks,  it  is  said,  are  very  extensive 
and  capable  of  caring  for  needs  for 
some -time;  they  will  be  used  to  the 
fullest  extent  possible  so  as  to  avoid 
undue  surplus. 

Section  Washed  Up 

With  the  lifting  of  L-178,  the 
photographic  section  of  Adams'  bu- 
reau will  be  practically  washed  up, 
although  it  will  probably  continue  to 
operate  for  a  few  weeks  to  clean  up 
the  odds  and  ends  that  accumulate 
in  the  course  of  such  an  operation  as 
it  has  handled. 

The  wartime  restrictions  on  pro- 
duction of  photographic  equipment 
were  lifted  some  weeks  ago,  and  out- 
put since  has  been  limited  only  by 
the  ability  of  manufacturers  to  get  the 
necessary  materials.  The  material 
situation  will  improve  rapidly,  how- 
ever, and  full-scale  production  of 
equipment  and  parts  will  be  under 
way  in  a  short  time. 

Film  Deliverers' 
Problems  Remain 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

and  four  weekly  deliveries  elsewhere 
in  more  remote  areas. 

Establishing  of  new  routes  in  New 
York  and  elsewhere  is  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Com- 
mission and  Public  Service  Commis- 
sions. The  decision  to  establish  new 
routes  is  expected  to  wait  upon  the 
availability  of  trucks  and  tires. 


Steve  Broidy  Here 

Steve  Broidy,  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager  of  Monogram, 
has  arrived  in  New  York  from  the 
Coast  for  new  season  product  nego- 
tiations. Broidy  will  attend  the 
scheduled  War  Production  Board  in- 
dustry advisory  committee  meeting  in 
Washington  on  raw  stock  Aug.  29 
and  will  visit  nearby  Monogram  ex- 
changes before  returning  to  Holly- 
wood. 


INTE  RNATIONAL 

MOTION 
PICTU  RE 
ALMANAC 

THE  REFERENCE  BOOK. OFTHE INDUSTRY 


The  1945-46  edition,  now  on  the  press 
will  contain  the  most  exhaustive 
compilation  of  up-to-the-minute  facts 
and  figures  about  the  motion  picture 
industry  ever  published. 

Serving  the  producer,  the  distributor, 
the  exhibitor  and  all  other  factors 
of  the  business,  the  Almanac  is  the 
supreme  reference  annual  of  the 
industry.  Edition  is  limited.  Reserve 
your  copy  now.  The  last  edition  was 
sold  out  within  a  week  of  publication. 
$3.25 postpaid  in  U.S.A.,  $5  elsewhere. 

EDITED    BY    TERRY  RAMSAYE 


QP 


QUIGLEY 

PUBLICATIONS 

New  York  (20)  Hollywood  (28) 
Chicago  (5)  London 


QP 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteUigen 

smay 

to  them 

tion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  36 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST  21,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Mexico  Strike 
Held  Legal 
By  Arbiters 

End  of  U.  S.  Distribution 
There  Seen  Possible 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  20. — With- 
drawal of  American  film  distribu- 
tion from  Mexico  is  seen  here  as  a 
possibility,  following  a  ruling  by  the 
Federal  Board  of  Arbitration  and  Con- 
ciliation which  gave  legal  status  to  the 
current  strike  against  eight  U.  S.  com- 
panies. The  ruling  means  that  the 
companies  must  practically  meet  the 
50  per  cent  pay  raise  demand,  plus  pay- 
ing full  wages  during  the  strike. 

The  board  announced  that  it  had 
ascertained  that  nearly  all  employes 
of  the  American  companies  favored 
the  walkout. 

Despite  the  gloomy  outlook  in  some 
quarters,  however,  the  press  here 
quotes  Fidel  Velazquez,  secretary 
general  of  the  Confederation  of  Mex- 
ican Workers,  Mexico's  strongest  la- 
bor organization,  a  staunch  member 
of  which  is  National  Cinematographic 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Allied  Seeking  End 
Of  20%  Tax  Rate 


Washington,  Aug.  20. — Unless  the 
20  per  cent  Federal  tax  on  theatre 
admissions  is  extended  at  the  next 
session  of  Congress,  it  will  end  March 
1,  1946,  provided  the  official  proclama- 
tion of  "V-J  Day"  comes  this  month 
and  formally  declares  the  end  of  hos- 
tilities, Allied  States  Association  re- 
minds exhibitors  in  a  bulletin  issued 
from  here,  adding  that,  if  the  so-called 
"nuisance  taxes"  are  reconsidered, 
"Allied  will  make  representations  on 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Levy  Named  Disney 
World  Sales  Head 


May  Talk  on 
World  Trade 


Washington,  Aug.  20. — An  inter- 
national trade  conference,  planned  by 
the  State  Department  for  the  con- 
sideration of  problems  facing  motion 
pictures  and  other  commodities  in 
world  commerce  in  the  postwar  era, 
will  be  held  in  this  country  next 
March,  or  April,  if  the  necessary 
arrangements  can  be  perfected,  it  was 
learned  here  today. 

Discussions  have  been  going  on 
between  State  Department  and  Brit- 
ish government  officials  with  a  view 
to  arranging  the  meeting,  at  which  all 
United  Nations  would  be  represented. 

In  view  of  the  difference  in  views 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


OCR's  'Facilities 
Program'  Ended 


Washington,  Aug.  20. — Termina- 
tion of  the  War  Production  Board's 
"Community  Facilities  Program," 
which  coordinated  activities  of  Gov- 
ernment agencies  in  insuring  construc- 
tion of  facilities,  including  war-area 
theatres,  to  increase  civilian  morale 
and  decrease  labor  turnover  in  war 
production  plants,  is  announced  by 
WPB's  Office  of  Civilian  Require- 
ments. 

William  Y.  Elliott.  WPB  vice- 
chairman  for  civilian  requirements, 
was  national  coordinator  of  the  pro- 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


WPB  Ends  All  Raw 
Stock  Controls 


LeRoy  Has  Plans 
For  U.  K.  Filming 


Arnold  Grant,  president  and  legal 
counsel .  of  Mervyn  LeRoy's  new  Ar- 
rowhead Productions,  left  here  yester- 
day via  Pan-American  Airways  for 
London  to  discuss  a  deal  for  produc- 
tion of  high-budget  pictures  in  England 
either  through  the  facilities  of  the 
London  studios  of  a  major  Hollywood 
company  or  jointly  with  J.  Arthur 
Rank,  if  terms  are  suitable. 

It  is  planned  to  use  Hollywood  star 
names  in  at  least  one  of  the  major 
roles  of  each  film,  and  British  person- 
alities wherever  feasible  to  popularize 
in  America  British  stars  for  future 
Arrowhead  Productions.  Although 
the  first  production  has  not  been  defi- 
nitely decided  upon,  there  is  a  possi- 
bility that  it  will  be  a  musical  titled 
after  David  Rose's  "Holiday  for 
Strings."  When  this  is  produced,  Da- 
vid Rose  will  do  the  musical  score  and 
compose  several  original  numbers  for 
the  film. 

Grant,  New  York  lawyer,  stated 
that  plans  already  are  under  way  for 
Arrowhead  in  Hollywood,  where  the 
company  has  a  12-picture  releasing 
deal  with  Warner  Bros.  The  first 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Competition  Strong,  Yet 
Business  Here  Is  Good 


Roy  O.  Disney,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Walt  Disney  Pro- 
ductions, Inc.,  announces  that  William 
B.  Levy,  now  in  London  on  a  special 
mission  for  Disney,  has  been  placed  in 
charge  of  the  supervision  of  world  dis- 
tribution for  Walt  Disney  products. 

Levy  will  return  from  Europe  in 
September  to  assume  his  new  duties. 
His    headquarters    will   be   in  New 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Lifting  of  Salary 
Lid  Expected  Soon 

Washington,  Aug.  20. — War- 
time limitations  on  salary  in- 
creases for  industrial  execu- 
tives and  salaried  personnel 
receiving  over  $5,000  a  year 
may  be  revoked  within  the 
next  few  days,  it  was  indi- 
cated here  today. 

Officials  of  the  salary  stab- 
ilization unit  of  the  Internal 
Revenue  Bureau  were  report- 
ed to  be  studying  the  pos- 
sibility of  unfreezing  salaries, 
which  have  been  restricted  for 
nearly  three  years  under  an 
executive  order  issued  by 
President  Roosevelt. 


Business  at  New  York  first-run 
theatres  held  up  strongly  during  the 
country's  first  peacetime  weekend  in 
over  three  and  one-half  years  despite 
the  lifting  of  gasoline  rationing  and 
warm,  sunny  weather  which  sent  mil- 
lions to  beaches  and  the  highways  in 
their  cars.  Aided  by  last  week's  Vic- 
tory holidays,  the  houses  are  generally 
counting  another  week  of  peak  re- 
ceipts. 

Of  new  arrivals,  "Over  21,"  com- 
bined with  a  stage  bill,  brought  a  big 
$79,000  for  the  first  four  days  at  Radio 
City  Music  Hall,  with  a  heavy  $125,- 
expected  for  the  week ;  "Our  Vines 
Have  Tender  Grapes"  will  be  the  next 
film  at  the  Hall. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  plus  a  stage 
presentation  featuring  Paul  Whiteman 
and  his  orchestra  and  Lionel  Kaye  and 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Industry  Meetings  Are 
Cancelled;  Will  Seek 
To  Prevent  'Hoarding' 

By  BERTRAM  F.  LINZ 

Washington,  Aug.  20. — Revo- 
cation of  all  restrictions  on  the  pro- 
duction and  distribution  of  photo- 
graphic film  was  announced  here 
tonight  by  Stanley  B.  Adams,  direc- 
tor  of  the   War   Production  Board 
Consumers'  Hard  Goods  Bureau. 
Three  years  to  the  day  after 
its  imposition,  Adams  lifted  al- 
location Order  No.  L-178,  and 
Order  No.  L-233,  requiring  the 
scheduling  of  film  deliveries  by 
manufacturers,  and  paid  high 
tribute  to  the  manner  in  which 
the    industry    had  cooperated 
through  the  war  period. 
Formal  announcement  of  the  revo- 
cation  of   these   and   a    number  of 
orders  affecting  other  industries  was 
issued  by  the  WPB  as  it  prepares  to 
cut  its  staff  by  one-third  to  one-half 
within  the  next  few  weeks. 

Meetings  of  the  three  industry  ad- 
visory   committees,    postponed  last 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


Services  Cut-back 
Film  Processing 


Eastern  film  processing  laboratories 
have  received  orders  from  the  Armed 
Services  to  suspend  work  on  present 
orders  on  all  Army  Air  Forces,  Army 
Signal  Corps  and  Navy  training  films 
and  on  other  films  pending  a  study 
of  contract  cancellations  which  fol- 
lowed the  surrender  of  Japan  last 
week.  About  100  workers  in  the 
laboratories  have  already  been  laid  off 
but  spokesmen  for  the  laboratories  ex- 
pect that  some  of  the  work  suspended 
might  be  ordered  completed. 

The  laboratories  here  alone  did  be- 
tween $1,000,000  and  $2,000,000  worth 
of  film  processing  annually  for  the 
Armed  Services  during  the  war.  Con- 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


5  Reviews  Today 

Reviews  of  "The  Gay  Sen- 
o  r  i  t  a,"  "Saddle  Serenade," 
"Song  of  Old  Wyoming"  ap- 
pear on  page  8;  "Rustlers  of 
the  Badlands,"  "Shanghai  Co- 
bra," page  12. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  21,  1945 


Auten  Takes  Over 
At  Eagle-Lion 


Capt.  Harold  B.  Auten,  vice-pres- 
ident and  vice-chairman  pf  Eagle- 
Lion  Films,  Inc.,  who  returned  re- 
cently from  a  trip  to  England,  has 
moved  into  the  Eagle  Lion  offices 
here,  to  assume  the  post  recently  va- 
cated by  the  resignation  of  Arthur  W. 
Kelly.  Caot.  Auten,  during  the  war 
the  chief  rerouting  liaison  for  the 
Royal  British  Navy  in  New  York  and 
a  factor  in  the  handling  of  British 
ships  in  this  area,  will  wind  up  his 
naval  duties  within  the  next  few 
weeks. 

He  will  work  with  United  Artists 
immediately  on  release  plans  for  the 
Noel  Coward  Technicolor  film, 
"Blithe  Spirit,"  which  is  scheduled  as 
the  next  Rank  group  film  to  be  re- 
leased in  the  United  States. 


SOP  EG,  Companies 
Classify  Workers 

Contracts  between  the  Screen  Of- 
fice and  Professional  Employes  Guild, 
Local  No.  1,  and  Loew's,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, Paramount,  RKO  and  Co- 
lumbia, covering  about  2,000  home  of- 
fice "white  collar"  workers  are  not 
expected  to  be  ready  for  submission  to 
the  War  Labor  Board  here  for  ap- 
proval before  Labor  Day,  although 
agreement  was  reached  July  1. 

Company  personnel  heads  and 
SOPEG  have  been  meeting  here  in 
a  further  attempt  to  complete  the 
classification  of  their  help.  There  are 
158  classifications  with  minimum  and 
maximum  wage  scales. 


SOPEG  Meeting  Aug.  27 

The  general  membership  meeting  of 
the  Screen  Office  and  Professional 
Employees  Guild  again  has  been  post- 
poned. Scheduled  to  decide  what  ac- 
tion, if  any,  is  to  be  taken  by  the 
New  York  Readers  Chapter  in  con- 
sequence of  reported  re-routing  of 
story  material  from  the  Coast,  the 
meeting  is  now  set  for  Aug.  27. 


$152,177,089  Rise  in 
Admissions  Tax 

Washington,  Aug.  20. — The  Fed- 
eral Government  collected  $43,800,- 
387,575  in  taxes  during  the  year  ended 
June  30,  or  .$3,678,627,343  more  than 
in  the  previous  fiscal  12  months,  the 
Bureau  of  Interior  Revenue  reports. 

The  tax  collected  on  admissions  to 
theatres  and  other  entertainments 
jumped  $152,177,089  during  the  1945 
fiscal  year,  for  a  total  of  $357,466,115. 


Personal  Mention 


New  George  Pal  Series 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — George  Pal, 
whose  Puppetoon  shorts  are  released 
through  Paramount,  plans  a  series 
based  on  Chaucer's  "Canterbury 
Tales."  One  of  the  first  will  be  built 
around  "Chanticleer,  the  Cock,"  one 
of  Chaucer's  best  known  characters. 


20th's  Board  to  Meet 

The  board  of  directors  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox will  meet  at  the  home  office 
here  on  Aug.  24  for  the  purpose  of 
declaring  stock  dividends. 


SPYROS   SKOURAS,  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox president,  and  Donald 
Henderson,  treasurer,  have  returned 
to  New  York  from  the  Coast. 
• 

T/5  Richard  J.  Conners,  former 
newspaper  man  and  former  Motion 
Picture  Daily  correspondent  at  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  is  editor  of  Group  Garble, 
a  v/eekly  published  for  personnel  of 
GHQ  Signal  Operations  in  the  Pa- 
cific. 

• 

Maurice  A.  Bergman,  Universal's 
Eastern  advertising  director,  did  not 
return  from  the  Coast  yesterday,  as 
anticipated,  but  is  expected  to  arrive 
at  the  end  of  the  week. 

• 

Joseph  Salmon,  manager  of  Skour- 
as'  Riverside  Theatre,  here,  has  re- 
turned after  a  three-month  vacation 
in  Florida  having  recovered  from  a 
recent  illness. 

• 

Charles  O.  Julian,  RKO  repre- 
sentative in  India,  left  New  York 
over  the  weekend  for  Vancouver,  B. 
G,  for  his  first  visit  with  his  family 
in  over  ten  years. 

• 

Gene  Venne,  assistant  manager  of 
the  Avalon  Theatre,  Longueil,  Que- 
bec, was  a  recent  visitor  to  the  RKO 
Radio  home  office  while  on  a  trip  to 
New  York. 

• 

Charles  Schlaifer,  Louis  Shan- 
field  and  Christy  Wilbert  of  20th 
Century-Fox's  advertising  department, 
returned  here  yesterday  from  the 
Coast. 

'S/Sgt.  Sabu  Bastagir,  actor,  has 
reported  at  the  Fort  MacArthur  sepa- 
ration center,  preparatory  to  return- 
ing to  films. 

• 

Rudolph  Berger,  M-G-M  Southern 
division  manager,  is  visiting  in  At- 
lanta, conferring  with  Charles  E. 
Kessnich. 

• 

Ed    Smith,    Paramount  manager, 
Springfield,  Mass.,  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  vacationing  at  Lake  Champlain. 
• 

Randy    Maller,   manager   of  the 
Strand,   New   Britain,   Conn.,   is  in 
New  Britain  General  Hospital. 
• 

Harry    H.    Thomas,  Monogram 
sales  executive,  left  the  Coast  over 
the  weekend  for  New  York. 
• 

Theodore  Lawrence,  M-G-M  for 
eign    sound    department    head,  left 
Hollywood  for  New  York  yesterday. 
• 

William  Morris,  head  of  the  Mor- 
ris talent  agency,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

Phil  Rapp  of  Fabian  Upstate  The- 
atres has  returned  to  Albany  from 
vacation. 

• 

George  Seed,  Fabian  Theatres  city 
manager  at  Cohoes,  N.  Y.,  is  vaca- 
tioning at  Lake  Placid. 

• 

Mrs.  Laura  Kenny,  M-G-M  At- 
lanta office  manager,  is  on  vacation. 


WALTER  GOULD,  United  Art- 
ists foreign  sales  manager,  has 
returned  to  the  U.  S.  from  a  three 
months'  trip  to  England,  France, 
Switzerland  and  Sweden. 

• 

Stanley  Sherwin,  head  of  RKO 
Radio's  art  department,  here,  and 
Mrs.  Sherwin  yesterday  became  par- 
ents of  a  second  child,  Bruce  How- 
ard Sherwin,  born  at  Beth  David 
Hospital. 

• 

Benny  Berger,  president  of  the 
North  Central  Allied  Independent 
Theatre  Owners,  with  headquarters  in 
Minneapolis,  left  New  York  yester- 
day for  today's  Allied  meeting  in 
Pittsburgh. 

• 

Ralph  R.  Doyle,  RKO  Radio  gen- 
eral manager  for  Australia,  was  pre- 
sented with  a  life  membership  in  the 
Motion  Picture  Benevolent  Society  in 
Sydney,  Australia. 

• 

Marie  Orth,  secretary  to  Steve 
Trilling  at  Warner  Bros.,  will  be 
married  to  Lt.  Col.  Jack  Oberhans- 
ley,  U.  S.  Army  Air  Forces,  with- 
in the  next  two  weeks. 

• 

Ben  Kalmenson,  Warner  Bros, 
general  sales  manager,  and  Roy 
Haines,  Southern  and  Western  Divi- 
sion manager,  will  leave  tonight  for 
Detroit  on  a  business  trip. 

• 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  assistant 
treasurer  of  Warner  Bros.,  has  left 
for  the  Coast  for  conferences  with 
company  president  Harry  M.  War- 
ner. 

• 

Charles  S.  Chaplin,  United  Art- 
ists' Canadian  sales  manager,  left  To- 
ronto yesterday  for  a  two  weeks' 
tour  of  the  company's  Canadian  ex- 
changes. 

• 

Ray  Milland,  Paramount  star 
who  arrived  in  New  York  yesterday 
from  England,  will  leave  today  for 
Hollywood. 

• 

David  Palfreyman,  exhibitor  rela- 
tions contact  for  the  MPPDA,  will 
return  today  from  his  vacation  at  An- 
gola, Ind. 

• 

Walter  Lloyd,  manager  of  the 
Allyn,  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  Mrs. 
Lloyd  are  vacationing  in  Atlantic 
City. 

• 

N.  L.  Carter  of  New  Orleans,  vice- 
president    of    Paramount  -  Richards 
Theatres,  is  visiting  in  New  York. 
• 

Bill  Wasserman  of  Warner  The- 
atres' Cleveland  booking  department, 
has  gone  to  California  for  a  vacation. 
• 

Dennis  Morgan,  Warner  star,  has 
returned  to  the  studio  following  a 
seven  weeks'  hospital  tour. 

• 

Howard    Strickling,    director  of 
publicity  at  the  M-G-M  studios,  will 
return  to  Culver  City  on  Thursday. 
• 

Al  Wilkie,  Paramount  publicity 
manager,  here,  left  yesterday  for  a 
two  weeks'  vacation. 


Andrews  Sisters 
Enter  Production 

Back  in  New  York  following  an 
eight  weeks'  USO  camp  tour  of 
North  Africa  and  Italy,  the  Andrews 
Sisters — Patty,  Maxene  and  La  Verne 
— disclosed  yesterday  that  they  will 
enter  the  producing  field  on  their  own 
shortly  with  their  first  film  titled 
"Eight  to  the  Bar,"  which  will  prob- 
ably be  released  through.  United  Art- 
ists. Mabel  England  is  now  at  work 
on  the  production's  story  script.  The, 
picture  will  be  filmed  in  Hollywood,^ 
to  which  the  Andrews  Sisters  will  re- 
turn after  completing  a  six  weeks' 
New  York  Paramount  Theatre  stage 
assignment  beginning  Sept.  5. 

The  sisters  did  two  camp  shows  a 
day,  plus  several  daily  impromptu 
performances  while  overseas. 

A  USO  spokesman  said  yesterday 
that  camp  shows  will  continue  for  the 
Armed  Forces  in  occupied  countries. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.  &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 


OYER  21 


A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Greer  GARSON 
Gregory  PECK 

in  M-G-M's 

'VALLEY  of 


g|  DECISION' 


IN  PERSON 
BENNY 

RUBIN 

fXTRAI 

SARA  ANN 

McCABE 


'BETTY  HU^OI^ CORDOVA"1 
in  Paramount's 

'INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Gofdwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

international  picture  released 

BY  RKO 


■WALT  DISNEY'S" 


WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

pi\orrnio 

ffUelaltulreg,tnh  TECHNICOLOR 

Distributed    by    RKO    Radio    Pictures,  Inc. 

RE  P  U  B  L I C  Am^cVoLED 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manaeer;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  pest  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Tuesday.  August  21.  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Coming 
Events 


Today  through  Aug.  23  —  Allied 
Board  meeting  and  meeting  of  the 
conference  of  Independent  Exhibi- 
tors, William  Penn  Hotel,  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Today  through  Aug.  24 — 20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox sales  meeting.  Atlanta. 

Aug.  22 — War  Activities  Committee 
trade  press  division  meeting.  New 
York. 

Aug.  22-23 — Universal  sales  meet- 
ing, Chicago. 

Aug.  23  —  Walt  Disney  corporate 
meeting  on  stock  transfers,  Holly- 
wood. 

Aug.  23 — Luncheon-meeting  of  the 
entertainment  industry  committee 
for  B'nai  B'rith's  1945  joint  De- 
fense Appeal  campaign.  Hotel  Astor, 
New  York; 
Aug.  25-26 — Universal  sales  meeting, 

Cincinnati. 
Aug.  27 — B'nai  B'rith  dinner  honor- 
ing Jack  Cohn,  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel, 

New  York. 
Aug.  27 — Cincinnati  Variety  Club  an- 
nual golf  tournament. 
Aug.  28-29 — Universal  sales  meeting, 

New  York. 
Aug.  29 — New  Jersey  Allied  outing. 
West  End  Casino,  West  End,  N.  J. 


Thousands  Idle  as 
Ohio  Reconverts 

Cleveland,  Aug.  20. — The  axe  has 
already  fallen  on  approximately  $100,- 
000.000  worth  of  war  contracts  in 
Cleveland,  more  than  half  of  them  in 
the  automotive  classification.  Imme- 
diate results  here  of  the  cessation  of 
war  is  an  unemploved  armv  estimated 
at  between  75,000  and  125'000.  Gov. 
Frank  J.  Lausche  has  been  urged  to 
speed  the  state  unemployment  com- 
pensation bill  boosting  the  maximum 
compensation  from  $16  to  $21  a  week 
and  the  duration  of  payments  from  18 
to  22  weeks,  as  approved  by  the  last 
session  of  the  state  legislature  to  be- 
come effective  on  Oct.  12. 

Cleveland  City  Council  is  preparing 
a  $21,000,000  program  to  improve  and 
extend  local  aviation  facilities,  and  also 
has  on  its  program,  improvement  of 
the  lake  shore,  construction  of  new 
sewage  plants  and  other  city-wide  im- 
provements. Speedy  conversion  is 
asked  by  city  planners  in  order  to 
keep  highly  skilled  workmen  from  ac- 
cepting jobs  in  other  cites. 


'Meet  Your  Navy'  Air 
Show  Set  for  Films 

Shooting  has  been  completed  by  a 
Hollywood  technical  crew  of  30  on  a 
musical  short  film  version  of  the  radio 
show,  "Meet  Your  Navy,"  slated  for 
general  release  about  Sept.  1,  and 
made  under  the  supervision  of  the  J. 
M.  Mathes  advertising  agency  act- 
ing for  the  Raytheon  Manufacturing 
Co.,  electronics  manufacturer. 


Lt.  Delos  Evens  Killed 

Cleveland,  Aug.  20. — Lieut.  Delos 
W.  Evens,  assistant  Warner  contract 
manager  from  1938  to  1942  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  Army,  died  on  July  14 
from  injuries  suffered  while  on  duty 
in  Germany.  He  is  survived  by  his 
mother,  Mrs.  D.  W.  Evens  of  Brook- 
lyn and  a  sister,  Mrs.  John  H. 
Schwarten  of  Evanston. 


WPB  Ends  All  Controls  on 
Raw  Stock  Making  and  Use 


{.Continued  from   page  1) 

week,  have  been  cancelled  entirely. 
The  committees  will  eventually  be  dis- 
banded and  the  photographic  section 
of  Adams'  bureau  will  probably  be 
closed  tight  by  Oct.  1. 

Within  the  next  10  days  or  two 
weeks,  Lincoln  Y.  Burrows,  chief  of 
the  section,  is  expected  to  resign  from 
Government  service  to  rejoin  Eastman 
Kodak,  and  Adams  himself  may  make 
a  trip  to  Europe  to  study  the  situa- 
tion there  in  the  various  commodities 
he  has  been  handling. 

Surrender  Speeded  Plan 

Adams  disclosed  that  the  sudden  end 
of  the  war  with  Japan  speeded  up 
but  did  not  change  plans  already 
made,  which  had  called  for  abandon- 
ment of  raw  stock  allocation  Oct.  1, 
on  the  basis  of  sharply  reduced  fourth 
quarter  "military  film  requirements. 
The  dropping  of  distribution  control 
would  have  been  announced  after  the 
industry  committee  meetings  which 
had  been  called  and  cancelled. 

Since  the  surrender  of  Japan  a  week 
ago,  he  said,  the  Army  and  Navy  have 
cancelled  all  outstanding  orders  for 
raw  stock  and  are  going  to  check  up 
their  inventories  to  find  out  just  what 
they  have  on  hand.  At  a  later  date. 
30  to  60  days  hence,  they  will  re- 
order, but  their  requirements  then  are 
expected  to  be  chiefly  for  medical  x- 
ray  film,  which  does  not  enter  into  the 
film  industrv  picture  at  all. 

Adams  estimated  that  25,000,000  to 
30.000.000  feet  of  35mm.  raw  stock 
will  be  additionally  made  available 
through  the  rest  of  this  quarter  be- 
cause of  military-order  cutbacks,  while 
in  the  fourth  quarter  over-all  produc- 
tion may  be  as  much  as  15  per  cent 
greater  than  third-quarter  output. 

No  Wild  Scramble 

Adams  expressed  the  opinion  that 
there  would  be  no  wild  scramble  for 
film  and  voiced  the  belief  that  small 
independents  will  not  be  frozen  out  by 
major  companies  buying  heavily  for 
that  purpose.  The  two  distributors  of 
raw  stock,  he  said,  probably  would 
continue  their  adjustment  of  orders  to 


give  all  customers  their  fair  share  of 
the  available  supply. 

Adams  pointed  out  that  the  possi- 
bilities of  over-buying  to  freeze  out 
competitors  were  foreseen  by  the  ad- 
ministration and  that  President  Tru- 
man has  instructed  the  WPB  to  main- 
tain a  close  control  of  inventories  to 
prevent  such  hoarding.  Further,  he 
said,  if  anyone  needing  it  cannot  get 
film,  WPB  can  grant  him  a  priority 
which  will  require  the  manufacturer 
to  fill  his  order. 

The  bureau  director  was  highly 
commendatory  of  the  cooperation  ex- 
tended through  the  allocation  period 
by  the  industry  which,  he  said,  have 
not  been  any  harder  to  handle  than 
anyone  else,  and  "I  think  have  been 
a  little  more  cooperative  than  many 
others."  he  added. 

"Generally  speaking,  they  were 
very  cooperative  and  when  we  told 
the  industry  what  we  wanted  done 
they  always  seemed  to  take  a  pride  in 
doing  a  good  job,"  he  commented. 

Adams  also  was  emphatic  that  the 
industry  has  an  important  part  to  play 
in  the  peace,  fully  comparable  to  that 
it  played  during  the  war,  particularly 
abroad. 

Inherited  Responsibility 

"I  think  they  have  inherited  a  re- 
sponsibility in  peacetime,  with  regard 
to  our  relations  with  other  countries 
and  in  international  trade,  that  is  not 
equalled  by  the  responsibility  inherit- 
ed by  any  other  part  of  American  in- 
dustry," he  declared. 

Reviewing  three  years  of  raw  stock 
allocation,  Adams  said  that  there  has 
never  been  a  time  when  producers  and 
distributors  suffered  from  a  lack  of 
film,  but  that  the  major  problem  of  the 
industry  has  been  lack  of  screen  time. 
He  pointed  out  that  1945  gives  signs 
of  being  the  best  year  the  industry 
ever  had,  although  it  is  producing 
fewer  films  than  before  the  war. 

He  said  also  that  the  individual 
units  of  the  industry  gave  little  trouble 
and,  on  the  whole,  conformed  with 
the  Government's  requirements  fully 
as  well  as  any  other  industry,  and  bet- 
ter than  many. 


Verne  R.  Day,  Film 
Pioneer,  75,  Dead 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — Verne  R. 
Day,  motion  picture  pioneer  and  one- 
time general  manager  of  the  Essanay 
Co.,  one  of  the  first  film  concerns  to 
be  established  in  Culver  City,  died 
here  last  Friday  after  a  brain 
hemorrhage.    His  age  was  75. 

Day  came  to  California  in  1917 
when  the  Essanay  studio  moved  here 
from  Chicago.  He  was  the  first  elected 
Mayor  of  Culver  City  and  was  prom- 
inent in  Republican  circles. 

Surviving  is  a  sister,  Mrs.  Daisy 
McMichael. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  to- 
morrow in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
Culver  City.  Interment  will  be  in 
Chicago. 


RKO-Rank  Deal 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — RKO  Radio 
will  produce  two  features  in  England, 
starting  in  the  Fall,  under  a  coopera- 
tive arrangement  with  J.  Arthur  Rank 
which  provides  for  the  release  of  two 
Rank  features  by  RKO  in  this  coun- 
try. 


Upjohn  Leaves  RKO 
For  F-P  August  27 

Toronto,  Aug.  20.  —  Guy  Upjohn 
will  join  the  booking  staff  at  the  head 
office  of  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.,  here,  on  Aug.  27,  the  date  his 
resignation  as  head  booker  at  RKO's 
Toronto  branch  becomes  effective. 

He  succeeds  Harvey  Hunt  at 
Famous,  and  will  be  replaced  at  RKO 
by  Jack  Bernstein,  former  assistant 
booker.  Hunt  resigned  his  Famous 
post  to  become  assistant  to  Frank 
Fisher,  in  charge  of  booking  and  buy- 
ing for  Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada. 


Mrs.  Schneider  Dies 

Funeral  services  for  Mrs.  Rose 
Schneider,  76,  mother  of  Irving  Sny- 
der of  Sterling  Sign  Co.,  which  pre- 
pares lobby  displays  for  Loew's  and 
other  circuits  in  Metropolitan  New 
York,  will  be  held  today  from  Park- 
West  Memorial  Chapel.  Burial  will 
be  in  Riverside  Cemetery,  Rochelle, 
N.  J.  Snyder  is  brother-in-law  to 
Charles,  Joe,  Harry  and  Martin  Mos- 
kowitz,  industry  executives. 


Depinet  Presides 
At  Coast  Meeting 


Los  Angeles,  Aug.  20. — The  three- 
day  regional  sales  meeting  of  the 
Western  division  of  RKO  Radio  Pic- 
tures is  now  in  session  at  the  Am- 
bassador Hotel,  Los  Angeles,  with 
Ned  E.  Depinet,  president,  presiding. 

Forty-five  delegates  from  exchanges 
in  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City,  Seattle, 
Portland,  San  Francisco  and  Los  An- 
geles, are  in  attendance,  including  J. 
H.  Maclntyre,  Western  division  sales 
manager.  Top  executives  from  the 
East  attending,  in  addition  to  Depinet, 
include  Robert  A.  Mochrie,  Walter  E. 
Branson,  Harry  J.  Poller,  A.  A.  Schu- 
bart,  S.  Barret  McCormick  and  A. 
W.  Schwalberg,  sales  manager  of  In- 
ternational Pictures,  which  releases 
through  RKO  Radio. 

Studio  Luncheon 

The  entire  delegation  were  guests 
today  at  luncheon  at  the  RKO  Studio. 
After  a  tour  of  the  plant,  the  delegates 
visited  Walt  Disney's  studio. 

Tomorrow  will  be  given  over  to 
business  sessions  at  the  Ambassador 
Hotel.  On  Wednesday,  a  luncheon  in 
the  hotel  will  be  followed  by  the  prod- 
uct announcement  for  1945-46.  Win- 
ners in  the  Ned  Depinet  sales  drive 
will  also  be  honored.  In  the  eve- 
ning, the  delegates  will  have  dinner 
and  attend  Earl  Carroll's  Hollywood 
night  club. 

RKO's  San  Francisco  exchange 
was  announced  as  winner  of  first  prize 
in  the  recently  concluded  Ned  Depi- 
net sales  drive.  Seattle  "  captured 
second  prize.  Third  prize  winner 
had  already  been  announced  in  Mil- 
waukee. 

Mclntyre  Wins  Prize 

Herb  Mclntyre,  manager  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  and  Western  Dis- 
tricts, won  first  prize  among  the  com- 
pany's nine  district  managers. 

N.  P.  Jacobs  is  manager  of  RKO 
Radio's  San  Francisco  exchange,  and 
E.  A.  Lamb  manager  of  the  Seattle 
exchange. 


City  Asks  $675,000 
For  Theatre  Site 

Theatre  interests  have  been  advised 
by  the  'City  of  New  York  that  the 
city  will  sell  at  public  auction,  here, 
the  parcel  of  property  on  Sixth  Ave- 
nue and  extending  from  52nd  to  53rd 
Stieets,  on  Aug.  20.  A  minimum  of 
$675,000  has  been  placed  on  the  prop- 
erty next  to  Radio  City  which  has 
figured  in  recent  trade  circles  as  be- 
ing sought  by  J.  Arthur  Rank  and 
others  as  a  site  for  a  new  first-run 
theatre. 


20  Films  Available 
To  Show  Germans 

In  line  with  the  recent  controversy 
as  to  the  advisability  of  releasing 
Hollywood  films  to  the  German  peo- 
ple, it  is  learned  here  that  more  than 
a  year  ago  Robert  Riskin,  then  chief 
of  the  Overseas  Motion  Picture  Bu- 
reau of  the  OWI,  prepared  20  Amer- 
ican made  fictional  films  in  the  Ger- 
man language. 


W.  P.  Waggoner,  50,  Dead 

Nashville,  Aug.  20. — William  P. 
Waggoner,  50,  with  Crescent  Amuse- 
ment Co.  for  the  past  30  years,  died 
recently  of  a  heart  attack. 


>  %  » 


THE  NEIVS  FLASH  Y& 


Inaendis 


■ 


0/ 


fir's  t 


i  c  ago 


FLASH! 

FIRST  WEEK  JUST 
ENDED  BIGGEST  IN  ALL- 
TIME  HISTORY— 10%  OVER 
"GOING  MY  WAY!" 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  21,  1945 


Competition  Strong,  Yet 
Business  Here  Is  Good 


Allies  May  Discuss 
All  Trade  Problems 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
on  world  trade  between  the  Churchill 
and  the  new  Labor  Government  in 
England,  which  will  seek  to  maintain 
a  strict  control  of  exports  and  im- 
ports to  bolster  up  its  interior  econ- 
omy and  is  expected  to  suggest  that 
the  United  States  join  with  it  in  for- 
mation of  a  'super-sterling,'  bloc,  which 
business  interests  in  this  country 
would  like  to  see  liquidated,  the 
projected  meeting  has  assumed  more 
importance  than  ever. 

Further  Studies 

Studies  now  being  made  in  the  State 
Department  are  understood  to  include 
the  possibilities  of  removing  the 
sterling  bloc,  some  modification  of  the 
Empire  preference  system,  and  re- 
moval of  all  artificial  barriers  to  the 
free  flow  of  commerce. 


RKO  'Victory  Parade' 

Beginning  Aug.  30  "Those  Endear- 
ing Young  Charms"  and  "West  of 
the  Pecos"  will  occupy  the  screens  of 
RKO's  Manhattan,  Bronx  and  West- 
chester neighborhood  theatres,  while 
"The  Corn  Is  Green"  and  "Hitchhike 
to  Happiness"  will  appear  in  RKO 
Brooklyn  and  Queens  nouses,  in  ob- 
servation of  the  company's  September 
"Victory  Parade  of  Hits,"  James  M. 
Brennan,  general  manager  of  RKO's 
New  York  Metropolitan  theatres  an- 
nounces. 


( Continued  from  page  I) 
Johnnie  Johnston,  are  continuing  to 
record  standout  business  at  the  Capi- 
tol, with  a  terrific  $98,000  expected  for 
a  fifth  week  following  the  fourth 
week's  record  $98,700.  Business  has 
been  of  capacity  proportions  ever  since 
the  opening,  first  week  brought  $96,- 
600,  the  second,  $97,270,  and  the  third, 
$97,600,  with  figures  building  to  $390,- 
170  for  the  first  four  weeks  and  over 
$488,000  expected  by  the  end^  of  the 
fifth  week,  ending  tomorrow  night. 

The  Roxy,  with  "Captain  Eddie" 
and  a  stage  bill  highlighting  Phil  Sil- 
vers and  Professor  Lamberti  expects 
close  to  $90,000  for  a  big  second  week 
on  the  basis  of  $72,000  recorded  for 
the  first  five  days  ended  Sunday 
night;  this  will  be  close  to  the  initial 
week's  receipts.  "State  Fair"  will  fol- 
low. 

"Bewitched"  is  drawing  well  at  the 
Criterion,  with  $17,000  recorded  for 
the  first  four  days  and  a  good  $28,000 
expected  for  the  initial  week ;  "The 
Strange  Affair  of  Uncle  Harry"  will 
follow. 

The  Paramount  and  Strand  are  also 
drawing  strongly  with  holdover  at- 
tractions. A  heavy  $75,000  is  expected 
at  the  Paramount  for  a  fourth  week  of 
"Incendiary  Blonde"  and  a  stage  bill 
featuring  Phil  Spitalny  and  his  all- 
girl  orchestra.  An  additional  two 
weeks  for  the  combination  is  indicated; 
"Duffy's  Tavern"  is  to  follow. 

"Christmas  in  Connecticut"  is  ex- 


pected to  draw,  a  heavy  $60,000  for  a 
fourth  and  final  week  at  the  Strand, 
combined  with  Erskine  Hawkins  and 
his  orchestra ;  "Pride  of  the  Marines" 
will  open  there  Friday  with  Charlie 
Barnett  and  his  orchestra  heading  the 
stage  show. 

"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  is  expected  to 
bring  close  to  $50,000  for  a  terrific 
eighth  week  at  the  Hollywood,  also 
aided  by  the  Victory  holidays  and 
strong  weekend  business,  following  a 
seventh  week's  gross  of  about  $40,000. 
"Along  Came  Jones"  at  the  Palace  has 
a  healthy  $32,000,  due  for  its  fifth 
week.  "Back  to  Bataan"  is  to  follow 
on  Aug.  29.  "Wonder  Man"  continues 
at  the  Astor  with  a  strong  $39,000  ex- 
pected for  its  11th  week,  following  al- 
most $489,000  taken  in  during  the  first 
10  weeks  of  the  engagement. 

The  re-release  of  Walt  Disney's 
"The  Wonderful  Adventures  of  Pin- 
occhio"  opened  strongly  at  the  Repub- 
lic with  a  big  $8,100  recorded  for  the 
first  two  days  and  a  heavy  $23,000  ex- 
pected for  the  week.  "Caribbean 
Mystery"  is  at  the  Victoria  with  a  sat- 
isfactory $15,000  expected  for  the  first 
week ;  the  Artkino-Soviet  documen- 
tary, "The  Fall  of  Berlin"  will  follow 
on  Sept.  8.  "The  Great  John  L."  will 
conclude  a  seventh  and  final  week  at 
the  Globe  Friday  with  a  good  $9,500 
expected ;  "The  Southerner,"  deferred 
several  times,  will  open  Saturday. 
"Why  Girls  Leave  Home"  is  expected 
to  bring  a  good  $8,000  for  its  third 
week  at  the  Gotham  with  "Youth 
Aflame"  set  to  follow.  "Midnight  Man 
Hunt"  will  bring  $7,000  for  the  week 
at  the  Rialto  and  the  theatre  will  start 
a  re-release  engagement  of  "This  Gun 
for  Hire"  on  Friday. 


Levy  Named  Disney 
World  Sales  Head 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

York.  Disney  sales  contracts  hereto- 
fore have  been  supervised  by  a  Dis- 
ney triumvirate. 

For  more  than  16  years  he  has  been 
associated  with  Disney  in  various  ex- 
ecutive capacities,  both  here  and 
abroad.  Previously,  he  was  well- 
known  on  Wall  Street  and  in  interna- 
tional financial  circles. 


Radio's  War  Work 
Cost  $7V2  Billions 

Washington,  Aug.  20. — The  radio 
industry,  with  550,000  workers  in 
1,600  factories  produced  over  $7,500,- 
000,000  of  military  radio-radar  and 
communications  equipment  since  1941, 
according  to  WPB  records.  This  war 
production,  in  four  years,  was  sev- 
eral billions  more  than  all  previous 
civilian  radio  produced  in  the  U.  S. 
since  the  commercial  birth  of  radio  in 
1922,  it  is  disclosed  by  Bond  Geddes, 
vice-president  of  the  Radio  Manufac- 
turers Association. 


Reel  on  Promotion 

Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  has  ordered  the  distribution  to 
all  branches  of  a  special  reel  of  1,000 
feet  of  film  showing  highlights  of  the 
recent  world  premiere  of  "Captain 
Eddie"  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 


LeRoy  Has  Plans 
For  U.  K.  Filming 


(Continued  from  page  I) 

Hollywood  picture  is  slated  for  Feb- 
ruary production,  as  soon  as  LeRoy 
finishes  directing  "The  Robe." 

While  in  England,  Grant  will  also 
represent  clients  Major  Matty  Fox, 
vice-president  of  Universal  Studios, 
who  is  now  stationed  in  England,  and  < 
the  Lawrence  Organization,  Arthur 
Rank's  publicity  representatives  in 
America. 

Offices  in  England 

In  a  development  in  world  trade, 
Grant  will  set  up  offices  in  England 
for  a  barter  exchange  system.  He 
will  be  representing  the  Industrial  De- 
velopment Co.,  headed  by  Lauchlin 
Currie,  working  out  a  barter-ex- 
change plan  for  the  sale  of  commodi- 
ties between  the  United  States  and 
the  rest  of  the  world  without  requir- 
ing payment  to  the  U.  S.  in  gold  or 
silver.  This  lack  of  stabilized  cur- 
rency in  foreign  countries  has  been  the 
stumbling  block  of  American  trading 
firms,  necessitating  the  development  of 
this  system,  it  was  explained.  Offices 
in  Paris  and  other  key  cities  through- 
out the  world  will  be  opened  as  soon 
as  normal  business  is  resumed  in  those 
countries. 


Allied  Seeking  End 
Of  20%  Tax  Rate 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

that  behalf  to  the  appropriate  Execu- 
tive and  Congressional  committees." 

In  view  of  the  inquiries  and  prompt- 
ings in  regard  to  the  admission  tax, 
the  bulletin  states,  "we  take  this  meth- 
od of  reminding  exhibitors  that  the  in- 
crease from  one  cent  for  each  10  cents 
or  fraction  thereof  to  one  cent  for  each 
five  cents  or  major  fraction  thereof 
was  purely  a  wartime  measure ;  that 
the  increased  tax  was  designated  in 
the  Act  as  the  "war  tax  rate" ;  and 
that  the  act  provides  that  such  rate 
shall  end  "on  the  first  day  of  the  first 
month  which  begins  six  months  or 
more  after  the  date  of  the  termina- 
tion of  hostilities  in  the  present  war." 

"The  'date  of  termination  of  hostili- 
ties' is  defined  as  'the  date  proclaimed 
by  the  President  or  both  houses  of 
Congress'.  It  has  been  suggested  that 
such  proclamation  could  be  withheld 
until  a  peace  treaty  has  been  actually 
ratified.  But  this  overlooks  the  dif- 
ference between  the  limitation  con- 
tained in  the  Revenue  Act  of  1943 
and  those  in  other  war  measures 
which  the  President  might  wish  to 
continue,"  said  Allied. 


Mayor  Host  to  Miss  Roc 

Patricia  Roc,  British  film  star,  will 
arrive  in  New  York  today  following  a 
dinner  given  in  her  honor  in  Balti- 
more last  night  after  her  arrival  in 
this  country  from  England.  Host  was 
Theodore  R.  McKeldin,  Baltimore 
Mayor,  aided  by  theatre,  radio  and 
newspaper  representatives.  Miss  Roc 
will  leave  shortly  for  Hollywood  to 
appear  in  the  Universal  Technicolor 
film  "Canyon  Passage." 


Hy  King  Made  Manager 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — The  King 
Brothers  have  appointed  Hy  King,  re- 
cently discharged  from  the  Marine 
Corps,  as  general  manager, 


Change  in  Date 

OF  PJRAMOUNTS 

New  York  City 
Trade  Showings 

Formerly  scheduled  for  Aug.  16th  and  cancelled  be- 
cause of  the  Victory  holiday,  trade  screenings  of 
the  following  First  Block  pictures  will  now  be  held 

FRIDAY,  AUG.  24th 

• 

At  2  P.M.-"FOLLOW  THAT  WOMAN" 

Starring  William  Gargan  and  Nancy  Kelly 

4*3:10 P.M.-"THE  LOST  WEEKEND" 

Starring  Ray  Milland  and  Jane  Wyman 


At  Fox  Projection  Room 

345  W.  44th  Street,  N.  Y.  C. 


WHAT'S  HE  GOT 


II 


Look!  In  times  like  these  you  both  have  good 
audiences,  films  and  other  things  that  spell  good 
box  office! 

But— if  you  are  one  of  the  4,000  to  5,000  U.S. 
theaters  still  using  low  intensity  carbons,  one  of 
the  most  important  points  to  consider  is  the  im- 
provement of  the  quality  and  quantity  of  your 
screen  illumination. 

There  never  was  a  better  time  than  right  now 
to  prepare  for  postwar  business.  And  you  can  do 
it ...  by  switching  over  to  High  Intensity  lamps. 

For  example,  compared  with  the  old  low  in- 
tensity arcs,  "National"  One-Kilowatt  High  In- 
tensity Projector  Carbons  increase  the  brilliance 
of  your  screen  by  50  to  100  per  cent.  Their  light  is 
snow-white  .  .  .  especially  adapted  for  color  pic- 


tures. Actual  operating  cost  per  hour,  for  carbons 
and  current,  will  show  but  little  increase  ...  or 
none  at  all.  And  your  audience  will  have  the  finest 
screen  light  obtainable. 

Consult  your  supply  house  on  the  availability 
of  High  Intensity  Lamps. 

The  word  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark  of 
National  Carbon  Company,  Inc. 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC. 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 

General  Offices: 
30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 

Division  Sales  Offices:  Atlanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
Kansas  City,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  August  21,  1945 


Reviews 


"The  Gay  Senorita" 

(Columbia) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20 

JINX  FALKENBURG  and  some  pleasantly  competent  cast  associates 
attend  here,  in  song  and  dance  as  well  as  in  story,  to  the  matter  of  putting 
this  country's  good-neighbor  policy  amiably  on  record  as  the  altogether 
friendly  thing  it  is.  Many  a  studio  has  tried  harder  and  at  greater  length 
than  this  69  minutes  and  came  up  with  less  convincing  results. 

Told  here  is  a  modest  tale  about  an  attempt  by  a  manufacturer  to  arrange 
for  the  building  of  a  factory  in  a  section  of  a  California  city  where  citizens 
of  Spanish  heritage  have  preserved  traditions  and  customs  of  Old  Mexico. 
He  does  not  get  away  with  it,  naturally,  and  one  of  the  reasons  is  because 
his  young  assistant  falls  in  love  with  the  belle  of  the  area  and  aids  the  resi- 
dents in  thwarting  the  commercialist's  plans. 

As  scripted  by  Edward  Eliscu,  from  a  story  by  J.  Robert  Bren,  and  directed 
by  Arthur  Dreyfuss,  the  film  rolls  merrily  along,  with  time  out  often  for 
song  and  dance,  to  achieve  its  end  without  manifest  effort.  Miss  Falkenburg's 
support  includes  Jim  Bannon,  as  the  young  man  who  joins  her  side  of  the 
argument,  Steve  Cochran,  Corinna  Mura,  Thurston  Hall,  Tommy  Cook, 
Marguerita  Sylva,  Isabel  Withers  and  Lola  Montes. 

Running  time,  69  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
Aug.  9. 

William  R.  Weaver 


"Saddle  Serenade" 

(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20 

PATRONS  of  Hollywood's  Hitching  Post  theatre,  where  Westerns  have 
show  business  all  to  themselves,  appeared  to  enjoy  this  Jimmy  Wakely  out- 
ing more  than  most.  That  could  be  in  part  because  its  story  is  less  remote  in 
point  of  time-setting  than  that  of  the  majority  of  Westerns,  or  because  it 
ripples  along  its  way  faster  than  usual.  Anyway,  it  did  its  entertainment  job 
well,  and  it's  off  in  an  hour  with  five  minutes  allowed  for  a  cartoon  or  some- 
thing to  round  out  the  60  minutes. 

Wakely  is  accompanied  again  by  Lee  "Lasses"  White  and  Johnny  James, 
and  the  trio  this  time  undertakes  to  find  out  why  a  fake  holdup  of  a  stage- 
coach, devised  to  entertain  some  dude  ranch  guests,  ends  fatally  for  a  member 
of  the  cast.  Mirth  as  well  as  mystery  marks  their  successful  endeavors. 

The  picture  was  produced  and  directed  by  Oliver  Drake  from  an  original 
screenplay  by  Frances  Kavanaugh. 

Running  time,  55  min.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date,  Aug.  11. 

W.  R.  W. 


"Song  of  Old  Wyoming" 

(PRC) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20 

OPPORTUNITY  to  avail  themselves  of  billing  benefits  inherent  in  color 
is  offered  showmen  in  this  first  of  a  series  of  six  Westerns  in  Cinecolor 
produced  and  directed  by  Robert  Emmett.  Eddie  Dean,  Sarah  Padden,  Al  La 
Rue,  Jennifer  Holt,  Emmett  Lynn  and  Ian  Keith  are  the  principals. 

Apart  from  the  use  of  color,  the  Western  represents  no  departure  from  estab- 
lished standards.  It  concerns  a  conflict  between  those  residents  of  Wyoming 
Territory  who  are  in  favor  of  Statehood  status  and  those  who,  for  reasons 
arising  from  their  interest  in  rustling  and  kindred  outlawry,  are  not.  The 
conflict  results  in  gunplay  before  the  right  side  triumphs. 

Dean  sings  three  songs,  including  "Hills  Of  Old  Wyoming,"  with  cowboy 
choral  accompaniment.   Frances  Kavanaugh  wrote  the  original  screenplay. 

Running  time,  65  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set. 

W.  R.  W. 


Nelson  Sees  Bright 
Future  for  Veterans 


Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — Donald  M. 
Nelson,  president  of  the  Society  of  In- 
dependent Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  former  head  of  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board,  proclaimed  full  confidence 
in  the  future  of  the  United  States,  op- 
erating on  an  'expansionist'  basis,  and 
in  returning  veterans  as  a  progressive, 
constructive  democratic  force,  in  a 
roundtable  discussion  of  "The  Re- 
turnee and  Society"  over  National 
Broadcasting's  network.  He  spoke 
with  Col.  Howard  Rush,  Congressman 
Jerry  Voorhis  of  California,  and  Dr. 
Clarence  Dykstra,  University  of  Wis- 
consin president,  as  one  of  several 
hundred  business  leaders,  educators, 
Government  officials  and  clergymen  at- 
tending a  two-day  conference  at  the 
Santa  Anna  Air  Forces  redistribution 
center. 

Poses  Many  Questions 

The  four  speakers  agreed  that  the 
veteran,  per  se,  is  not  a  "problem," 
but  that  many  of  the  questions  he 
poses  are  the  responsibility  of  civilians 
and  the  Government  to  solve.  A  good 
job,  a  decent  home  (stress  was  placed 
on  the  urgency  of  adequate  housing), 
a  normal  family  life  and  proper  edu- 
cational opportunities  were  urged  by 
the  four  for  returning  servicemen. 
Nelson  pointed  to  a  war-time  produc- 
tion in  the  United  States  "never 
dreamed  of  by  economists." 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free.  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L..  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood..  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
^  Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Allen,  Sourkes  Join 
Monogram  in  Canada 

Toronto,  Aug.  20. —  Two  new 
Canadian  branch  managers  for  Mono- 
gram Pictures  of  Canada  have  been 
announced  by  A.  J.  Laurie,  new  gen- 
eral manager,  in  the  current  reor- 
ganization of  the  company.  I.  H. 
Allen  has  been  installed  as  head  of  the 
Toronto  office,  succeeding  O.  R.  Han- 
son, and  I.  Sourkes  is  the  new  Mon- 
treal manager,  replacing  John  Levitt. 


Too  Much  Competition 

New  Holland,  Pa.,  Aug.  20. — In- 
flux of  carnival  shows  in  this  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  area,  particularly  for 
week-end  stands,  resulting  in  a  heavy 
loss  of  patronage,  resulted  in  the  an- 
nouncement by  Harvey  Rush  of  the 
New  Holland  Theatre,  that  the  house 
will  stay  closed  until  Sept.  13. 


Mike  Lee  Joins  PRC; 
Gaffney  to  Monogram 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Aug.  20. — Mike 
Lee,  Monogram's  manager  here  for 
the  past  two  years,  has  joined  PRC 
as  Omaha  manager.  Succeeding  Lee 
at  Monogram  is  Harry  Gaffney  who 
for  the  past  seven  of  his  16  years  with 
Warner  Brothers  was  that  company's 
city  salesman  here.  Franchise-owner 
Lou  Fidler  was  on  hand  for  Gaffiney's 
taking  up  his  Monogram  duties. 


Montreal  Has  Giveaways 

Montreal,  Aug.  20. — Following  the 
raising  of  the  wartime  ban  on  new 
contracts  for  cash-prize  stunts  at 
theatres  by  the  Dominion  Government, 
the  Corona  Theatre  at  St.  Hyacinthe, 
Que.,  was  the  first  in  the  Montreal 
district  to  launch  a  new  series  of 
'Fotonite'  features. 


Randforce  Theatres 
In  Premium  Dispute 


Cleveland,  Aug.  20. — Metro  Pre- 
mium Co.  of  Boston  and  Randforce 
Amusement  Co.  of  Brooklyn,  which 
filed  suit  in  U.  S.  District  Court  of 
Ohio  in  January  against  the  W.  S. 
George  Pottery  Co.  of  East  Palestine, 
O.,  asking  that  pottery  sold  to  thea- 
tres under  continuity  contracts  shall 
continue  to  be  delivered  until  all  out- 
standing contracts  are  fulfilled,  have 
presented  further  evidence  before 
Judge  Carl  Friebolin,  Master  in 
Chancery.  Witnesses  for  the  plaintiff 
were  Irving  Sussman,  president  of 
Metro  Premium,  and  Park  Belden, 
owner  of  the  Thornton  Theatre,  Ak- 
ron. Jacob  Price  of  Price  Premium 
of  New  York,  and  W.  C.  George, 
president  of  George  Pottery,  and 
Clarence  Ward,  secretary-treasurer  of 
the  latter  pottery  company,  were  wit- 
nesses for  the  defendants. 

Plaintiffs  claim  that  the  value  of 
theatre  premiums  as  business'  build- 
ers is  their  continuity.  Defendants 
claim  that  they  sell  items  of  pottery  to 
the  distributing  companies,  without 
any  continuity  agreements  attached, 
permitting  them  to  cancel  contracts  at 
their  own  discretion. 

Evidence  in  the  case  will  be  turned 
over  to  U.  S.  District  Judge  Wilkins 
for  final  disposition. 

Arnhem  Battle  Film 
Started  by  Gaumont 

Gaumont-British  has  begun  the 
filming  in  Holland  of  a  motion  pic- 
ture version  of  the  battle  of  Arn- 
hem. All  residents  of  the  area  will 
take  part  in  reproducing  the  10  days 
of  the  gallant  but  tragic  Allied  air- 
borne landings  in  that  region  last 
September. 

The  producers  will  use  captured 
German  'Tiger'  tanks,  German  war 
prisoners  and  British  troops  to  re- 
stage  the  battle.  In  order  to  make  the 
version  as  realistic  as  possible,  Arn- 
hem municipal  officials  have  given 
permission  to  set  fire  to  the  de- 
vastated sections  of  the  city  to  simulate 
actual  battle  conditions. 

Chicago  Clearance 
Complaint  Dismissed 

Chicago,  Aug.  20.  —  The  Chicago 
tribunal  of  the  American  Arbitration 
Association  has  dismissed  the  com- 
plaint filed  against  distributors  by 
Nick  DeLuca,  operator  of  the  Nor- 
Wal  Theatre  here.  He  had  sought 
better  clearance  and  charged  that  John 
Semadales,  operator  of  three  com- 
petitive houses,  is  able  to  secure  pro-- 
duct  earlier  than  the  Nor-Wal. 


Velazco  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  20.  —  Emil 
Velazco,  Inc.,  has  been  incorporated 
to  manufacture  and  deal  in  photo- 
graphic films  and  cameras  in  New 
York.  Miriam  H.  Kamen,  New 
York,  was  incorporating  attorney, 
and  is  also  a  director. 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

1600  BROADWAY.  N.  Y.  19      Circle  6-6686 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


Tuesday,  August  21,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


9 


Reject  Local  306 
Contract  Demands 


Representatives  of  Loew's  and  RKO 
New  York  circuits  and  Broadway  and 
Brooklyn  first-runs  told  the  negotiat- 
ing committee  of  IATSE  New  York 
Motion  Picture  Machine  Operators, 
Local  Xo.  306,  at  a  meeting  here  yes- 
terday that  they  would  consider  "reas- 
onable demands"  for  new  contracts  to 
replace  agreements  which  will  expire 
Aug.  31,  but  they  turned  down  the 
union's  full  demands  as  made  May  24. 

The  'IA'  demands  include  a  25 
per  cent  wage  increase,  three-week 
vacations,  double  time  for  holidays, 
time  and  one-half  for  Saturdays  and 
Sundays,  and  a  two  per  cent  welfare 
fund  to  be  set  up  based  on  projection 
costs.  In  addition.  Local  306  is  seek- 
ing to  eliminate  the  "request  clause" 
from  new  contracts  which  has  stymied 
negotiations  between  the  film  compa- 
nies and  newsreels  covering  home  of- 
fice, exchange  and  newsreel  projec- 
tionists although  other  portions  of  the 
contract  had  been  tentatively  agreed 
upon. 

Tantamount  to  Refusal 

Following  yesterday's  meeting,  Her- 
man Gelber,  Local  306  president,  who 
heads  the  union's  negotiation  commit- 
tee of  13,  told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
that  failure  of  the  theatre  representa- 
tives to  make  counter  proposals  fol- 
lowing consideration  of  the  union's  de- 
mands for  almost  three  months,  was 
tantamount  to  a  flat  refusal  to  negoti- 
ate. He  said  that  a  midnight  roll-call 
meeting  of  the  union's  membership  has 
been  called  for  Wednesday,  Aug.  29, 
to  consider  "appropriate  action"  both 
against  the  circuits  and  first-run 
houses  involved,  as  well  as  against 
home  offices  and  the  newsreels.  Gel- 
ber predicted  that  a  showdown  fight 
will  result. 


Strike  Settlement  Reports 
Fall  Apart  in  Hollywood 


OCR's  'Facilities 
Program'  Ended 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

gram,  which  was  instituted  in  Mav, 
1944. 

The  YVPB  program  coordinated  the 
efforts  of  various  agencies  to  promote 
the  development  of  essential  commun- 
ity enterprises,  including  theatres, 
stores  and  other  recreational  facilities, 
child-care  centers,  hospitals,  schools, 
laundries,  sanitary  facilities  and  youth 
and  welfare  institutions. 

"The  efforts  of  the  national  and  lo- 
cal committees  that  operated  the 
program  definitely  helped  stabilize 
workers  in  war  industries,"  Elliott 
said,  "through  improvements  in  living 
conditions  and  the  provision  of  recrea- 
tional facilities. 

"The  termination  of  this  formal  pro- 
gram does  not  signify  any  reduction 
in  WPB's  interest  or  that  of  other 
agencies  in  projects.  The  work  will 
be  carried  on  by  the  appropriate  Gov- 
ernmental and  civic  organizations  un- 
der standard  criteria  and  procedures 
that  have  been  developed  as  a  result 
of  the  YVPB  program,  without  further 
need  for  this  special  implementation." 

Waller  Names  Dreifuss 

Jerry  Dreifuss,  former  night  editor 
for  United  Features,  has  joined  Unit- 
ed Artists'  home  office  publicity  staff 
under  Tom  Waller,  publicity  manager, 
to  handle  national  publicity.  A  form- 
er staff  member  of  the  New  York 
Post,  Dreifuss  has  had  one  novel  pub- 
lished. 


Hollywood,  Aug.  20.  —  Widely 
credited  weekend  reports  that  Holly- 
wood's labor  conflict  might  be  set- 
tled within  hours  or  days  around 
conference  tables  in  Chicago  or  here 
fell  apart  at  nightfall  as  the  strike  en- 
tered its  24th  week  with  producers  an- 
nouncing production  had  hit  a  new 
high,  strikers  declaring  theatre  pick- 
eting operations  denting  grosses,  and 
the  IATSE  expressing  confidence 
that  Communist  elements  alleged  to  be 
at  work  will  be  defeated. 

IATSE  international  representative 
Roy  M.  Brewer  issued  a  statement 
denying  "various  published  articles 
which  would  indicate  that  as  a  result 
of  conferences  being  held  in  Chicago, 
in  which  the  IATSE  is  supposed  to  be 
participating,  an  early  settlement  is  in 
the  offing."  There  are  no  conferences 
being  held  in  which  the  IATSE  is 
participating.  There  have  been  no 
conferences  since  the  Chicago  meet- 
ing last  week.  Inasmuch  as  President 
William  Green  of  the  AFL  was  di- 
rected to  arfange  a  conference  with 
the  interested  parties,  it  is  expected 
that  such  conference  will  be  arranged 
in  due  time. 

Similarly  unfruitful  were  prepara- 
tions announced  at  Sunday  night's 
strikes  meeting  for  local  conferences 
at  which  Painters'  international  rep- 
resentative J.  F.  Clarke  and  counsel 
I.  B.  Padway  would  undertake  to  ef- 
fect a  settlement  locally.  This  move 
went  aground  on  the  contention  that 
settlement  should  be  left  for  the  pres- 
ent in  the  hands  of  the  international 
presidents  and  AFL  executives. 

Following  a  CIO  industrial  council 


meeting  Friday  night,  at  which  repre- 
sentatives of  the  union  reported  on 
their  meeting  with  the  CSU  strike 
strategy  committee,  CIO  members  be- 
gan picketing  theatres  in  the  Coastal 
suburbs,  with  the  expansion  of  picket- 
ing operations  in  Los  Angeles  and 
possibly  across  the  country  planned. 
CSU  continued  picketing  theatres  on 
Hollywood  Boulevard. 

IATSE  international  representative 
Roy  M.  Brewer,  returning  from  last 
week's  AFL  executive  council  meet- 
ings in  Chicago,  told  Motion  Picture 
Daily  :  "We  are  completely  satisfied 
with  what  was  done  there.  We  put 
our  cards  on  the  table,  inclusive  of 
the  information  about  the  Communistic 
interest  in  gaining  influence  over  mo- 
tion pictures,  and  we  are  confident 
that  the  Communists  will  find  the 
AFL  and  the  industry  joined  firmly 
together  to  resist  their  attempts  to  in- 
vade the  studio  field." 

Next  move  in  the  Screen  Writers 
Guild's  strike  settlement  program, 
which  started  with  direct  proposals 
sent  to  the  producers,  was  among  mat- 
ters to  be  decided  by  the  Guild  board 
at  a  meeting  tonight.  At  a  general 
membership  meeting  Friday  night,  the 
board  was  requested  to  invite  the 
Screen  Actors  Guild  and  Screen  Di- 
rectors Guild  to  cooperate  in  under- 
taking to  effect  a  settlement. 

Donald  Nelson's  offer  to  enter  the 
picture  as  mediator,  reported  exclu- 
sively in  today's  Motion  Picture 
Daily,  was  without  immediate  result, 
although  one  of  the  principals  in  the 
strike  situation  talked  informally  with 
Nelson  over  the  weekend. 


UA  Seeking  1st  Run 
In  New  Orleans 


Negotiations  are  practically  complete 
for  United  Artists  to  take  over  the  St. 
Charles  Theatre  in  New  Orleans  as  a 
first  run  for  the  company's  product. 
Other  theatres  reported  to  be  under 
consideration  as  UA  outlets  are  the 
Winter  Garden,  New  York,  and  the 
Oriental,  Chicago.  A  spokesman  for  the 
company  said  here  yesterday  that  ne- 
gotiations for  the  St.  Charles  are  more 
advanced  than  for  the  other  two.  Al- 
though the  Winter  Garden  might  be 
operated  by  the  company,  the  other 
two  houses  would  be  leased,  he  said. 

Detroit  May  Be  Next 

Elsewhere,  it  was  learned  that  De- 
troit may  be  the  next  territory  for 
UA  to  obtain  a  showcase  for  its  pic- 
tures. UA  has  a  four-theatre  first 
run  setup  in  Los  Angeles  which  pre- 
sents its  product  exclusively  on  ex- 
tended runs  at  top  admission  prices 
and  on  a  single-bill  policy.  The  four 
are :  the  Tower,  downtown  house,  the 
Colony  on  Hollywood  Boulevard,  the 
Elite  in  Beverly  Hills  and  the  Hawaii 
in  Hollywood. 

United  Artists  at  one  time  operat- 
ed theatres  on  the  West  Coast.  It 
eventually  sold  out  to  Fox  West 
Coast  Theatres.  The  New  York 
Rivoli  was  leased  and  controlled  by 
the  company  in  the  past.  When  the 
theatre  experienced  a  lean  year  due 
to  the  scarcity  of  product,  UA  pro- 
ducers refused  to  underwrite  the 
house  against  losses  and  it  eventually 
passed  out  of  the  company's  control. 

UA  showcases  are  planned  in  key 
cities  where  it  has  been  difficult  for 
the  company  to  obtain  adequate  re- 
lease, it  is  understood. 


Mexico  Film  Strike 
Gets  Legal  Status 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Industry  Workers  Union — instigator 
of  the  strike — as  being  optomistic 
about  an  early  end  of  the  trouble. 

End  of  the  strike  against  the  U.  S. 
companies,  Velazquez  further  hints, 
would  largely,  perhaps  totally,  ter- 
minate the  costly  labor  strife  that  has 
been  hurting  the  Mexican  film  indus- 
try for  some  time. 

Should  a  solution  not  be  reached, 
however,  it  is  expected  that  many 
Mexican  producers  who  desire  labor 
peace  would  move  elsewhere  in  Latin 
America. 

Meanwhile,  the  union  is  moving  to 
prevent  anv  film  player  from  per- 
forming on  the  radio  because  it  con- 
siders that  this  ban  will  strengthen  its 
stand  for  higher  motion  picture  salar- 
ies. 


Services  Cut-Back 
Film  Processing 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

solidated  Film  processed  for  the  Army 
Air  Force  and  for  the  Navy ;  DeLuxe 
for  the  Army  Signal  Corps  and  Navy, 
and  Pathe  and  Producers  Laboratories 
for  the  Armv  Air  Force. 


NAB  Elects  Willard 

Charlotte,  N.  C,  Aug.  20.— A.  D. 
Willard,  general  manager  of  Colum- 
bia Broadcasting's  station  WBT  here, 
was  _  named  today  as  executive  vice- 
president  of  the  National  Association 
of  Broadcasters,  effective  Oct.  1  at  a 
reported  salary  of  $25,000  a  year. 


BIGGEST! 


THE  BIGGEST  HOTEL  IS  THE  STEVENS 
THE  BIGGEST  MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  MADE  IS 


*0 


EXCELLENT!  PLENTY  TO  EXPLOIT! 


-FILM  DAILY 


-MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


ANOTHER  SIA^H  ^ 


*  another  sm*  *°*  ,A0N0GRA^V,  *  AN°rm  »u»  «0W  W0N0G',4M 


TIMELY!  HUMAN-INTEREST  STORY! 


-BOXOFFICE 


-SHOWMEN'S  TRADE  REVIEW 


***S     n  ft  Ml 


ANOTHER  ■,U**KB58G&  IA0N0GR4/K  -AN— «^ON»4/M 


12 


Motion  picture  daily 


Tuesday,  August  21,  1945 


Production  Is 
Down  One  to 
44  Shooting 


Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — Production 
was  affected  only  slightly  by  the  news 
of  victory,  and  the  subsequent  mid- 
week holiday.  Seven  features  were 
completed  and  six  were  started.  The 
shooting  index  stands  at  44,  the  pro- 
duction scene  following : 

Columbia 

Finished:  "Prison  Ship." 

Shooting:  "Song  of  Broadway,'' 
"Tars  and  Spars,"  "Hail  the  Chief," 
"Hit  the  Hay"  (formerly  "Hayfoot, 
Strawfoot"). 

M-G-M 

Shooting :  "Up  Goes  Maisie,"  "The 
Yearling"  "What  Next,  Corporal 
Hargrove?,"  "Boys'  Ranch,"  "Bad 
Bascomb,"  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
"Two  Sisters  from  Boston,"  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice,"  "This 
Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "Border  Bandits." 
Shooting :  "Swing  Parade." 

Paramount 

Shooting:  "Blue  Skies,"  "The 
Bride  Wore  Boots,"  "To  Each  His 
Own." 

PRC 

Finished:  "How  Do  You  Do?" 
Shooting :    "The    Wife   of  Monte 
Cristo." 

Republic 

Started:  "Murder  in  the  Music 
Hall,"  with  Vera  Hruba  Ralston, 
Ann  Rutherford;  "Along  the  Navajo 
Trail,"  with  Roy  Rogers,  Dale  Evans, 
George  'Gabby'  Hayes,  Sons  of  the 
Pioneers,  Nestor  Paiva. 

Shooting :  "Concerto,"  "Dakota." 

RKO  Radio 

Started:  "Some  Must  Watch,"  with 
Dorothy  McGuire,  George  Brent, 
Ethel  Barrymore,  Elsa  Lanchester, 
Rhys  Williams ;  "The  Master  Minds," 
with  Wally  Brown,  Alan  Carney, 
Anne  Jeffreys,  Marc  Cramer,  Lionel 
Atwill,  Bela  Lugosi. 

Shooting:  "The  Falcon's  Alibi,"  "A 
Tale  of  Bedlam,"  "Cornered,"  "The 
Kid  from  Brooklyn"  (Goldwyn)  ; 
"Heartbeat"  (Hakim- Wood)  ;  "Tar- 
zan  and  the  Leopard  Men"  (Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Finished:  "Leave  Her  to  Heaven." 
Shooting :   "Doll   Face,"  "Smoky," 
"The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Finished:  "Abilene"  (Levey); 
'Whistle  Stop"  (Nero)  ;  "Duel  in  the 
Sun"  (Selznick). 

Started:  "Breakfast  in  Hollywood," 
(Golden)  with  Tom  Breneman,  Bo- 
nita  Granville,  Edward  Ryan,  Beu- 
lah  Bondi,  Raymond  Walburn,  Billie 
Burke,  Zasu  Pitts. 

Shooting:  "Diary  of  a  Chamber- 
maid" (Bogeaus). 

Universal 

_  Started :  "The  Fugitive,"  with  Ba- 
sil Rathbone,  Nigel  Bruce,  Marjorie 
Riordan. 

Shooting:     "Outlaws     of  Twin 


Reviews 


'Rustlers  of  the  Badlands' 


(Columbia) 

Hollyivood,  Aug.  20 

HP  HE  Durango  Kid  rides  again  on  the  side  of  virtue  oppressed,  in  Colbert 
Clark's  latest  production,  which  hews  to  the  well-known  Western  line. 
Charles  Starrett,  as  the  mysterious  Durango  Kid,  and  Tex  Harding,  his 
partner,  are  dispatched  by  the  U.  S.  Army  to  investigate  cattle-rustling  which 
is  holding  up  shipments  of  beef  to  outlying  Army  posts.  Dub  (Cannonball) 
Taylor  is  the  third  of  the  three  musqueteers,  and  is  charged  with  the  task  of 
providing  comic  relief. 

The  three  friends  are  accused  of  murder,  and  narrowly  escape  being  lynched. 
However,  skillful  pistol-play  and  some  splendid  riding  bring  the  villains  to 
their  knees  at  last,  and  the  cowboys  ride  off  into  the  West,  while  Al  Trace 
and  his  Silly  Symphonists  celebrate  their  triumph  in  song.  Derwin  Abrahams 
was  the  director. 

Running  time,  58  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Aug.  16. 

Thalia  Bell 


"Shanghai  Cobra' 


(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20 

MONOGRAM'S  "Charlie  Chan"  series  continues  to  be  consistently  enter- 
taining. James  S.  Burkett  has  given  the  latest  one  careful  production, 
and  George  Callahan  and  George  Wallace  Sayre  have  devised  an  interesting 
screenplay,  based  on  an  original  story  by  Callahan. 

Sidney  Toler,  Benson  Fong  and  Mantan  Moreland  head  the  cast,  in  their 
familiar  roles  of  Chan,  his  son,  and  his  chauffeur.  The  detective  is  summoned 
to  New  York  to  assist  the  police  in  tracking  down  parties  responsible  for 
several  mysterious  murders,  a  cache  of  Government-owned  radium,  secreted  in 
a  bankvault,  supplying  the  motive  for  the  murders.  In  lucid  and  exciting  fashion 
Chan  traces  the  killer,  though  an  explosion  nearly  brings  all  three  of  the 
principals  to  an  untimely  end.  Phil  Karlson's  direction  never  lags,  and  low-key 
photography  by  Vince  Farrar  helps  to  maintain  the  mood  of  the  whole. 

Running  time,  64  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date,  not 
set. 

T.  B. 


Jack  Warner  Calls 
For  Race  Tolerance 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. — Expressing 
hope  for  a  new  era  of  democratic 
understanding  and  mutual  tolerance 
among  peoples  of  various  races,  creeds 
and  causes,  Jack  L.  Warner  today  is- 
sued a  post-war  statement  memorial- 
izing the  late  President  Roosevelt  and 
the  fighting  men  who  won  the  war. 

In  his  statement,  Warner  voiced  a 
warning  that  a  repetition  of  the  late 
world  conflagration  is  possible  if  the 
prejudices  and  injustices  which  fo- 
mented it  are  not  guarded  against. 
He  also  made  a  plea  for  "living  ob- 
servance of  the  principles  expressed  in 
this  nation's  basic  documents." 


Screen  'Garutso'  Today 

A  special  screening  of  "The  Garut- 
so Optical  Balance,"  a  film  dealing 
with  a  new  scientific  development  in 
lens  manufacture  which  is  said  to 
render  life-likeness  to  motion  pic- 
tures and  still  photographs  through 
increased  focus  depth,  will  be  shown 
today  at  Lloyd's  Projection  Room 
here. 


Binford's  Ban  Ignored 

Memphis,  Aug.  20. — In  spite  of  its 
ban  on  order  of  Lloyd  T.  Binford. 
chairman  of  the  Memphis  Board  of 
Censorship,  "The  Southerner"  has 
been  shown  in  Memphis  at  the  Fourth 
Airforce  Ferrying  Group  Theater. 


Forks,"  "As  It  Was  Before,"  "Scar- 
let Street"  (Diana). 

Warners 

Shooting :  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Night  and  Day,"  "Her  Kind 
of  Man"  (formerly  "Dancing  with 
Tears") . 


Trotta  Chief  Judge 
At  Beauty  Pageant 

For  the  eleventh  successive  year 
Vincent  Trotta,  art  director  of  Na- 
tional Screen  Service,  will  act  as  dean 
of  the  judges  committee  for  the  an- 
unal  "Miss  America  Beauty  Pageant" 
at  Atlantic  City  next  month.  The 
judges  include  Lois  Wilson,  actress; 
Michael  Todd,  theatrical  producer, 
and  Vyvyan  Donner,  commentator  for 
Movietone  News. 


Eight  Finney-Harris 
Films  for  Hirliman 

Video  Productions,  headed  by  Ed 
Finney  and  Lawson  Harris,  in  Holly- 
wood, will  make  eight  Kodachrome 
outdoor  features  annually  for  Interna- 
tional Theatrical  and  Television  Corp., 
it  has  been  announced  here  by  George 
Hirliman  of  International. 

Preparations  for  the  first  of  the 
series  are  under  way ;  it  will  go 
before  the  cameras  this  Summer.  One 
new  production  to  follow  every  six 
weeks  is  planned.  Stars  of  the  series 
will  be  Stuart  Hamblen  and  Perry 
Ward. 


Philco  Sets  Dividend 

The  board  of  directors  of  Philco 
Corp.  has  declared  a  dividend  of  20 
cents  per  share  of  common  stock  pay- 
able Sept.  12,  to  stockholders  of 
record  on  Aug.  28.  The  previous 
dividend  was  also  20  cents,  paid  last 
June  12. 


Charter  Animation  Corp. 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  20. — Anima- 
tion Corp.  has  been  incorporated  to 
carry  on  a  business  in  motion  pictures. 
Bernard  Burlakoff,  New  York,  was 
incorporating  attorney. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  20. 

UNIVERSAL  plans  to  make  "Heat 
Wave,"  original  by  Walter 
Reisch,  based  on  an  incident  in  the 
life  of  Rimsky-Korsakoff ;  the  author 
has  been  signed  to  direct  the  feature, 
and  Edward  Kaufman  will  produce, 
with  Yvonne  de  Carlo  starring.  .  .  . 
Virginia  Field  will  return  to  the 
screen  as  the  comedienne  in  "Take 
This  Woman,"  which  will  be  Ray 
Milland's  next  starring  picture  for 
Paramount. 

• 

Adela  Rogers  St.  Johns  has  been 
signed  by  M-G-M  to  a  long-term 
writing  contract.  .  .  .  RKO  Radio  has 
taken  over  the  contract  of  Deborah 
Alden  which  was!  formerly  held  by 
David  O.  Selznick;  she  will  make  her 
film  debut  in  "They  Dream  of  Home," 
which  Dore  Schary  is  slated  to  pro- 
duce. .  .  .  Alexander-Stem,  PRC  pro- 
ducers, have  acquired  screen  rights  to 
the  comic  strip,  "Keeping  Up  with  the 
Joneses,"  and  will  make  a  series  of 
comedies  around  it. 

• 

The  first  story  purchase  to  be 
made  by  Lela  E.  Rogers  Produc- 
tions is  "Sunday  Afternoon  Hero," 
original  by  Herbert  D.  Schmidt; 
when  filmed,  the  feature  will  be  re- 
leased through  RKO.  .  .  .  Samuel 
Goldwyn  has  engaged  Knox  Man- 
ning for  a  role  in  "The  Kid  From 
Brooklyn,"  Technicolor  comedy  star- 
ring Danny  Kaye.  .  .  .  Nestor  Paiva 
has  been  signed  for  a  part  in  Repub- 
lic's musical  Western,  "Along  the 
Navajo  Trail." 

• 

Joan  Chandler,  New  York  actress 
who  scored  in  the  Broadway  play, 
"The  Late  George  Apley,"  has  been 
signed  to  a  long-term  contract  by 
Warners.  .  .  .  Louis  de  Rochemont 
and  Henry  Hathaway  will  function  as 
producer  and  director  respectively  on 
"Shock,"  psychological  murder-mys- 
tery soon  to  start  at  20th  Century- 
Fox.  .  .  .  Mark  Stevens  has  been 
signed  by  RKO  Radio  for  the  top 
role  opposite  Joan  Fontaine  in  "All 
Brides  Are  Beautiful." 

• 

Clarissa,  dancer  who  scored  in  a 
stage  version  of  "The  Desert  Song," 
has  been  signed  to  a  long-term  con-  ' 
tract  by  M-G-M,  and  assigned  the 
feminne  lead  in  "The  Kissing  Ban- ' 
dit".  .  .  Donald  Meek  and  Stanley ' 
Ridges  have  been  added  to  the  cast ' 
of   Universal's  next  Deanna  Durbin 
picture,  "Because  of  Him."  .  .  .  Tim 
Whelan  will  direct  "Badman's  Terri- 
tory" for  RKO. 

• 

The  first  of  the  two  "Shadow" 
pictures  which  Joe  Kaufman  will  t 
make  for  Monogram,  based  on  the 
radio  character,  will  be  titled 
"Hands  in  the  Dark.".  .  .  Republic 
has  purchased  "The  Oklahomans," 
original  by  Martin  Van  Laas,  and 
will  use  it  as  a  vehicle  for  Bill  El- ! 
liott.  .  .  .  Mary  Martin  has  been 
signed  for  a  role  in  Warners' 
"Night  and  Day."  .  .  .  Barbara  Hale 
has  been  selected  by  RKO  Radio  for 
a  starring  role  in  "Lady  Luck." 


Ottawa  Sets  Holiday 

Ottawa,  Aug.  20— Ottawa  has  de- 
creed the  observance  of  Thanksgiving] 
Day  on  Oct.  8. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAIEY 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  22,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


First  in 

(Radio AN.  5' 

Accural  1 
and 

Impartial 


va-i^.  no.  37 


Foreign  Heads 
Require  IL  S. 
Help  to  Travel 


Cite  Assistance  Given 
British  Representatives 

Some  foreign  distribution  repre- 
sentatives of  American  companies 
who  have  recently  been  in  Europe 
attempting  to  re-establish  the  distri- 
bution of  their  company's  films  so  that 
they  can  aid  in  the  peacetime  rehabili- 
tation of  liberated  countries,  feel  that 
the  time  has  come  for  the  State  Depart- 
ment to  step  in  and  make  it  easier  for 
them  to  conduct  their  activities.  Other 
American  film  leaders,  however,  point 
out  that  the  blame  rests  in  the  present 
policy  of  the  French  and  other  govern- 
ment leaderships. 

Some  executives  complain  about  the 
treatment  afforded  them  by  consular 
officials  and  other  U.  S.  representatives 
abroad  in  their  efforts  to  secure  per- 
mits to  visit  the  liberated  countries  of 
Europe  and  also  to  obtain  necessary 

(Continued  on  pane  6) 


Europe  Trade  Bars 
Rising,  Says  Gould 


Despite  a  widespread  demand  on  the 
part  of  the  people  and  exhibitors  of 
Europe  for  American  films,  the  vari- 
ous European  governments  are  seek- 
ing "by  devious  means  and  legisla- 
tion" to  stop  the  U.  S.  companies  from 
functioning  in  their  respective  coun- 
tries in  a  free  and  unhampered  way, 
Walter  Gould,  United  Artists  for- 
eign sales  manager,  charged  here  yes- 
terday upon  his  return  from  a  three- 
and-a-half  year  trip  to  the  Continent. 

Charging  the  U.  S.  State  Depart- 
ment with  inadequately  representing 
(.Continued  on  page  6) 


Loew  Clarifies  MGM 
16mm  Film  Project 


Arthur  M.  Loew,  president  of 
Loew's  International,  stated  here  yes- 
terday that  the  company's  new  16mm 
entertainment  films  division  is  strictly 
a  non-United  States  and  non-Canad- 
ian distribution  venture  with  even 
prospects  of  domestic  distribution  com- 
pletely outside  M-G-M's  plans. 

Loew  pointed  out  that  another  mis- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


WAC  Ends  by  1946, 
After  'Victory  Loan' 
And  5  More  Shorts 


The  industry's  War  Activities  Com- 
mittee, through  which  the  trade  press, 
exhibitors  and  distributors  cooperated 
throughout  the  war  effort,  will  be 
disbanded  before  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  Victory  Loan,  tentatively 
scheduled  for  November,  will  also  be 
the  'Victory  Campaign'  for  the 
WAC,  according  to  Francis  S.  Har- 
mon, WAC's  executive  vice-chairman 
and  industry  coordinator.  Harmon 
has  returned  from  Washington  where 
he  and  Simon  H.  Fabian,  chairman 
of  the  WAC  theatres  division,  at- 
tended an  emergency  meeting  of 
Treasury  War  Finance  Committee  of- 
ficials from  all  parts  of  the  nation, 
called  by  Ted  R.  Gamble,  national 
War  Finance  Director. 

"The  industry's  war  service  will  end 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Jacocks  Sues 
Distributors 


The  Capans  Amusement  Co.,  of 
which  Don  Jacocks  is  president,  yester- 
day filed  an  anti-trust  suit  against  11 
distributors  and  seven  other  defend- 
ants in  U.  S.  District  Court,  here, 
asking  $150,000  in  damages  and  costs 
as  well  as  an  injunction.    A  motion 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Lend-Lease  Raw 
Stock  Terminated 

Washington,  Aug.  21. — Lend- 
Lease  shipments  of  raw  stock 
and  other  commodities  were 
terminated  today,  effective 
immediately,  by  order  of  Pres- 
ident Truman,  bringing  the 
wartime  reciprocal  aid  pro- 
gram to  an  end. 

Those  governments  which 
want  to  continue  to  secure 
American  raw  stock  will  have 
to  purchase  it  in  the  open 
market,  the  same  as  other 
customers,  in  consequence  of 
the  President's  action. 


Three  Suggested  to 
Head  'Victory  Loan' 

Among  those  mentioned  as 
possible  industry  national 
chairman  for  the  'Victory 
Loan'  drive  in  November  are 
Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  Arthur 
L.  Mayer  and  Si  Fabian,  it 
was  learned  at  War  Activities 
Committee  headquarters  in 
New  York  yesterday. 

Schenck  and  Mayer  have 
not  been  chairmen  previously 
of  war  bond  drives,  but  Fa- 
bian headed  the  first  and  it 
has  been  suggested  that  it 
would  be  appropriate  that  he 
head  the  eighth  and  final 
drive. 


Export  Corp. 
For  Balkans 


U.  S.  film  companies  will  not  at- 
tempt to  enter  the  Balkan  countries, 
said  to  be  under  Russian  influence  and 
to  have  formed  virtual  government 
film  monopolies,  but  will,  instead,  deal 
with  those  countries  through  their 
Motion  Picture  Export  Association, 
foreign  department  spokesmen  re- 
vealed here  yesterday. 

Holland,  which  is  slated  to  be  the 
first  theatre  of  operation  for  the  Ex- 
port Association  will,  in  all  proba- 
bility, be  followed  by  the  MPEA's 
entry  into  Yugoslavia,  which  has  a 
virtual  Government  film  monopoly, 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Peacetime  theatre  construction 
plans  which,  during  the  war,  were 
for  the  most  part  vague  blueprints 
in  the  minds  of  many  of  the  nation's 
exhibitors  and  circuit  owners  are  now, 
with  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  be- 
ginning to  shape  into  concrete  pro- 
grams. 

Reports  to  Motion  Picture  Daily 
from  various  sections  of  the  country 
disclose  the  stimulus  which  Japan's 
defeat  has  given  to  proposed  theatre 
building,  and  in  many  instances  all 
that  is  awaited  is  the  'green  light' 
from  the  War  Production  Board 
which  may  be  forthcoming  very  soon. 
Labor  shortages  still  pose  another 
problem,  of  course  but  already  dis- 
continuance of  some  war  industry 
operations  and  the  expected  step-up 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Army  Soon  to 
Pay  for  16mm 
Gift  Prints 


Action  Awaiting  Official 
V-J  Day  Proclamation 


A  decision  on  whether  the  Army 
will  pay  for  feature  films  in  16mm 
prints  which  were  donated  free 
of  charge  by  the  industry  during 
the  war  for  showing  to  members  of 
the  Armed  Forces  overseas,  is  await- 
ing the  official  proclamation  of  V-J 
Day. 

The  Army  would  pay  for  the  prints 
on  the  basis  of  attendance  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Armed  Forces  rather  than 
on  the  basis  of  a  certain  amount  for 
each  foot  of  film  taken  as  in  the  case 
of  35mm  prints  which  the  Navy  has 
been  using  and  which  the  Army  is 
now  taking  for  over  100  installations 
in  the  European  Theatre  of  Opera- 
tions which  have  recently  switched 
from  16mm  gift  prints  to  regular  35 
mm  commercial  prints. 

A  discussion  on  the  possible  method 
of  operation  after  the  war  was  held 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


U.S.  Has  Completed 
Brief  for  N.Y.  Case 


Still  further  indications  of  the  De- 
partment of  Justice's  determination  to 
bring  its  New  York  film  anti-trust  suit 
to  trial  in  United  States  District 
Court  here  Oct.  8,  as  scheduled,  is 
seen  in  the  Government's  completion 
of  the  initial  draft  of  its  trial  brief. 

Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  Assist- 
ant to  U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom 
C.  Clark,  who  will  try  the  case,  is 
not  due  to  turn  over  the  trial  brief 
to  attorneys  for  the  distributor-defend- 
ants until  Sept.  20.  He  must  supply 
them  with  all  documents  he  intends 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Memphis  Withdraws 
'Southerner'  Ban 


The  Memphis  Board  of  Censorship 
has  rescinded  its  ban  on  United  Art- 
ists' "The  Southerner,"  reputedly  be- 
cause a  theatre  within  50  yards  of 
the  city  limits,  in  West  Memphis,  is 
showing  the  film,  thus  defeating  the 
ban,  Lloyd  T.  Binford,  Memphis  cen- 
sorship board  head,  told  Motion  Pic- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Theatre  Building  Plans 
Spurred  by  War  's  End 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  22,  1945 


Insider's  Outlook 

By  RED  KANN 


Personal 
Mention 

EDWARD  C.  RAFTERY,  United 
Artists  president,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Hollywood  following 
a  month's  visit  at  the  studios. 
• 

Joseph  M.  Schenck,  20th  Century- 
Fox  executive  production  head,  re- 
turned home  yesterday  from  Cedars  of 
Lebanon  Hospital,  Los  Angeles,  fol- 
lowing treatment  for  pneumonia. 
• 

Phil  Williams,  March  of  Time's 
advertising  manager,  returned  to  New 
York  yesterday  from  a  Nantucket  va- 
cation. 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  British  film  lead- 
er, will  fly  from  London  to  Germany 
tomorrow  as  the  guest  of  Field  Mar- 
shal Montgomery. 

• 

Joe  Shea,  former  film  press  agent 
here,  postcards  from  Calcutta,  India, 
that  he  expects  to  return  to  New 
York  by  November. 

• 

Tony  Sudekum,  president  of  Cres- 
cent Amusement  .Co.,  has  been  elected 
a  member  of  the  Nashville  City  Park 
Board  for  a  three-year  term. 

• 

J.  C.  Osserman,  RKO  manager  for 
Latin  America,  will  leave  New  York 
by  plane  for  Rio  de  Janeiro  tomorrow. 
• 

Al  Finestone,  Paramount's  trade 
press  representative,  has  returned  to 
his  desk  after  a  two-week  vacation. 
• 

David  Levy,  Universal  district 
manager,  was  confined  to  his  home  by 
illness  yesterday. 

Harry  Browning,  advertising  and 
publicity  director  for  M  &  P  Theatres, 
is  a  New  York  visitor. 

• 

Ray  Milland  is  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood. 

FWC  Meets  Today  on 
Peacetime  Theatres 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  21. — Peacetime 
problems  in  theatre  operation  will  be 
the  theme  of  a  two-day  session  of  Fox 
West  Coast  department  heads  and 
Southern  California  and  Arizona  dis- 
trict managers,  starting  here  tomor- 
row. George  Bowser  will  preside  and 
Charles  P.  Skouras  will  be  the  chief 
speaker.  About  200  are  expected  to 
attend.  « 

$78,000  Bonuses  for 
Pathe  News  Sales 

Hollywood,  Aug.  21. — Bonuses  to- 
talling $78,000  were  paid  to  salesmen 
during  the  year  for  sales  of  Pathe 
News,  it  was  announced  at  an  RKO 
Radio  sales  meeting  here  today. 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  president,  said  the 
company  would  welcome  back  1,650 
employes  now  serving  in  the  Armed 
Forces.  Other  speakers  included 
Harry  J.  Michalson,  Walter  Branson 
and  Lieut.  Ben  Bruenberg. 


T  OOMING  well  up  in  the 
*—*  background  immediately  be- 
hind the  decision  of  Metro  to 
enter  the  16  mm.  field  abroad — 
this  is  the  first  of  the  top  com- 
panies in  the  open  with  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  development 
— is  Arthur  M.  Loew,  latterly  a 
major  in  the  Signal  Corps.  He 
is,  of  course,  one  of  the  two  sons 
of  the  founder  of  Loew's,  Inc., 
and  president  of  Loew's  Inter- 
national Corp.  The  other  son, 
David,  has  been  completely  cap- 
tured by  Hollywood  and  yester- 
day won  a  courageous  freedom- 
of-the-screen  fight  with  the 
Memphis  board  of  censors 
which  had  banned  his  film,  "The 
Southerner,"  from  that  city. 
■ 

Arthur's  experience  in  the 
Army — what  he  saw  and  what 
he  learned  about  the  power  and 
appeal  of  the  film  and  the  speed 
With  which  it  gets  over  its  point 
— played  a  significant  role  in 
hastening  Metro's  latest  move, 
if  it  did  not  induce  it. 

The  key  to  his  conviction  may 
be  found  readily  enough  with- 
in his  own  quotation  marks : 
"The  war  has  given  a  tre- 
mendous impetus  to  the  im- 
provement of  16  mm.  projectors, 
sound  and  film,  and  today  nar- 
row gauge  film  approaches  35 
mm.  quality  when  projected  be- 
fore audiences  of  less  than 
1,000." 

■ 

He  sees  an  opportunity  to  in- 
crease the  occasional  audience 
and  to  establish  the  new  in 
sparse  places  where  standard 
projection  rarely,  or  never, 
reaches.  These,  of  course, 
would  be  those  communities  too 
small  to  afford  a  regularly  con- 
stituted theatre.  The  question 
which  seems  logical  at  this  point 
then  is :  Are  the  possibilities 
present? 

A  man  in  Washington  has  the 
answer.  He  is  Nathan  D. 
Golden,  chief  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Division  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce,  who  for 
years  has  been  conducting  sur- 
veys and  making  overseas  mar- 
ket analyses  for  an  industry 
which  has  never  fully  appreci- 
ated his  services. 

His  charts  and  graphs  reveal 
arresting  statistics  dealing  with 
the  remoter  regions  where  pop- 
ulation densities  run  high,  but 
where  theatres  are  few.  Teem- 
ing China  and  India  are  ex- 
amples. There  are  back  coun- 
try areas  in  South  America  and 
South  Africa  where  the  mobile 
projector,    carrying  entertain- 


ment and  instruction,  is  feasible. 
This  is  what  Major  Loew  envi- 
sions. Others  may  find  them- 
selves shortly  endowed  with 
identical  vision,  arrived  at  on 
their  own  or  hastened  into  it  by 
Metro's  impending  leap. 
■ 

Coupled  with  this  company's 
regular  program  will  be  educa- 
tional and  documentary  films. 
Little  thus  far  has  been  ex- 
plained about  this,  yet  it  re- 
quires little  imagination  to 
figure  what  the  implications 
might  be.  Metro  does  state 
these  educationals  and  documen- 
taries will  be  designed  for  train- 
ing and  classroom  use.  Loew 
does  add  the  State  Department 
and  "officials  of  many  other  gov- 
ernments" are  very  much  inter- 
ested in  their  widespread  circu- 
lation. 

If  the  State  Department  is  in- 
terested, it  becomes  a  safe  as- 
sumption that  it  is  concerned 
with  stressing  the  American  way 
of  life  and  the  trade-inducing 
potentialities  of  the  American 
motion  picture.  This  makes  it, 
time  to  revive  the  well-worn 
truism  about  commerce  follow- 
ing the  film  and  only  indirectly 
the  flag  it  once  trailed. 

■ 

It  is  also  time  to  reflect  that 
the  world-wide  effect  of  films 
reflecting  democracy  cannot  be 
overestimated.  As  an  Ameri- 
can company,  Metro  naturally 
will  emphasize  democracy  as  we 
know  and  practice  it.  But  the 
British  have  ideas  of  their  own, 
and  J.  Arthur  Rank  and  other 
nations  have  ideas,  too. 

The  overriding  consequence 
may  be  an  international  scram- 
ble for  political  place  in  the 
world's  suns,  proceeding  hand 
in  hand  with  a  scramble  for  eco- 
nomic advantage. 

■ 

The  path,  inevitably,  suggests 
delicacy  and  extreme  care.  It 
follows  that  how  Metro  or  any 
other  company  fashions  its  poli- 
cies can  influence  many  kinds  of 
results.  Out  of  the  possible  mis- 
take of  a  narrow  and  highly  na- 
tionalistic viewpoint  indoctrinat- 
ing educational  and  documentary 
films  filtering  their  way  around 
the  globe  could  come  restrictive 
legislation  hitting  at  the  regular 
and  standard  business  of  dis- 
tribution. 

The  early  post-war  period  al- 
ready finds  the  course  of  the 
American  companies  a  dubious 
one  in  practically  all  of  the  lib- 
erated countries.  The  fight  for 
restored  foreign  markets,  not  to 


British  Films  Only 
In  Australia  'Keys' 

London,  Aug.  21. — J.  Arthur 
Rank  interests  claim  that  be- 
cause of  the  success  of  Rank 
films  'down  under'  Hoyt's 
Theatres  of  Australia  is  con- 
verting key  theatres  in  Ade- 
laide, Melbourne,  Sydney, 
Perth  and  Brisbane  to  a  pol- 
icy of  British  films  exclu- 
sively, it  was  learned  herec6~- 
day;  and  on  Thursday  \  "T? 
will  announce  an  agreement 
between  himself  and  Hoyt's 
for  joint  production  in  Au- 
stralia of  features  for  world- 
wide distribution. 


Columbia's  Josephs 
Aide  to  Montague 

George  Josephs,  manager  of  Colum- 
bia's sales  accounting  department,  has 
been  named  assistant  to  general  sales 
manager  A.  Montague. 

Josephs  went  to  Columbia  in  1928 
as  a  bookkeeper  while  still  attending 
New  York  University.  He  was  sub- 
sequently appointed  assistant  man- 
ager of  the  print  department,  then 
its  manager  and  later  assistant  office 
manager,  until  placed  in  charge  of 
outside  producers  accounting.  In  1936 
he  was  appointed  assistant  manager  of 
sales  accounting  and  the  following 
year  assumed  the  position  of  man- 
ager of  that  department. 

58  Listed  to  Date 
For  Cohn  Dinner 

Fifty-eight  executives  of  the  motion 
picture  and  allied  fields  have  to  date 
signified  intentions  to  attend  the  Sept. 
27  Waldorf-Astoria  testimonial  dinner 
in  honor  of  Jack  Cohn,  Columbia  vice- 
president,  with  the  affair  spearhead- 
ing the  Anti-Defamation  League- 
American  Jewish  Committee  fund-rais- 
ing campaign. 

New  additions  to  the  list  include : 
Lee  Shubert,  Lawrence  Langner,  Hal 
Home,  Maurice  Bergman,  Charles 
Prutzman,  Joe  Hornstein,  James 
Stroock,  Monte  Proser,  Bill  Hardy, 
Lou  Brecker,  Charles  Berns,  Abel 
Green,  Abe  Lastfogel,  Herman  Starr, 
Jack  Robbins,  William  Jaffe,  and 
Meyer  Lavenstein. 


Mrs.  Rathvon  Returns 

Mrs.  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  wife  of  the 
president  of  RKO,  has  returned  to 
New  York,  following  five  months  of 
Red  Cross  activity  in  the  Pacific,  hav- 
ing been  stationed  in  Honolulu.  Her 
assignment  was  the  reconstruction  and 
decorating  of  a  Red  Cross  Club. 

overlook  expanded  foreign  mar- 
kets, is  well  on  its  way  and  will 
not  be  distinguished  by  a  fair 
and  liberal  viewpoint  at  all  of  its 
turns. 

■ 

These  early  observations  are 
obvious  enough.  Whatever 
their  merit  may  be,  at  best,  is 
merit  drawn  out  of  common 
sense.  There  are  no  priorities 
governing  that. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke  Advertising' 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald',  Better  Theatres' 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  pest  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Wednesday,  August  22,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Writers  Ask  Producers  to 
Reconsider  Strike  Stand 


Plan  Central  Unit 
For  Gov't  Films 


Two  French  Studios 
Being  Constructed 


An  increase  in  film  production  in 
France  is  reported  by  Fred  H.  Hotch- 
kiss,  vice-president  and  general  man- 
ager of  Western  Electric,  who  dis- 
closes that  two  new  studios  are  cur- 
rently under  construction,  one  at  Nice 
and  the  other  near  Paris,  each  con- 
taining eight  to  10  stages.  It  is  ex- 
pected, that  American,  English  and 
Ru--  producers  will  be  invited  to 
utilu.   .ne  new  facilities,  he  said. 

Hotchkiss,  who  has  returned  here 
after  a  three-months'  tour  of  Western 
Europe  and  North  Africa,  also  re- 
ported that  one-fourth  of  all  theatre 
projection  and  sound  equipment  in 
France,  Belgium,  Italy  and  North 
Africa  needs  immediate  replacement. 
Because  of  a  lack  of  supplies  every 
fourth  theatre  is  on  the  critical  list, 
he  said. 

Hotchkiss  arranged  for  work  with 
the  Army  Service  Forces  on  installa- 
tion and  servicing  of  motion  picture 
equipment  at  staging  areas  near  Le 
Havre.  Rheims,  and  Marseilles. 


Hitchcock  to  Make 
Independent  Films 

Alfred  Hitchcock  will  produce  one 
picture  yearly  on  his  own  for  possible 
release  through  RKO  Radio  and  will 
produce  and  direct  one  yearly  for 
|  David  O.  Selznick  under  the  terms  of 
his  new  contract  with  Selznick. 

"Notorious,"  which  Hitchcock  will 
produce  and  direct  for  RKO  Radio  as 
the  result  of  the  deal  whereby  Selznick 
transferred  three  of  his  properties  to 
that  studio,  will  be  the  last  film  Hitch- 
cock will  make  under  his  old  contract 
■   He  recently  finished  "Spellbound." 

Hitchcock,  who  will  arrive  in  New 
York  from  the  Coast  at  the  end  of 
this  month  to  cast  "Notorious,"  will 
start  his  independent  production  next 
Summer,  it  is  understood.  He  is  now 
negotiating  for  the  first  propertv.  His 
new  contract  with  Selznick,  which  is 
said  to  run  for  five  years,  will  accord 
Hitchcock  a  producer-director  status. 


Bpygher  Named  to 
W  Foreign  Staff 

J.  H.  Seidelman.  president  of  Uni- 
versal International  Films,  announced 
here  yesterday  the  appointment  of 
Alichael  Bergher  as  a  special  for- 
eign representative. 

_  Bergher  started  with  United  Art- 
ists in  Japan  in  1923  and  before  leav- 
ing that  companv  in  1929  he  was  its 
sales  manager  for  Japan,  Manchuria 
and  Korea.  From  1934  to  1941  he 
was  general  manager  for  Columbia  in 
Japan  and  North  China,  and  with  the 
advent  of  the  war  he  left  the  Far 
East  to  take  charge  for  Columbia  in 
^orto  Rico  and  the  Dominican  Repub- 
at  which  post  he  remained  until 
1V43.  Bergher  joins  Universal  after 
having  been  released  bv  the  OWI 
where  for  the  past  two  years  he  was 
chief  filrn  officer,  in  charge  of  India, 
eurma,  China  and  Philippines 


MANAGER  competent  e^Juti've 

ITIIII1MUL.ll  EXPLOITATION-BUYING- 
BOOKING-EXPERIENCED 
IN  CIRCUIT  OPERATION,  EXPANSION  AND 
DEVELOPMENTSMALLGROWING  CIRCUIT 
WITH    POST    WAR    PROGRAM  DESIRED 

Address  Box  262,  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 
ROCKEFELLER   CENTER,    N.   Y.  C 

L 


Hollywood,  Aug.  21.  —  Charging 
that  the  "studios  are  laying  them- 
selves open  to  the  charge  of  deliberate 
union-busting"  and  to  suspicion  of 
"endeavoring  to  exploit  the  present 
situation  to  their  advantage,"  the 
Screen  Writers  Guild  today  called 
upon  Association  of  Motion  Picture 
Producers  president  E.  J.  Mannix  to 
"reconsider  your  position  in  order  to 
make  industrial  peace  in  Hollywood 
possible"  and  invited  the  Screen  Act- 
ors Guild  and  the  Screen  Directors 
Guild  to  join  with  it  in  seeking  to 
bring  an  end  to  the  strike  against  the 
major  studios. 

George  Murphy,  Screen  Actors 
Guild  president,  said  that  the  SWG 
message  will  be  read  at  the  next  reg- 
ular meeting  of  the  SAG  executive 
committee,  next  Monday,  Murphy 
said,  adding :  "There  has  been  no 
change  in  the  original  position  of  SAG 
in  regard  to  the  strike." 

The  membership  at  the  start  of  the 
strike  voted  to  fulfill  its  contracts 
with  the  producers  on  the  ground 
that  the  walkout  had  been  declared 
illegal  by  American  Federation  of 
Labor  president  William  Green. 

SWG  also  charges  that  the  pro- 
ducers' position  with  respect  to  rein- 

London  Strike  Off; 
'Lab1  Workers  Gain 

London,  Aug.  21. — The  strike  that 
began  in  the  Gainsborough  Studio 
early  this  month  has  been  settled,  and 
the  employes  are  returning  to  work 
pending  an  arbitrator's  decision  on  the 
status  of  a  shop  steward  whose  dis- 
missal brought  on  the  walkout. 

As  reported  Aug.  3  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily,  the  steward  was  dis- 
charged for  allegedly  going  'over  the 
head'  of  the  studio's  manager  in  ne- 
gotiating a  standbv  payment  of  $5  per 
day  for  four  members  of  the  National 
Association  of  Theatrical  and  Kine 
Employees,  which,  however,  did  not 
authorize  the  strike. 

Aleanwhile,  an  arbitrator's  award 
in  the  laboratory  employes'  dispute 
concedes  a  reduction  in  the  working 
week  from  47  to  44  hours,  grants  wo- 
men equal  pay  with  men,  establishes 
a  minimum  weekly  wage  of  $16,  plus 
war  bonds,  and  sets  up  wage  in- 
creases ranging:  from  $2.60  to  nearlv 
$12  weekly.  The  decision  is  regarded 
generally  here  as  a  triumph  for  the 
Association  of  Cine-Technicians. 

2.5  0  0,0  0  0  Radios 
By  Christmas:  Krug 

Washington.  Aug.  21. — WPB  of- 
ficials predict  that  the  radio  industry 
will  be  one  of  the  first  maior  indus- 
tries to  get  into  large-volume  civilian 
production  and  that  a  steadv  flow  of 
home  sets  will  be  coming-  off  the  pro- 
duction lines  by  early  Fall. 

The  radio  industry  has  a  hue? 
capacity,"  these  officials  point  out,  du° 
to  its  expansions  for  war  and  wil' 
have  little  difficulty  in  reconverting 
its  production  facilities,  whether  fo- 
radio  parts  and  tubes  or  complete 
radio  sets  and  other  end  equipment. 
Material  shortages  will  not  retard 
radio  production  as  they  may  oth<"- 
durable  goods,  it  was  said.  WPP 
chairman  J.  A.  Krug  estimates  that 
approximately  2,500.000  radios  will  be 
on  the  market  by  Christmas, 


statement  of  workers  observing  picket 
lines  and  re-establishment  of  union 
contracts  "is  unfair  and  in  violation 
of  the  National  Labor  Relations  Act, 
which  states  that  persons  who  cease 
to  work  because  of  the  existence  of  a 
labor  dispute  continue  to  retain  the 
status  of  employes." 

Donald  Nelson's  proffered  offices  as 
mediator  had  not  been  accepted  by 
today  although  conversations  looking 
toward  that  end  were  continuing. 

An  emissary  from  William  Hutch- 
eson,  international  president  of  the 
Carpenter's  \Union,  arrived  in  town 
and  talked  with  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  leaders.  The  producers,  in 
session  tonight,  issued  this  state- 
ment :  "So  far  as  we  know,  no  set- 
tlement is  near." 

Trial  of  seven  Screen  Office  Em- 
ployees Guild  officials  on  contempt  of 
court  charges,  scheduled  for  yester- 
day in  Superior  Court,  Los  Angeles, 
has  been  postponed  until  next  Monday. 
Judge  Emmett  H.  Wilson  has  alleged 
violation  of  his  restraining  order  of 
July  24,  which  enjoined  SOEG  from 
"calling  or  inciting  a  strike"  or  other- 
wise disregarding  the  no-strike  clause 
in  the  guild's  contract. 

Films'  Report  Made 
On  European  Visit 

Washington,  Aug.  21. — Observa- 
tions and  recommendations  of  the 
group  of  film  executives  who  recent- 
ly toured  the  European  Theatre  of 
War  at  the  invitation  of  the  War  De- 
partment were  submitted  to.  Major 
General  Alexander  D.  Surles  and 
Colonel  Curtis  Mitchell  today  by  N. 
Peter  Rathvon,  Barney  Balaban  and 
Francis  Harmon  on  behalf  of  the 
group. 

Included  in  the  report  were  a  num- 
ber of  recommendations  for  the  utili- 
zation of  motion  pictures  for  the  pur- 
pose of  providing  entertainment  for 
our  soldiers  abroad  until  they  can  be 
returned  to  this  country  for  discharge, 
and  for  the  instruction  and  reorienta- 
tion of  the  German  citizenry  in  the 
American  way  of  life. 

It  was  disclosed  that  one  of  the 
purposes  of  the  Department  in  invit- 
ing the  group  to  go  to  Europe  some 
weeks  ago  was  to  have  them  survey 
the  situation  and  make  criticisms  and 
suggestions  regarding  the  use  of  films 
in  Germany.  There  was  no  criticism 
of  existing  procedures  or  policies  in 
the  report,  it  was  said,  but  there  were 
many  recommendations  for  new  and 
additional  uses  of  pictures. 

Zanuck  Not  A  vailable 
For  State  Dept.  Job 

Hollywood,  Aug.  21.  —  Following 
the  publication  in  Washington  of  re- 
ports that  he  was  under  consideration 
for  a  State  Department  post,  Darryl 
F.  Zanuck  issued  this  statement :  "I 
have  requested  my  friends  here  and  in 
Washington  to  abstain  from  bringing 
up  my  name  for  any  public  office. 
Naturally  I  feel  deeply  flattered.  At 
the  same  time,  however,  it  is  my  sin- 
cere belief  that  motion  pictures,  which 
have  contributed  so  much  to  the  war 
effort,  can  be  of  immense  further  good 
in  the  coming  years.  For  that  reason 
I  feel  that  I  can  be  of  more  service  in 
my  present  capacity." 


Washington,  Aug.  21.  —  Repre- 
sentatives of  a  number  of  Federal 
agencies  interested  in  the  production 
of  Government  motion  pictures  will 
meet  tomorrow  in  an  effort  to  de- 
velop a  program  for  postwar  central- 
ization of  production  and  distribution 
activities  which  will  lead  to  increased 
efficiency  and  better  pictures,  it  is 
hoped. 

The  plan,  sponsored  by  Taylor 
Mills,  chief  of  the  motion  picture  bu- 
reau of  the  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion, calls  for  centralization  in  some 
agency  such  as  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress, the  work  of  handling  distribu- 
tion of  Government  pictures,  while 
another  unit  could  assist  the  depart- 
ments in  the  production  of  pictures  by 
competent  technical  advice  on  scripts 
and  the  making  of  contracts  with  com- 
mercial producers,  it  is  said. 

It  is  not  contemplated  that  any 
special  agency  such  as  the  old  U.  S. 
Film  Service,  headed  by  Lowell  Mel- 
lett,  be  set  up,  but  that  the  various 
agencies  agree  to  utilize  some  one  of 
them  as  the  central  agency.  This 
would  obviate  the  necessity  for  going 
to  Congress  for  authority  to  set  up 
an  office  and  funds  for  its  operation. 

The  idea  has  already  been  submitted 
to  the  budget  bureau,  with  which 
Mills  was  formerly  connected,  and 
has  received  unofficial  approval.  The 
perfected  plan  will  go  to  the  bureau 
as  a  recommendation,  and  can  be  put 
into  effect  as  soon  as  bureau  officials 
say  to  go  ahead. 

Interested  in  the  proposal  are  the 
State  Department,  Office  of  Educa- 
tion, Bureau  of  Mines,  Department  of 
Agriculture,  Library  of  Congress  and 
National  Archives. 

It  is  hoped  to  have  the  entire  set-up 
blueprinted  within  a  few  weeks,  so 
that  the  regular  departments  can 
carry  on  such  of  OWI's  film  work 
as  is  to  be  continued. 

Return  of  Congress 
May  Be  Postponed 

Washington,  Aug.  21. — Congress, 
originally  scheduled  to  reconvene 
Sept.  5,  may  be  given  an  extra  week 
or  two  of  vacation,  it  was  made  known 
here  today  when  committee  chairmen 
pointed  out  that  little  of  the  peace- 
time legislation  which  is  to  be  enacted 
has  been  readied  for  consideration. 

'Blithe  Spirit'  to 
Winter  Garden  Oct.  1 

"Blithe  Spirit,"  a  Noel  Coward- 
Cineguild  British  picture,  will  open  on 
Broadway  in  six  weeks,  United  Art- 
ists, the  American  distributor,  an- 
nounced yesterday. 

The  film,  in  color,  will  probably  be 
booked  into  the  Winter  Garden,  with 
the  opening  date  currently  set  as  Oct. 
1.  This  will  be  the  first  film  to  be 
shown  at  this  house  under  a  lease 
which  UA  is  now  negotiating. 


Ambassador  Reopening 

The  Ambassador  Theatre  here  will 
reopen  as  a  motion  picture  house  on 
Sept.  1  with  Cecil  B.  DeMille's 
"North  West  Mounted  Police,"  Sam- 
uel Siritzky,  of  E&stern  Theatres, 
Inc.,  announced  yesterday.  As  soon 
as  building  materials  are  available,  the 
Siritzky  circuit  will  build  a  new  the- 
atre in  the  vicinity  of  Times  Square, 
to  show  French-made  films, 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  August  22,  1945 


Jacocks  Sues 
Distributors 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

on  a  preliminary  injunction  is  return- 
able Sept.  4. 

Named  by  Jacocks  were :  Par- 
amount, Loew's  20th  Century-Fox, 
RKO  Radio,  Warner  Bros.  Universal, 
Columbia,  United  Artists,  Republic, 
Monogram,  PRC,  and  Paramount 
Theatres  Service  Corp.,  New  Eng- 
land Theatres,  M.  and  P.  Theatres, 
Barney  Balaban,  Leonard  H.  Gold- 
enson,  Martin  J.  Mullin  and  Samuel 
Pinanski. 

In  the  preliminary  injunction, 
Jacocks  asks  that,  for  the  duration  of 
the  suit,  half  the  product  of  each  of  the 
11  companies  be  made  available  first- 
run  to  his  Strand  Theatre  in  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  which  is  the  subject  of  the 
action.  He  also  seeks  to  compel  Par- 
amount to  divest  itself  of  its  New 
England  theatre  holdings  and  asks 
that  the  Mullin  and  Pinanski  Para- 
mount affiliate  be  broken  up. 

Intercession  Failed 

The  Department  of  Justice  had 
sought  to  intercede  for  Jacocks  in  an 
attempt  to  get  first-run  product  for 
him  from  the  companies,  as  reported 
in  Motion  Picture  Daily  Aug.  14, 
but  those  efforts  were  unsuccessful, 
according  to  Monroe  E.  Stein,  attor- 
ney for  Jacocks. 

Jacocks  acquired  the  1,100  seat 
Strand  for  $230,000  early  this  year  but 
with  exception  of  playing  "Song  to 
Remember"  for  one-week,  first-run, 
he  has  been  unable  to  secure  product 
since  March.  M.  and  P.,  who  previ- 
ously operated  the  Strand  as  a  first- 
run  house  under  (lease,  transferred 
product  to  the  670-seat  State  which 
it  leased,  according  to  Stein.  Jacocks 
alleges  that  the  buying  power  exer- 
cised by  M.  and  P.  and  its  association 
with  Paramount,  with  the  alleged  re- 
sulting influence  on  the  other  dis- 
tributors, has  served  to  prevent  his 
securing  first-run  product. 

Jacocks  also  operates  several  other 
houses  in  Massachusetts,  formerly  of 
the  Levinson  circuit ;  prior  to  his  tak- 
ing over  those  houses  he  was  New 
Jersey  zone  manager  for  Warner 
Theatres  for  many  years. 


U.S.  Has  Completed 
Brief  for  N.Y.  Case 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

using  to  prove  his  prima  fatie  case 
without  calling  witnesses,  by  Sept.  1. 

It  was  learned  here  yesterday  that 
the  Department  of  Justice's  initial 
draft  of  the  trial  brief  runs  more  than 
50  pages.  Additional  information 
which  Wright  has  been  securing  from 
distributors  might  necessitate  certain 
alterations  in  the  brief,  but  it  is  un- 
derstood that  the  pattern  of  the  Gov- 
ernment's case  is  already  set. 


de  Rochemont  Honored 

Richard  de  Rochemont,  producer  of 
the  March  of  Time,  now  in  Europe 
with  a  group  of  Army-sponsored  tour- 
ing newsreel  executives,  was  enter- 
tained at  a  private  dinner  by  Foreign 
Minister  George  Bidault  at  the  Quai 
d'Orsai,  March  of  Time  headquar- 
ters reported  here  yesterday.  Also 
present  were  members  of  Bidault's 
staff  and  prominent  French-Americans 
in  Paris,  as  well  as  Harold  Smith, 
MPPDA  representative  in  France. 


Foreign  Representatives 
Require  U.  S.  Travel  Aid 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

transportation.  They  point  out  that 
representatives  of  British  industries 
are  able  to  move  about  at  will  with  the 
help  of  their  government  while  Ameri- 
can business  executives  are  stymied. 

While  the  American  business  repre- 
sentatives concede  that  restrictions 
were  necessary  while  the  war  was  go- 
ing on,  some  believe  they  will  receive 
cooperation  from  U.  S.  officials  abroad 
now  that  the  war  is  over.  They  point 
to  the  delays  they  encounter  in  seeking 
visas  and  entry  permits  into  foreign 
countries  and  what  is  particularly  irk- 
some is  the  transportation  problem 
they  encounter  while  British  represen- 
tatives are  aided  in  every  way /by  their 
country's  consular  officials.  / 

The  American  business/representa- 
tives feel  that  the  U.  S-.  should  give 
them  some  type  of  priority  to  travel  on 
Army  Transport.  Copnmand  planes  and 
other  travel  advantages  to  facilitate 
their  moving  about. 

The  ease  with  which  British  film 
distributors  are  getting  their  films  into 
the  liberated  countries  of  Europe  and 
are  taking  out  accumulated  revenues 
while  American  companies  are  meeting 
mounting  difficulties  in  reestablishing 


themselves  in  these  markets,  is  proving 
to  be  considerably  annoying  to  our  film 
executives,  it  is  learned  here. 

Foreign  distribution  representatives 
of  the  American  film  companies  are 
finding  themselves  at  an  increasing 
disadvantage  because  of  the  foreign 
exchange  situation  which  appears  to 
be  favoring  the  British  distributors. 
They  believe  that  the  British  govern- 
ment is  taking  aggressive  measures  to 
further  the  distribution  of  British  films 
in  the  liberated  countries  as  a  means 
of  bolstering  its  economy  in  preference 
to  using  other  types  of  product  which 
would  require  more  shipping  space  and 
bring  in  less  revenue. 

Sterling  credits  are  said  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  liberated  countries  which 
native  distributors  of  British  product 
are  able  to  draw  upon,  putting  the 
British  films  in  a  much  more  favorable 
position  despite  the  fact  that  the  U.  S. 
is  providing  these  countries  with  cred- 
its to  assist  in  their  rehabilitation,  it  is 
pointed  out.  In  countries  like  Greece 
where  British  film  distributors  are  al- 
ready operating  on  a  commercial  basis, 
the  American  distributors  are  still  try- 
ing to  establish  distribution  of  their 
films,  it  is  pointed  out. 


Army  Soon  to  Pay 
For  16mm  Prints 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

between  Army  and  War  Activities 
Committee  officials  recently  and  it 
was  decided  to  await  V-J  Day  be- 
fore making  a  final  determination  of 
the  matter.  The  Army  is  said  to  be 
willing  to  pay  for  the  16mm  prints 
on  the  basis  suggested. 

The  industry  had  donated  free  of 
charge  to  the  Armed  Forces  37,703 
narrow  gauge  prints  of  features  and 
31,231  prints  of  short  subjects  during 
the  war  and  up  to  and  including  Aug. 
7,  1945.  During  the  height  of  hostili- 
ties there  were  an  estimated  3,500 
showings  of  these  films  daily  to  an 
estimated  daily  attendance  of  1,450,- 
000.  While  the  Army  has  started  to 
replace  16  mm  equipment  with  35  mm 
equipment  in  the  European  Theatre, 
16  mm  equipment  is  expected  to  be 
continued  in  use  throughout  the  world 
for  some  time  to  come. 


Loew  Clarifies  MGM 
16mm  Film  Project 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

conception  had  arisen  as  a  result  of 
the  step  taken  by  M-G-M  in  setting 
up  the  new  16mm  unit  to  develop  an 
overseas  market  for  both  educational 
and  entertainment  films  in  narrow- 
gauge.  It  is  the  impression  held  in 
some  quarters  that  the  16mm  films 
will  compete  with  theatrical  showings 
of  35mm  films. 


Meetings  on  L.  A.  Tax 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  21.  —  Leading 
local  exhibitors  met  informally  here 
today  to  discuss  City  Councilman 
Meade  McClanahan's  proposed  five 
per  cent  tax  on  theafre  grosses.  A 
formal  meeting  will  be  scheduled  for 
later  in  the  week. 


RKO  Radio  Will 
Exploit  Abroad 

RKO  Radio  yesterday  claimed  the 
establishment  of  the  first  permanent 
field  exploitation  staff  in  foreign 
countries  by  an  American  film  com- 
pany. Phil  Reisman,  RKO's  foreign 
vice-president  in  charge  of  foreign 
distribution,  said  that  exploiteers 
have  already  been  selected  from  the 
company's  domestic  exploitation  staff, 
headed  by  Terry  Turner,  director  of 
exploitation,  under  -supervision  of  S. 
Barret  McCormick,  advertising-pub- 
licity director. 

Humbert  O'Camp,  formerly  in 
charge  of  exploitation  for  RKO  at 
Los  Angeles,  has  been  appointed  to 
cover  Latin  America,  under  super- 
vision of  J.  C.  Osserman,  manager 
for  Latin  America.  O'Camp,  who 
leaves  shortly  for  Brazil,  has  been  in 
exhibition  since  1928,  when  he  joined 
Fox  Theatres  in  New  England. 

Don  Prince,  for  the  past  six  years 
with  RKO's  exploitation  department, 
most  recently  in  the  New  England 
area,  reports  to  the  home  office  for 
preparatory  training  before  taking  up 
similar  duties  in  England  and  the  con- 
tinent, under  supervision  of  Robert 
S.  Wolff,  general  manager  for  United 
Kingdom.  Prince,  who  will  establish 
headquarters  in  both  London  and 
Paris,  was  at  one  time  press  agent  for 
the  RKO  Palace. 


Monogram  Expansion 

Hollywood,  Aug.  21.  —  First  item 
in  Monogram's  postwar  construction 
program,  to  be  started  at  once,  will  be 
the  adding  of  60  feet  to  Stage  3,  ac- 
cording to  announcement  by  Trem 
Carr,  executive  director.  Area  to  be 
utilized  will  be  part  of  new  space  re- 
cently acquired  and  other  planned  im- 
provements will  be  added  as  soon  as 
materials  can  be  secured. 


Europe  Trade  Bars 
Rising,  Says  Gould 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
American  business  men  abroad,  Gould 
called  for  a  firmer  policy  toward 
European  governments  on  film  mat- 
ters. He  asked  that  the  Department 
ask  the  European  governments  to  give 
our  industry  "the  right  of  way." 

(In  a  New  York  Times  dis^tch 
from  Paris  yesterday,  Amerito  isi- 
ness  men  are  reported  as  "T  .ain- 
ing  over  the  inadequate  facilities  re- 
ceived from  American  authorities  in 
France  in  attempting  to  reestablish 
themselves  commercially.) 

Gould,  who  visited  England.  France, 
Sweden,  Norway,  Denmark,  Belgium, 
Switzerland  and  Germany  during  his 
trip,  cited  the  classification  by  the 
French  government  of  films  into  two 
categories :  international,  including 
U.  S.  films,  and  non-international, 

Would  Admit  72 

The  French  have  offered  to  admit 
72  U.  S.  films  in  two  six-month 
periods,  but  with  the  stipulation  that 
they  could  not  earn  more  than  35  per 
cent  of  the  total  box  office  gross, 
Gould  said.  He  ascribed  difficulties 
being  experienced  in  France  to  the 
importance  placed  on  the  French  pro- 
ducing industry  which,  unlike  the 
American  industry,  must  rely  on 
native  markets. 

American  companies  previously  had 
asked  to  be  permitted  to  bring  in 
108  films,  12  each  from  the  eight 
larger  companies,  with  12  reserved 
for  the  others,  but  the  French  re- 
fused, he  said. 

Under  the  French-U.  S.  trade 
treaty,  156  U.  S.  films  were  originally 
to  be  admitted  by  the  French,  but 
when  they  pleaded  for  moderation  of 
this  number,  U.  S.  industry  repre- 
sentatives agreed,  UA's  foreign  man- 
ager stated.  This  counterproposal 
was  rejected,  he  said,  because  35  per 
cent  of  the  total  gross  could  be  se- 
cured by  two  outstanding  American 
films  in  a  first  half-year  period. 

In  most  European  countries,  which 
show  a  distinct  leftist  trend,  Gould 
asserted,    the    governments    are  op- 
posed  to    increased   admissions  and 
have  succeeded  in  lowering  prices  in 
some  instances.    In  France  the  com-  i 
panies'  funds  are  blocked  to  the  ex-  • 
tent  of  their  being  permitted  to  draw  I 
only  20,000  francs  monthly  for  ex- 
penses, Gould  said. 


Export  Corporation 
To  Cover  Balkans 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

they  maintained.  Russian  films  are 
currently  being  exhibited  there  with 
the  possibility  that  some  British  films 
are  being  shown,  although  available 
information  is  not  clear  on  this. 

Countries  such  as  Hungary,  Pol- 
and,. Austria,  Czechoslovakia,  all  al- 
leged to  be  under  Russian  domina- 
tion, are  not  accessible  to  ordinary 
commercial  negotiations,  it  was  said, 
because  their  governments  insist  on 
doing  business  on  their  own  terms,  it 
was  said.  Specifically,  it  was  pointed 
out,  those  countries  are  attempting  to 
dictate  terms  and  are  also  restricting 
the  number  of  films  that  they  are  will- 
ing to  admit. 

The  Export  Association  will  be 
used  by  the  companies  only  until  such 
time  as  individual  companies  can  ob- 
tain satisfactorv  terms. 


W  ednesday,  August  22,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


•Independents  Lose 
Chi.  Loop  Outlet 


1  Chicago,  Aug.  21.  —  Independent 
[distributors  will  suffer  a  major  set- 
back in  the  Loop's  first  run  market 
v.hen  the  deal  concluded  between 
I'nited  Artists  and  Harold  Costello, 
operator  of  the  Oriental  Theatre,  be- 
gins on  Sept.  21  with  the  extended 
run  c^"Blood  on  the  Sun." 


(only" 


Oriental  has  been  about  the 
run   outlet  for  Republic, 


Monogiam  and  PRC,  and  a  market 
Jor  the  less  important  Columbia  and 
Universal  releases.  The  deal  has  been 
submitted  to  the  U.  A.  office  for  ap- 
proval, considered  only  a  technicality, 
:-ince  top  U.  A.  sales  executives  have 
been  kept  informed  of  all  proceedings. 

The  Oriental,  which  also  plays  stage 
shows,  has  always  wanted  to  play 
strong  screen  product.  Today,  when 
stage  attractions  find  it  very  difficult 
to  move  around  the  country,  the  the- 
atre is  almost  forced  to  offer  top 
stage  shows  longer  than  a  week  en- 
gagements to  attract  them  into  the 
city.  The  playing  of  quality  pictures 
will  permit  engagements  of  two  to 
four  weeks,  or  longer. 

Other  Pictures 

Pictures  scheduled  to  follow  "Blood 
on  the  Sun"  are  "The  Story*  of  G.  I. 
Joe,"  "Guest  Wife,"  "Captain  Kidd," 
The  Outlaw,"  and  "Paris  Under- 
ground." Others  to  follow  are  "Spell- 
bound," "Whistle  Stop,"  "Abilene" 
and  "Diary  of  a  Chambermaid." 

U.  A.  will  share  expenses  in  ex- 
ploiting the  pictures  and  will  con- 
tribute toward  institutional  ads  which 
will  inform  the  public  of  the  Ori- 
ental's new  picture  program. 

The  Woods,  which  formerly  had 
open  time  for  Republic  product,  is 
now  well  set  for  the  remainder  of  the 
year.  "Wonder  Man,"  which  in  the 
first  five  weeks  of  its  engagement 
there,  has  topped  the  former  record 
holder,  "Up  in  Arms,"  by  a  gross  of 
$55,000,  is  expected  to  hold  out  until 
late  in  the  Fall,  to  be  followed  by  In- 
ternational's "Tomorrow  Is  Forever." 
"The  Kid  From  Brooklyn"  is  ex- 
pected to  be  ready  for  the  house  fol- 
lowing the  "Forever"  run. 


Memphis  Withdraws 
'Southerner'  Ban 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ture  Daily  by  long  distance  telephone 
yesterday,  declaring  that  there  is 
"nothing  bad  about  the  picture  except 
'  its  infamous  misrepresentation  of  the 
Southern  farmer." 

UA  said  yesterday  that  it  had 
learned  that  censorship  of  the  David 
Loew  film  was  contemplated  by  one 
of  the  Southern  states,  and  Gradwell 
L.  Sears,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution,  declared  that  the  com- 
'  pany  is  prepared  to  institute  suit 
against  any  censors  who  "try  to  'box 
out'  'The  Southerner'  from  any  the- 
atre in  any  city  or  town  in  the  U.  S." 


Theatre  Building  Plans 
Spurred  by  War's  End 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  the  discharge  of  service  personnel, 
are  brightening  theatre  construction 
prospects. 

Negotiations  for  sites  continue  al- 
most daily,  and  several  communities 
which  have  always  been  without  mo- 
tion picture  houses  have  been  singled 
out  for  theatre  building. 

In  designing  new  theatres  empha- 
sis is  being  placed  on  modernity.  Ad- 
vantage will  be  taken  of  all  the  build- 
ing trade  can  offer  in  the  way  of  up- 
to-date  fixtures  arid  installations,  in- 
cluding accommodations  for  television. 
The  following  are  typical  of  the  re- 
ports from  the  field  on  new  building 
plans. 

Goldman  to  Build  One; 
Will  Open  the  Erlanger 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  21.  —  Con- 
tingent upon  War  Production  Board 
approval  and  the  working  out  of 
other  details,  William  Goldman,  in- 
dependent theatre  operator,  will  start 
construction  on  a  new  mid-city  house 
in  less  than  a  month.  Seating  capacity 
of  the  proposed  theatre,  still  unnamed, 
will  be  about  2,000.  David  Supowitz 
of  Philadelphia  has  been  retained  as 
architect-designer. 

Goldman,  who  operates  Keith's, 
Karlton  and  News  in  the  downtown 
Philadelphia  area,  as  well  as  a  num- 
ber of  neighborhood  theatres  and 
first-run  houses  upstate,  will  open  his 
Erlanger  Theatre  here  with  "Wonder 
Man"  next  month  for  the  first  time 
si: ice  he  purchased  the  major  house  in 
1140.  Federal  Court  of  Appeals  here 
recently  reversed  a  District  court  rul- 
ing which  had  favored  the  distribu- 
tors in  a  suit  filed  by  Goldman  charg- 
ing discrimination  against  the  Erlanger 
which  he  had  refrained  from  operat- 
ing for  that  reason. 


Designate  Hirliman  Unit 

_  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  21.— Interna- 
tional Theatrical  and  Television 
Corp.,  Dover,  Del.,  has  filed  a  state- 
ment and  designation  that  its  New 
York  office  for  the  conduction  of  a 
motion  picture  and  television  business 
is  1450  Broadway.  Authorized  cap- 
ital stock  is  $1,500,000,  $1  par.  Geo. 
A.  Hirliman  is  president.  Gettinger 
&  Gettinger  were  the  attorneys. 


Fox  Midwest  Planning 
Two  New  Houses 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Aug.  21. — Fox 
Midwest,  according  to  executives,  is 
planning  two  new  theatres,  one  in 
Kansas  City  proper  and  one  in  the 
city's  environs  in  Johnson  County, 
subject  to  War  Production  Board  ap- 
proval and  availability  of  materials 
and  labor.  The  new  Kansas  City 
theatre  is  to  be  a  deluxe  house  for 
colored  to  be  known  as  the  Carver. 


Battle  Looms  Over 
House  Permit  Bids 

St.  Paul,  Aug.  21. — The  city  coun- 
cil here  is  heading  for  a  bitter  dis- 
pute over  two  applications  which  have 
been  filed  with  it  for  permission  to 
erect  theatres  within  short  distances 
of  each  other  in  the  Merriam  Park 
district. 


Having  granted  in  1939  a  permit  to 
erect  a  1,000-seat  house  at  370-384  N. 
Prior  Avenue  to  Eugene  F.  LaFond, 
realtor,  the  council  revoked  LaFond's 
license  recently  because  he  had  not 
constructed  the  building  when  Esther 
Averbach,  owner  of  the  Prior  Ave- 
nue property,  applied  for  a  permit  to 
erect  a  theatre  on  the  site.  Follow- 
ing this,  LaFond  applied  for  permis- 
sion to  erect  a  theatre  at  1934  St. 
Anthony  Avenue,  located  around  the 
corner  from  the  Prior  Avenue  site, 
and  asked  the  city  council  for  prece- 
dence "over  any  other  application" 
for  a  theatre  in  that  vicinity  "which 
may  now  be  before  the  zoning  board." 


WAC  Ends  by  1946, 
After  'Victory  Loan' 
And  5  More  Shorts 


Start  Construction  on 
New  Crawford  Theatre 

Rochester,  Aug.  21. — Site  for  the 
first  theatre  construction  authorized 
by  the  War  Production  Board  for 
this  section  of  the  country  before  the 
end  of  the  war  has  been  cleared  in 
suburban  Webster.  To  be  built  by 
Cocar,  Inc.,  local  contractors,  the  new 
house  will  be  operated  by  Crawford 
Enterprises. 


Wometco  Will  Build 

•  Miami,  Aug.  21.  —  Construction  of 
a  2,000-seat  ultra-modern  theatre  to 
be  situated  on  Flagler  Street,  here,  will 
be  started  by  the  Wometco  circuit  as 
soon  as  restriction  on  building  is 
lifted.  S.  Charles  Lee,  architect,  has 
designed  the  front  elevation  for  the 
proposed  house. 


Plan  to  Build  Three 
Alabama  Theatres 

Atlanta,  Aug.  21. — The  following 
theatres  will  be  constructed  as  soon 
as  priorities  can  be  obtained :  Lester 
Neely's  Oneonta,  Ala.,  1,000-seat 
house ;  Thurmond  Rogers'  Tuskegee, 
Ala..  1,000-seat  house,  and  John 
Moffett's  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.,  colored 
theatre. 


Building  in  Two  S.C.  Towns 

Charlotte,  N.  C,  Aug.  21. — M.  J. 
Whetstone  is  building  a  new  thea- 
tre in  Meggetts,  S.  C,  a  town  with 
a  population  of  1,500  which  has  never 
had  a  theatre.  A.  T.  Livingston, 
operator  of  the  Wagener  in  Wagener, 
S.  C,  is  building  a  new  theatre  there. 


New  One  for  Ohio 

Oxford,  O.,  Aug.  21. — A  new  500- 
seat  theatre  will  be  erected  at  near- 
by College  Corner  by  Charles  Wil- 
liams on  a  downtown  site  already  ac- 
quired. The  town  has  been  without  a 
theatre  since  the  days  of  silent  pic- 
tures. 


Columbia  to  Reissue 
Two  as  Double  Bill 

Recent  box-office  performances  of 
specially-prepared  double-feature  bill 
re-releases,  the  latest  being  Univer- 
sale "Imitation  of  Life"  and  "East 
Side  of  Heaven,"  which  has  received 
first-run  bookings  in  many  key  cities, 
has  apparently  led  Columbia  to  a  sim- 
ilar decision. 

Columbia  will  release  "Mr.  Deeds 
Goes  to  Town,"  starring  Gary  Coop- 
er and  Jean  Arthur,  and  "Pennies 
From  Heaven,"  starring  Bing  Cros- 
by, as  a  double-feature.  A  special 
campaign  is  being  prepared. 


Documentary  Film 
Association  Formed 

The  Information  Film  Association, 
whose  members  include  producers,  di- 
rectors, writers,  editors  and  techni- 
cians in  the  documentary,  educational 
and  industrial  film  field,  is  in  the 
process  of  organization  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  American  Film  Cen- 
ter, which  operates  under  grant  of 
the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  to  pro- 
mote the  production  and  use  of  edu- 
cational and  documentary  films. 
Major  Kenneth  MacKenna  of  the 
Army  Signal  Corps,  is  one  of  the 
organizers. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

with  this  final  Treasury  loan  drive," 
said  Harmon.  "We  have  gone  all  out 
for  the  War  Loans  and  we  expect 
the  'Victory  Loan'  to  be  a  fitting  cli- 
max to  all  preceding  campaigns,"  he 
continued.  Specific  plans  for  the  in- 
dustry's participation  will  be  an- 
nounced as  soon  as  official  dates  are 
set  and  the  goal  determined  by  Treas- 
ury Secretary  Fred  Vinson. 

Harmon  also  released  a  bulletin 
sent  to  all  WAC  distributor  and  ex- 
hibitor chairmen  withdrawing  nine 
OWI-WAC  pledged  films  from  theat- 
rical release,  requesting  that  eight 
other  releases  complete  their  runs, 
and  announcing  that  only  five  addi- 
tional pledged  short  subjects  are 
scheduled,  including  two  already  com- 
pleted, two  in  work  and  one  in  the 
script  stage. 

"The  War  Activities  Committee  is 
just  what  its  name  implies,"  said  Har- 
mon. "The  war  job  will  be  finished 
not  later  than  Dec.  31  and  the  WAC 
staff  is  on  notice  that  our  work  will 
be  over  at  the  turn  of  the  year.  The 
motion  picture  industry  created  a 
piece  of  machinery  to  do  a  specfic  job. 
When  the  'Victory  Loan'  is  a  success 
that  job  will  be  finished." 

Pledged  Films 

Pledged  films  to  be  released  be- 
tween now  and  the  end  of  the  year  in- 
clude the  following :  Aug.  30,  "Here 
Come  the  Yanks" ;  Sept.  13,  "When 
He  Comes  Home"  (How  to  Aid  Vet- 
erans), distributed  by  Universal;  Nov. 
1,  "Victory  Bond  Caravan"  (Treas- 
ury Loan),  distributed  by  Paramount; 
no  date,  "Food,  Coal  Transport  Cri- 
sis in  Europe,"  to  be  made  by  RKO- 
Pathe,  and  no  date,  "It's  Great  To 
Be  an  American"  (Hold  War  Bonds). 

The  nine  previously  released  sub- 
jects which  theatres  are  requested  to 
play  as  scheduled  include  the  follow- 
ing: "The  Fleet  That  Came  To 
Stay,"  distributed  by  Paramount ; 
"Something  You  Didn't  Eat,"  distrib- 
uted by  Warners ;  "On  To  Tokyo," 
distributed  by  Universal ;  "All  Star 
Bond  Rally,']  20th-Fox;  "The  Two- 
Way  Street,"  Columbia ;  "Watchtow- 
er  Over  Tomorrow,"  WAC  chair- 
men ;  "Story  With  Two  Endings," 
20th-Fox;  "Seeing  Them  Through," 
RKO,  and  "To  the  Shores  of  Iwo 
Jima,"  distributed  by  United  Artists. 

The  nine  OWI-WAC  pledged  films 
withdrawn  following  end  of  fighting  in 
the  Pacific  included  the  following : 
"Target  Tokyo,"  distributed  by  RKO ; 
"Fury  in  the  Pacific,"  distributed  by 
Warners ;  "What's  Your  Name," 
20th-Fox;  "Brought  to  Action," 
United  Artists ;  "V-l,  Robot  Bomb," 
RKO  ;  "Target — Japan,"  Paramount ; 
"It's  Murder,"  Columbia ;  "Battle  of 
the  Marianas,"  Warners,  and  "The 
War  Speeds  Up,"  distributed  by  Col- 
umbia. 


'Uf  to  Fete  Miss  Roc 

Universal  will  hold  a  reception  in 
honor  of  Patricia  Roc,  British  actress 
figuring  in  a  Universal-Rank  talent 
exchange  deal,  at  the  Hampshire 
House  here  tomorrow  afternoon.  Miss 
Roc  is  the  first  foreign  actress  to 
visit  the  U.  S.  in  the  new  peacetime 
era  of  talent  exchange. 


WILD  BILL  ELLIOTT 

*  THE  ALL-AMERICAN  COWBOV  * 


Another  of  those  top 

NOTCH  WESTERNS  which  have 
made  Wild  Bill  Elliott  a  bigger 
attraction  with  each  succeeding 
picture.  Jam-packed  with  action  and 
ready-made  pulling-power! 


PICTURE 


MOTION  PICTURE 


Alert, 


tion 


Picture 
Industry 


VOL.  58.  NO.  38 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  AUGUST  23,  1945 


TEN  CEN 


First-Runs  in 
13  Keys  Hold 
Up  Strongly 

Circuits  Study  Grosses 
For  Gas  Curb  End  Effect 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

The  lifting  of  gasoline  rationing 
had  an  effect  in  cutting  theatre  at- 
tendance at  a  few  scattered  first-run 
theatres,  Motion  Picture  Daily's 
reports  from  correspondents  in  13  key 
cities  indicate,  but  most  circuit  ex- 
ecutives, queried  in  New  York,  be- 
lieve that  it  is  still  too  early  to  dis- 
cern any  definite  trend  of  the  general 
effect  on  theatre  business.  It  is  point- 
ed out  that  current  week's  receipts  in 
many  cases  include  one  of  last  week's 
two  Victory  holidays  and  general 
weekend  weather  conditions  were  fa- 
vorable for  theatre  attendance.  While 
scattered  reports  indicate  that  neigh- 
borhood attendance  was  hit ,  strong 
holdover  product  and  good  new  prod- 
(Continued  on  page  2} 


DeGaulle  and  Film 
Men  Here  for  Talks 


Washington,  Aug.  22.  —  General 
Charles  De  Gaulle,  head  of  the  French 
Provisional  Government,  arrived  here 
today  for  conferences  with  President 
Truman  and  Secretary  of  State 
Byrnes.  Two  members  of  the  film 
division  of  the  French  Ministry  of 
Information  were  in  the  general's 
party,  and  they  will  be  met  by  Simon 
Schiffrin,  head  of  the  film  division  of 
the  French  Information  Ministry  in 
this  country. 

Schiffrin  is  expected  to  guide  them 
{Continued  on  page  4) 


Liberty  Plans  Nine 
For  RKO  Release 


Hollywood,  Aug.  22.  —  Liberty 
Films,  Inc.,  producing  company  re- 
cently formed  by  Frank  Capra,  Wil- 
liam Wyler  and  Samuel  Briskin,  will 
make  nine  pictures  at  a  total  cost 
exceeding  $15,000,000  for  RKO  Radio 
release  under  terms  of  a  long-term 
contract  announced  at  the  company's 
regional  sales  meeting  today.  Liberty 
will  produce  at  the  RKO  Radio  stu- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Allied  Proposes  a 
Three-Point  Policy 
For  Distributors 


Pittsburgh,  Aug.  22.  —  Allied 
States'  board  of  directors  at  its  open- 
ing session  today  at  the  William  Penn 
hotel  here  proposed  a  three-point  trade 
policy  for  distributors. 

Adopted  by  resolution,  the  meet- 
ing recommended  that  percentage  deals 
should  not  be  compulsory ;  that 
"blind  pricing"  be  eliminated,  and 
that  practices  "depriving  an  exhibitor 
of  control  over  the  operating  policy 
of  his  theatre,  such  as  preferred  play- 
ing time,  increased  admissions  and  ex- 
tended runs,  be  eliminated. 

The  proposals  followed  a  general 
discussion  of  M-G-M's  recently  an- 
nounced 19-point  sales  policy.  Consen- 
sus of  the  discussion  was  that  some 
of  the  points  are  advantageous  to  ex- 
hibitors and  some  are  less  so. 

The  meeting  approved  a  j51an  intro- 
(Continued  on  page  2) 

Universal  to  Have 
Own  Offices  Abroad 

Italy  will  be  the  first  European 
country  of  those  in  which  Universal 
product  previously  was  handled  by 
local  distributors,  to  have  established 
therein  a  Universal  office,  in  line  with 
the  company's  intentions  to  handle  its 
own  distribution  in  all  of  Continental 
Europe.  Appointment  of  Emanuele 
Zama  to  the  post  of  general  manager 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Postpone  Victoru 
Loan  to  Oct.  29 

Washington,  Aug.  22.— The 
Victory  Loan  Drive,  originally 
planned  for  mid-September,  is 
now  set  to  open  Oct.  29  and 
close  Dec.  8,  Fred  M.  Vinson, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  an- 
nounced today.  The  national 
quota  will  be  $11,000,000,000  or 
$3,000,000,000  less  than  for  the 
Seventh  War  Loan. 

Film  industry  representa- 
tives are  expected  to  be  called 
to  Washington  late  next  week 
to  discuss  plans  for  the  cam- 
paign, following  a  meeting  of 
16mm.  film  men  in  Chicago  on 
Monday  and  Tuesday. 


U.S.  Approves  RKO 
Bonus  of  $100,000 

The  Treasury  has  approved 
distribution  of  more  than 
$100,000  to  about  250  theatre 
managers,  assistants  and  pub- 
licity men  of  RKO  Theatres 
and  affiliates,  it  was  learned 
here  yesterday.  Application 
for  the  bonus  has  been  pend- 
ing for  a  year.  The  bonus, 
which  is  for  the  year  Sept.  1, 
1943  to  Aug.  31,  1944,  is  al- 
lowed from  corporate  earn- 
ings. The  amount  is  the  same 
as  the  previous  year's. 

Distribution  of  checks  will 
be  made  within  five  days  to 
two  weeks. 


Government  Allows 
Pay,  Bonus  Raises 


Washington,  Aug.  22.  —  Relaxa- 
tion of  restrictions  on  salary  increases 
was  announced  here  today  by  the  In- 
ternal Revenue  Bureau,  in  line  with 
an  Executive  Order  issued  last  Sat- 
urday by  President  Truman. 

Employers  now,  without  specific 
permission,  may  make  limited  in- 
creases not  only  in  salaries,  but  also 
in  bonuses,  commissions  and  other 
compensation  of  executives,  adminis- 
trators and  professional  workers  who 
are  not  members  of  labor  unions,  pro- 
vided only  that  the  increases  do  not 
increase  price  ceilings  or  resist  price 
decreases. 


Washington,  Aug.  22. — Removal 
of  all  restrictions  on  theatre  and 
other  building  by  Oct.  1  appeared 
probable  today  as  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board  announced  that  stocks  of 
lumber  were  expected  to  be  adequate 
for  all  construction  purposes  within 
the  next  30  days. 

The  improved  situation  is  due  to 
the  sharp  decline  in  military  require- 
ments, which  enabled  the  Board  today 
to  relax  the  over-all  lumber  control 
order  so  as  to  free  the  distribution  of 
supplies. 

As  a  result  of  the  end  of  the  war, 
military  needs  for  lumber,  which 
amounted  to  12,000,000,000  board  feet 
or  more  than  three-fourths  the  avail- 
able supply  during  the  first  six  months 
of  this  year,  may  drop  as  low  as 
4,000,000,000  board  feet  for  the  last 
half  of  the  year. 


TS 


Signal  Corps 
To  Relinquish 
Films  Abroad 


Special  Services  Unit 
Will  Take  Over  Soon 


Washington,  Aug.  22.  —  Dis- 
tribution of  16mm.  entertainment 
films  for  showing  to  troops  abroad 
is  to  be  transferred  from  the  Army 
Signal  Corps  to  the  Special  Services 
Division  and  a  purchase  arrangement 
may  be  substituted  for  the  present  pro- 
vision of  the  pictures,  without  charge 
by  the  industry,  it  is  learned. 

The  major  problem  involved  ap- 
pears to  be  that  of  finding  a  source 
of  funds  which  can  be  used  for  the 
purpose  of  buying  the  films,  since  all 
funds  appropriated  for  motion  pictures 
have  been  specifically  earmarked. 

The  need  for  a  new  system  to 
handle   the    16mm.    prints  developed 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


WPB  Amplifies  Plan 
For  Small  Business 


Washington,  Aug.  22. — The  War 
Production  Board  today  amplified  its 
plans  to  insure  that  small  business  has 
the  opportunity  to  obtain  its  fair  share 
of  materials  released  by  the  lifting  of 
wartime  restrictions,  which  Stanley 
B.  Adams,  Director  of  the  WPB 
Consumers'  Hard  Goods  Bureau,  said 
Monday  would  be  applied  in  the  case 
of  any  small  independents  who  might 
(Continued  on  page  4) 


Scully  Opens  2-Day 
Chicago  Sales  Meet 


Chicago,  Aug.  22. — W.  A.  Scully, 
Universal  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  opened  a  two-day  sales 
meeting  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel  today, 
attended  by  branch  managers  and 
salesmen  from  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
Kansas  City,  Omaha,  Minneapolis,  St. 
Louis,  and  Detroit.    Sales  policies  for 

{Continued  on  page  2) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Abbott  and  Cos- 
tello  in  Hollywood"  appears 
on  page  4. 


Theatre  Building  May  Be 
Resumed  Around  Oct.  1 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  August  23,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 

RUSSELL  HOLMAN,  Paramount 
Eastern  production  representa- 
tive, is  due  in  Hollywood  Monday 
from  New  York  to  confer  with 
Henry  Ginsberg,  vice-president  and 
studio  general  manager. 

• 

Lawrence  Cowen,  publicity  direc- 
tor for  Fabian  Theatres  in  Staten  Is- 
land, is  at  St.  Clare's  Hospital  re- 
cuperating from  injuries  sustained  in 
a  fall  last  week. 

• 

Arthur  Hirsch,  president  of  Con- 
solidated Theatres,  Ltd.,  is  in  Atlan- 
tic City  for  a  further  rest  following- 
recovery  from  an  illness  in  the  Jewish 
General  Hospital,  Montreal. 

• 

Arthur  Schoenstadt,  president  of 
H.  Schoenstadt  and  Sons  circuit,  Chi- 
cago, has  returned  from  a  vacation  at 
Elkhart,  Ind. 

• 

Harry  M.  Kalmine,  general  man- 
ager for  Warner  Bros,  theatres,  re- 
turned yesterday  from  a  brief  trip  to 
New  Haven. 

• 

Carl  Leserman,  United  Artists' 
general  sales  manager,  is  expected  to 
return  to  New  York  from  California 
late  this  week. 

• 

William  K.  Saxton,  Baltimore 
city  manager  of  Loew  Theatres,  is 
vacationing  on  Long  Island. 

• 

Arthur  M.  Brilant  of  the  RKO 
Radio    exhibitor    promotion  depart- 
ment, has  returned  from  his  vacation. 
• 

Michael  Hoffay,  RKO  Radio  for- 
eign publicity  director,  is  vacationing 
this  week. 

• 

Ralph  Blank,  operator  of  the  Ad- 
miral Theatre,  Omaha,  is  visiting 
New  York. 

Universal  to  Have 
Own  Offices  Abroad 

{Continued  from  page  1) 
for  Italy  was  announced  here  yester- 
day by  J.  H.  Seidelman,  president  of 
Universal  International. 

In  1940  Universal  and  other  Amer- 
ican companies  withdrew  from  Italy, 
where  U's'  pictures  had  been  dis- 
tributed by  a  local  firm. 

Zama  was  continental  European 
sales  manager  for  Columbia  from  1930 
to  1938.  Previously  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Paramount's  New  York 
foreign  headquarters,  and  with"  First 
National  in  Paris.  For  the  past 
three  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  international  department  in  Uni- 
versal^ studio  on  the  Coast. 

UA  -  Cowan  Film  to 
Chicago's  Oriental 

Chicago,  Aug.  22. — Before  leaving 
here  for  Hollywood,  Lester  Cowan 
approved  a  percentage  deal  for  his 
"Story  of  G.  I.  Joe"  at  the  independ- 
ent Oriental  Theatre,  starting  Sept. 
21.      VSftWt  lt<TOl<lVt<tSl 


Allied  Proposes  a 
Three-Point  Policy 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

duced  by  Mrs.  Arretus  Burt,  motion 
picture  chairman  of  the  General  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs,  for  deal- 
ing with  juvenile  delinquency  by  pro- 
viding suitable  morning  film  programs 
for  children,  programs  which  would 
deal  with  history,  democracy  and  civic 
subjects. 

A  lengthy  discussion  on  the  work  of 
the  Allied  Caravan  occupied  the  day's 
session.  In  a  report  to  the  meeting- 
made  by  Truman  Rembush,  Allied 
directors  were  advised  that  television 
is  unlikely  to  offer  any  real  prob- 
lems to  independent  exhibitors  in  its 
present  stage  of  immaturity.  A  re- 
port on  prefabricated  theatres  was 
made  by  Leo  Yassenoff. 

Reports  of  exhibitors  present  were 
that  no  effect  on  theatre  attendance 
has  been  felt  yet  as  a  result  of  lay- 
offs by  war  industries.  Regional  the- 
atre associations  will  cooperate  in  the 
placement  of  ex-service  men  in  new 
jobs  wherever  possible,  it  was  agreed. 
"Jack-rabbit"  shows  in  16  mm.  films 
likewise  were  referred  to  regional  or 
local  associations  for  action. 

Surplus  Flood  Remote 

The  meeting  was  of  the  opinion 
that  surplus  Government  film  equip- 
ment will  not  be  an  immediate  problem 
for  established  exhibitors  in  this  coun- 
try ;  that  the  equipment  probably  will 
remain  in  use  for  the  duration  of  oc- 
cupation services  abroad  and  may  be 
the .  last  to  be  disposed  of  by  the 
Government. 

At  yesterday's  meeting  of  the  Con- 
ference of  Independent  Exhibitors 
here  Jesse  L.  Stern  of  New  York  was 
named  moderator ;  Nathan  Yamins, 
treasurer^  and  Abram  F.  Myers,  gen- 
eral counsel.  It  was  agreed  to  con- 
tinue the  Conference  and  enlarge  its 
scope  until  such  time  as  a  final  decree 
has  been  entered  in  the  Government's 
New  York  anti-trust  suit. 

The  Conference  adopted  a  reso- 
lution commending  the  Attorney  Gen- 
eral on  the  handling  of  the  Govern- 
ment case  and  pledging  continued 
support.  It  was  also  resolved  to  send 
a  message  of  congratulation  to  Pres- 
ident Truman  on  the  ending  of  the 
war  and  assuring  independent  ex- 
hibitor support  in  providing  jobs  for 
returning  service  men  and  others  in 
the  theatres'  program  of  construction, 
renovation,  remodeling  and  re-equip- 
ping. 

The  Allied  board  meeting  will  be 
concluded  tomorrow  with  Martin  G. 
Smith,  president,  chairman  of  the  ses- 
sions. 


Paramount  Air  Salute 

A  combined  salute  to  Paramount's 
"One  Third  of  a  Century"  celebration 
and  the  company's  anniversary  pro- 
duction, "Incendiary  Blonde,"  will  be 
forthcoming  from  the  Vox  Pop  radio 
program  which  will  originate  from 
Hollywood  on  Aug.  27,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  R.  M.  Gill- 
ham,  Paramount  advertising-publicity 
director.  Headed  by  Bob  Hope,  Para- 
mount star,  .the  radio  show  will  fea- 
ture interviews  with  studio  workers 
who  have  been  employed  by  the  studio 
since  its  early  days. 


Population  Growing 
At  Double  Tempo 

Washington,  Aug.  22. — Pop- 
ulation of  the  United  States 
since  1940  has  increased  at 
almost  double  the  rate  of  the 
previous  10  years,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  today  by  the 
U.  S.  Census  Bureau.  The 
potential  audience  of  the  film 
industry  as  of  July  1  was  139,- 
662,000. 

During  the  past  three  and 
one-half  years,  births  were 
more  than  double  the  total  of 
civilian  deaths,  following  an 
all-time  peak  in  the  marriage 
rate  in  1942,  the  Bureau  re- 
ported. 


Scully  Opens  2  -  Day 
Chicago  Sales  Meet 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  1945-46  season  are  being  discussed. 
Scully  plans  to  announce  the  number 
of  releases  for  the  new  season  during 
the  Eastern  sales  meeting  in  New 
York,  Aug.  28-29. 

Pictures  being  discussed  here  in- 
clude: "That  Night  With  You," 
"Shady  Lady,"  "Bad  Men  of  the  Bor- 
der," "Scarlet  Street,"  "As  It  Was 
Before,"  "Night  in  Paradise,"  "Fron- 
tier Gal,"  "River  Gang,"  "Strange 
Confession,"  "Men  in  Her  Diary," 
"Girl  on  the  Spot,"  "Pillow  of  Death," 
"The  Crimson  Canary,"  "Once  Upon 
a  Dream,"  and  "Down  by  the  Bor- 
der." 

Schine  Wants  Meter 
Readings  Combined 

Albany,  Aug.  22. — Public  Service 
Commissioner  Neil  Brewster  today 
heard  an  application  by  the  Schine 
circuit  for  an  order  directing  the  New 
York  Power  and  Light  Corp.  to  grant 
combined  meter  readings  for  two  thea- 
tres each  in  Gloversville  and  Amster- 
dam and  one  each  in  Glens  Falls  and 
Hudson  Falls. 


Schines  Buy  Hotel 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  22. — Schine 
Theatres  of  Gloversville,  which  re- 
cently assumed  control  of  the  Ten 
Eyck  Hotel  in  Albany,  has  purchased 
the  Wiggins  Hotel,  tourist  center  in 
Northampton,  Mass. 

Liberty  Plans  Nine 
For  RKO  Release 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

dio,  taking  up  headquarters  there  im- 
mediately. 

S.  Barret  McCormick'  told  today's 
session  the  company  has  budgeted 
$3,666,000  for  advertising  and  pub- 
licity over  the  next  year  and  will  in- 
augurate a  new  policy  of  pre-selling 
pictures  to  the  public  a  month  in  ad- 
vance of  release  by  national  media. 


UA  Gets  Winter  Garden 

United  Artists  yesterday  confirmed 
the  closing  of  a  long  term  lease  on  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre  in  New  York, 
with  J.  Arthur  Rank's  "Blithe  Spirit" 
scheduled  to  be  the  first  film  to  play 
the  theatre,  opening  about  Oct.  1. 


First-Runs  in 
13  Keys  Hold 
Up  Strongly 

(Continued  from  page  I) 

uct  at  first-run  houses  might  be  off- 
setting any  possible  general  effect.  A 

Outstanding  money  makers  in  the^ 
reports  from  Motion  Picture  Daily's  ] 
correspondents  are  "The  Story  of  G. 
I.  Joe"  in  initial  weeks  and  "Thrill 
of  a  Romance"  in  extended  holdovers,  '■ 
with    seven    other    films  registering 
strongly.    The  seven  others  are  "In-  ; 
cendiary  Blonde,"  "A  Thousand  and  i 
One  Nights,"  "Over  21,"  "The  Valley 
of  Decision,"  "Out  of  This  World,"  \ 
"A    Bell    for    Adano"    and    "The  | 
Naughty  Nineties." 

Circuit  executives  cited  "Christmas  1 
in  Connecticut,"  "The  Story  of  G.  I.  1 
Joe,"  "Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "The  ' 
Valley  of  Decision,"  "Junior  Miss,"  ' 
"Nob   Hill,"   |'A   Bell   for  Adano," 
"Anchors  Aweigh,"  "Guest  Wife,"  "A 
Thousand,  and    One   Nights,"    "The  t 
Great  John  L.,"  "Along  Came  Jones," 
"Wonder  Man"  and  "The  Corn  Is 
Green"    as    being    the    outstanding  > 
money  makers  in  their  theatres  for  the  j 
past  week. 

Other  Strong  Films 

The  combination  of  "Jealousy"  and 
Dick  Haymes  in  person  drew  $50,000 
in  an  initial  week  at  the  Oriental  in  i 
Chicago  where  house  average  is  $24,- 
000.    "Wonder  Man"  was  wonderful  I 
in  a  ninth  week  in  Chicago  and  was 
a  leader  in  a  second  week  in  Cincin-  ; 
nati.     "Pride  of  the  Marines"  drew 
an  outstanding  $43,000  for  a  second 
week  in  Philadelphia  where  average  i 
is  $22,500  for    the  house.  "Along 
Came    Jones"    and    "Christmas  in 
Connecticut"  drew  strongly  in  hold-  j 
overs.     "Anchors  Aweigh"  drew  an 
excellent  $50,300  for  third  weeks  in  jj 
two   Los   Angeles   theatres.      "You  fl 
Came  Along"  was  good  in  a  second  H 
week  in  Baltimore  and  in  an  initial  11 
week  in  Denver. 


Loop  Wage  Demand 
Set  at  20  Per  Cent 

Chicago,  Aug.  22. — IATSE  Local  Ll 
B-45  will  seek  a  wage  increase  of  20  4 
per  cent,  beginning  Dec.  1,  when  a-J 
new  pact  is- supposed  to  go  into  effect.:; 
Sam  Lamansky,  executive  secretary.  1 
states.  Negotiations  started  this  week 
and  letters  informing  exchanges  of  the  j 
new  demands  have  been  forwarded  to| 
local  branch  managers. 

The    10   per   cent    wage    increase  j, 
under  the  current  agreement,  approved-!, 
by  the  War  Labor  Board  in  May.i 
has  been  paid  by  all  offices,  Laman- 
sky stated. 

Yorke,  Bailey  Confer  j 

Clarksville,  Tenn.,  Aug.  22. — Em- 
erson Yorke  has  been  conferring  here- 
with Bill  Bailey,  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Clarksville  and  i 
original  of  the  J,  P.  McAvoy  Readers  jj 
Digest  story,  "Bill  Bailey  and  the jj 
Four  Pillars,"  which  Yorke's  studicj 
is  producing  for  the  Office  of  Inter 41 
American  Affairs. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  -Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigle> 
Publishing  Company  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martm  Quigley 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising, 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor ;  London  Bureau. 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hop»  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other. Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscriptioi- 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  . 


IAP  TCAIL  OF  RUIN 
PORTRAYED  IN  FILM 


|A  documentary  film,  showing 
>e  razing  of  the  Philippines  by 
treating  Jap  forces,  will  be  dis- 
tbuted  to  theaters  in  North  and 
iuth  America  this  month  and, 
th  victoryjWj^^rrias  evi- 
nce tap*  1  ^  Cl\HVcrim 
lis.  Tl  it  \  NylMFrom 
>kyo,"|  |V^^^«!!!rearrated 
.  Capt.wa'vTT  L.  Griffin  of  the 

If  .ine  Corps  and  will  be  ra- 

"  >sed  by  Warner  Bros. 

!  At  its  official  preview  yester- 
y  Brig.-Geh.  Carlos  P.  Romulo, 
;  dent  commissioner  of  the 
lilippines  to  the  United  States, 
clared  that  the  twenty-minute 
Mnicolor  film  will  bring  to  the 
nerican  people  the  Philippines' 
sperate  need  for  financial  and 
iterial  assistaitce.  It  will,  at 
e  same  time,  serve  as  documen- 
ry  evidence  against  ail  the 
panese  war  lords,  iBcmding 
3  emperor,  he  safiS. 

rders  From  Tokyo* 

^ast  weelc  in  Manhattan,  how- 
:r,  audiences  at  several  showings 
a  darkened  preview  theater  at 
*rner  Bros,  savv^Jfl^uhute  sara- 

of  film  \»e  used  to 

ivictthej40  V|l,V>rds  whe; 

Pacific  blTj>«««ft. 
This  film  waf  no  lake.  It 
isputable  and  appalling  » 
re  than  some  stomachs  i: 
m  could  takej  of  the  sad 
pless  Manila  by  the  Japa 

slaughter  of  its  innocents, 
iming  of  priests  and  nuns, 
b  uction  of  some  80  per  cen 
nila's  buildings. 
The  film  was  made  inde^ 
itly  of  regular  Army  pho 
phic  services  by  Marine  G 
vid  G.  Griffin,  laison  officer 
sident  Osmena  of  the  Philippm 

nds 

t  will  be  released  by  Warner1 
•s.  this  month  under  the  title, 
iers  from  Tokyo,  a  title  drawn 
ti  the  wealth  of  documentary 
J  icnce  proving  that  the.  destruc- 
i  of  Manila  and  the  wholesale 
lghter  of  its  people  were  done 
lei  detailed  orders  from  the  Jap- 
se  high  command, 
"he  film  begins  with  shots  of  ex- 
d,  cheering  Filipinos  and  liber- 
i  U.  S.  prisoners  as  the  first 
rols  of  the  approaching  U.  S. 
1  ;e  reach  the  city.  The  Japanese 
apparently  Withdrawn  beyond 

I  met.  Commissioner  Carlos 
omul©  at  the  prrrir-f  ^V'TTt 
rs  Frqm  Jlsi«-_  ^  r*"C  \ked 

ok 

sail  1  see  time, 

e  ta! 


FILM  SHOWS  NEED 
FORPHILIPPINESAID 

Cen.  Romulo  Speaks  at  Pre- 
view of  Movie  of  Sacking  of 
Manila  by  Japanese 


A  premeditated  and  methodical 
razing,  of  the'  Philippines  by  re- 
treating Japanese  forces  has 
caused  a  desperate  need  for  finan- 
cial and  material  assfatanc&ifrom 
this  country 'forth^aw^^^l'  our 

ill  ,|  i  H  1 1|  I  V   I  1  1 

the  Uil  1  ii    lliiil  it -tryrlriT 

He  sj^JCeat  a  preview  showing 
of  "Orders  from  Tokyo,",  a  doc- 
umentary film  of  the  sacking  of 
Manila,  which  was  produced 
through  the  cooperation  of  th* 
Commonwealth  Government  of  the 
Philippines  and  the  Office  of 
Strategic  Services. 

General  Romulo  -stressed  that 
the  most  urgent  need  was  for  the 
material  that  would  bring  to  a  de- 
cisive halt  the  war  in  the  Pacific. 

Yet,  he  pointed  out,  there  St  is 
the  unquestionable  problem  of 
^thinking  of  those  people  wno  have 
fought  for  America  and  who  now 
depend  on  the  people  of  this  court; 
try  to  succor  them  " 
needs." 


Film  on  Manila  Manila  Film  Shows 
To  Help  Convict  Jap  Cruelty  Vividly 

\  l*ilY|lfl5]la  Graphic  evidence  of  Jap  cruelty 

TT  «.A    VO.  11J1  UlCt to  civilians  was  given  yesterday 

at  a  preview  of- a  20-minute  docu- 
mentary film  made  by  a  Marine 
Corps  captain.  The  film  was 
shown  at  Warner  Brothers  offices, 
321  W.  44th  St. 

The  picture,  to  be  distributed 
soon  throughout  the  United  States 
and  South  America  is  entitled 
"Orders  from  Tokyo."  It  was. 
made  by  Capt.  David 
while  he  was 
officer  fc£ 


Marine  Captain's  20-Minuj 
Documents 


AI  Y%9  I'  hi  lli'n  Him  nliii ) 
lilinl  Villi  nl  Manila, which 

will  "be  presented  at  the  trial  of 
Japanese  war  criminals  as  techni- 
color evidence  of  their  wanton 
cruelties  toward  civilians,  was 
shown  in  an  official  -preview  yes- 
terday at  Warner  Brothers'  execu- 
tive offices,  321  West  Forty-fourth 
Street. 

The  picture,  to  be  distributed 
later  this  month  throughout  the 
United  States  and  South  America, 
ranks  in  comprehensiveness  Mth 
the  work  of  a  battery  of  Signal 
Corps  photographers. 

"Orders  from  Tokyo"  to  be 
Used  as  Jap  Crime  Proof 

Nearly  150  representatives  of  th.e^ 
press,  Army  and  Navy  qffic, 
theater  circuit 
the 


S3. 


lea  of  thev 
Manila,  includjufg  the 
jombing  of  Santo  Tomas  Univer- 
sity when  Jap  shells  killed  21 
civilians.  Brig.  Gen.  Carlos  P. 
Romulo,  Philippine  resident  com* 
missioner,  said  "such  a  film  as 
this  will  se/rvn  as  documentary 

First  Jap  Atrocity 
Films  for  Public 


'ilm  footage  showing  Japane^ 
^cities  in  the  PhiliBjjiB**.  sup- 
d  by  II     I  |||h      '  g  *\\  

umlm^^JrtfBject  to  be  released 
"OraefsJTrom  Tokyo." 


-  .THE  PERSONAL  TOUCH: 

;   .ioner  of  the  Philippines  in  the  TL 

'echnicolor  doci 

'hursday. .; 


pictures  of  .  the  Nazis' 
n  Europe  have  been  here, 
eneral  purposes  of  public 
yesten] 

procession 


show- 

rom  Tokyo,"  20-min- 
lor   documentary,  pro- 
rner  Bros,  in  coopera- 
Philippine  Government* 
home  office, 
tells  the  story  of  the 
Manila  by  the  Japs 
diers  entered  the  cap- 
,aps  were  on  the  verge 
from  Manila  when 
can  soldiers"  entered 
rbs.     Filipino  na- 
d  from  the  ,  enemy 
time,   that  Manila 
ct.     But  then,  on 
o,'  the  city  was 
oyed  arrd  its  citi- 
wantonly  killed, 
s  the  bloody  acts 
tyromen  and  chil- 
is, heart  of  a  city 
pChe  picture,  and 
evidence  when 
to  trial  for 


pare  contains 
full  horror  of 
|t  even .  closer 
up  of  nuns 
their  bomb- 
wandering 
(ng  for  his 
lying  dead 
tend  others, 
js  a  vivid 
one  that 
the  Fili- 
fit  in  the 


to 


he  preview 


it\\& 


Carlos  P.  Ro. 

is  hosting  awl 

[0  Tokyo"  tA 
ceive  durin5;-4»c£tails  tollowing 
. .    •  Leo  Israel,  of  20th-Fox'  ad 


en.  Car- 
|r  of  the 
Ihost  at 
tor,  at- 
fcriffith, 
Shed  and 


Bifan  Kalb- 
ant  of  the  Marines 
..  *t-  Bruckiyn  Navy  Yard;  Lt.  Cdl.  H. 
L.  Hemming;  Lt.  Lloyd  Durant, 
USN;  Comm.  Bob  Edge,  USN;  Jules 
Lapidus,  Norman  Moray,  and  Phil 
Abrams,  Warner  home  office  execu- 


,  Col.  Dean  Kalb- 
««S5fi7Commandant  of  Marines  at 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard;  Lt.  Col.  H.  L. 
Hemming,  Marine  Corps ;  Lt.  Lloyd 
Durant,  Navy;  Comm.  Bob  Edge, 
Navy;  Capt.  Tim  Healy,  and  others. 
Norman  H.  Moray,  short  subjects 
sales  manager  for  Warners,  intro- 
duced Gen.  Romulo,  who  delivered  a 
brief  talk  on  Jap  atrocities^!  the 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Signal  Corps  Will 
Relinquish  Films 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
with  the  end  of  the  war,  as  there  no 
longer  is  a  need  for  pictures  to  be 
shown  combat  troops.  A  War  Depart- 
ment spokesman  said  that  the  m- 
•  dustry  was  willing  to  continue  its  free 
gift  of  pictures  for  showing  to  men 
in  the  armies  of  occupation  but  did  not 
feel  called  upon  to  provide  films  for 
other  areas.  To  meet  this  situation, 
the  Army  Motion  Picture  Service  is 
developing  facilities  for  showing 
35mm.  pictures  in  the  European  the- 
atre of  war  and  may  extend  its  oper- 
ations to  other  sections  of  the  world. 
Normally,  the  AMPS  operated  only 
its  circuit  in  the  United  States  and 
certain  possessions. 

The  whole  matter  is  one  of  provid- 
ing entertainment  for  troops  in  Eu- 
rope awaiting  transport  home.  Major 
General  Joseph  W.  Bryon,  chief  of 
the  Special  Services  Division,  now  in 
Europe,  is  expected  to  return  within 
a  week  with  the  answers  to  many  of 
the  questions  involved.  It  is  con- 
templated that  the  new  system  will 
be  started  Sept.  1,  if  possible,  al- 
though more  time  may  be  required  to 
work  out  the  details 


Canada  to  Revert  to 
Standard  Time  Soon 

Ottawa,  Aug.  22.— A  Canadian 
Government  source  announced  that 
daylight  saving  tirrJe  would  'probably 
be  dropped  as  a  war  measure  at  the 
end  of  September,  following  many 
representations  from  municipalities, 
school  associations  and  farm  groups. 


Review 

"Abbott  and  Costello  in  Hollywood 

(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)  Hollywood,  Aug.  22 

COMEDIANS  Bud  Abbott  and  Lou  Costello  are  beneficiaries  here  of  the 
same  background-the  interior  of  the  M-G-M  studio  and  exteriors  all 
over  Holly wood-which  contribute  to  the  over-all  effectiveness  of  the  same 
studio's  current  'Anchors  Aweigh,"  and  this  setting  is  a  value  to  ^  reckoned 
with  in  exhibitions  of  the  film  elsewhere  than  here  where  the  citizenry _at 
large  considers  itself  obligated  to  appear  to  take  such  matters  in  stride  Ine 
picture  figures  to  be  accepted  more  favorably  in  general,  therefore,  than  it 
was  when  previewed  at  the  Fairfax  Theatre  on  the  evening  following  the 
day  of  the  announcement  of  Japan's  surrender.  It  was  additionally  penalized 
by  the  necessity  of  following  the  tragic  "Portrait  of  Dorian  Gray  on  the 
screen,  completing  a  combination  of  circumstances  undoubtedly  having  much 
to  do  with  the  lukewarm  response  manifested. 

The  comedians  portray  two  Hollywood  barbers  who  learn  something  about 
the  talent-agencv  field  and  undertake  to  crash  it,  which  they  succeed  after 
many  disillusionments  and  hardships,  in  doing.  Robert  Stanton  and  Jean 
Porter  portray  young  actors  whose  careers  are  involved  in  the  would-be 
agents'  adventures.  The  cast  also  includes  Warner  Anderson  Rags  Rag- 
land  Mike  Mazurki  and  Donald  MacBride.  (Jackie  Jenkins,  Lucille  Ball, 
Preston  Foster,  Robert  Z.  Leonard  and  some  other  M-G-M  people  appear 
incidentally  and  as  themselves  in  the  studio  sequences). 

Several  of  the  comedians'  sequences  compare  with  their  best,  notably  one 
in  which  Costello  tries  to  woo  sleep,  and  another  in  which  he  takes  an  in- 
credible beating  from  studio  workers  who  believe  he  is  a  dummy.  There  are 
several  chases,  and  a  roller-coaster  sequence  near  the  finish  should  score 
solidly  under  ordinary  conditions.  . 

Martin  A.  Gosch  produced  the  picture  and  S.  Sylvan  Simon  directed  it, 
from  a  screenplay  by  Nat  Perrin  and  Lou  Breslow,  based  on  an  original  by 
Perrin  and  Gosch.  ...     .        _  ,  ,\ 

Running  time,  84  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set.  William  R.  Weaver 


Thursday,  August  23,  1945 

WPB  Amplifies  Plan 
For  Small  Business 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
have  difficulty  in  securing  needed  raw- 
stock,  for  example. 

All  preference  ratings  will  be  can- 
celled except  the  top  priority  AAA.' 
reserved  for  very  special  require- 
ments, and  the  recently  introduced 
'MM'  rating  for  meeting  the  require- 
ments of  the  Occupation  Forces  andi 
other  continuing  military  needs,  andj 
a  new  rating  of  'CC  will  be  intro- 
duced for  civilian  use. 

The  'CC"  rating,  it  was  explained, 
will  be  used  sparingly  and  only  where 
the  applicant  can  show  he  has  not 
been  able  to  get  delivery  without  a 
rating  and  is  suffering  extraordinary 
hardship  as  a  result.  In  passing  on 
applications,  special  consideration 
will  be  given  the  needs  of  small 
business. 

The  WPB  announcement  said  that 
the  controlled  materials  plan  will  be 
abandoned  Sept.  30,  but  that  'CMP' 
inventory  limitations,  along  with  in- 
ventory controls  on  other  materials, 
will  be  maintained  and  strengthened 
wherever  necessary  to  prevent  hoard- 
ing, buyers'  scrambles  or  preemption 
of  scarce  materials. 


Al  Sherman  Here 

Al  Sherman,  publicity  consultant  to 
the  Royal  Norwegian  Government  in 
the  United  States,  will  be  in  New 
York  from  Washington  to  negotiate 
the  sale  of  various  film  properties 
owned  by  the  Norwegian  government. 


Change  Columbia  Shorts 

Columbia's  series  of  "Film-Vodvil" 
shorts  will  feature  "name"  bands  in 
the  future.  Production  will  continue 
to  be  in  the  East,  with  Max  Cohn  and 
Harry  Foster  producing.  The  series 
formerly  featured  vaudeville. 


DeGaulle  and  Film 
Men  Here  for  Talks 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  discussions  on  a  Franco-American 
film  trade  agreement.  A  representa- 
tive of  the  MPPDA  is  scheduled  to 
join  Schiffrin  and  the  Ministry  of- 
ficials here  tomorrow  to  aid  in  work- 
ing out  an  agreement. 


*  BIG  (JEST  word  in  the  English  language 
Antidises^I^mientarianism 


* 
★ 

★ 
★ 


MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED 


The  Bigger 
They  Are 


The  Better 
We  Like  'Em 


Oh,  what  a  spunky  kid  was  little  David !  He  ambled  up  to 
monstrous  Goliath,  whipped  out  his  trusty  sling  shot -and  zingo- 
a  strike  right  between  the  eyes!  Dozens  of  times  a  day 
Altec  engineers  re-enact  the  story  of  David's  battle 
with  Goliath.  No  equipment  problem  is  too  big 
for  our  skilled  technicians.  When  major  defects 
in  your  booth  threaten  to  break  up  the  show, 
Altec  comes  in  punching.  Our  men  seek  out  the  saboteurs 
in  projector  and  sound  equipment  before  they  strike. 
Write  or  phone  for  the  facts. 

ATLANTA  •  BOSTON  •  CHICAGO  •  CINCINNATI  •  DALLAS 
DETROIT  •  LOS  ANGELES  •  NEW  YORK  •  PHILADELPHIA  •  SEATTLE 
THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUST 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWgei 

>a^Je 

to  theiyi 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  39 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  FRIDAY,  AUGUST  24,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Military  Cuts 
Its  Raw  Film 
Needs  in  Half 


See  Supply  and  Demand 
Balance  by  Jan.  1, 1946 

Washington-.  Aug.  23. — -Mili- 
tary requirements  for  35mm.  film 
for  the  fourth  quarter  are  expect- 
ed to  be  no  more  than  half  of  those 
originally  estimated,  and  there  will  be 
ample  raw  stock  for  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry,  it  is  indicated  by  re- 
vised military  figures  coming  into  the 
War  Production  Board  following  re- 
view of  the  situation  created  by  the 
end  of  hostilities. 

Production  of  35mm.  stock  is 
now  indicated  at  somethhg  lik.- 
600,000  000  linear  feel,  which 
would  b?  about  10  per  cent 
above  indicated  output  for  the 
current  quarter. 

Military  requirements  are  seen  as 
running  in  the  neighborhood  of  30,- 
000,000  feet,  about  a  fifth  of  which  has 
been  requisitioned  for  the  Pacific  thea- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


20th-Fox  Is  Second 
In  Italian  Move 


Mario  Luporini,  20th  Century-Fox's 
manager  for  Italy,  will  sail  for  that 
country  early  next  week  to  recon- 
stitute the  company's  branches  there. 
The  company  has  not  operated  in 
Italy  since  1938  when  it  was  forced, 
in  common  with  all  other  U.  S.  dis- 
tributors, to  leave  because  of  onerous 
restrictions  imposed  by  Benito  Musso- 
lini's government. 

Office  of  War  Information  and  the 
Psychological  Warfare  Branch  are 
reported  to  be  planning  to  return 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Increased  Support 
For  JDA  Drive 


Entertainment  industry  representa- 
tives met  here  yesterday  at  a  lunch- 
eon at  the  Hotel  Astor  to  launch  the 
division's  participation  in  the  1945 
drive  of  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal  for 
the  American  Jewish  Committee  and 
the  Anti-Defamation  League  of  B'nai 
B'rith  and  to  set  details  for  the  testi- 
monial dinner  to  Jack  Cohn,  Colum- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


MGM  Policy  Is  Not 
Industry's,  Says 
William  F.  Rodgers 


The  T9-Point'  M-G-M  sales  policy 
was  not  proposed  as  a  general  trade 
practice  formula  by  M-G-M  and  ap- 
parently the  reference  in  trade  stories 
to  the  fact  that  28  exhibitor  leaders 
had  written  William  F.  Rodgers, 
M-G-M  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  in  answer  to  his  invi- 
tation to  present  to  him  subjects  for 
discussion  at  their  recent  Chicago 
meeting,  plus  proposals  made  by  some 
exhibitor  leaders  that  it  formed  the 
basis  for  a  more  fair  trade  practice 
policy,  was  responsible  for  the  misin- 
terpretation, said  a  Rodgers'  statement 
issued  here  yesterday  following  dis- 
cussion of  M-G-M's  '19-Point'  plan 
by  the  board  of  directors  of  Allied  in 
Pittsburgh  on  Wednesday. 

"The  '19-Point'  reassertion  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Checking  Systems, 
WAC  Before  Allied 


Pittsburgh,  Aug.  23. — The  Allied 
board  received  reports  at  the  elosing 
session  of  its  meeting  in  the  William 
Penn  Hotel  here  today  on  alternative 
checking  methods. 

The  meeting  also  received  word  of 
the  proposed  liquidation  of  the  indus- 
try's War  Activities  Committee  not 
later  than  the  end  of  the  year.  The 
usefulness  of  WAC  in  peacetime  was 
a  subject  of  discussion  before  the 
meeting.  Indications  were  that  the 
Committee's  voluntary  decision  to 
liquidate  itself  by  the  end  of  the  year 
(.Continued  on  page  7) 


COMPANY 
CONVENE 


LEADERS 
ON  SUIT 


Decency  Flouted 
In  New  York  Ads 

New  York  newspapers  on 
Wednesday,  and  again  yester- 
day, caried  display  copy  on  an 
attraction  now  playing  a  Met- 
ropolitan first-run  which  ob- 
servers agreed  to  be  one  of 
the  most  flagrant  violations 
of  decency  they  had  encount- 
ered in  years. 

The  copy  suggested  a  rela- 
tionship between  two  of  thi 
principal  characters  which  is 
not  borne  out  by  the  film  it- 
self, for  apparent  purposes  of 
sensationalism.  The  impres- 
sion created  by  illustration 
and  text,  observers  further 
agreed,  was  repellant  and  ob- 
scene. 


See  New  Unions  to 
Duck  Studio  Strike 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Screen  Office 
Employees  Guild  members  who  are 
working  at  20th  Century-Fox  in 
defiance  of  guild  orders  to  observe 
the  picket  lines  in  the  studio  strike 
last  night  voted  to  withdraw  from 
SOEG  and  form  an  independent 
union.  SOEG  officials  today  said  this 
action  was  illegal  because  the  guild 
holds  a  contract  with  the  studio  which 
runs  until  lanuary. 

The  20th-Fox  employees'  action  is 
believed  to  be  a  forerunner  of  others 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


U.  S.  Reports  an  Annual 
Gross  of  $727,173,000 


Washington,  Aug.  23. — Motion 
picture  producing  corporations  did 
a  half-billion  dollar  business  in 
1942,  the  first  year  the  United 
States  was  at  war,  but  film  theatre 
corporations  topped  them  by  nearly  50 
per  cent,  it  was  disclosed  tonight  by 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Fred  M. 
Vinson. 

Figures  compiled  for  Vinson  by  the 
Internal  Revenue  Bureau  showed  that 
521  producing  corporations  had  total 
compiled  receipts  in  1942  of  $490,510,- 
000,  on  which  240  companies  paid  in- 
come and  excess  profits  taxes  aggre- 
gating $31,561,000.  while  3,529  theatre 


corporations  had  receipts  of  $727,173,- 
000,  on  which  2,502  paid  taxes  of  $42,- 
296,000. 

For  tax  purposes,  281  other  produc- 
ing corporations  and  1,027  other  thea- 
tre companies  showed  no  net  income, 
and  62  remaining  producers  and  107 
exhibitors  were  inactive. 

The  tax-paying  producing  corpora- 
tions, Vinson  reported,  had  total  com- 
piled receipts  of  $471,621,000,  and  an 
aggregate  net  income  of  $80,289,000, 
of  which  $13,834,000  was  subject  to 
excess  profits  taxes.  Their  taxes  in- 
cluded $20,741,000  on  income,  $228,- 
000  on  declared  value  excess  profits 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Presidents  Meet  With 
Defense  Lawyers  to 
Chart  Course  in  Trial 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Company  presidents  and  counsel 
met  here  yesterday  to  discuss  pre- 
parations of  the  distributor  defend- 
ants for  the  trial  of  the  New  York 
anti-trust  suit  which  is  scheduled  to 
start  in  United  States  District 
Court  here  Oct.  8. 

It  is  understood  that  discus- 
sion at  the  meeting  explored 
the  possibility  of  a  basis  for  a 
new  consent  decree,  but  that  no 
final  agreement  was  arrived  at 
on  this  subject. 

The  decision  of  the  Department  of 
Justice  to  bring  the  suit  to  trial  fol- 
lowed the  breaking  down  of  negotia- 
tions for  a  new  consent  decree  last 
year  between  the  five  distributor  de- 
fendants with  affiliated  circuits  and  the 
Department. 

"Final"  proposals  made  by  the  dis- 
tributors, last  year,  which  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  rejected  as  the 
basis  for  a  new  decree,  provided  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  present  system 
of  channeling  all  appeals  to  a  single 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


NSS  3-Day  Parley 
To  Start  Monday 

National  Screen  Service's  peacetime" 
plans  in  the  fields  of  administration, 
sales  and  operations  will  be  under  dis- 
cussion at  a  three-day  New  York 
home  office 
meeting  of  com- 
pany executives 
and  district 
managers  be- 
ginning Mon- 
day, presided 
over  by  Her- 
man Robbins, 
pres  i  dent; 
George  F.  Dem- 
bow,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge 
sales,  and  Wil- 
liam B.  Bren- 
ner, vice-presi- 
dent in  charge 
of  operations. 
District  managers  who  will  be  on 
hand  include :  Jack  Cohen,  Eastern ; 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Herman  Robbins 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Fromkess  Plans  to 
Expand  PRC  Studio 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Leon  From- 
kess, president  of  PRC,  announces  a 
post-war  building  program  for  the 
company's  studio  which  will  result  in 

 ;    a  complete 

stream  -  lining 
of  the  produc- 
tion plant  with- 
in the  next  six 
months. 

A  new  four- 
floor  adminis- 
tration building 
is  planned,  to 
house  execu- 
tives, producers, 
directors,  writ- 
ers, the  pub- 
licity depart- 
ment,  commis- 
s  a  r  y,  make-up 
department, 
script  department,  and  other  depart- 
ments now  quartered  i  n  bungalows 
scattered  throughout  the  lot.  The 
building  will  make  it  possible  to 
eliminate  all  bungalows  on  the  lot 
thus  providing  space  for  two  new 
sound  stages  which  will  exceed  in 
size  any  of  the  company's  present 
stages. 

Ed  Jewell,  studio  art  director,  is 
completing  plans  for  streamlining  the 
studio.  New  star  dressing  rooms  wi 
be  constructed  inside  the  new  stages, 
which  are  to  be  of  modern  design.  A 
new  air-conditioning  and  heating  plant 
also  will  be  constructed. 


Personal  Mention 


Leon  Fromkess 


Century  Projector, 
WE  in  Foreign  Deal 

Century  Projector  Corp.  has  con 
tracted  with  Western  Electric  Export 
Corp.,  a  subsidiary  of  Western  Elec- 
tric, to  represent  Century  projectors 
accessories  and  replacement  parts,  in 
all  countries  of  the  world  except  Can 
ada  and  the  United  States.  In  Canada 
these  products  are  distributed  by  the 
Dominion    Sound    Equipments,  Ltd. 
and  in  the  U.  S.  by  independent  thea 
tre  supply  dealers. 


20th  -  Fox  Chicago 
Meet  Opens  Sunday 

Chicago,  Aug.  23. — The  Central  di 
vision  sales  meeting  of  20th  Century 
Fox  will  open  at  the  Blackstone  Ho- 
tel here  Sunday,  with  district  and 
branch  managers  from  Chicago,  De 
.troit,  Milwaukee,  Cleveland,  Cinc-in 
nati  and  Buffalo  in  attendance. 

Home  office  personnel  attending  will 
include  Tom  Connors,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  distribution ;  W.  J.  Kup- 
per,  general  sales  manager ;  A.  W 
Smith,  Jr.,  Eastern  sales  manager 
W.  C.  Gehring,  Western  sales  man- 
ager, and  L.  J.  Schlaifer,  Central  sales 
manager. 

Alan  Ladd  Suspended 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Paramount 
has  suspended  Alan  Ladd  for  alleged 
refusal  to  accept  a  role  in  "California' 
and  has  announced  that  a  substitute 
will  be  cast.  It  is  understood  that  the 
actor  sought  a  revision  of  financial 
terms  in  his  contract. 


E. 


K.  O'SHEA,  Eastern  sales  man- 
ager for  M-G-M,  is  due  back 
from  Buffalo  today. 


L 


T.    COL.   WILLIAM  WYLER 


Sgt.  Warden  F.  Lovell  of  the 
165th  Signal  Photographic  Company, 
here,  has  been  awarded  the  Distin- 
guished Service  Cross  for  "extraor- 
dinary heroism  in  action  in  Nor- 
mandy on  D-Day." 

1st.  Lieut.  Warren  E.  Dobson, 
former  manager  of  Fox  West  Coast's 
Roxy  Theatre,  Oakland,  Calif.,  is 
managing  screen  entertainment  for 
troops  waiting  redeployment  near 
Reims,  France. 

• 

Stuart  H.  Aarons,  formerly  of 
Warners'  legal  department,  has  re- 
ceived a  direct  non-combat  commis- 
sion as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Philip- 
pines. 

Don  Tibbs,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Mono- 
gram branch  manager  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  is  at  home  recuperating  from 
wounds  sustained  in  action. 

• 

Robert  Hickey,  RKO  field  super- 
visor, has  left  his  Chicago  headquar- 
ters for  a  four-week  business  trip  to 
Texas. 

• 

Joseph  Quittner,  Connecticut  cir- 
cuit operator,  is  vacationing  with  his 
family  in  Burlingham,  N.  Y. 

E.  X.  Callahan,  20th  Century- 
Fox  district  manager  in  Boston,  is 
visiting  in  Albany. 

• 

Judy  Garland  and  Vincente 
Minnelli  will  leave  for  the  Coast  to- 
day after  three  months  here. 

• 

William  Seib,  Columbia  manager 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  back  after  a 
Montana  business  trip. 

• 

George   Harvey,   manager   of  the 
Palace,   Torrington,    Conn.,   has  re- 
turned to  his  post  after  an  operation. 
• 

Ted  Tod,  Warner  story  editor  in 
Washington,  is  visiting  Chicago. 
• 

Ted  Zahbel,  of  Republic's  home 
office,  is  in  Salt  Lake  City  for  a  visit. 


charge  and  is  returning  to  Hollywood 
to  join  Frank  Capra  and  Samuel 
Briskin  in  Liberty  Films,  Inc. 
• 

Arthur  C  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  who 
also  owns  a  drug  manufacturing  lab- 
oratory in  Atlanta,  has  been  nomi- 
nated to  membership  on  the  legislative 
committee  of  the  Toilet  Goods  Asso- 
ciation, Inc. 

• 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  British  film  lead- 
er, has  postponed  his  trip  from  Lon- 
don to  Germany  as  the  guest  of  Field 
Marshal  Montgomery  because  of  the 
latter's  having  been  badly  shaken  up 
in  a  plane  accident. 

• 

Howard  Strickling,  M-G-M  stu- 
dio publicity  head,  and  Richard 
Powers,  music  coordinator,  left  for 
the  Coast  yesterday  after  a  visit  here 
and  in  Boston. 

• 

Hall  Baetz,  district  manager  for 
Intermountain  Fox  Theatres,  has  re- 
turned to  Salt  Lake  City,  after  ; 
Montana  visit. 

• 

Nate  B.  Spingold,  Columbia  exec 
utive,  will  return  from  an  extended 
Hollywood  visit  Monday. 

• 

A.  E.  Fox,  special  representative 
for  Republic,  has  returned  from  At- 
lanta. 

• 

Giff  Davidson,  RKO  branch  man 
ager  in  Salt  Lake  City,  has  gone  to 
Los  Angeles  for  sales  conferences. 

Hugh  Braley,  Paramount  division 
manager,  is  in  Salt  Lake  City  from 
Denver. 

• 

Merritt  Davis,  Southern  division 
manager  for  Republic,  is  in  Charlotte. 

J.  Robert  Rubin  has  returned  from 
a  Saratoga  vacation. 


Spencer  Tracy  has  arrived 
the  Coast  to  rehearse  a  play. 


from 


A.  G.  Edwards,  PRC  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  has  left  for  Denver. 


Crystal  on  Central 
America  Tour  Today 

Clement  S.  Crystal,  head  of  the 
foreign  theatre  department  for  Para- 
mount International,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  a  seven  weeks'  theatre 
survey  of  Cuba,  Trinidad,  Puerto 
Rico,  Colombia,  Peru,  Panama  and 
Jamaica.  His  longest  stop-over  will 
be  in  Havana,  where  he  will  remain 
for  two  weeks.  Paramount  has  a 
long-term  partnership  agreement  with 
Circuito  Cobian  there,  covering  12 
houses,  five  of  which  are  first-runs. 


David  Lewis  on  Own 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — David  Lew- 
is, who  produced  "It  Happened  To- 
morrow" for  International  Pictures, 
will  establish  his  own  independent 
production  company. 


Scully  Cancels  'U' 
Cincinnati  Meet 

Chicago,  Aug.  23. — W.  A.  Scully, 
Universal  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  who  concluded  a  two- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  here  today,  announced  that  the 
meeting  scheduled  for  Cincinnati  on 
Aug.  25-26  has  been  cancelled  and 
that  the  Southern  district  offices  will 
instead  attend  the  sales  conference  in 
New  York  on  Tuesday  and  Wednes- 
day. 

Scully  and  his  assistant,  E.  T.  Gom- 
ersall,  will  return  to  New  York  to- 
morrow. 

Maurice  A.  Bergman,  Eastern  ad- 
vertising director,  is  scheduled  to  fly 
back  tonight.  A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Western 
sales  manager,  has  already  left  for 
San  Francisco. 


'Paramount  Month' 
Will  Begin  Sunday 

Paramount's  month  -  long 
'Third  of  a  Century'  annivers- 
ary celebration  will  begin  of- 
ficially on  Sunday  and  con- 
tinue through  Sept.  29.  One 
of  the  principal  features  will 
be  300  simultaneous  openings 
throughout  the  country  of  the 
company's  anniversary  pro- 
duction, "Incendiary  Blonde." 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.  &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 

"OVER  21" 

A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


2nd  WEEK  —  MUSIC  HALL 

"THE  NEW 


THE  NEW 

MARCH 
of  TIME 


ON  SCREEN 

ALAN  LADD 

GAIL  RUSSELL 

in  PARAMOUNT'S 

'SALTY 
0'ROURKE' 


IN  PERSON 

DAVE  _AP0LL0N 

"Ttiink-a-OrinH" 
HOFFMAN 

EXTRA  I 

SALICI  PUPPETS 


J 


r^nyHinTOirARTUKO  DE  CORDOVA^ 
In  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of   PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

"CAPTAIN  EDDIE" 

20th  Century-Fox — A  Eureka  Picture 
Plus  on  Stage— Phil  Silvers   .  Berry  Brothers 

Extra!  Prof.  Lambertl 
BUT  MORE  f%  f\  -y  7TH  AVE.  & 

BONDS      If  W  A   I        50TH  ST. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quiglej 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco.  New  \ork  J™ 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan.  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary:  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham.  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  £  ecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue.  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hop-  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address.  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald  Better  ineatres. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


3 


Daylight  Saving 
Time  Seen  Ending 

Washington,  Aug.  23. — Re- 
peal of  Daylight  War  Saving 
Time  before  Winter  was  fore- 
cast here  today  following  dis- 
closure by  President  Truman 
that  he  would  make  such  a 
recommendation  in  the  first 
message  he  sends  to  Congress 
next  month. 

Daylight  War  Saving,  es- 
tablished in  1942  to  conserve 
fuel,  has  been  popular  to  some 
extent  in  cities  but  has  been 
consistently  opposed  in  rural 
areas.  It  is  due  to  end  six 
months  after  the  termination 
of  hostilities,  but  the  Presi- 
dent will  seek  to  have  tha 
clocks  turned  back  before 
then. 


SET  OA  Organizes 
Peacetime  Project 

Atlanta.  Aug  .  23.  —  The 
Southeastern  Theatre  Own- 
ers Association  has  organized 
a  peacetime  planning  com- 
mittee for  the  purpose  of  con- 
tinuing to  use  its  facilities  in 
the  public  interest  as  was 
done  during  the  war. 

Members  of  the  new  com- 
mittee are:  Tony  Sudekum, 
Sidney  Meyer,  R.  M.  Kennedy, 
Frank  Rogers,  T.  E.  Watson, 
Mack  Jackson,  R.  E.  Martin, 
Milton  E.  Moore,  William  K. 
Jenkins,  Nat  Williams,  R.  B. 
Wilby,  William  Karrh,  Sidney 
Laird.  L.  J.  Duncan,  0.  C. 
Lam,  William  R  Griffin,  Abe 
Solmon,  Hugh  G.  Martin,  and 
William  J.  Davis. 


Century,  Randforce 
Hold  Staff  Dinners 

Two  local  circuits  held  personnel 
gatherings  here  Wednesday  night.  At 
the  Rivoli  Restaurant  in  Brooklyn  a 
special  Victory  War  Loan  drive  din- 
ner-meeting was  attended  by  managers 
and  assistants  of  the  Century  Cir- 
cuit, as  hosts  of  J.  R.  Springer,  gen- 
eral theatre  manager. 

Randforce  Amusement  Corp.  held  a 
"Victory"  celebration  and  midnight 
dinner-dance  at  the  Hotel  St.  George, 
Brooklyn,  attended  by  theatre  man- 
agers and  assistants  and  their  wives, 
together  with  home  office  employees. 
Among  home  office  executives  present 
were  Louis  Frisch,  Harold  Rinzler, 
Emanuel  Frisch,  Erwin  Gold,  Jack 
Birnbaum,  Irving  Goldstein  and  Irv- 
ing Kaplan. 

Crosley  to  Resume 
Video  Experiments 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  23. — The  Cros- 
ley Corp,  will  resume  experimental 
television  broadcasts  on  Sept.  1,  it  is 
announced  by  Robert  E.  Dunville, 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of 
station  WLW.  Experimental  tele- 
casts from  the  studio  atop  the  47- 
story  Carew  Tower  were  halted  in 
1940-41  after  the  war  for  redesigning 
of  transmitter  equipment. 

An  innovation  in  the  new  series  of 
telecasts  is  plans  for  use  of  a  captive 
balloon  as  an  antenna,  serving  as  a 
control  to  determine  the  height  needed 
to  achieve  the  greatest  possible  dis- 
tance in  transmission. 


Chicago,  Aug.  23.  —  Balaban  and 
Katz,  executives  here,  are  concealing 
the  name  of  Texas  Guinan  as  much 
as  possible  in  conjunction  with  the 
selling  of  "Incendiary  Blonde"  at  the 
Chicago  Theatre. 

They  feel  that  Miss  Guinan  means 
virtually  nothing  to  the  younger  gen- 
eration of  filmgoers  who  will  be  at- 
tracted by  the  picture's  star,  Betty 
Hutton. 


Leaders  of  Chicago 
Union  Attacked 
In  Superior  Court 


Chicago,  Aug.  23. —  The  Chicago 
Moving  Picture  Machine  Operators' 
Union,  Local  No.  110  (IATSE),  was 
accused  of  operating  with  'gangster 
methods  and  terrorism'  by  Ora  D. 
Bebb,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  local, 
who  brought  his  accusations  in  a  cross 
complaint  before  Superior  Court  Judge 
John  J.  Lupe  in  connection  with  a 
suit  brought  by  Ray  Parker,  former 
member  of  the  union,  who  claims  that 
Bebb  participated  in  a  conspiracy  to 
force  him  out  of  the  local.  Bebb  de- 
nies the  charge  and  accuses  president 
James  J.  Gorman,  business  agent 
Eugene  J.  Atkinjson,  and  Clarence 
Jalas,  assistant  agent,  of  attempts  to 
dominate  the  union  by  the  use  of 
threats,  intimidation  and  physical 
violence. 

The  officers  were  elected  Feb.  14, 
1944,  following  the  re-organization 
of  the  local  after  some  of  its  former 
leaders  were  convicted  and  sentenced 
to  prison  terms.  The  officers  deny  the 
charges  made  by  Bebb. 

Atkinson,  following  his  election  said 
that  "the  union  is  run  for  the  benefit 
of  its  members  and  will  never  again 
experience  the  perpetuation  of  the 
deals  that  sent  men  to  the  penitentiary. 
Our  organization  has  no  more  space 
for  mobsters." 

Contract  Negotiations 

The  charges  are  being  made  by 
Bebb  in  the  midst  of  negotiations  for 
a  new  agreement  between  the  union 
and  exhibitor  representatives.  The 
current  pact  expires  on  Aug.  31  and 
as  of  this  date  the  negotiators  are 
a  long  way  from  closing  a  deal.  An- 
other meeting  has  been  called  for 
Tuesday  at  the  Bismarck  Hotel. 

The  suit  brought  by  Parker  ac- 
cuses the  officers  of  squandering  $102,- 
000  of  the  local's  funds  from  May  1, 
1944  to  April  30,  1945,  allegedly, 
despite  the  fact  that  the  local's  income 
was  only  $78,000  during  the  same 
period.  He  charges  that  Gorman,  At- 
kinson and  Jalas,  the  defendants, 
coerced  the  membership  in  Aug.,  1944 
into  voting  salary  increases  for  them- 
selves, although  expenditures  ex- 
ceeded income. 

Bebb  further  states  that  Atkinson's 
pay  was  raised  from  $200  to  $300  a 
week,  plus  $100  a  week  for  expenses ; 
Jalas'  expense  account  was  said  to 
have  been  raised  from  $25  to  $100  a 
week,  and  Gorman's  pay  was  allegedly 
raised  from  $1,200  to  $2,500  a  year. 

Bebb  also  charged  that  Richard  J. 
Walsh,  IATSE  president,  failed  to 
respond  to  repeated  requests  to  look 
into  the  local's  affairs.  The  complaint 
asks  that  the  officers  be  enjoined 
from  further  intimidation  of  the  mem- 
bership and  from  further  use  of  the 
local's  funds. 


Richard  F.  Walsh's  IATSE's  inter- 
national president,  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  here  yesterday  that  he 
has  been  investigating  the  charges 
against  the  Chicago  local  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  Where  he  has  found  vio- 
lations of  by-laws,  he  said  he  has  di- 
rected that  they  be  corrected  and  that 
the  union  officers  have  complied  with 
the  requests. 

Walsh  said  he  is  continuing  his  in- 
vestigation into  the  local's  affairs  and 
indicated  that  whatever  action  is  re- 
quired will  be  taken. 


Mexican  Film  Bank 
Suspends  Credits 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  23. — The  Mex- 
ican film  industry's  own  bank,  Banco 
Cinematografico,  has  suspended  all 
loans  and  credits  until  the  present  un- 
settled labor  situation  clears  up ;  this 
will  hamper  the  efforts  of  the  coun- 
try's-17  leading  producers  to  rush  pro- 
duction as  much  as  possible  in  view 
of  a  strike  against  them  that  is 
threatened  unless  all  branches  of  the 
industry  bow  by  Sept.  10  to  a  50  per 
cent  pay  increase  demanded  by  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union.  The  producers  are 
further  handicapped  by  a  shortage  of 
raw  stock. 

Newspaper  Campaign 

Meanwhile,  the  recently  formed 
Picture  Production  Union,  dominated 
by  actors  who  quit  the  National 
Union,  is  sponsoring  newspaper  ad- 
vertisements, complaining  to  Presi- 
dent Manuel  Avila  Camacho  against 
alleged  'systematic  sabotaging'  of  the 
industry's  workers  by  the  older  labor 
organization,  which  instigated  the 
strike  still  in  effect  against  eight  U. 
S.  distributing  companies. 

The  complaint  in  the  press,  signed 
by  Mario  Moreno  (Cantinflas)  and 
Jorge  Negrete,  actors,  and  by  camera- 
man Gabriel  Figueroa,  charges  Na- 
tional with  preventing  members  of  the 
new  union  from  performing  in  films, 
theatres  and  on  the  radio. 

Mayfair  Clearance 
Upheld  on  Appeal 

The  Arbitration  Appeal  Board 
here  has  sustained  the  award  of  the 
arbitrator  in  the  New  York  tribunal 
in  deciding  that  seven  days'  clearance 
of  the  Mayfair  Theatre,  operated  by 
the  Utopia  Amusement  Corp.,  over 
the  Utopia  Theatre,  operated  by  the 
Estates  Theatres,  Inc.,  both  in  Queens, 
is  reasonable,  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  reported  here  this 
week. 

Estates  Theatres  filed  its  complaint 
against  the  five  consenting  compan- 
ies, asking  that  seven  days  clearance 
of  the  Mayfair  over  the  Utopia  be 
eliminated  entirely  or  else  reduced  to 
one  day. 

WAC''U'  Short  Is 
For  Sept.  13  Release 

The  first  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee pledged  short  to  be  released  in 
peacetime  will  be  "What  Every  Vet- 
eran Should  Know,"  scheduled  for  na- 
tional distribution  by  Universal,  begin- 
ning Sept.  13. 

This  15-minute  subject,  made  by 
Universal,  describes  Government  fa- 
cilities available  to  help  the  veteran, 
and  tells  him  what  he  should  do  and 
where  he  should  go  immediately  fol- 
lowing his  discharge. 


12  More  Join  AM  PA 

Melvin  L.  Gold,  chairman  of  the 
Associated  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers membership  committee,  reports 
the  following  new  members :  Harry 
A.  Samwick,  Albert  R.  Wilson,  Al- 
bert S.  Cadiff,  H.  Robert  Follette, 
Herman  Nadler,  Will  H.  Yolen,  Ben 
Adler,  Merlin  Lewis,  Walter  Brooks, 
Harry  McWilliams,  Harold  Danzin- 
gar  and  Dick  Richmond. 


Approve  Corporate 
Changes  for  Disney 


Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Disney  Pro- 
ductions stockholders  today  voted 
amendments  to  the  company's  articles 
of  incorporation  authorizing  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  shares  of  com- 
mon stock  from  600,000  to  1,000,000; 
issuance  of  $2,500,000  principal  amount 
of  four  per  cent  debentures ;  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  directors  from 
six  to  seven ;  changes  in  the  present 
preferred  stock  sinking  fund  require- 
ments, and  a  change  in  the  voting 
rights  of  preferred  stockholders  to 
provide  that  they  may  elect  one  mem- 
ber to  the  board  as  long  as  10,000  or 
more  shares  of  preferred  are  out- 
standing. 

The  exchange  of  one  $10  four  per 
cent  debenture  and  two  shares  of  com- 
mon, with  five-dollar  par  value  for 
each  share,  to  outstanding  preferred 
of  $25  par  value  is  voluntary  action 
on  the  part  of  stockholders  since  the 
change  in  the  articles  of  incorporation 
does  not  bind  any  shareholder  to  ac- 
cept the  exchange  offer. 

'The  Fall  of  Berlin' 
An  Artkino  Release 

"The  Fall  of  Berlin,"  full-length 
documentary  of  the  capture  of  the  city 
by  the  Red  Army,  has  arrived  in  this 
country  and  is  being  prepared  for  re- 
lease early  in  September. 

The  documentary  records  the  fight- 
ing in  the  streets  of  the  German  capi- 
tal, events  of  the  last  day  of  the 
war  and  the  unconditional  surrender 
of  Germany  and  her  armed  forces.  It 
was  shot  by  30  Red  Army  pho- 
tographers. The  film  will  be  distrib- 
uted here  by  Artkino  Pictures. 


U.  S.-Bulgaria  Wireless 

Opening  of  the  first  direct  radio- 
telegraph circuit  between  the  United 
States  and  Bulgaria  was  announced 
here  this  week  by  Lt.  Col.  Thompson 
H.  Mitchell,  vice-president  of  RCA 
Communications.  The  new  circuit, 
extending  between  New  York  and 
Sofia,  is  available  for  private  and  com- 
mercial messages. 

Seeley  Rejoins  Altec 

E.  S.  Seeley,  development  engineer 
for  Altec  Service,  has  returned  to  his 
post  after  a  four-year  leave  on  war 
projects  at  Columbia  University. 


RKO  Montreal  Meeting 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23.— The  RKO 
Radio  sales  meeting  here  ended  today 
with  a  party  at  which  the  delegates 
were  guests  of  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Wil- 
liam Goetz  and  Leo  Spitz.  A  fifth 
and  final  meeting  will  be  held  in  Mon- 
treal at  an  early  date. 


Texas  Guinan  Name 
Held  to  Be  No  Lure 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Fromkess  Plans  to 
Expand  PRC  Studio 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Leon  From- 
kess, president  of  PRC,  announces  a 
post-war  building  program  for  the 
company's  studio  which  will  result  in 
a  complete 
stream  -  lining 
of  the  produc- 
tion plant  with- 
in the  next  six 
months. 

A  new  four- 
floor  adminis- 
tration building 
is  planned,  to 
house  execu- 
tives, producers, 
directors,  writ- 
ers, the  pub- 
licity depart- 
ment,  commis- 
s  a  r  y,  make-up 
department, 
script  department,  and  other  depart- 
ments now  quartered  in  bungalows 
scattered  throughout  the  lot.  The 
building  will  make  it  possible  to 
eliminate  all  bungalows  on  the  lot, 
thus  providing  space  for  two  new 
sound  stages  which  will  exceed  in 
size  any  of  the  company's  present 
stages. 

Ed  Jewell,  studio  art  director,  is 
completing  plans  for  streamlining  the 
studio.  New  star  dressing  rooms  will 
be  constructed  inside  the  new  stages, 
which  are  to  be  of  modern  design.  A 
new  air-conditioning  and  heating  plant 
also  will  be  constructed. 


Personal  Mention 


Leon  Fromkess 


Century  Projector, 
WE  in  Foreign  Deal 

Century  Projector  Corp.  has  con 
traded  with  Western  Electric  Export 
Corp.,  a  subsidiary  of  Western  Elec- 
tric, to  represent  Century  projectors 
accessories  and  replacement  parts,  in 
all  countries  of  the  world  except  Can- 
ada and  the  United  States.  In  Canada 
these  products  are  distributed  by  the 
Dominion  Sound  Equipments,  Ltd. 
and  in  the  U.  S.  by  independent  thea- 
tre supply  dealers. 


20th  -Fox  Chicago 
Meet  Opens  Sunday 

Chicago,  Aug.  23. — The  Central  di- 
vision sales  meeting  of  20th  Century 
Fox  will  open  at  the  Blackstone  Ho- 
tel here  Sunday,  with  district  and 
branch  managers  from  Chicago,  De- 
troit, Milwaukee,  Cleveland,  Cincin 
nati  and  Buffalo  in  attendance. 

Home  office  personnel  attending  will 
include  Tom  Connors,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  distribution ;  W.  J.  Kup 
per,  general  sales  manager ;  A.  W. 
Smith,   Jr.,   Eastern   sales  manager 
W.  C.  Gehring,  Western  sales  man 
ager,  and  L.  J.  Schlaifer,  Central  sales 
manager. 


Alan  Ladd  Suspended 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — Paramount 
has  suspended  Alan  Ladd  for  allege ' 
refusal  to  accept  a  role  in  "California 
and  has  announced  that  a  substitute 
will  be  cast.  It  is  understood  that  the 
actor  sought  a  revision  of  financial 
terms  in  his  contract. 


VP  K.  O'SHEA,  Eastern  sales  man- 
!--<•  ager  for  M-G-M,  is  due  back 
from  Buffalo  today. 

Sgt.  Warden  F.  Lovell  of  the 
165th  Signal  Photographic  Company, 
here,  has  been  awarded  the  Distin- 
guished Service  Cross  for  "extraor- 
dinary heroism  in  action  in  Nor- 
mandy on  D-Day." 

• 

1st.  Lieut.  Warren  E.  Dobson, 
former  manager  of  Fox  West  Coast's 
Roxy  Theatre,  Oakland,  Calif.,  is 
managing  screen  entertainment  for 
troops  waiting  redeployment  near 
Reims,  France. 

• 

Stuart  H.  Aaron s,  formerly  of 
Warners'  legal  department,  has  re- 
ceived a  direct  non-combat  commis- 
sion as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Philip- 
pines. 

Don  Tibbs,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Mono- 
gram branch  manager  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  is  at  home  recuperating  from 
wounds  sustained  in  action. 

Robert  Hickey,  RKO  field  super- 
visor, has  left  his  Chicago  headquar 
ters  for  a  four-week  business  trip  to 

Texas. 

• 

Joseph  Quittner,  Connecticut  cir- 
cuit operator,  is  vacationing  with  his 
family  in  Burlingham,  N.  Y. 
• 

E.  X.  Callahan,  20th  Century- 
Fox  district  manager  in  Boston,  is 
visiting  in  Albany. 

• 

Judy  Garland  and  Vincente 
Minnelli  will  leave  for  the  Coast  to- 
day after  three  months  here. 

William  Seib,  Columbia  manager 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  back  after  a 
Montana  business  trip. 

• 

George   Harvey,   manager   of  the 
Palace,    Torrington,    Conn.,    has  re- 
turned to  his  post  after  an  operation. 
• 

Ted  Tod,  Warner  story  editor  in 
Washington,  is  visiting  Chicago. 
• 

Ted  Zahbel,  of  Republic's  home 
office,  is  in  Salt  Lake  City  for  a  visit. 


T  T.  COL.  WILLIAM  WYLER 
■L/  has  received  his  military  dis- 
charge and  is  returning  to  Hollywood 
to  join  Frank  Capra  and  Samuel 
Briskin  in  Liberty  Films,  Inc. 
• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  who 
also  owns  a  drug  manufacturing  lab- 
oratory in  Atlanta,  has  been  nomi- 
nated to  membership  on  the  legislative 
committee  of  the  Toilet  Goods  Asso- 
ciation, Inc. 

• 

J.  Arthur  Rank,  British  film  lead- 
er, has  postponed  his  trip  from  Lon- 
don to  Germany  as  the  guest  of  Field 
Marshal  Montgomery  because  of  the 
latter's  having  been  badly  shaken  up 
in  a  plane  accident. 

Howard  Strickling,  M-G-M  stu- 
dio publicity  head,  and  Richard 
Powers,  music  coordinator,  left  for 
the  Coast  yesterday  after  a  visit  here 
and  in  Boston. 

• 

Hall  Baetz,  district  manager  for 
Intermountain  Fox  Theatres,  has  re- 
turned to  Salt  Lake  City,  after  a 
Montana  visit. 

• 

Nate  B.  Spingold,  Columbia  exec- 
utive, will  return  from  an  extended 
Hollywood  visit  Monday. 

A.  E.  Fox,  special  representative 
for  Republic,  has  returned  from  At- 
lanta. 

• 

Giff  Davidson,  RKO  branch  man- 
ager in  Salt  Lake  City,  has  gone  to 
Los  Angeles  for  sales  conferences. 
• 

Hugh  Braley,  Paramount  division 
manager,  is  in  Salt  Lake  City  from 
Denver. 

• 

Merritt  Davis,  Southern  division 
manager  for  Republic,  is  in  Charlotte. 

J.  Robert  Rubin  has  returned  from 
a  Saratoga  vacation. 

Spencer  Tracy  has  arrived  from 
the  Coast  to  rehearse  a  play. 
• 

A.  G.  Edwards,  PRC  manager  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  has  left  for  Denver. 


Crystal  on  Central 
America  Tour  Today 

Clement  S.  Crystal,  head  of  the 
foreign  theatre  department  for  Para- 
mount International,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  a  seven  weeks'  theatre 
survey  of  Cuba,  Trinidad,  Puerto 
Rico,  Colombia,  Peru,  Panama  and 
Jamaica.  His  longest  stop-over  will 
be  in  Havana,  where  he  will  remain 
for  two  weeks.  Paramount  has  a 
long-term  partnership  agreement  with 
Circuito  Cobian  there,  covering  12 
houses,  five  of  which  are  first-runs. 


David  Lewis  on  Own 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — David  Lew- 
is, who  produced  "It  Happened  To- 
morrow" for  International  Pictures, 
will  establish  his  own  independent 
production  company. 


Scully  Cancels  'U' 
Cincinnati  Meet 

Chicago,  Aug.  23.— W.  A.  Scully, 
Universal  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager,  who  concluded  a  two- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  here  today,  announced  that  the 
meeting  scheduled  for  Cincinnati  on 
Aug.  25-26  has  been  cancelled  and 
that  the  Southern  district  offices  will 
instead  attend  the  sales  conference  in 
New  York  on  Tuesday  and  Wednes- 
day. 

Scully  and  his  assistant,  E.  T.  Gom- 
ersall,  will  return  to  New  York  to- 
morrow. 

Maurice  A.  Bergman,  Eastern  ad- 
vertising director,  is  scheduled  to  fly 
back  tonight.  A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Western 
sales  manager,  has  already  left  for 
San  Francisco. 


'Paramount  Month' 
Will  Begin  Sunday 

Paramount's  month  -  long 
'Third  of  a  Century'  annivers- 
ary celebration  will  begin  of- 
ficially on  Sunday  and  con- 
tinue through  Sept.  29.  One 
of  the  principal  features  will 
be  300  simultaneous  openings 
throughout  the  country  of  the 
company's  anniversary  pro- 
duction, "Incendiary  Blonde." 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.   &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 

"OVER  21" 

A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


2nd  WEEK  —  MUSIC  HALL 

'THE  NEVt 


THE  NEW 

MARCH 
of  TIME 


ON  SCREEN 

ALAN  LADD 

GAIL  RUSSELL 

in  PARAMOUNT'S 

'SALTY 
0'ROURKE' 


IN  PERSON 

DAVE  _AP0LL0N 

"Think-a-Drink" 
HOFFMAN 

EXTRA  I 

SALIGI  PUPPETS 


^nYHUTTON  •  ARTUhO  DE  CORDOVA  ' 
In  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
la 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technico/or 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


FRED  MacMURRAY 

"CAPTAIN  EDDIE" 

20th  Century-Fox — A  Eureka  Picture 
Plus  on  Stage — Phil  Silvers  .  Berry  Brothers 

Extra!  Prof.  Lamberti 
BUT  MORE  n  f\  V  V    7TH  AVE'  & 

BONDS      K  WA    I        50TH  ST. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigh . 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20.  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  \  ork.  \lartm  Uuigie. 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan.  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Bradv,  Secretary:  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  iecke,  Advertism 
Manager;  Chicago  Eureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue.  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bidg..  William  R.  Weaver.  Editor;  London  Burea 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address.  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald  fetter  iueatre 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  187V.  isubsenptic 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Daylight  Saving 
Time  Seen  Ending 

Washington,  Aug.  23. — Re- 
peal of  Daylight  War  Saving 
Time  before  Winter  was  fore- 
cast here  today  following  dis- 
closure by  President  Truman 
that  he  would  make  such  a 
recommendation  in  the  first 
message  he  sends  to  Congress 
next  month. 

Daylight  War  Saving,  es- 
tablished in  1942  to  conserve 
fuel,  has  been  popular  to  some 
extent  in  cities  but  has  been 
consistently  opposed  in  rural 
areas.  It  is  due  to  end  six 
months  after  the  termination 
of  hostilities,  but  the  Presi- 
dent will  seek  to  have  tha 
clocks  turned  back  before 
then. 


SET  OA  Organizes 
Peacetime  Project 

Atlanta,  Aug  .  23.  —  The 
Southeastern  Theatre  Own- 
ers Association  has  organized 
a  peacetime  planning  com- 
mittee for  the  purpose  of  con- 
tinuing to  use  its  facilities  in 
the  public  interest  as  was 
done  during  the  war. 

Members  of  the  new  com- 
mittee are:  Tony  Sudekum, 
Sidney  Meyer,  R.  M.  Kennedy, 
Frank  Rogers,  T.  E.  Watson, 
Mack  Jackson,  R  E.  Martin, 
j|  Milton  E.  Moore,  William  K. 
Jenkins,  Nat  Williams,  R.  B. 
Wilby,  William  Karrh,  Sidney 
Laird,  L.  J.  Duncan,  0.  C. 
Lam,  William  R,  Griffin,  Abe 
Solmon,  Hugh  G.  Martin,  and 
William  J.  Davis. 


Century,  Randforce 
Hold  Staff  Dinners 

Two  local  circuits  held  personnel 
gatherings  here  Wednesday  night.  At 
the  Rivoli  Restaurant  in  Brooklyn  a 
.special  Victory  War  Loan  drive  din- 
ner-meeting was  attended  by  managers 
and  assistants  of  the  Century  Cir- 
cuit, as  hosts  of  J.  R.  Springer,  gen- 
eral theatre  manager. 

Randforce  Amusement  Corp.  held  a 
"Victory"  celebration  and  midnight 
dinner-dance  at  the  Hotel  St.  George, 
Brooklyn,  attended  by  theatre  man- 
agers and  assistants  and  their  wives, 
together  with  home  office  employees. 
Among  home  office  executives  present 
were  Louis  Frisch,  Harold  Rinzler, 
Emanuel  Frisch,  Erwin  Gold,  Jack 
Birnbaum,  Irving  Goldstein  and  Irv- 
ing Kaplan. 

Crosley  to  Resume 
Video  Experiments 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  23. — The  Cros- 
ley Corp,  will  resume  experimental 
television  broadcasts  on  Sept.  1,  it  is 
announced  by  Robert  E.  Dunville, 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of 
station  WLW.  Experimental  tele- 
casts from  the  studio  atop  the  47- 
story  Carew  Tower  were  halted  in 
1940-41  after  the  war  for  redesigning 
of  transmitter  equipment. 

An  innovation  in  the  new  series  of 
telecasts  is  plans  for  use  of  a  captive 
balloon  as  an  antenna,  serving  as  a 
control  to  determine  the  height  needed 
to  achieve  the  greatest  possible  dis- 
I  tance  in  transmission. 

Texas  Guinan  Name 
Held  to  Be  No  Lure 

Chicago,  Aug.  23.  —  Balaban  and 
Katz,  executives  here,  are  concealing 
the  name  of  Texas  Guinan  as  much 
as  possible  in  conjunction  with  the 
selling  of  "Incendiary  Blonde"  at  the 
Ij   Chicago  Theatre. 

1  They  feel  that  Miss  Guinan  means 
virtually  nothing  to  the  younger  gen- 
eration of  filmgoers  who  will  be  at- 

:!  tracted  by  the  picture's  star,  Bettv 
Hutton. 


RKO  Montreal  Meeting 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23.— The  RKO 
Radio  sales  meeting  here  ended  today 
with  a  party  at  which  the  delegates 
were  guests  of  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Wil- 
liam Goetz  and  Leo  Spitz.  A  fifth 
and  final  meeting  will  be  held  in  Mon- 
treal at  an  early  date. 


Leaders  of  Chicago 
Union  Attacked 
In  Superior  Court 


Chicago,  Aug.  23.  —  The  Chicago 
Moving  Picture  Machine  Operators' 
Union,  Local  No.  110  (IATSE),  was 
accused  of  operating  with  'gangster 
methods  and  terrorism'  by  Ora  D. 
Bebb,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  local, 
who  brought  his  accusations  in  a  cross 
complaint  before  Superior  Court  Judge 
John  J.  Lupe  in  connection  with  a 
suit  brought  by  Ray  Parker,  former 
member  of  the  union,  who  claims  that 
Bebb  participated  in  a  conspiracy  to 
force  him  out  of  the  local.  Bebb  de- 
nies the  charge  and  accuses  president 
James  J.  Gorman,  business  agent 
Eugene  J.  Atkirjson,  and  Clarence 
Jalas,  assistant  agent,  of  attempts  to 
dominate  the  union  by  the  use  of 
threats,  intimidation  and  physical 
violence. 

The  officers  were  elected  Feb.  14, 
1944,  following  the  re-organization 
of  the  local  after  some  of  its  former 
leaders  were  convicted  and  sentenced 
to  prison  terms.  The  officers  deny  the 
charges  made  by  Bebb. 

Atkinson,  following  his  election  said 
that  "the  union  is  run  for  the  benefit 
of  its  members  and  will  never  again 
experience  the  perpetuation  of  the 
deals  that  sent  men  to  the  penitentiary. 
Our  organization  has  no  more  space 
for  mobsters." 

Contract  Negotiations 

The  charges  are  being  made  by 
Bebb  in  the  midst  of  negotiations  for 
a  new  agreement  between  the  union 
and  exhibitor  representatives.  The 
current  pact  expires  on  Aug.  31  and 
as  of  this  date  the  negotiators  are 
a  long  way  from  closing  a  deal.  An- 
other meeting  has  been  called  for 
Tuesday  at  the  Bismarck  Hotel. 

The  suit  brought  by  Parker  ac- 
cuses the  officers  of  squandering  $102,- 
000  of  the  local's  funds  from  Mav  1, 
1944  to  April  30,  1945,  allegedly, 
despite  the  fact  that  the  local's  income 
was  only  $78,000  during  the  same 
period.  He  charges  that  Gorman,  At- 
kinson and  Jalas,  the  defendants, 
coerced  the  membership  in  Aug.,  1944 
into  voting  salary  increases  for  them- 
selves, although  expenditures  ex- 
ceeded income. 

Bebb  further  states  that  Atkinson's 
pay  was  raised  from  $200  to  $300  a 
week,  plus  $100  a  week  for  expenses ; 
Jalas'  expense  account  was  said  to 
have  been  raised  from  $25  to  $100  a 
week,  and  Gorman's  pay  was  allegedly 
raised  from  $1,200  to  $2,500  a  year. 

Bebb  also  charged  that  Richard  J. 
Walsh,  IATSE  president,  failed  to 
respond  to  repeated  requests  to  look 
into  the  local's  affairs.  The  complaint 
asks  that  the  officers  be  enjoined 
from  further  intimidation  of  the  mem- 
bership and  from  further  use  of  the 
local's  funds. 


Richard  F.  Walsh's  IATSE's  inter- 
national president,  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  here  yesterday  that  he 
has  been  investigating  the  charges 
against  the  Chicago  local  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  Where  he  has  found  vio- 
lations of  by-laws,  he  said  he  has  di- 
rected that  they  be  corrected  and  that 
the  union  officers  have  complied  with 
the  requests. 

Walsh  said  he  is  continuing  his  in- 
vestigation into  the  local's  affairs  and 
indicated  that  whatever  action  is  re- 
quired will  be  taken. 


Mexican  Film  Bank 
Suspends  Credits 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  23. — The  Mex- 
ican film  industry's  own  bank,  Banco 
Cinematografico,  has  suspended  all 
loans  and  credits  until  the  present  un- 
settled labor  situation  clears  up ;  this 
will  hamper  the  efforts  of  the  coun- 
try's 17  leading  producers  to  rush  pro- 
duction as  much  as  possible  in  view 
of  a  strike  against  them  that  is 
threatened  unless  all  branches  of  the 
industry  bow  by  Sept.  10  to  a  50  per 
cent  pay  increase  demanded  by  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union.  The  producers  are 
further  handicapped  by  a  shortage  of 
raw  stock. 

Newspaper  Campaign 

Meanwhile,  the  recently  formed 
Picture  Production  Union,  dominated 
by  actors  who  quit  the  National 
Union,  is  sponsoring  newspaper  ad- 
vertisements, complaining  to  Presi- 
dent Manuel  Avila  Camacho  against 
alleged  'systematic  sabotaging'  of  the 
industry's  workers  by  the  older  labor 
organization,  which  instigated  the 
strike  still  in  effect  against  eight  U. 
S.  distributing  companies. 

The  complaint  in  the  press,  signed 
by  Mario  Moreno  (Cantinflas)  and 
Jorge  Negrete,  actors,  and  by  camera- 
man Gabriel  Figueroa,  charges  Na- 
tional with  preventing  members  of  the 
new  union  from  performing  in  films, 
theatres  and  on  the  radio. 

Mayfair  Clearance 
Upheld  on  Appeal 

The  Arbitration  Appeal  Board 
here  has  sustained  the  award  of  the 
arbitrator  in  the  New  York  tribunal 
in  deciding  that  seven  days'  clearance 
of  the  Mayfair  Theatre,  operated  by 
the  Utopia  Amusement  Corp.,  over 
the  Utopia  Theatre,  operated  by  the 
Estates  Theatres,  Inc.,  both  in  Queens, 
is  reasonable,  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  reported  here  this 
week. 

Estates  Theatres  filed  its  complaint 
against  the  five  consenting  compan- 
ies, asking  that  seven  days  clearance 
of  the  Mayfair  over  the  Utopia  be 
eliminated  entirely  or  else  reduced  to 
one  day. 

WAC-'U'  Short  Is 
For  Sept.  13  Release 

The  first  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee pledged  short  to  be  released  in 
peacetime  will  be  "What  Every  Vet- 
eran Should  Know,"  scheduled  for  na- 
tional distribution  by  Universal,  begin- 
ning Sept.  13. 

This  15-minute  subject,  made  by 
Universal,  describes  Government  fa- 
cilities available  to  help  the  veteran, 
and  tells  him  what  he  should  do  and 
where  he  should  go  immediately  fol- 
lowing his  discharge. 


12  More  Join  AM  PA 

Melvin  L.  Gold,  chairman  of  the 
Associated  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers membership  committee,  reports 
the  following  new  members :  Harry 
A.  Samwick,  Albert  R.  Wilson,  Al- 
bert S.  Cadiff,  H.  Robert  Follette. 
Herman  Nadler,  Will  H.  Yolen,  Ben 
Adler,  Merlin  Lewis,  Walter  Brooks, 
Harry  McWilliams,  Harold  Danzin- 
gar  and  Dick  Richmond. 


Approve  Corporate 
Changes  for  Disney 


Hollywood,  Aug.  23. — -Disney  Pro- 
ductions stockholders  today  voted 
amendments  to  the  company's  articles 
of  incorporation  authorizing  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  shares  of  com- 
mon stock  from  600,000  to  1,000,000; 
issuance  of  $2,500,000  principal  amount 
of  four  per  cent  debentures ;  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  directors  from 
six  to  seven ;  changes  in  the  present 
preferred  stock  sinking  fund  require- 
ments, and  a  change  in  the  voting 
rights  of  preferred  stockholders  to 
provide  that  they  may  elect  one  mem- 
ber to  the  board  as  long  as  10,000  or 
more  shares  of  preferred  are  out- 
standing. 

The  exchange  of  one  $10  four  per 
cent  debenture  and  two  shares  of  com- 
mon, with  five-dollar  par  value  for 
each  share,  to  outstanding  preferred 
of  $25  par  value  is  voluntary  action 
on  the  part  of  stockholders  since  the 
change  in  the  articles  of  incorporation 
does  not  bind  any  shareholder  to  ac- 
cept the  exchange  offer. 

'The  Fall  of  Berlin' 
An  Artkino  Release 

"The  Fall  of  Berlin,"  full-length 
documentary  of  the  capture  of  the  city 
by  the  Red  Army,  has  arrived  in  this 
country  and  is  being  prepared  for  re- 
lease early  in  September. 

The  documentary  records  the  fight- 
ing in  the  streets  of  the  German  capi- 
tal, events  of  the  last  day  of  the 
war  and  the  unconditional  surrender 
of  Germany  and  her  armed  forces.  It 
was  shot  by  30  Red  Army  pho- 
tographers. The  film  will  be  distrib- 
uted here  by  Artkino  Pictures. 


U.  S. -Bulgaria  Wireless 

Opening  of  the  first  direct  radio- 
telegraph circuit  between  the  United 
States  and  Bulgaria  was  announced 
here  this  week  by  Lt.  Col.  Thompson 
H.  Mitchell,  vice-president  of  RCA 
Communications.  The  new  circuit, 
extending  between  New  York  and 
Sofia,  is  available  for  private  and  com- 
mercial messages. 


Seeley  Rejoins  Altec 

E.  S.  Seeley.  development  engineer 
for  Altec  Service,  has  returned  to  his 
post  after  a  four-year  leave  on  war 
projects  at  Columbia  University. 


Resounding  extended-run  hit! 
Six  weeks  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall,  New  York!  Three  weeks  in 
Denver,  Detroit,  San  Francisco! 
Two  weeks  in  Philadelphia, 
Cincinnati,  Oakland! 


JOHN  HERSEY'S 


WILLIAM 


ODIAK  BENDIX 


%  Directed  by  HENRY  KING 

Produced  by  LOUIS  D.  LIGHTON  and  LAMAR  TROTTI 

Screen  Play  by  Lamar  Trotti  and  Norman  Reilly  Raine 


S  HILL"  in  Technicolor,  'WILSON"  in  Technicolor- all  from 


Century-Fox 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Newspaper  Scores 
Industry  Critics 

The  Hickory,  N.  C,  Daily 
Record  recently  took  up  the 
defense  of  the  industry  with 
publication  of  an  editorial 
sharply  criticizing  the  Con- 
gressional investigation  of 
Hollywood's  film  colony. 

The  editorial  shows  scorn 
for  what  it  terms  Congres- 
sional 'witch  -  hunters,'  and 
commends  the  film  industry 
for  "having  contributed  im- 
measurably to  morale,  both  in 
and  out  of  the  service." 


Military  Cuts  Its 
Raw  Stock  Demands 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

tre  of  operations,  but  these  may  be 
further  reduced  as  additional  informa- 
tion regarding  inventories  and  needs 
is  received.  Export  requirements  are 
figured  at  30,000,000  to  40,000,000  feet, 
about  half  of  which  will  go  to  Canada, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  this  item 
because  of  the  termination  of  lend- 
lease,  which  will  make  it  necessary 
for  Allied  countries  to  purchase  such 
raw  stock  as  they  may  require. 

Since  about  75  per  cent  of  the  world 
production  of  film  is  centered  in  this 
country,  foreign  demand,  together  with 
pent-up  demand  of  the  domestic  mar- 
ket, will  make  considerable  inroads 
initially  upon  the  supply  released  by 
the  service  cuts.  But  it  is  believed 
that  supply  and  demand  should  ap- 
proach a  balance  by  the  end  of  the 
year. 


Soviet  Film  Premiere 

"Girl  No.  217,"  first  Soviet  war- 
time film  of  life  in  Germany,  will 
have  its  American  premiere  at:  the 
Stanley  Theatre  on  Saturday,  Sept.  1. 


Pleasant  Valley  Farm 

This  exceptionally  attractive  83  acre 
farm  estate  at  Hopewell  Township, 
N.  J.,  63  miles  from  New  York,  is 
in  the  historic  Delaware  Valley,  just 
across  the  river  from  famous  Bucks 
County,  Pa.,  and  is  located  near  a 
number  of  other  very  substantial 
estates.  20  acres  are  in  pasture,  30 
in  cropland,  the  balance  in  woods, 
orchard  and  home  lot.  The  home 
lot  is  beautifully  landscaped  and 
has  a  new  tennis  court  and  a 
20x40  ft.  swimming  pool.  The 
fine  old.  Colonial  residence  of  14 
rooms  and  6  baths  was  built  over 
150  years  ago,  and  has  been  com- 
pletely remodeled  and  redecorated. 
Other  buildings  consist  of  a  3-car 
garage  with  3  rooms  and  bath  above, 
farmer's  cottage  of  3  rooms  and 
bath,  stable,  machine  shed,  feed  shed, 
tile  silo,  hog  and  chicken  houses. 
Price  $67,500.  Ask  your  broker  for 
Previews  listing  41213  or 


R  E  V  I  E 


W  C 

TED  O 


PR 

■     I  N  C  O  R  PO  RA1 

The  National  Real  Estate  Clearing  House 
49  East  53d  St.,  N.  Y.  22,  N.  Y.  •  PL  8-2630 
Boston  •  Philadelphia  •  Los  Angeles 


Review 


'The  Fighting  Guardsman' 


(Columbia) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  23 

PRODUCER  Michel  Kraike  has  whipped  up  a  standard  Western,  complete 
with  stagecoach  robberies,  tavern  brawls,  and  the  traditional  character 
who  misleads  the  villains  by  saying:  "They  went  thataway."  The  main 
point  of  difference  between  "The  Fighting  Guardsman"  and  a  Western  is 
that  the  former  is  laid  in  France  during  the  decade  preceding  the  Revolution. 

The  hero  is  not  a  cowboy.  He  is  an  aristocrat  who  becomes  a  French 
Robin  Hood,  robbing  stagecoaches  and  tax-collectors  to  give  to  the  poor. 
His  adventures  and  his  character,  however,  closely  parallel  those  of  'Red 
Ryder,'  and  he  can  trounce  ten  villains  with  a  fencing  sword  just  as  easily 
as  any  of  his  American  counterparts  can  with  a  pistol. 

Willard  Parker,  Anita  Louise,  Janis  Carter,  John  Loder  and  Lloyd  Corrigan 
are  the  principals  in  this  high-spirited  period  piece  which  Henry  Levin  di- 
rected. Although  based  on  a  novel  by  Alexander  Dumas,  the  screenplay,  by 
Franz  Spencer  and  Edward  Dein,  treats  the  facts  of  French  history  with  a 
very  high  hand.  .  ... 

Running  time,  83  minutes.    General  audience  classification. 

Thalia  Bell 


Weiss,  Meyers  Head 
Canada  Buying  Firm 

Toronto,  Aug.  23— William  Weiss 
today  announced  his  resignation  as 
theatre  supervisor  of  Odeon  Theatres 
of  Canada  to  accept  an  appointment 
as  managing  director  of  a  new  buy- 
ing and  booking  organization  called 
Allied-Cooperative  Theatres,  with 
membership  of.  more  than  25  theatres 
in  Ontario.  Ben  Freedman  is  its  first 
president 

Weiss  has  been  with  Canadian 
Odeon  two  and  one-half  years  and 
has  been  identified  with  the  construc- 
tion and  operation  of  theatres  in  the 
Toronto  district,  prior  to  which  he 
operated  independent  theatres  and 
film  exchanges  in  Ohio  and  Kentucky. 

Joe  Meyers  also  resigned  from  the 
Odeon  headoffice  to  become  chief 
booker  and  assistant  to  Weiss  in  Al- 
lied-Cooperative. 

Directorate  of  new  company  com- 
prises the  leading  independent  exhibit- 
ors of  Ontario,  who  over  a  period  of 
time  had  been  identified  with  buying- 
booking  companies  linked  with  circuit 
or  film  exchange  enterprises. 


Odeon  Managers  in 
Montreal  Confab 

Montreal,  Aug.  23. — Odeon  The- 
atres of  Canada  this  week  conducted 
its  first  conference  in  Montreal  of 
managers  of  its  recently-acquired  the- 
atres in  the  district.  In  attendance 
were  Paul  Nathanson,  president,  re- 
turning from  a  vacation  at  Murray 
Bay,  and  Clare  J.  Appel,  Eastern  divi- 
sion manager. 

Subsequently,  Donald  Gauld,  Mont- 
real supervisor  of  Odeon,  was  pres- 
ented with  a  signet  ring  by  local  as- 
sociates prior  to  taking  over  new 
duties  at  the  circuit  headquarters  in 
Toronto  next  Monday. 


See  New  Unions  to 
Duck  Studio  Strike 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 
which   members    of  strike-committed 
unions  may  take  as  a  means,  of  es- 
caping threatened  discipline  for  dis- 
obeying their  officers'  instructions. 


Horan  Promotes  Daytz 

Boston,  Aug.  23. — Bill  Horan,  branch 
manager  for  Warner  Bros.,  has  pro- 
moted Al  Daytz  from  the  sales  staff 
to  the  post  of  city  sales  manager. 
Daytz  succeeds  Jerry  Wechsler,  re- 
cently promoted. 


Blank,  Branton  Bid 
For  Radio  Station 

Omaha,  Aug.  23. — A.  H.  Blank  and 
G.  Ralph  Branton,  Tri-States  Thea- 
tres Corp.  officials,  of  Des  Moines, 
were  among  those  bidding  today  to 
lease  radio  station  WOW,  following 
a  Supreme  Court  decision  which  called 
the  present  leasing  arrangement  dis- 
advantageous to  the  Woodman  of  the 
World  Life  Insurance  Society. 

The  theatre  men  would  lease  the 
station  for  15  years  at  an  annual  rental 
of  $103,338  plus  10  per  cent  of  the 
appraised  value  of  the  physical  assets, 
with  an  option  to  buy  at  any  time 
after  two  years  for  $2,952,289.  They 
propose  to  organize  a  corporation. 

Other  bidders  included  George  W. 
Kline,  Lincoln;  World  Publishing 
Co. ;  Omaha  Post  No.  1,  American 
Legion;  Central  Newspapers,  Inc.,  In- 
dianapolis; J.  M.  Harding  and  associ- 
ates, and  Radio  Station  WOW,  Inc., 
present  leasee. 


Jersey  Town  Clears 
Way  for  Film  House 

Harrison,  N.  J.,  Aug.  23. — The 
town  council  of  this  city,  whose  citi- 
zens during  the  last  26  years  have 
been  traveling  to  Newark  and  Kear- 
ney when  they  wanted  to  see  a  film 
show  because  there  is  no  theatre  in 
town,  has  decided  that  Harrison  is 
ready  for  a  theatre  and  has  taken  a 
step  toward  getting  one. 

A  license  fee  of  $10,000,  set  by  a 
city  ordinance  in  1919  to  discourage 
opening  of  theatres,  has  been  reduced 
to  $500  by  unanimous  vote  of  the 
council. 

Theatre  operators  in  Newark  assert 
that  Harrison  is  probably  the  only 
town  of  its  size  (20,000  population)  in 
the  U.  S.  without  a  film  house. 


U.  S.  Reports  on 
Annual  Income 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

and  $10,594,000  excess  profits.  The 
deficit  companies,  with  compiled  re- 
ceipts of  $18,889,000  had  a  deficit  for 
income  tax  purposes  of  $2,434,000. 

Dividends  paid  by  all  of  the  active 
corporations,  in  cash  or  assets  other 
than  their  own  stock,  totaled  $15,839,- 
000,  of  which  $10,000  was  reported  by 
the  deficit  companies. 

The  2,502  taxable  theatre  corpora- 
tions had  total  compiled  receipts  of 
$663,408,000  and  net  income  of  $92,- 
048,000.  Their  taxes  included  $19,- 
978,000  on  income,  $135,000  on  de- 
clared value  excess  profits  and  $22,- 
183,000  on  excess  profits.  The  1,027 
untaxed  companies  had  compiled  re- 
ceipts of  $63,765,000  and  snowed  a 
deficit  of  $3,036,000.  Dividends  paid 
amounted  to  $28,662,000  for  the  tax- 
paying  companies  and  $147,000  for  the 
deficit  organization. 

Total  receipts  of  all  other  amuse- 
ment corporations  were  $280,106,000. 
but  their  tax  contribution  was  only 
$11,723,000,  it  was  shown.  Radio 
broadcasting  and  television  corpora- 
tions reported  total  receipts  of  $183,- 
568,000  and  income  and  excess  tax, 
payments  of  $15,689,000. 


Canada's  Film  Board 
Suffers  Second  Fire 

Ottawa,  Aug.  23. — For  the  seconcf 
time  in  15  months,  fire  broke  out  in 
the  main  studio  of  the  National  Film 
Board  here,  causing  considerable  ex-[ 
citement  with  undetermined  damage 
and  sending  two  female  employees  t< 
a  hospital  with  burns.  Cause  of  the 
blaze  was  believed  to  be  a  short  cir- 
cuit. A  flash  fire  in  June  of  last  yea 
in  the  film  revising  room  resulted  ii 
substantial  loss  and  brought  injur\ 
to  four  people,  two  of  whom  were  ii 
a  hospital  for  a  lengthy  period. 

John  Grierson,  who  is  retiring  a.- 
commissioner  of  the  board  in  Novem 
ber,  was  somewhat  critical  today  re 
garding  conditions  under  which  gov 
ernment  film  work  is  carried  out  in  ; 
building  which  he  classes  as  impro 
vised. 


Servicemen  Get  Awards 

Four  U.  S.  service  men  and  a  Ca 
nadian  Airforce  veteran  have  eacl  I 
been  awarded  a  $1,500  fellowship  b; 
20th  Century-Fox  for  manuscript 
submitted  for  screen  productions.  Eacl 
award  gives  the  company  an  optioii; 
against  motion  picture  production,  afii 
final  sale  will  net  each  author  be 
tween  $20,000  and  $70,000,  dependinj 
upon  the  number  of  copies  of  th 
published  works  sold. 


WANTED 
SALES  REPRESENTATIVES 

Discharged  veterans  with  former  motion  picture  distri- 
bution or  theatre  experience.  Must  own  car  and  be  free 
to  travel  in  protected  territory.  Liberal  commission  and 
expense  allowance.  Leads  furnished.  For  complete 
details,  write 

Box  261,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Rockefeller  Center, 
New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


Friday,  August  24,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Increased  Support 
For  JDA  Drive 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

bia  Pictures  vice-president  at  the 
Hotel  Waldorf  Astoria  here  Sept.  27 
which  will  highlight  this  year's  drive 
in  this  industry. 

Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  pres- 
ident, presided  at  the  meeting  and 
Richard  E.  Gutstadt,  national  direc- 
tor of  ADL  was  the  principal  speaker. 
The  industry  goal  for  the  drive  is  at 
least  $150,000,  and  those  present  at 
the  luncheon  started  JDA  on  the  road 
to  its  increased  1945  goal  by  doubling 
1944  contributions  in  many  instances. 

Gutstadt  outlined  the  need  for  the 
defense  work  of  ADL  and  the  Amer- 
ican Jewish  Committee  to  go  on  in 
peace.  He  appealed  to  industry  rep- 
resentatives to  not  only  lend .  their 
financial  support  to  the  drive  but  also 
their  showmanship  to  the  work  of  the 
two  defense  groups. 

Committees  are  being  set  up  to  con- 
tact persons  within  the  industry  di- 
rectly. 

Large  Attendance 

Among  those  present  at  yesterday's 
luncheon,  besides  Balaban,  Cohn  and 
Gutstadt,  were :  Malcolm  Kingsberg. 
Leonard  Goldenson,  Samuel  Schneider, 
George  F.  Dembow,  Philip  H.  Reis- 
man,  Joseph  McConville,  Harry 
Brandt,  S.  H.  Fabian,  Norman  Elson. 
Max  Fellerman,  Emil  Friedlander, 
Leopold  Friedman,  John  D.  Hertz, 
Jr.,  Jack  H.  Levin,  Irving  H.  Green- 
field, Abe  Montague,  Eugene  Picker. 
Paul  Moss,  Adolph  Schimel,  Budd 
Rogers,  Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  Sol  A. 
Schwartz,  Silas  Seadler,  Robert  M. 
Weitman,  Jacob  Wilk,  Walter  Titus, 
Jr. 

Also :  Henry  Arias,  Louis  Astor, 
Sam  Berns,  George  Barnett,  William 
Barnett,  Rabbi  Bernard  Birstein, 
Max  B.  Blackmail,  William  German, 
Maxwell  Cohn,  Louis  Frisch,  Jack 
Goetz,  Max  Gordon,  Laurence  Lang- 
ner,  Michael  Todd,  Marcus  Heiman. 
Arthur  Gottlieb,  Ed  Hyman,  Arthur 
Israel,  Jr.,  Alec  Moss,  Maurice  Kann, 
Milton  Livingston,  Charles  E.  Lewis, 
Nat  Kahn,  Milton  Kussell,  Irving 
Kane,  Albert  A.  Senft,  Martin  Levine, 
Harry  Mandel,  Jack  Meyers,  Henry 
Randel,  Samuel  Rosen,  Harry  Rubin, 
Edward  N.  Rugoff,  Harold  Rinzler, 
Bert  Sanford,  Sam  Shain,  Rudolph 
Sanders,  Harry  J.  Takiff,  Sam  Tul- 
pan,  Louis  Weinberg,  Leslie  Winik 
and  Irving  Wormser. 


National  Screen  to 
Have  3-Day  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

William  Bein,  Central ;  Leo  Abrams, 
Northeastern;  Charles  P.  Lester, 
Southeastern;  Louis  Patz,  Mid- 
Western,  and  Bernard  Wolf,  West 
Coast. 


Skouras'  Peace  Format 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  23.— Charles  P. 
Skouras  and  other  Fox  West  Coast 
executives  entrained  for  San  Fran- 
cisco last  night  following  the  close 
of  a  regional  meeting  at  which 
Skouras  announced  regional  winners 
of  the  Skouras  showmanship  cam- 
paign, ended  July  10.  In  an  address 
to  approximately  2,000,  he  advocated 
concentration  on  showmanship  prin- 
ciples as  the  format  for  meeting  peace- 
time problems.  The  San  Francisco 
meeting  will  open  on  Fridav. 


Company  Presidents  Plan 
Defense  in  Trust  Suit 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

appellate  board  in  New  York,  but 
would  have  extended  arbitration  of 
clearance  to  theatres  owned  or  operat- 
ed by  the  companies,  providing  arbi- 
tration-of-run  to  exhibitors  in  compe- 
tition with  distributor  circuits,  and 
providing  machinery  for  making  more 
effective  decisions  on  specific-run  com- 
plaints. 

Cancellations  of  20  per  cent  would 
have  been  allowed  on  pictures  averag- 
ing not  more  than  $100  each;  15  per 
cent  on  pictures  averaging  $101  to 
$250,  and  10  per  cent  on  pictures  aver- 
aging $251  to  $350.  All  circuit  ex- 
pansions would  be  subject  to  Federal 
Court  approval  before  consummation, 
with  no  exception  for  "show  cases." 

All  pooling  arrangements  between 
signatories  to  a  new  decree  would  have 
been  immediately  terminated,  whether 
relating  to  joint  ownership  or  opera- 
tion of  theatres  or  joint  buying  ar- 
rangements, with  all  product  fran- 
chises between  signatory  companies  to 
be  terminated  immediately  and  those 
held  by  others  terminated  immediately, 
if  possible,  otherwise  at  the  end  of 
existing  contracts. 

The  withholding  of  prints  to  give 
a  prior  playing  date  would  have  been 
prohibited.  The  forcing  of  shorts  and 
newsreels  would  also  have  been  pro- 
hibited, with  specified  penalties  to  be 
levied.  All  pictures  would  be  con- 
tinued to  be  tradeshown  but  there 
would  be  no  other  changes  in  selling 


methods.  And,  finally,  exhibitors  were 
to  be  given  cancellation  privileges  on 
moral,  religious  and  racial  grounds. 

Former  U.  S.  Attorney  General 
Francis  Biddle  rejected  these  propos- 
als and  in  August  of  last  year  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  moved  to  set  aside 
the  last  vestiges  of  the  original  de- 
cree and  to  bring  the  case  to  trial. 
The  Department  spearheaded  its  de- 
mands for  theatre  divorcement  and  for 
a  complete  revision  of  present  methods 
of  selling. 

As  far  as  it  is  known,  representa- 
tives of  the  defendants  met  with  De- 
partment of  Justice  officials  only  once 
since  the  Department  moved  to  set 
aside  the  original  decree  and  to  press 
for  trial  of  the  case.  According  to 
Wendell  Berge,  head  of  the  Depart- 
ment's anti-trust  division,  company 
representatives  went  to  Washington 
for  a  meeting  with  the  Department, 
but  they  did  not  have  any  new  pro- 
posals to  make  and,  therefore,  nothing 
came  out  of  the  meeting. 

The  Department  has  been  rushing 
preparations  for  the  trial  and  has  al- 
ready prepared  the  first  draft  of  its 
trial  brief,  which  it  is  scheduled  to 
turn  over  to  the  defendants  before 
Sept.  20.  The  Department  has  been 
directed  by  the  three-judge  statutory 
court  which  is  to  hear  the  case,  to 
turn  over  all  documents  it  intends  to 
use  in  its  prima  facie  case  to  the  de- 
fendants by  Sept.  1. 


Legion  Listing  for 
Five  More  Pictures 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
currently  lists  the  following  films  in 
its  A-I  category ;  "Border  Bad  Man," 
PRC;  "Captain  Kidd,"  Benedict 
Bogeaus-UA ;  "Flaming  Bullets," 
PRC ;  "I  Love  a  Band  Leader," 
Columbia. 

Classified  as  A-II  is  "Tell  It  to  a 
^tar,"  Republic. 


20th-Fox  Is  Second 
In  Italian  Move 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
operation  of  the  film  industry  to  the 
companies  by  Sept.  15. 

In  preparation  for  this  return  of 
Italian  territory  to  the  companies. 
Universal  announced  on  Wednesday 
that  Italy  will  be  the  first  European 
country  where  its  product  previously 
was  handled  by  local  distributors,  to 
have  a  Universal  office.  Emanuele 
Zama  has  been  appointed  'U's'  gen- 
eral manager  for  Italy. 


'U'  Fetes  Miss  Roc 

Universal  held  a  party  at  the  Hamp- 
shire House  here  yesterday  afternoon 
for  Patricia  Roc  of  England,  first  act- 
ress to  visit  the  U.  S.  in  the  peacetime 
era  of  talent  exchange.  Universal  ex- 
ecutives and  members  of  the  press 
attended. 


Release  '900'  Sept.  15 

Sept.  15  will  be  the  national  release 
date  for  "The  Nine  Hundred,"  British 
Information  Service  documentary  be- 
ing distributed  through  Warner  Bros. 


Goldman's  Erlanger 
To  Open  Sept.  19 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  23. — Opening- 
date  for  the  Erlanger's  first  film 
showing  since  it  was  leased  almost  five 
years  ago  to  be  used  as  a  major  pic- 
ture house,  by  William  Goldman,  is 
set  for  Sept.  19  wnth  "Wonder  Man." 
Goldman's  inability  to  get  first  run 
product  for  the  Erlanger  started  his 
anti-trust  suit  against  Warners  and 
the  distributors  in  which  Goldman 
was  recently  adjudged  the  victor  by  a 
reversal  of  an  earlier  court  ruling. 

The  "Wonder  Man"  deal  was  made 
with  Samuel  Goldwyn  who  had  been 
unable  to  get  together  with  the  Stan- 
ley-Warner circuit  here ;  Goldman 
got  the  picture  for  an  indefinite  book- 
ing at  popular  prices. 


Discuss  L.  A.  Tax 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  23. — Local  inde- 
pendent exhibitors  met  with  circuit 
heads  here  yesterday  in  an  informal 
discussion  of  City  Councilman  Meade 
McClannahan's  proposed  five  per  cent 
tax  on  theatre  grosses. 


MGM  Policy  Is  Not 
Industry's:  Rodgers 


(Continued  from  page  I) 

M-G-M  sales  policy  was  made  first 
so  that  our  exhibitor  customers  might 
clearly  know  how  we  expect  to  con- 
duct our  business,  and  second,  to  make 
certain  that  they  are  understood  thor- 
oughly by  our  field  forces  and  carried 
through  by  them,"  said  Rodgers,  in  re- 
ply to  the  report  that  some  exhibitor 
leaders  in  Pittsburgh  had  denied  en- 
dorsing the  policy. 

"We  are  not  attempting  to  write 
any  formula  for  the  motion  picture 
business,  but  failure  of  the  industry 
to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  method  of 
dealing  with  exhibitors  will  not  deter 
us  from  carrying  through  policies 
we  have  found  to  meet  with  general 
exhibitor  acceptance  and,  many  times, 
enthusiastic  endorsement." 


Promoting  'Follies9 
For  Pittsburgh  Run 

Pittsburgh,  Aug.  23. — M-G-M  will 
hold  a  press  luncheon  at  the  William 
Penn  Hotel  tomorrow,  to  be  followed 
by  a  special  screening  for  newspaper 
critics  and  editors  of  "Ziegfeld  Fol- 
lies" at  the  Nixon  Theatre,  where 
the  musical  will  open  Sunday  night 
as  a  roadshow  for  a  two-week  en- 
gagement. The  initial  two-a-day  open- 
ing was  held  in  Boston  on  Aug.  13, 
and  the  engagement  there  will  close 
Sunday  night.  The  local  coming  en- 
gagement is  said  to  have  already  had 
an  advance  sale  of  820,000. 

William  R.  Ferguson,  director  of 
exploitation  for  M-G-M,  arrived  by 
plane  today  from  New  York  in  ad- 
vance of  the  opening.  John  J.  Mur- 
phy, assistant  to  Joseph  R.  Yogel. 
vice-president  in  charge  of  out-of- 
town  theatres  for  Loew's,  and  John  S. 
Allen,  district  manager  with  headquar- 
ters in  Washington,  will  attend  the 
premiere.  Also  attending  will  be : 
John  J.  Maloney,  Central  sales  man- 
ager with  headquarters  here ;  Saal 
Gottlieb,  local  branch  manager  for 
M-G-M. 


Checking  Systems, 
WAC  Before  Allied 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

was  in  keeping  with  Allied  sentiment. 

Executives  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Conference  of  Independent  Theatre 
Owners,  attending  the  Allied  meet, 
announced  that  PCCITO  will  hold  its 
first  full-scale  convention  since  1941 
in  Los  Angeles,  possibly  in  April, 
with  invitations  to  be  sent  to  Allied 
members  and  all  independent  exhibi- 
tors. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc. 

NEW  YORK  TRADE  SHOWING 

"ISLE  OF  THE  DEAD" 

TUESDAY,  Aug.  28,  2:30  P.  M. 

RKO  Projection  Room,  630  Ninth  Ave.,  New  York 


CO 

« 

H 
< 

CO 

W 

w 
> 

I— I 

2: 

S3 


CHRISTMAS  IN 
CONNECTICUT 
Barbara  Stanwyck 
Dennis  Morgan 
D— 101  mins.  (420) 
(Rev.  7/18/45) 

(September  1) 
PRIDE  OF  THE 
MARINES 
John  Garfield 
Eleanor  Parker 
D— 120  mins. 
(Rev.  8/7/45) 

(September  22)  ' 
RHAPSODY  IN 
BLUE 
Robert  Alda 
Joan  Leslie 
M — 139  mins. 
(Rev.  6/27/45) 

BEAUTIFUL 

CHEAT 
Bonita  Granville 
Noah  Beery,  Jr. 

C— 59  mins.  (9044) 

THE  WOMAN 
IN  GREEN 
Basil  Rathbone 
Nigel  Bruce 

D — 68  mins. 
(Rev.  6/21/45) 

EASY  TO 
LOOK  AT 
Gloria  Jean 
Kirby  Grant 

D— 64  mins.  (9045) 
(Rev.  7/27/45) 

UNCLE  HARRY 

George  Sanders 
Geraldine  Fitzgerald 
Ella  Raines 

D— 80  mins. 
(Rev.  8/8/45) 

LADY  ON  A 

TRAIN 
Deanna  Durbin 

David  Bruce 
Ralph  Bellamy 

CD— 94  mins. 

(Rev.  8/9/45) 

SHADY  LADY 
Charles  Coburn 
Ginny  Simms 
Robert  Paige 

D  (501) 

MEN  IN  HER 

DIARY 
Louise  Albritton 
Jon  Hall 
Peggy  Ryan 
C  (173) 

RIVER  GANG 
Gloria  Jean 
John  Qualen 
Keefe  Brasselle 

(D  (503) 

GUEST  WIFE 
(Jack  SkirbaU) 
Claudette  Colbert 
Don  Ameche 
C — 90  mins. 
Rev.  7/23/45 

THE 
SOUTHERNER 
(Loew-Hakim) 
Zachary  Scott 
Betty  Field 
D — 91  mins. 
(Rev.  5/2/45) 

CAPTAIN  KIDD 
(Borgeaus  Prod.) 
Charles  Laughton 
Randolph  Scott 

D — 89  mins. 
(Rev.  7/30/45) 

THE  OUTLAW 
(Howard  Hughes) 
Jane  Russell 
Walter  Huston 

(Rev.  2/8/43) 

PARIS 
UNDERGROUND 
(C.  Bennett  Prod.) 
Constance  Bennett 
Gracie  Fields 
D — 97  mins. 
(Rev.  8/20/45) 

SPELLBOUND 

(Selznick) 
Ingrid  Bergman 
Gregory  Scott 

< 

S3 


X 

o 

I 

X 
H 
o 

CM 


to 

00     3  c 

2<  2*"* 


*>  PS  o  _^ 

«  O  5?-gS§ 

-  j^hkp*> 

2  aO u  c  c 

a  o-^-PS 
<  <  |  - 


X  CO 
O  u  vo  ^-n 
C  3~f 

<o  |  - 
Q 


so-  * 

-  v  i 

0.  u 


<Q«>  "> 
E"? 

S5<t  Sg  £ 


ton  b 
o.to.g  u 

w«e=S 


2.  c  -3 
mPS  3-P.c 

5«Q  =- 

«>e  I  I 

<  S  M  □  x 


<  E  E  E-=; 
to  u  -o     p  ; 


Q 
< 
K 

O 

« 


o 

I— I 
& 

Ph 


(J 

a, 


< 

< 

a, 


O 
2 
O 


a 

i 


H- 1 

CQ 

o 


8  O 


09 


OS  cS  Si 

to  >o£c*>£, 


2  Q 
O  OS  ^ 

5<  « 5  £  > 

Boo  I  ~ 
H  P 


e'0  ^ 

<  I  ~ 
P 


oo£K 
Oo2  n- 

^w  «  a ! 

C-i  n.  u 


<   J  3 


00 

OW<  5«  »w 


o 

2oo  >,  >,« 
i-h  >-h  n  re  * 


O  5 
2  c 
<U 
K  = 

2^ 
< 


I  <• 
Q 


Z  re  > 
<«  E  »~ 

>  Jf  <u  p 
2  o.s  -  > 
h~  <u  re  cn  *•> 

o  iw 


00      'O  lo 

PS  w  o  9~ 
<H  M»J—  -r 
H<  p  E  -X? 
ooOS  «  S  251 
_<-"o=cc 

°B-Sc  =  > 
"  o  re  ^  o 
Q  2 

<o2<  !~ 
«    to  4i 


2  SB  - 

H.  OS* 

2 5  .O  g!^ 

toO  • 

goo  S  ncjps 

u  


w 
f-i 

2^?°.t5  gS 

Woo  %(-,  I  «j 
OS  Q  0« 
DC  ~w 


oS  S3  Ss 

S««<3  \x 

o 


O  2™ 
HostP 

jM5J'g 


Ooo^-^^uj 

o>  Eoo 
u<o^fcc 


SWINGING  ON  A 
RAINBOW 
Jane  Frazee 
Grad  Taylor 

C— 72  mins.  (426) 

■ 

BANDITS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Sunset  Carson 
Peggy  Stewart 

0—56  mins.  (551) 

(Reissue) 
RANCHO 
GRANDE 
Gene  Autry 

O — 68  mins. 

< 

ARSON  SQUAD 
Frank  Albertson 
Robt.  Armstrong 

I) — 64  mins. 
Rev.  6/28/45 

DANGEROUS 
INTRUDER 
Charles  Arnt 

Veda  Ann  Borg 

D— 71  Mins. 
(Rev.  8/3/45) 

Sesn 

-<s 

v  ^  Q 

aQ2 

liOM 
&2 


o  "O  J  ^ 

"u  P  M  tfl  ^ 

„.g-~ 
0  -S 
u  Jo  • 


P  Cl3~ 

BLft**  re  w 
Z     J  ™  ^ 
CStoQSffl  3  c  ^ 
=  000|  g  ^ 

o  J, 


0;30  > 

M w  re  5  s; 

goo.gvo 

o5  S c  E  > 
hi  <  a  p  u 

SS5<Sps 

^  ir 


So  pO0w-t. 

UOOf |£ 

Q< t reg  £ 
S«  S.tiSpS 

«  n 


oH3n  >>0  Prt 
PS  PSOS  rew^  >' 


'OS 

z 


a  a. 


OS  ^ 

o  S.j 
* 

o«  I  5; 

K  -O  - 
00      ™  — 

X  I  - 
H  C 


•psS  »C 


oo  g  .Si 

>ps-5 

:d<  .o  S  u  > 
"^m  '%>c>x 


oo 
PS 

w  g  £Xg  &p: 
J         Q   ( 


< 
X 
E-; 

ogl  p  S 

►J>=  re^ 
J  >2i- 
O  > 
to  C 


to 

oo  >  _  10 
5q,2  re  I  « 

as  w 
o 


os^  e"^ 

«2-S«2 
2<  «.S> 

ooO  p"^PS 
PS-g  I  - 
to^O 


t  ^  re    .  »-h 


J<5  „; 
OZf.E 


oow 

|  PS 

o 


to. 2  3  3 
O  ij^ 
OS  re  rj  „• 

«  &g  - 


< 

o  to  *  to  W 

5  o" 

O"  z 


HQ   >U  o   W^"^  w  „,    OJ  O0 


£  g   .  hJSO 

S  *PS 


«as  S<Qto 


2  c'w 

.2  OS  33  Sreg^ 

W  to  W  ^J-  c- 

OEd| 


Q 

Zoo 
<H 

^zo  ij  >.  | 


W  cfl  in  , 

3  >,.P  . 


M  _ 

J  P 
^  <  3  P  re  »  -r 

<«  p  Eo~- 

OoS^  re  °  CC; 
OreM°g- 

"CO  c  •— V 

tyD  — ' 


go 


be 


SP  o 
<  H 


OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 

C — 105  mins. 
Rev.  7/23/45 

ADVENTURES 
OF  RUSTY 
Ted  Donaldson 
Margaret  Lindsay 

D 

I   LOVE  A 
BANDLEADER 
Phil  Harris 
Eddie  Anderson 

MC 

BLAZING  THE 
WESTERN 
TRAIL 
Charles  Starrett 

O 

be 

< 

Sept. 
14 

Sept. 
21 

W  2 

as  „  >.? 
h  w  -5  »  2 

to-5  a  S  ° 
o«  S  S-2 

2to^  3  g 
O 


c/3 


o 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


NO.  40 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  AUGUST  27,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


ituation  in 
Prance  Bright 


or  Our  Films 


tate  Dept.  Is  Hopeful 
f  Peaceful  Settlement 

Washington,  Aug.  26. — State 
epartment  officials  at  the  week- 
,  d  were  hopeful  that  a  better  basis 
jr  the  peaceful  settlement  of  the 
nerican  motion  picture  controversy 
d  other  trade  problems  arising  in 
ranee  has  been  developed  as  a  re- 
It  of  conferences  with  Herve  Al- 
:iand,  French  Director  General  of 
xmomic  Affairs,  and  other  French 
Ivisers,  who  accompanied  General 
iiarles  De  Gaulle,  Provisional  Presi- 
jnt  of  France,  to  this  country  last 
:,eek. 

I  Supported  by  information 
furnished  by  representatives  of 
[the  industry  who  came  to  Wash- 
ington for  that  purpose,  Depart- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


$5,433,360 
iOth  Profit 


Twentieth  Century-Fox  and  subsid- 
Hes,  including  National  Theatres 
orp.  and  Roxy  Theatre,  Inc.,  netted 
;, 433,360  for  the  26  weeks  ended 
ctjine  30,  compared  with  $6,338,433  for 
e  corresponding  period  in  1944. 
i After  deducting  a  $1,000,000  reserve 
r  contingencies,  the  profit  amounted 
$2.43  per  share  on  the  1,895,698 
lares  of  common  stock  outstanding  at 
re  end  of  June,  against  $3.12  for  the 
me  26  weeks  last  year. 
For  the  second  quarter  of  this  year, 
e  consolidated  net  profit,  after  all 

(.Continued  on  page  8) 


lonnors  Presiding 
It  3rd  Sales  Meet 


Chicago,  Aug.  26. — Tom  Connors, 
ce-president  in  charge  of  distribution 
20th  Century-Fox,  together  with 
J.  Schlaifer,  Central  sales  manager, 
id  Morris  Caplan,  branch  coor- 
nator,  are  presiding  at  the  third  of 
k  20th-Fox  "Victory  Year"  district 
|lfis  meetings  being  conducted  for 
'45-46  product  and  policy  discus- 
ons. 

Conferences  will  start  today  at  the 

{Continued  on  page  8) 


Reels'  Occupation 
Films  In  Few  Days 

It  is  expected  to  be  a  mat- 
ter of  only  a  few  days  before 
the  newsreel  coverage  of  the 
occupational  troops  landing  in 
Japan  will  reach  theatres 
here.  Army,  Navy  and  regular 
newsreel  cameramen  covered 
the  historic  event  and  the 
material  will  be  rushed  here 
by  air  transportation. 

All  five  newsreels  will  have 
access  to  the  same  material 
under  a  pooling  arrangment. 


$2,421,778 
RKO  Profit 

Net  profit  of  Radio  Keith  Orpheum 
Corp.  and  subsidiaries  for  the  first  26 
weeks  of  1945,  ending  June  30,  was 
$2,421,778,  compared  to  $2,588,493  for 
the  same  period  in  1944. 

Profit  from  operations,  before 
charges,  for  the  first  26  weeks  was 
$6,417,277,  compared  to  $7,597,103  for 
the  26  weeks  of  1944.  Provision  for 
estimated  income  and  excess  profits 
taxes  of  $3,340,000  was  made  for  the 
1945  period,  as  against  $4,337,000  for 
1944.  Provision  for  normal  and  sur- 
taxes was  $1,200,000  and  for  excess 
profits  taxes,  $2,140,000  for  the  1945 
period,  compared  with  $1,079,000  for 
normal  and  surtaxes  and  $3,258,000 
for  excess  profits  taxes  in  1944. 


CLARK,  MAJORS' 
COUNSEL  CONFER 


Trust  Laws  Will  Be 
Enforced:  Clark 


Washington,  Aug.  26. — Enforce- 
ment of  the  anti-trust  laws  will  be 
"of  paramount  importance"  if  the  ob- 
jectives of  the  Administration's  full- 
employment  legislation  are  to  be  at- 
tained, U.  S.  Attorney  General  Tom 
C.  Clark  told  the  Senate  Banking  and 
Currency  Committee  during  hearings 
on  the  measure  at  the  weekend. 

"Monopolistic  practices  which  stifle 
competition  have  a  pronounced  effect 
on  unemployment,"  Clark  contended. 
"Production  restrictions  by  producers 
(presumably  referring  to  manufactur- 
ers) already  established,  together  with 
practices  designed  to  prevent  new  pro- 
ducers from  becoming  established, 
have  unquestionably  restricted  employ- 
ment," he  said,  adding  that  "one  of  the 
reasons  why  illegal  combinations  are 
formed  is  to  protect  the  members  from 
the  economic  consequences  of  depres- 
sion and  unemployment.  If  the  broad 
objective  of  this  bill  is  achieved  that 
cause  for  violation  of  the  anti-trust 
laws  should  tend  to  be  much  less  im- 
portant." 

Clark  told  the  Committee  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  is  preparing  to 
move  vigorously  in  all  the  cases  now 
pending,  and  will  continue  unchecked 
its  campaign  of  enforcement  of  the 
anti-monopoly  statutes. 


Expanded  Markets  Seen 
In  Satellite  Countries 


Washington,  Aug.  26. — Important 
new  markets  for  American  motion 
picture  and  radio  equipment  will  be 
opened  up  in  countries  formerly  de- 
pendent upon  Germany  for  such  sup- 
plies, as  a  result  of  the  restrictions 
on  German  exports  provided  for  in 
the  'Big  Three'  report  on  the  Pots- 
dam Conference,  it  was  made  evident 
here  at  the  weekend. 

Reports  reaching  Washington  dis- 
close that  already  a  considerable  vol- 
ume of  inquiries  for  these  and  other 
products  are  being  received  from 
Belgium,  Holland  and  other  countries 
surrounding  Germany,  indicating  that 
a  very  considerable  amount  of  ex- 
German  trade  will  be  diverted  to  the 
U.  S. 


While  it  is  proposed  that  Germany 
be  permitted  to  export  some  of  her 
surplus  production  so  as  to  finance 
needed  imports,  it  is  possible  that 
some  time  may  elapse  before  the  mili- 
tary governments  determine  what  can 
be  shipped  without  providing  a  basis 
for  a  clandestine  effort  to  re-arm. 
Moreover,  there  is  a  natural  reluctance 
on  the  part  of  formerly  occupied  coun- 
tries to  buy  from  their  oppressors. 

Prior  to  the  war,  Germany's  sphere 
of  influence  practically  covered 
Europe,  from  the  English  Channel  to 
Russia,  and  American  manufacturers 
found  it  difficult  tci  get  photographic 
and  projection  equipment,  radio  ap- 
paratus and  other  products  into 
European  markets. 


Possible  Settlement 
Out-of -Court  Seen 
On  Consent  Decree 


Washington,  Aug.  26.  —  A 
lengthy  conference  of  major  com- 
pany counsel  with  Attorney  Gen- 
eral Tom  C.  Clark  and  Assistant 
Attorney  General  Wendell  Berge 
Friday,  one  of  several  meetings  re- 
portedly held  recently,  raised  sug- 
gestions in  Washington  at  the 
weekend  of  a  possible. new  consent 
decree. 

It  was  not  developed  whether  any 
out-of-court  settlement  of  the  New 
fork  suit  would  cover  divorcement 
as  well  as  the  other  issues  involved, 
most  of  which  were  dealt  with  in  the 
original  consent  decree  in  1940,  but 
the  length  of  the  conference  indicated 
that  the  companies  were  seeking  a  way 
to  call  off  the  case  in  its  entirety. 

Robert  L.  Wright,  Special  Assistant 
{Continued  on  page  10) 


U.  S.  Pool 
For  Italy 


U.  S.  distributors  are  setting  up 
a  physical  distribution  pool  in  prepara- 
tion for  their  reentry  into  the  Italian 
film  territory  by  Sept.  15.  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  will  be  the  sole  physical 
film  distributor  in  Italy,  and  its  dis- 
tribution facilities  are  to  be  made  avail- 
able to  the  other  companies.  Five  or 
six  companies  have  already  accepted 
this  offer,  it  is  understood. 

Scarcity  of  trucks,  vaults,  etc.,  in 
Italy  makes  it  impossible  for  all  coin- 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Scully  to  Conduct 
4IT  Meetings  Here 


W.  A.  Scully,  Universal  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  sales  manager,  will 
open  the  fourth  and  final  regional  com- 
pany sales  meeting  tomorrow  morning 
at  the  Waldorf  Astoria  here.  The 
meeting  will  last  two  days  and  will 
cover  the  Eastern,  Southern  and  Can- 
adian divisions.  Previous  meetings 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


1 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  August  27,  194 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  H.  ERBB,  Para- 
mount Eastern  division  manager, 
is  due  back  in  New  York  today  from  a 
business  trip  to  Washington. 

• 

Patrick  William  O'Brien,  son  of 
M-G-M's  advertising  production  man- 
ager, William.  O'Brien,  who  was 
commissioned  an  ensign  last  Thursday, 
has  been  assigned  to  the  Amphibian 
Service  in  the  Pacific. 

• 

William  R.  Ferguson,  M-G-M 
exploitation  director,  and  John  Mur- 
phy, assistant  to  Joseph  R.  Vogel, 
Loew's  vice-president  in  charge  of  out- 
of-town  theatre  operation,  will  return 
to  New  York  today  from  Pittsburgh. 
• 

Major  Seymour  Peyser  of  the  law 
office  of  Phillips,  Nizer,  Benjamin 
and  Krim,  will  leave  for  London 
shortly  to  become  attached  to  the  staff 
of  the  Chief  of  Counsel  for  War 
Crimes. 

• 

E.  O.  Wilschke,  assistant  to  Al- 
tec's vice-president,  left  New  York 
over  the  weekend  for  the  West  Coast 
and  will  stop  at  Chicago,  Kansas  City 
and  Dallas  offices  while  enroute. 
• 

Major  Robert  Benjamin  of  the 
New  York  la,w  office  of  Phillips, 
Nizer,  Benjamin  and  Krim,  will  arrive 
on  the  Coast  today  on  an  Army  Sig- 
nal Corps  assignment. 

• 

Milton  Weiss,  formerly  of 
M-G-M's  studio  publicity  department 
and  now  in  the  Army  Signal  Corps, 
is  in  New  York  on  a  furlough  from 
Lexington,  Va. 

• 

Miriam  Weinberger,  RKO  Radio 
contract  clerk  at  the  Pittsburgh  ex- 
change, is  on  her  first  visit  to  the 
company's  home  office. 

• 

Hal  Horne,  20th  Century-Fox's  di- 
rector of  publicity-advertising,  is  back 
at  his  desk,  following  a  vacation  in 
New  Hampshire  with  Mrs.  Horne. 
• 

Jack  Shea,  Jamestown  Amuse- 
ment Co.  booker,  has  entered  the  Sa- 
lem Hospital,  Salem,  Mass.,  for  ob- 
servation. 

• 

Herbert   Lewis,   M-G-M  director 
who  has  been  in  New  York  on  an  as- 
signment   for    Loew's  International, 
will  leave  for  the  Coast  on  Sept.  5. 
• 

J.  S.  Jossey  has  returned  to  his 
Cleveland  office  from  the  Coast  where 
he  was  hospitalized  during  a  four 
months'  illness. 

• 

Frank  Hannon,  Warner  branch 
manager  in  Omaha,  and  Beverly  Mc- 
Kenna  of  that  city  are  newlyweds. 


321  'Marines'  Bookings 

With  321  Labor  Day  bookings  set 
so  far,  the  Warner  home  office  claims 
the  company's  "Pride  of  the  Marines" 
has  set  a  WB  record  for  simultaneous 
bookings  over  this  holiday. 


Tradewise  .  .  . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


'  I  ''HE    impression   appears  to 


1 


prevail    in    many  industry 


quarters  that  because  the  War 
Production  Board,  last  week,  an- 
nounced the  elimination  of  its 
controls  over  civilian  raw  stock 
consumption  that  plenty  of  raw 
film  is  available  to  all  commer- 
cial users;  that  that  impersonal 
vital  organ  of  the  business  of 
making  and  exhibiting  motion 
pictures  that  claimed  so  much 
wartime  Page  One  space  in  the 
industry's  press  is,  like  gasoline 
rationing  coupons  and  scores  of 
other  memorabilia  of  a  war-dis- 
located economy,  about  to  be 
relegated  to  an  oblivion  where 
no  one  need  give  it  a  second 
thought. 

That  may  be  right.  But  some 
representatives  of  raw  stock 
manufacturers  are  not  so  sure. 
It  is  possible,  but  still  too  early 
to  say  for  certain,  they  tell  us, 
that  it  may  become  necessary  for 
manufacturers  to  continue  the 
raw  stock  rationing  system 
where  the  WPB  left  off,  if  only 
to  assure  every  legitimate  con- 
sumer of  his  fair  share  of  what's 
available  along  the  road  reach- 
ing back  (or  ahead,  if  you  pre- 
fer) to  normalcy. 

• 

Manufacturers'  spokesmen  say 
that  production  of  raw  stock  is 
at  capacity  and  that  no  backlog 
exists.  Civilian  users  have  been 
getting  along  on  about  22l/2  per 
cent  less  raw  stock  than  they 
were  consuming  before  the  war. 
Obviously,  before  all  civilian 
users  can  return  to  their  pre- 
war basis  of  raw  stock  consump- 
tion, the  priority  users  (armed 
services  and  some  government 
agencies,  which  will  continue  to 
have  priorities),  will  need  to  cut 
their  requirements  by  that 
amount. 

Therein  is  the  key  to  the  fu- 
ture supply  question  for  the  in- 
dustry, according  to  the  manu- 
facturers' side.  How  much  and 
how  soon  the  priority  users  cut 
their  raw  stock  requirements 
will  determine  how  big  a  prob- 
lem raw  stock  supply  will  be  for 
the  industry  and  how  long  it  will 
remain  one. 

Unless  the  cutbacks  by  prior- 
ity users  are  appreciable  and 
prompt,  it  is  said,  it  may  be 
necessary  for  manufacturers  to 
establish  at  least  a  temporary  ra- 
tioning system  of  their  own  for 
the  industry. 

•  • 

Trade  Talk :  Universal  execu- 
tives are  bullish  on  the  prospects 
for  the  company's  new  season 


production  and  release  schedule 
with  the  addition  of  the  Skirball 
and  Hellinger  production  units 
to  the  home  lot.  They  foresee 
one  of  the  company's  strongest 
schedules  in  years  and,  perhaps, 
one  of  its  biggest,  numerically. 
Incidentally,  don't  rule  out  the 
possibility  of  new  ties  between 
Universal  and  J.  Arthur  Rank, 
now  that  the  war  is  over.  All 
deals  made  by  Rank  to  date  on 
this  side  are  more  or  less  of  the 
"spot"  variety — limited  to  two 
or  three  productions.  Long- 
range  operations  remain  to  be 
set  and,  as  a  one-quarter  owner 
of  Universal,  Rank  is  reported 
to  regard  that  company  as  a 
logical  and  desirable  partner. 
• 

A  number  of  home  office  sales 
executives  are  unrestrained  in 
their  enthusiasm  over  the  way 
in  which  the  recently  formed 
checking  service,  Confidential 
Reports,  Inc.,  is  working  out. 
Reports  of  increased  revenue  in 
many  areas  are  substantiated  by 
one  executive  who  estimated 
that  it  would  amount  to  a  differ- 
ence of  between  $400,000  and 
$500,000  for  his  company  alone 
this  year.  Cost  to  members  of 
the  new  service  are  somewhat 
higher  because  checkers'  wages 
are  higher  but  the  prevailing 
view  after  the  first  four  months 
of  CRTs  operation  is  that  it  is 
well  worth  the  price  of  admis- 
sion. 

•  • 

Grapevine  Gleanings :  Sam 
Smith,  head  of  British  Lion 
Film  Corp.,  Ltd.,  London,  closed 
a  new  five-year  deal  for  dis- 
tribution of  Republic  product 
in  Britain  before  ending  his 
American  visit  and  returning  to 
London  recently.  .  .  .  The  De- 
partment of  Justice  has  been 
paying  calls  at  Scophony  Corp. 
of  America  offices  here;  probab- 
ly to  see  what's  new  in  postwar 
television.  .  .  .  Recent  settlement 
of  the  Hillside  anti-trust  suit 
carried  a  provision,  they  say, 
that  subsequent  actions  based  on 
the  settlement  would  not  be 
brought  by  plaintiff's  attorneys.^ 
.  .  .  Philadelphia  is  still  talking' 
about  the  party  that  William 
Goldman  threw  at  the  Bellevue- 
Stratford  after  hearing  of  the 
Circuit  Court's  reversal  there  of 
the  lower  court's  dismissal  of 
his  anti-trust  suit. 

•  • 

At  hand  is  a  new  special  issue 
of  the  well  known  French  film 
trade  paper.  Le  Cinema  Fran- 


Morey  Marcus  Joins 
Para.  Foreign  Staff 


Lieut.  Morey  Marcus,  USNR,  wi: 
join   Paramount   International  Filing 
today,  as  supervisor  of  certain  Fai) 
East  territories,  under  J.  E.  Perkin 
manager  for  the  company's  Far  East! 
ern,    Australian,    New    Zealand  and 
South  African  Division,  according 
George  Weltner,  Paramount  Intern* 
tional  president. 

Prior  to  his  service  in  the  Nav> 
Marcus    was    general    manager  fc 
M-G-M  in  the  Dutch  East  Indies 
China  and  Japan,  from  1932  to  19401 
In  1941  he  joined  United  Artists  aj 
general  manager  for  the  Far  East 
and  on  Dec.  7,  1941,  he  was  aboard 
ship  in  the  Pacific  headed  for  Fai 
East    headquarters    when    the  shi 
turned  back  upon  the  outbreak  of  wai] 
with  Japan.    He  then  returned  to  thi 
UA  home  office.    Six  months  later  h 
went  into  Naval  service  and  was  as 
signed  to  the  Naval  Air  Station 
Miami,  where  he  lectured  to  Nava 
Air  pilots  on  the  geography  of  coun 
tries  in  the  Far  East. 

Lieut.  Marcus  will  remain  at  th 
Paramount  home  office  for  a  whilt 
Weltner  said,  awaiting  the  return 
division  manager  Perkins  who  is  cur 
rently  on  a  sales  supervisory  trip 
Australia  and  New  Zealand.  Per 
kins  is  expected  to  return  to  his  horn 
office  headquarters  in  September. 


Zeidman  in  Charge  o\ 
Columbia  'B'  Films 

Hollywood,  Aug.  26. — Columbi 
has  appointed  Bennie  F.  Zeidman 
take  charge  of  all  "B"  productioi 
supplanting  Irving  Briskin,  who  wa 
recently  elevated  to  the  studio's  "A 
division. 

Zeidman  entered  the  industry 
publicity  manager  for  Douglas  Fair 
banks  and,  after  producing  a  numbe 
of  films  independently,  became  assist 
ant  to  the  general  manager  of  Uni 
versal.  He  was  later  production  chic 
for  Warners  and  a  Paramount  assc 
ciate  producer,  before  forming  his  ow 
company,  Bennie  F.  Zeidman  Produc 
tions,  Ltd.  Prior  to'  going  with  Cc 
lumbia,  he  produced  several  picture 
for  M-G-M. 


cais.  Heavy  with  advertising, 
text  and  illustrations,  its  60 
pages  bring  word  of  several 
hundred  productions,  old  and 
new,  currently  offered  to  the 
theatres  of  France.  It  is  signifi- 
cant, we  believe,  that  nowhere 
in  the  journal,  in  text,  illustra- 
tion or  advertising,  is  a  war  pic- 
ture featured.  It  is  as  though  the 
French  industry  was  serving 
notice  that  the  French  theatre 
patron  who  has  lived  so  long 
with  war  will  have  no  reminder 
of  it  on  his  entertainment  screen, 
and  looks  to  that  screen  to  help 
him  forget. 

The  journal  in  question  should 
be  of  interest  to  Hollvwood. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Shervvin  Kane.  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigle 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigles 
President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan.  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  \  .  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager-  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue.  Sam  Honigbeig!  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau.  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg..  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureai 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Btirnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Better  Theatre 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscripts 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  '  -  _  


:  t 


JJJCO  RULES  THE  BOX-OFFICE  SEAS 
WITH  A  FABULOUS  TREASURE  OF 


h*  ■  „ 

boai  i| 
Fa  J 

SB  ! 

1  m  i 
0  tt  ' 


con  1 


UPREME 


TAINMENT ! 


r 


A  picture  to  make  the  blood  of  millions 

race  warm  and  their  dreams 
roam  free,  as  they  thrill  to  this  most 
romantic  of  all  adventure 

dramas;  this  lusty  story  of  the 
Robin  Hood  of  the  Seven  Seas,  who 

captured  his  prizes  through  the 
fire  of  his  kiss  or  the 

sting  of  his  steel 


MAUfiEEiY  WALTER, 


HEEEID  OHM  SLEZAK 

A  FRANK  BORZAGE  production 


with 


B1NNIE  BARNES  •  JOHN  EMERY 

Barton  MacLane  •  J.  M.  Kerrigan  •  Fritz  Leiber 
Nancy  Gates  •  Jack  LaRue  •  Mike  Mazurki  •  Ian  Keith 

Executive  Producer  ROBERT  FELLOWS  •  Auoaate  Producer  STEPHEN  AMES 

Din-cud  hy  FRANK  BORZAGE  ££#12 

Screen  Play  by  George  Worthing  Yates  and  Herman  J.  Mankiewicz  <^W^ 


RKO  BRINGS  THE  GREAT  NEWS  OF 
"THE  SPANISH  MAINS"  COMING  TO 

66,244,618  FAMILIES!. 

Through  full-page  ads  (mostly  in  four  colors)  in  magazines  such  as 
LIFE  •  SATURDAY  EVENING  POST  •  McCALL'S  •  WOMAN'S  DAY  •  TIME 
NEWSWEEK  •  TRUE  STORY  •  RED  BOOK  •  LIBERTY  •  FAMILY  CIRCLE 

PIC  and  the  ENTIRE  FAN  LIST. 


\gh  full  or  half-page  four-color  t;urtoon*&trtp  adz 
or  mugaxitttf  $m(iom  4*f  I W 


insert  iy  nit 


ALABAMA 

Birmingham  News-Age  Herald 
Mobile  Press-Register 

ARIZONA 

Phoenix  Republic 

ARKANSAS 

tittle  Rock  Ar.  Democrat 
tittle  Rock  Ar.  Gazette 

CALIFORNIA 

Fresno  Bee 

tong  Beach  Press  Telegram 
tos  Angeles  Examiner 
tos  Angeles  Times 
Oakland  Tribune 
Pasadena  Star-News 
Sacramento  Bee 
Sacramento  Union 
San  Diego  Union 
San  Francisco  Chronicle 
San  Francisco  Examiner 

COLORADO 

Denver  Post 

Denver  Rocky  Mt.  News 

(also  "Parade"  in  Rocky  Mt.  News) 

CONNECTICUT 

Bridgeport  Herald 
Bridgeport  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Hartford  Courant 

DELAWARE 

New  Haven  Register 
Waterbury  Republican 

D/ST.  OF  COl. 

Washington  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Washington  Star 
Washington  Times  Herald 

FLORIDA 

Jacksonville  Times-Union 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times-Union) 
Miami  Herald 
Miami  News 
Tampa  Tribune 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta  Constitution 
Atlanta  Journal 
Savannah  News 


ILLINOIS 

Chicago  Herald-American 
Chicago  News 
Chicago  Sun 

(also  "Parade"  in  Sun) 
Chicago  Times 
Chicago  Tribune 
Peoria  Journal-Star 
Rockford  Star 

INDIANA 

Evansville  Courier-Press 
Ft.  Wayne  Journal-Gaze**e 
Ft.  Wayne  News-Sentinel 
Hammond  Times 
Indianapolis  Star 
South  Bend  Tribune 
Terre  Haute  Tribune-Star 

IOWA 

Des  Moines  Register 

KANSAS 

Wichita  Beacon 
Wichita  Eagle 

KENTUCKY 

touisville  Courier-Journal 

LOUISIANA 

New  Orleans  Times  Picayune 
Shreveport  Times 

MAINE 

Portland  Sunday  Telegram 
(also  "Parade"  in  Sun.  Tel.) 

MARYLAND 

Baltimore  American 
Baltimore  Sun 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston  Advertiser 
Boston  Globe 
Boston  Herald 
Boston  Post 

New  Bedford  Standard-Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Stan.  Times) 
Springfield  Union  &  Rep. 
Worcester  Telegram 

MICHIGAN 

Detroit  Free  Press 

(also  "Parade"  in  Free  Press) 
Detroit  News 
Detroit  Times 
Grand  Rapids  Herald 


MINNESOTA 

Duluth  News  Tribune 
Minneapolis  Tribune 
St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press 

MISSOURI 

Kansas  City  Star 

St.  touis  Globe-Democrat 

St.  touis  Post  Dispatch 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha  World  Herald 

NEW  JERSEY 

Newark  Call 
Newark  Star-tedger 

(also  "Parade"  in  Star  tedger) 
Trenton  Times 

NEW  YORK 

Albany  Times  Union 
Brooklyn  Eagle 
Buffalo  Courier-Express 
New  York  Daily  News 
New  York  Herald  Tribune 
New  York  Journal  American 
New  York  Mirror 
Rochester  Democrat  &  Chronicle 
Syracuse  Herald-American 

(also  "Parade"  in  Her.  Amer.) 
Syracuse  Post-Standard 
Utica  Observer-Dispatch 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

Charlotte  News 
Charlotte  Observer 
Winston-Salem  Journal  Sentinel 

OHIO 

Akron  Beacon-Journal 

(also  "Parade"  in  Beacon  Jnl.) 
Canton  Repository 
Cincinnati  Enquirer 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer 
Columbus  Dispatch 
Dayton  Journal  Herald 
Dayton  News 
Toledo  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Youngstown  Vindicator 

(also  "Parade"  in  Vindicator) 

OKLAHOMA 

Oklahoma  City  Oklahoman 
Tulsa  World 


OREGON 

Portland  Oregonian 
Portland  Oregon  Journal 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Erie  Dispatch-Herald 
Philadelphia  Inquirer 
Philadelphia  Record 
Pittsburgh  Press 
Pittsburgh  Sun-Telegraph 
Reading  Eagle 
Scranton  Scrantonian 

RHODE  ISLAND 

Providence  Journal 

TENNESSEE 

Chattanooga  Times 
Knoxville  Journal 
Knoxville  News-Sentinel 
Memphis  Commercial  Appeal 
Nashville  Tennessean 

TEXAS 

Dallas  News 
Dallas  Times-Herald 
El  Paso  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Ft.  Worth  Star 
Houston  Chronicle 
Houston  Post 
San  Antonio  Express 
San  Antonio  tight 

UTAH 

Salt  take  City  Deseret  News 
Salt  take  City  Tribune 

VIRGINIA 

Norfolk  Virginia  Pilot 
Richmond  Times-Dispatch 
Roanoke  Times 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle  Post-Intelligencer 
Seattle  Times 

Spokane  Spokesman  Review 
Tacoma  News  Tribune 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

Charleston  Gazette 
Charleston  Mail 
Charleston  Herald-Adv. 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee  Journal 
Milwaukee  Sentinel 


Monday,  August  27,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


WPB  Supports  the 
Ending  of  War  Time 


Washington,  Aug.  26. — President 
Truman's  announcement  that  he  would 
ecommend  a  return  to  Standard  Time 
,vhen  Congress  reconvenes  next  month 
,vas  bulwarked  Friday  by  War  Pro- 
luction  Board  Chairman  J.  A.  Krug 
who,   in  letters   to   Speaker   of  the 

Iilouse  Rayburn  and  Senator  McKel- 
ar,  president  of  the  Senate,  declared 
hat  with  the  end  of  the  war  continu- 
ince  of  Daylight  Saving  Time  is  no 
onger  justified  as  a  fuel  and  power- 
,aving  measure. 

In  his,  letters,  Krug  reversed  the 
wsition  he  took  after  the  defeat  of 
Germany,  when  he  informed  Congress 
.hat  continuance  of  War  time  was  no 
onger  necessary  for  the  purpose  of 
;aving  electric  power  but  was  still 
lighly  desirable  as  a  fuel  conserva- 
ion  measure  and  should  be  continued 
h  rough  next  Winter. 

With  the  support  which  _  is  being 
riven  return  to  Standard  time  from 
ill  over  the  country  there  is  lit- 
:le  doubt  that  Congress  will  take 
prompt  action  to  rescind  the  time- 
;aving  measure. 


Writers  Mobilization 
Sets  Peace  Agenda 

Hollywood,  Aug.  26. — Hollywood 
Writers  Mobilization  chairman  Em- 
net  Lavery,  reiterating  his  assertion 
that  HWM  will  "stay  on  the  job  and 
'finish  it,"  has  announced  a  new  docu- 
mentary film  program,  plus  the  con- 
tinuation of  its  present  radio  series 
and  international  communications,  a? 
activities  on  its  peacetime  agenda. 
With  increased  assignments  due  from 
the  War,  Navy  and  Treasury  De- 
partments, a  writers''  conference  has 
been  scheduled  for  November. 

"Now  we  must  contribute  perhaps 
an  even  larger  share  to  the  common 
American  task  of  making  the  victory 
enduring  and  democratic,"  Lavery 
said. 


'Paramount  Month' 
Features  6  Films 

"Out  of  this  World,"  "Midnight 
Manhunt,"  and  the  Hal  B.  Wallis  pro- 
duction, "You  Came  Along,"  are  be- 
ing released  by  Paramount  in  addition 
to  its  300  simultaneous  openings  of 
"Incendiary  Blonde,"  during  the  com- 
pany's month-long  "One  Third  of 
fa  Century"  anniversary  celebration 
which  was  launched  officially  yester- 
fey. 

Two  reissues,  "North  West 
Mounted  Police"  and  "This  Gun  For 
Hire"  will  also  be  featured  during 
the  celebration. 


Bond-Charteris  Buys 
Biblical  Photoplay 

Hollywood,  Aug.  26.— Bond-Char- 
teris Enterprises  has  announced  ac- 
quisition of  the  resources  and  prop- 
ierties  of  Biblical  Photoplay  Co.  from 
the  estate  of  the  late  Charles  Anson 
'Bond  and  has  set  a  Nov.  1  release 
date  for  the  first  in  a  series  of  20- 
minute  16mm  religious  films  for  church 
exhibition.  A  five-year  series  telling 
the  complete  story  of  the  Bible  is  con- 
templated. 


State  Dept.  Sees  French 
Film  Situation  Bright 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

ment  officials  are  understood  to 
have  gone  thoroughly  into  the 
question  of  the  French  plan  to 
embargo  American  films. 

Taking  their  cue  from  President 
Truman's  meeting  with  French  press 
representatives,  at  which  he  declared 
flatly  the  French  newspapers  were 
not  treating  the  United  States  prop- 
erly, Department  officials  are  under- 
stood to  have  spoken  very  definitely 
along  the  same  line  with  respect  to 
United  States  trade. 

It  is  understood  that  they  pointed 
out  that  international  affairs  are 
reciprocal — that  France,  which  is 
looking  to  the  United  States  for  a 
great  deal  of  assistance,  financial  and 
otherwise,  cannot  expect  to  get  all  and 
give  nothing. 

Truman's  reception  of  the  French 
newspaper  men  at  the  White  House 
and  the  position  taken  by  the  De- 
partment in  the  conferences  were  seen 
in  Washington  as  heralding  the  end 
of  'diplomatic  diplomacy'  and  the  in- 
troduction of  a  more  practical  ap- 
proach to  international  problems. 

Department  officials  had  little  com- 
ment on  the  meetings,  other  than  that 
they  were  conducted  in  a  friendly 
spirit  on  both  sides  and  that  a  frank 
discussion  of  mutual  problems  was 
had.  Prior  to  the  conferences,  how- 
ever, it  was  disclosed  that  the  purpose 
would  be  to  establish  a  foundation  for 
the  amicable  settlement  of  trade  prob- 
lems generally,  rather  than  to  reach 
a  definite  agreement  on  the  question  of 
films  alone.  It  is  understood,  how- 
ever, that  the  film  situation  was  held 
up  to  the  French  as  an  example  of 
an  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  French 


government  which  does  not  sit  well 
here. 

The  film  situation  was  thoroughly 
explored  Friday  afternoon,  after  De- 
partment officials  had  talked  with  in- 
dustry men  and  had  received  the  com- 
plete story  of  the  unsuccessful  efforts 
to  alter  the  uncompromising  attitude 
of  the  Paris  government. 

At  that  meeting,  it  was  pointed  out 
that  the  United  States  does  not  want 
to  kill  off  the  French  film  industry, 
does  not  want  to  bar  other  countries 
from  participation  in  the  business  and, 
recognizes  fully  the  difficult  position 
of  France  during  the  transition  pe- 
riod and  is  willing  to  make  allow- 
ances for  it. 

But,  it  was  '  also  pointed  out,  the 
French  government  wants  aid  from 
the  United  States,  and  French  produc- 
ers conceivably  may  want  to  send 
their  pictures  here  for  exhibition. 

Accordingly,  since  trade  is  a  'two- 
way  street,'  the  DeGaulle  delegation 
was  told,  France  should  adopt  a  more 
generous  and  considerate  attitude  to- 
ward ourselves  and  our  businessmen. 
Really  friendly  relations  between  the 
two  countries,  it  was  warned,  can  not 
be  developed  unless  both  sides  are 
willing  to  compromise  such  differences 
as  may  arise. 

NBC    to    Film  DeGaulle 
Arrival  for  Television 

NBC  will  film  New.  York's  welcome 
"x>  General  DeGaulle  today  and  send 
the  pictures  to  television  audiences  to- 
night over  WNBT,  its  local  telecaster. 
The  NBC  camera  crew  and  production 
of  the  film  will  be  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  Paul  Alley,  NBC  television 
I  newsreel  editor. 


Spanuth  Will  Make  2 
On  Women  Interests 

Chicago,  Aug.  26. — An  attempt  to 
bring  back  film  production  to  Chicago 
is  being  made  by  H.  A.  Spanuth,  vet- 
eran producer  of  16mm.  films,  who 
has  become  associated  with  Film  Stu- 
dios, and  has  leased  space  in  the 
Wilding  Studios  here  for  the  filming 
of  two  planned  projects:  a  semi- 
monthly newsreel  to  be  known  as 
"The  Woman  Speaks,"  which  will  be 
devoted  to  women's  activities,  and  a 
semi-monthly  subject  which  will  alsc 
-potlight  women. 

His  first  reel,  "Sisters  of  Har- 
mony," will  be  made  here  Tuesday, 
and  will  star  30  nuns  of  the  local 
DePaul  University  who  have  organ- 
ized their  own  orchestra.  At  the  com- 
pletion of  "Sisters  of  Harmony,"  Spa- 
nuth will  take  the  reel  to  New  York 
to  line  up  distribution. 

His  staff  includes  Madeline  Woods, 
publicist,  who  will  write  scripts,  and 
June  Merrill,  director  of  women's 
programs  over  WJJD,  who  will  act 
as  commentator. 


Bradley  Service  to 
A.  and  D.  Schwartz 

Minneapolis,  Aug.  26: — Abbott  and 
Don  Schwartz,  owners  of  the  PRC 
franchise  here,  have  purchased  Jack- 
Bradley's  Theatre  Service  Co.,  film 
delivery  in  the  Minneapolis  exchange 
area.  Possession  has  already  been 
taken. 


Arnold  Grant  Off  to 
British  Conferences 

Arnold  Grant,  attorney  and  repre- 
sentative and  executive  of  a  number 
of  companies  in  the  film  field,  has 
flown  to  England  for  conferences  with 
film  heads  there.  Grant  is  secretary  of 
the  Lawrence  Organization,  Inc.,  pres- 
ident of  Mervyn  LeRoys'  Arrowhead 
Productions,  and  an  officer  of  the  In- 
ternational Commercial  Trading  Co. 


ABPC  Dividends  Up 
To  20%  for  Year 

London,  Aug.  26. — Associated  Brit- 
ish Picture  Corp.  has  declared  a  final 
dividend  of  12^4  per  cent,  making  a 
total  of  20  per  cent  for  the  year  ended 
March  31,  compared  with  17*/?  per 
cent  in  the  previous  year. 

Net  profits  for  the  year  were  $1,- 
977,852,  compared  with  $1,902,004  for 
the  preceding  12  months. 


Walsh  Will  Delay 
306'  Strike  Move 


Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  inter- 
national president,  is  expected  to  op- 
pose any  move  by  IATSE  New  York 
Motion  Picture  Operators  Union, 
Local  Xo.  306,  to  call  a  strike  against 
film  companies,  newsreels.  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  first-run  theatres  and 
Loevv's  and  RKO  circuit  houses  in 
New  York. 

Walsh  has  agreed  to  attempt  to 
bring  about  a  settlement  in  the  con- 
tract disputes  involving  the  two 
groups  of  Local  306  projectionists; 
those  in  the  home  offices  and  news- 
reels  and  those  in  theatres.  However, 
no  date  has  yet  been  set  for  the  re- 
sumption of  negotiations.  The  union's 
attempt  to  eliminate  the  "request 
clause"  in  the  contracts  is  the  main 
stumbling  block  in  both  negotiations. 
The  theatre  representatives  have 
turned  down  the  union's  request  for  a 
25  per  cent  wage  increase  and  other 
benefits. 

The  intercession  of  Walsh  is  under- 
stood to  be  acceptable  to  the  film  com- 
pany and  theatre  representatives. 


Wong,  Back  from  the 
War,  Welcomed  Here 

H.  S.  Wong,  newsreel  cameraman 
who  covered  the  war  in  China  for  all 
five  newsreels,  under  the  pooling  ar- 
rangement, but  in  News  of.  the  Day 
employ,  here  on  his  first  visit  to  the 
States,  was  honor  guest  on  Friday  at 
a  reception  given  by  M-G-M  and  the 
newsreel  at  the  News  of  the  Day 
home  office.  Wong  said  he  left  China 
on  what  proved  to  be  a  very  untimely 
trip,  the  war  having  come  to  an  end 
in  his  absence  after  he  had  been  re- 
cording it  from  the  beginning. 

Present  at  the  reception  were :  Da- 
vid Palfreyman,  John  B.  Kennedy. 
Herbert  Morgan,  E.  B.  Hatrick.  Ed- 
ward Aarons,  Arthur  Lacks,  E.  K. 
O'Shea,  E.  M.  Saunders,  Si  Seadler. 
Glen  Allvine.  J.  C.  Brown.  William 
Ornstein,  Ariel  Varges.  Jack  Whipple 
and  others. 


Wilding  Ends  War  Work 

Wilding  Productions  has  wound  up 
its  schedule  of  war-time  Navy  films. 
Its  reconversion  to  civilian  work  has 
been  gradually  taking  place  over  the 
past  six  months,  according  to  Nor- 
man E.  Wilding,  president.  \\  ilding 
said  that  every  effort  is  being  made 
to  expand  the  company's  staffs  in  New 
York,  Cleveland.  Detroit,  Chicago  and 
the  California  studios  will  be  ex- 
panded. 


Marx  to  Make  Third 
'Lassie'  for  M-G-M 

M-G-M  will  make  a  third  "Lassie" 
to  follow  "Lassie"  and  "Son  of  Las- 
sie." Sam  Marx  will  produce  the  new 
one.  He  told  Motion  Pictirf.  Daily 
here  Friday  that  he  has  not  yet 
selected  the  third  story.  It  will  be 
in  Technicolor.  Marx  left  New  York 
for  the  West  Coast  yesterday. 

Marx  has  three  films  scheduled  for 
December  and  January.  The  first  will 
probablv  be  "Now  That  April's 
Here,"  followed  by  "My  Brother  Who 
Talked  to  Horses"  and  "Army  Brat." 


Map  Defense  Plans 
In  Jacocks  Action 

Counsel  for  the  film  companies  have 
started  to  meet  here  to  map  defense 
plans  in  the  $150,000  anti-trust  suit 
brought  by  the  Capans  Amusement 
Co.,  of  which  Don  Jacocks  is  presi- 
dent. 

Jacocks  seeks  half  of  the  first-run 
product  of.  11  film  companies.  The  mo- 
tion is  returnable  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  on  Sept.  4. 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  August  27,  194; 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  26 

WALTER  LANG  will  direct 
"Sentimental  Journey"  for  20th 
Century-Fox.  .  .  .  Teresa  Wright  will 
be  co-starred  with  Ray  Milland  in 
"Take  This  Woman,"  for  which 
Paramount  has  arranged  to  borrow 
her  from  Samuel  Goldwyn.  .  .  .  Lois 
Collier  has  had  her  Universal  contract 
extended. 

• 

Alexander-Stern,  PRC  producers, 
have  signed  Bob  Steele  and  Sid 
Saylor  to  make  a  series  of  Westerns 
for  the  company's  1945-46  program. 
Wallace  Ford  and  Arlene  Judge 
have  been  engaged  for  featured 
roles  in  "All  Brides  Are  Beautiful," 
currently  shooting  at  RKO  Radio. 
.  .  .  Phil  Rosen  will  direct  "Charlie 
Chan  in  Mexico,"  next  in  the  Mono- 
gram series  starring  Sidney  Toler. 
• 

Keenan  Wynn  has  been  selected  for 
one  of  the  leading  roles  in  "No  Leave, 
No  Love,"  which  Joe  Pasternak  will 
produce  for  M-G-M.  .  .  .  Joseph  Man- 
kiexvicz  will  write,  produce  and  direct 
the  remake  of  "Berkeley  Square," 
whiili  20th  Century-Fox  plans  to  make 
in  Technicolor. 


Brooks  to  Set  NBC 
In  South  America 

NBC  news  bureaus  and  correspond- 
ents will  be  set  in  Brazil,  Argentina. 
Uruguay  and  Chile  by  William  F. 
Brooks,  NBC  director  of  news  and 
international  relations  department,  who 
left  New  York  over  the  weekend. 

Brooks  will  visit  tho:e  South  Amer- 
ican radio  stations  which  have  re- 
ciprocal arrangements  with  NBC  and 
he  also  will  arrange  for  permission 
and  facilities  for  special  broadcasts. 


Alber  Represents  ATS 

David  O.  Alber  has  been  appointed 
public  relations  representative  for  the 
American  Television  Society,  accord- 
ing to  George  Shupert  of  Paramount, 
who  is  president  of  ATS. 


Television  to  Aid 
Ad  Media:  Merryman 


St.  Louis,  Aug.  26. — All  advertis- 
ing media,  including  press  and  sound 
broadcasting  will  be  more  prosperous 
than  ever  after  television  arrives,  pre- 
dicted Philip  I.  Merryman,  National 
Broadcasting  executive,  in  a  speech 
before  the  Advertising  Club  ol 
St.  Louis. 

"It  has  been  the  history  of  adver- 
tising that  no  new  form  ever  com- 
pletely displaces  the  older  ones," 
Merryman  said.  "On  the  contrary, 
the  resulting  increased  volume  of  ad- 
vertising increase?  the  distribution  of 
goods  and  services  so  that  the  overall 
national  wealth  is  increased,  including 
the  older  media." 

Merryman  pointed  out  that  televi- 
sion equipment  will  be  rolling  off  the 
production  lines  in  the  Spring  of  1946 
and  that  we  are  now  passing  from  an 
era  of  planning  for  television  on  a 
national  scale  into  the  period  of  ac- 
tual development.  He  praised  adver- 
tisers for  the  great  contributions  they 
have  made  to  sound  broadcasting  and 
said  they  would  be  a  large  factor  in 
the  development  of  television  as  an  ad- 
vertising and  selling  medium. 

Reiterating  previous  statements  that 
television  stations  can  be  supported  in 
towns  of  populations  as  low  as  25,- 
000,  Merryman  asserted  that  within 
10  years  more  than  400  cities  in  this 
country  will  have  television  stations. 


Television  -  Newsreel 
Theatre  to  Be  Built 

Milwaukee,  Aug.  26. — Alfred  G. 
Urger.  president  of  Telenews  Circuit, 
and  Harold  J.  Fitzgerald,  head  of 
Fox  -  Wisconsin  Amusement  Corp., 
have  announced  plans  for  construction 
of  a  combination  newsreel-television 
theatre  here,  which  will  get  underway 
as  soon  as  materials  become  available. 

To  be  named  Telenews  Theatre,  the 
house  will  have  a  foyer  to  provide 
special  space  for  reception  of  television 
and  radio  shows  which  patrons  can 
see  and  hear  either  before  or'  after 
viewing  the  screen  program. 


^  LUX  RADIO  THEATRE  + 


V    BACK  ON  THE  AIR! 

TONIGHT 

CLAUDETTE  COLBERT 
RAY  MILLAND 

"PRACTICALLY  YOURS" 

LOUIS  SILVERS,  Musical  Director 

WABC-9  P. 

FULL-HOUR  SHOW 


Jenkins  Will  Give 
Admissions  to  Blind 

Atlanta,  Aug.  26.— William  K. 
Jenkins,  president  of  Georgia 
Theatres,  has  instituted  an 
admission-free  policy  through- 
out his  circuit  for  all  blind 
persons  and  a  guest. 

Acting  in  cooperation  with 
the  Blind  Committee  of  the 
Atlanta  Lions'  Club,  Jenkins 
also  pledged  aid  in  spreading 
the  practice  to  other  circuits 
throughout  the  Southeast.  He 
already  has  enlisted  Henry 
Krunn,  Warner  branch  man- 
ager and  Lions'  Club  member. 


Few  Radical  Radio 
Changes  Foreseen 

Washington,  Aug.  26. — Wartime 
developments  in  electronics  will  stim- 
ulate the  development  of  civilian  radio 
equipment,  but  no  revolutionary 
changes  are  expected,  the  radio  section 
of  the  National  Bureau  of  Standards 
reports  here. 

The  Bureau  foresees  the  marketing 
of  a  good  combination  standard  Am- 
plitude-Modulation and  Frequency- 
Modulation  set  with  a  record  attach- 
ment. FM  broadcasting  will  extend 
widely  within  the  next  few  years  but 
standard  AM  stations  are  not  expect- 
ed to  be  discarded  and  allocated 
broadcasting  bands  probably  will  re- 
main the  same,  it  was  said. 

Television,  the  Bureau  predicted, 
because  of  short  range,  expense  of  sta- 
tions and  receivers,  will  not  be  as 
widely  available  as  sound  broadcasting 
in  the  immediate  future. 


Mexican  Film  Men 
Hit  by  Income  Tax 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  26.  —  Mexican 
producers,  distributors  and  studio  and 
laboratory  operators,  as  well  as  all 
others  who,  as  employers,  derive  earn- 
ings from  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try, have  received  a  disagreeable  sur- 
prise in  the  form  of  a  presidential  de- 
cree obliging  them  to  pay  the  all- 
federal  income  tax.  Many  of  these 
members  of  the  industry  had,  for 
some  time,  enjoyed  a  total  or  partia' 
exemption  from  this  impost. 

The  surprise  is  all  the  greatei 
than  it  would  have  been  were  the 
Ministry  of  Finance  not  now  making 
plans  to  exempt  from  this  levy  profit 
of  producers  when  they  are  invested  in 
the  making  of  another  picture.  The 
intent  of  the  Finance  Ministry's  plan 
is  to  help  the  producers  to  make  more 
and  better  pictures,  thereby  enabling 
them  to  meet  expected  stiff  competi- 
tion from  abroad  now  that  the  war 
has  ended. 


Avert  Strike  Threat 
At  2  Mexico  Studios 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  26.— The  Na- 
tional Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union  has  ended  its  strike 
threat  against  Clasa  and  Azteca, 
Mexico's  largest  studios,  following  the 
Labor  Ministry's  intervention.  The 
studios  have  agreed  to  reinstate  the 
workers  previously  dismissed,  paying 
full  wages  for  the  time  they  were  out, 
and  the  union  has  pledged  not  to  ob- 
struct production. 

Meanwhile,  NCIWU's  strike 
against  eight  U.  S.  distributors  con- 
tinues. 


Connors  Presiding 
At  3rd  Sales  Meet 


H 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

Blackstone  Hotel  and  will  continu- 
through  Tuesday.  Previous  meeting 
have  been  held  in  New  York  aii< 
Atlanta.  During  the  sessions.  Con 
nors  and  his  home  office  aides  w 
meet  with  district  and  branch  man 
agers  of  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Detroit 
Buffalo,  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland 

Others  in  attendance  include  distric 
managers  J.  J.  Grady  and  J 
Lorentz ;  branch  managers  T.  R.  Gi 
liam,  Chicago;  H.  L.  Beecroft,  Mi 
waukee ;  J.  J.  Lee,  Detroit^  Ira  H 
Cohn,  Buffalo ;  L.  J.  Bugie,  Cincin 
nati ;  I.  J.  Schmertz,  Cleveland. 

The  next  meeting  will  take  plac 
in  Des  Moines,  starting  Thursday.  an< 
will  continue  through  Friday.  Con 
nors  and  his  sales  executives  will  at 
tend  the  Des  Moines  "State  Fair 
world  premiere  on  Wednesday.  Kan 
sas  City  and  San  Francisco  are  th 
final  exchange  centers  for  meetings. 


Three    Air    Shows  to 
Promote  'State  Fair' 

"State  Fair,"  20th  Century-Fox,  wi 
be  given  three  successive  days'  airin 
over  the  Westinghouse  America 
Broadcasting  coast-to-coast  prograi 
tomorrow,  W'ednesday  and  Thursday 
Ted  Malone,  Westinghouse  commei 
tator,  will  broadcast  from  Chicago  an, 
Des  Moines  on  the  three  days. 

Tomorrow,  Malone  will  broadca: 
from  Chicago  with  Dick  Haymes 
guest.  The  following  day,  Malone  wi 
broadcast  from  Des  Moines,  worl 
premiere  city  of  "State  Fair."  and  th 
following  day  back  in  Chicagc 
Malone  will  again  give  "State  Fai 
its  third  promotion  over  the  188  AB 
stations. 


20th-Fox  Six-Month 
Profit  $5,433,360 

(Continued  fron.  page  1  ) 

charges,  was  $2,577,875,  compar 
with  $2,855,485  for  the  first  quart 
and  with  $3,152,131  for  the  seco 
quarter  of  1944. 

Gross  income  for  the  first  half 
1945  was  $84,505,106;  consolidated  n 
profit  before  Federal  taxes,  minor^ 
interests  and  contingencies,  was  $1 
826,667 ;  provision  for  Federal  inco 
and  excess  profit  taxes,  was  $10,52: 
000,  and  net  profit  applicable  to  mi 
ority  interests,  $868,307. 

Expenses  during  the  first  six  mont 
of  1945  included  $43,256.266_  for  th 
tre  operation  and  $24,079,256  amo 
ization  of  production  and  other  cos 


WPB  Inaction  Him 
Maco  Building  Plani 

Minneapolis,  Aug.  2o. — Failure  jj 
the  War  Production  Board  to  act  ffl 

the  Minnesota  Amusement  Co.'s  afl 
plications  for  building  a  number  of  tnl 
atres  in  several  key  Northwest  spc« 
to  "protect"  the  circuit's  present  m 
vestments  has  resulted  in  the  co^ 
pany's  construction  plans  being  stalldj 
according  to  John  J.  Friedl,  prtl 
ident. 

The  WPB  has  Minnesota  Amu^j 
ment's  applications  to  construct  houtjil 
at  Minot,  N.  D.,  Eau  Claire,  Wii 
and  Rochester,  Minn.,  with  other  n<8 
houses  planned  for  Austin  and  Ma» 
kato,  Minn.,  and  a  suburb  north  of  t  « 
midway  district  in  St.  Paul. 


iThe  No.  I 
\\Exploitation 


Natural 

OF  THE  YEAR! 


'fig  IVeefc  at 
pus  "GOTHAM" 

>'s  every  minute 
s  of  the  Atomic 
Invasion  —  the 
could  keep 
me!) 


the  Hottest 
'  at  the 
nto 


the 


n 


:l'0 


PRC  Presents 


wiw.         *»  <-otA  Pamela  blake 

SHELDON  LEONARD  ™UL  CUILFOYLE 

luSHA  COOKJR  ^AUD.A  DRAKE 

CONSTANCE  WORTH 

FANYA  fOSS  LAWHENC   » J  «A 

Director  of  Photography  _  NS 

Musical  Director.  ..  UVINCSTON  and  RAT  RERKE 

Musie  and  DireCTed  by  WILLIAM  BERKE 

Produced  by  SAM  SAX 


I 


I 


=X1 


12 


lip*!; 


■  ■ 


MADDENED.. SHE  WOLVSS 
8ATTLS  FOR 
THEIR  MAN/ 


*  m 


iKiSSa^Blr^ 


s 


EfiRW 


9 


Ate 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  Auguit  27,  1945 


Clark,  Majors'  Counsel 
Confer  on  Decree 


Production  on 
The  Increase 
As  Nine  Start 


Hollywood,  Aug.  26. — Production 
spurted  upward  during  the  week,  with 
nine  new  features  started,  and  five 
completed.  At  the  weekend,  the  shoot- 
ing index  stood  at  48,  compared  to 
last  week's  44.  The  production  scene 
follows : 

Columbia 

Started:  "Life  With  Blondie,"  with 
Arthur  Lake,  Penny  Singleton,  Jona- 
than Hale,  Larry  Simms. 

Shooting:  "Song  of  Broadway," 
"Tars  and  Spars,"  "Hail  the  Chief," 
"Hit  the  Hay." 

M-G-M 

Started:  "The  Green  Years,"  with 
Charles  Coburn,  Tom  Drake,  Gladys 
Cooper,  Hume  Cronyn,  Dean  Stock- 
well,  Selena  Royle,  Reginald  Owen. 

Shooting :  "Up  Goes  Maisie,"  "The 
Yearling,"  "What  Next,  Corporal 
Hargrove?,"  "Boys'  Ranch,"  "Bad 
Bascomb,"  "The  Hoodlum  Saint," 
"Two  Sisters  from  Boston,"  "The 
Postman  Always  Rings  Twice,"  "This 
Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Shooting :  "Swing  Parade." 

Paramount 

Shooting :  "Blue  Skies,"  "The  Bride 
Wore  Boots,"  "To  Each  His  Own." 

PRC 

Finished:  "The  Wife  of  Monte 
Cristo." 

Started:  "Strangler  of  the  Swamp," 
with  Robert  Barret,  Rosemary  La- 
Planche,  Blake  Edwards,  EfFie  Laird, 
Charles  Middleton;  "The  Flying  Ser- 
pent," with  Ralph  Lewis,  George 
Zucco,  Hope  Kramer,  Eddie  Acuff, 
James  Metcalf,  Wheaton  Chambers, 
Henry  Hall,  Terry  Frost,  Budd 
Buster. 

Republic 

Shooting :  "Murder  in  the  Music 
Hall,"  "Along  the  Navajo  Trail," 
"Concerto,"  "Dakota." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:  "The  Master  Minds," 
"The  Falcon's  Alibi,"  "Cornered." 

Started:  "All  Brides  Are  Beauti- 
ful," with  Joan  Fontaine,  Mark  Stev- 
ens, Rosemary  DeCamp,  Henry  Mor- 
gan. 

Shooting :    "Some    Must  Watch," 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

to  the  Attorney  General  in  charge  of 
the  film  unit,  was  not  present  at  the 
meeting,  not  having  returned  to 
Washington  from  his  trip  to  the  West 
Coast  to  interview  witnesses  for  the 
trial  which  is  scheduled  to  open 
shortly. 

The  current  meetings  are  in  some 
contrast  to  those  which  have  been  held 
in  the  past  for  a  discussion  of  possi- 
ble settlement  of  the  case.  Heretofore, 
the  company  counsel  negotiated  with 
the  head  of  the  anti-trust  division, 
who  submitted  his  reports  and  recom- 
mendations to  the  Attorney  General. 
Now,  the  lawyers  are  going  direct  to 
the  chief  of  the  Department,  appar- 
ently feeling  that  his  long  connection 
with  the  case,  as  assistant  to  Thurman 
Arnold  and  later  as  head  of  the  anti- 
trust division  provides  a  common 
meeting  ground  which  was  lacking 
when  Francis  Biddle  was  attorney 
general. 

If  negotiations  of  a  new  consent  de- 
cree is  seriously  undertaken  it  will  be 
in  line  with  the  assurance  repeatedly 
given  by  Clark  and  Berge  that  the 


"A  Tale  of  Bedlam,"  "The  Kid  from 
Brooklyn"  (Goldwyn)  ;  "Heartbeat" 
(Hakim-Wood)  ;  "Tarzan  and  the 
Leopard  Men"  (Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Shooting:  "Doll  Face,"  "Smoky," 
"The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

United  Artists 

Shooting  :  "Tom  Breneman's  Break- 
fast in  Hollywood,"  (Golden)  ;  "Diary 
of  a  Chambermaid"  (Bogeaus). 

Universal 

Finished  :  "Outlaws  of  Twin  Forks." 

Started:  "Canyon  Passage,"  with 
Dana  Andrews,  Brian  Donlevy,  Su- 
san Hayward,  Andy  Devine,  Patricia 
Roc;  "Because  of  Him,"  with  Deanna 
Durbin,  Charles  Laughton,  Franchot 
Tone,  Helen  Broderick,  Donald 
Meek;  "The  Daltons  Ride  Again," 
with  Kent  Taylor,  Lon  Chaney,  Noah 
Beery,  Jr.,  Alan  Curtis,  Martha 
O'Driscoll ;  "Gun  Town,"  with  Kirby 
Grant,  Fuzzy  Knight. 

Shooting :  "The  Fugitive,"  "As  It 
Was  Before,"  "Scarlet  Street." 

Warners 

Shooting :  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Night  and  Day,"  "Her  Kind 
of  Man." 


doors  of  the  Department  are  never 
closed  to  defendants  wishing  to  com- 
promise their  cases.  Berge  himself, 
in  the  past,  has  suggested  that  the 
New  York  trial  could  be  shortened  by 
an  agreement  on  all  points  involved 
other  than  divorcement.  This  did  not 
mean  that  that  issue,  too,  could  not 
be  worked  out,  but  the  line  was  drawn 
because  the  companies  previously  had 
had  an  agreement  on  the  other  issues 
in  the  1940  consent  decree  and  it  was 
felt  a  new  agreement  could  more  read- 
ily be  made  on  that  basis  than  would 
be  possible  with  respect  to  divorce- 
ment. 

On  the  question  of  divorcement,  the 
companies  and  the  Government  have 
been  poles  apart  and  Clark  and  Berge 
have  consistently  insisted  that  they 
were  ready  to  litigate  the  issue  to  a 
finish.  That  position  did  not  preclude 
the  possibility  of  a  consent  agreement, 
although  there  has  been  no  indication 
that  the  companies  were  prepared  to 
make  the  sacrifices  of  theatre  holdings 
which  would  be  necessary  to  meet  the 
Department's  demand  that  exhibition 
be  divorced  from  distribution. 

PhysicalDistribution 
Pool  Set  for  Italy 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

panies  to  maintain  separate  physical 
distribution  facilities,  and,  therefore, 
it  was  agreed  that,  for  the  time  being, 
one  company  would  take  over  from 
the  Psychological  Warfare  Branch, 
which  was  the  agency  that  distributed 
the  40  U.  S.  feature  films  acquired 
from  eight  companies  by  the  Office  of 
War  Information  overseas  film  bu- 
reau. 

The  companies  will  not,  however, 
pool  resources  for  selling  film,  but 
will  sell  on  an  individual  basis.  The 
Motion  Picture  Export  Co.,  Inc., 
previously  considered  for  use  in  the 
Italian  market,  will  not  be  needed  be- 
cause an  agreement  is  understood  to 
have  been  reached  with  the  Italians 
by  the  U.  S.  State  Department  for 
the  elimination  of  the  many  restric- 
tions imposed  by  the  Benito  Mussolini 
government. 

Monies  which  are  presumably  being 
held  in  escrow  by  the  OWI  as  a  re- 
sult of  revenue  derived  from  exhi- 
bition of  the  40  films  will  be  utilized 
in  setting  up  headquarters  for  the 
returning  film  companies,  it  was  said. 


'Pride'  Grosses  $5,684 

Warner  Bros.'  "Pride  of  the 
Marines"  opened  Wednesday  at  the 
Paramount  Theatre,  San  Francisco,  to 
a  gross  of  $5,684,  said  to  be  the  big- 
gest opening  day  in  the  history  of  the 
house,  Warners  report  here,  including 
holiday  openings,  etc.  The  picture, 
which  had  its  world  premiere  at  the 
Mastbaum,  Philadelphia,  on  Aug.  8. 
began  its  New  York  engagement  at 
the  Strand  Friday. 


Bernstein  Leaves  BMI 

London,  Aug.  26. — Sidney  Bern- 
stein has  resigned  as  head  of  the  Brit- 
ish Ministry  of  Information's  section 
for  liberated  territories  and  will  re- 
sume control  of  the  Granada  Circuit 
here. 


Scully  to  Conduct 
4IP  Meetings  Here 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 

held  in  Los  Angeles,  Salt  Lake  City 
and  Chicago  covered  Western  and 
Mid- Western  branches. 

The  New  York  meeting  will  be  at- 
tended by  E.  T.  Gomersall,  assistant 
general  sales  manager ;  Fred  Meyers, 
Eastern  division  manager;  F.  J.  A. 
McCarthy,  Southern  and  Canadian  di- 
vision manager ;  E.  L.  McEvoy,  short 
subject  manager;  Maurice  A.  Berg- 
man, Eastern  advertising-publicity  di- 
rector, and  Alf  Perry,  president  and 
general  manager  of  Empire  Universal 
Films. 

Sales  personnel  attending  will  in- 
clude :  district  managers,  John  S. 
Scully,  Dave  Miller,  Peter  F.  Rosian, 
Salem  Applegate,  Harry  Graham,  Da- 
vid A.  Levy,  and  branch  managers  J. 
J.  Spandau,  Buffalo ;  Eugene  Vogel. 
Albany ;  E.  Meyer  Feltman,  Boston ; 
Harrison  Martin,  New  Haven ;  P.  T. 
Dana,  Pittsburgh ;  Joseph  Krenitz, 
Cleveland;  Max  Cohen,  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  G.  E.  Schwartz,  Philadelphia; 
L.  R.  Brauer,  Atlanta;  J.  V.  Frew, 
Charlotte ;  J.  A.  Prichard,  Memphis ; 
J.  F.  Bannan,  Cincinnati ;  N.  Laman- 
tia,  New  Orleans ;  E.  S.  Olsmith,  Dal- 
las ;  J.  R.  Partlow,  Oklahoma.  Sales- 
men and  bookers  from  each  exchange 
will  be  present. 


Mexico  Is  First  in 
RKO  Foreign  Drive 


RKO-Radio's  Mexico  City  office, 
managed  by  Max  Gomez,  is  first  prize 
winner  in  the  "Phil  Reisman  Studio 
Appreciation  Drive"  sales  contest,  con- 
ducted by  the  company's  foreign  de- 
partment. For  having  sustained  sales 
leadership  in  12  out  of  the  drive's  13 
weeks  manager  and  Mrs.  Gomez  re- 
ceive a  trip  to  New  York  and  Holly- 
wood, plus  four  weeks'  salary  and  a 
watch ;  other  members  of  the  staff  will 
each  receive  four  weeks'  salary.  Sec- 
ond, third  and  fourth  prizes  in  the  drive 
went,  respectively,  to  the  Venezuela 
office  managed  by  Mike  Havas,  Ar- 
gentina, managed  by  Leon  Britton,  and 
Cuba,  headed  by  Pedro  Saenz. 

In  another  contest,  conducted  by 
RKO-Radio  "outside"  producers,  first, 
second  and  third  prize  awards  for  bill- 
ings were  presented  in  the  order  named 
as  follows :  Walt  Disney  award  to 
Brazil,  Argentina  and  Switzerland ; 
Samuel  Goldwyn  award  for  "Up  in 
Arms",  to  Australia,  Egypt  and 
Sweden ;  International  Pictures  award 
to  India,  Brazil  and  Chile ;  Sol  Lesser 
award  to  Cuba,  Australia  and  Peru : 
Ed  Alperson  award,  for  "North  Star", 
to  Sweden,  India  and  Egypt ;  Edward 
Golden  award,  for  "Master  Race",  to 
Trinidad  and  Chile. 

Monthly  and  special  prizes  given  in 
recognition  of  exceptional  performance 
were  won  by  the  company's  offices  in 
China,  France  and  Brazil. 


Mexican  Film  to  ITT 

World  rights  to  the  four-reel 
Kodachrome  feature  made  in  Mex- 
ico by  Alvin  Gordon  of  Contem- 
porary Films,  have  been  acquired  bv 
George  A.  Hirliman  of  International 
Theatrical  and  Television  Corp.  The 
film  dramatizes  the  Chamulla  Indian 
tribe  whose  services  were  necessary 
in  constructing  the  highway  througl1 
the  mountainous  country  of  Chiapas. 


WANTED 
SALES  REPRESENTATIVES 

Discharged  veterans  with  former  motion  picture  distri- 
bution or  theatre  experience.  Must  own  car  and  be  free 
to  travel  in  protected  territory.  Liberal  commission  and 
expense  allowance.  Leads  furnished.  For  complete 
details,  write 

Box  261,  Motion  Picture  Daily,  Rockefeller  Center, 
New  York  20,  N.  Y. 


by 

'our  guys ! 


Brought  to  the  Screen  by  Two  Great  Directors 

apt.  GARSON  KANIN  •  CAROL  REED 

(for  the  United  States)  (for  Great  Britain) 

iistributed  by  COLUMBIA  PICTURES 

|t  Office  of  War  Information  through  War  Activities  Committee 
—  Motion  Picture  Industry 


Exploit  h 
r*®  the  hIt0ttl,e  ms 

aJtithe  own 


7 


if 


HOLDOVERS! 

^cn£ttci4  Stony  o£ 

ERNIE  PYLE'S 

TORY  of  G.  I.  JOE 


in  its  first  engagements 


rom  the  biggest  to  the  s 


PHILADELPHIA 

DETROIT 

LOS  ANGELES 

BALTIMORE 

CINCINNATI 

BOSTON 

WASHINGTON 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

BUFFALO 

LOUISVILLE 

ROCHESTER 

HOUSTON 

SYRACUSE 

SAN  ANTONIO 

DALLAS 

TEMPLE,  TEXAS 
B ELTON,  TEXAS 
DANA,  IND. 

and  so  on — all  over  the  country! 


Lester  Cowan  presents 

ERNIE  PYLE'S  "STORY  Of  G.I.  JOE"  Starr:,,/  BURGESS  MEREDITH  as  ERNIE  PYLE  •  Robert 

Directed  by  WILLIAM  A.  WELLMAN  •  Screenplay  by  Leopold  Atlas,  Guy  Endore  and  Philip  Stevenson 


as  The  Captain  •  Freddie  Steele  as  The  Sergeant  •  Wally  Cassell  as  Hie  Private 

Released  thru  United  Artists 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


OL.  58.  NO.  41 


NEW  YORK.  U.  S.  A.,  TUESDAY,  AUGUST  28,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


joblessness 
n  86  Areas 


Seen  Severe 


flay  Hit  21  of  31  Key 
Hties  By  November 


Seventy-six  industrial  communi- 
15  in  widely  separated  sections  of 
e  country  will  experience  serious 
nditions  of  unemployment  before 
Dvember  and  ten  others  face  even 
>re  critical  situations,  according  to 
rveys  now  being  conducted  on  the 
sis  of  cancellation  of  war  orders, 
riong  them  are  21  of  the  31  key  film 
change  cities. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  of 
the  nation's  large  cities  and  in- 
dustrial areas  are  expected  to 
encounter  only  mild  setbacks 
and,  according  to  present  indi- 
cations at  least  10  localities 
will  be  in  need  of  additional 
workers  in  the  coming  few 
months. 

'Among  the  localities  likely  to  be 

(.Continued  on  page  5) 


eather  Aids  N.  Y. 
irst-Runs  Again 


Drawing  some  of  the  heaviest 
;ekend  business  this  Summer  as 
ol  and  inclement  weather  practi- 
lly  left  nearby  beaches  deserted, 

addition  to  putting  a  damper  on 

toring,  despite  the  availability  of 
soline,  New  York's  first-run  the- 

es  are  generally  headed  for  another 
ek  of  top  drawer  receipts. 

ew  arrivals,  including  "Pride  of 
-  Marines,"  at  the  Strand ;  "Love 
ttters,"  at  the  Rivoli ;  "The  South- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Lobbins  Opens  NSS 
hree-Day  Confab 


National  Screen  Service  executives 
•d  the  district  managers  opened  a 
ree-day  conference  at  the  company's 
me  office  yesterday,  with  Herman 
>bbins,  president;  George  F.  Dem- 
|w,  vice-president  in  charge  of 
ies,  and  William  B.  Brenner,  vice- 
esident  in  charge  of  operations,  lead- 
?  the  discussions. 

Among  matters  taken  up  was  Na- 
(Continued  on  page  14) 


Governments  Will 
Handle  French  Row 

A  'near  future'  settlement 
of  the  American  film  con- 
troversy in  France,  favorable 
to  U.  S.  distributors,  was 
forecast  yesterday  by  a  high 
industry  representative  who 
was  a  party  to  the  confer- 
ences in  Washington  last 
week  with  Herve  Alphand, 
French  Director  General  of 
Economic  Affairs,  and  other 
French  advisers,  who  accom- 
panied General  Charles  De 
Gaulle  to  this  country. 


Setting  World 
TradeMeeting 


Washington,  Aug.  27. — Problems 
facing  American  distributors  in  for- 
eign markets  may  figure  in  an  inter- 
national trade  and  economic  confer- 
ence proposed  to  be  held  in  London 
early  in  October,  it  was  learned  here 
today. 

Efforts  to  arrange  for  an  early 
meeting  in  the  English  capital  are 
being  made  by  Assistant  Secretary 
of  State  William  L.  Clayton,  who 
has  been  in  London  for  some  weeks. 

Motion  Picture  Daily  reported  on 
Aug.  21  that  such  a  conference  might 

(Continued  on  page  14) 


Fromkess  Resigns 
PRC  Presidency 
Citing  'Differences' 


Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — Leon  From- 
kess late  this  afternoon  resigned  the 
presidency  of  PRC  effective  imme- 
diately citing  "differences  of  opinion 
regarding  the  future  operations  of  the 
company"  with  the  ownership  as 
prompting  his  action.  PRC  is  an  af- 
filiate of  Pathe  Film  Laboratories, 
Inc.,  of  which  Kenneth  M.  and  John 
S.  Young  are  the  owners. 

Ben  Schwalb,  executive  producer, 
and  Don  McElwaine,  director  of  ad- 
vertising and  publicity,  resigned 
simultaneously  with  Fromkess. 

No  mention  was  made  of  a  successor 

{Continued  on  page  14) 


Hitchcock  and  Grant 
Form  Own  Company 


A  new  partnership  for  the  produc- 
tion of  films  was  launched  yesterday  by 
Alfred  Hitchcock  and  Cary  Grant.  It 
is  the  first  independent  venture  for 
both  director  and  star. 

With  negotiations  now  in  prog- 
ress for  the  complete  financing  of 
the  new  organization,  actual  produc- 
tion activity  will  start  next  Spring 
when  both  Grant  and  Hitchcock  will 
(Continued  on  page  14) 


Paramount  Adopts  a  New 
Short  Form  Contract 


"In   recognition  of   many  requests 
from     exhibitors,"     Paramount  has 
adopted  a  short  and  simplified  form 
of  feature  exhibition  contract,  begin- 
ning   with  the 
new  season, 
Charles  M. 
Reagan,  vice- 
president 
in     charge  of 
d  i  s  t  r  i  b  u  - 
tion,  announced 
here  today. 

"F  o  r  years 
theatre  owners 
have  com- 
plained about 
the   length  and 
involved  phrase- 
ology   of  con- 
tracts and  have 
long    sought  a 
substitute  more  acceptable  to  the  lay- 
man,"  Reagan  said,  adding  that  the 
(Continued  on  page  14) 


Charles  Reagan 


Export  Co.  May  Be 
Sent  Into  Germany 


Members  of  the  industry's  Motion 
Picture  Export  Co.,  Inc.,  are  under- 
stood to  be  studying  the  possibility  of 
operating  the  foreign  trade  associa- 
tion in  Germany  as  the  second  coun- 
try in  which  Hollywood  films  would 
be  distributed  by  American  companies 
as  a  group.  The  members  are  now 
setting  plans  to  operate  through 
MPEC  in  Holland. 

Foreign  distribution  heads  here  be- 
lieve that  they  will  not  be  able  to 
resume  commercial  operations  indi- 
vidually in  Germany  for  many  years 
because  of  long-range  military  rules 
and  the  continuance  of  different  zones 
of  occupation  by  American,  British, 
(.Continued  on  page  14) 


Consolidated's 
Merger  Plan 
Up  on  Sept.  28 

New  Capital  Structures 
Devised   for  Republic 


A  special  meeting  of  stockholders 
of  Consolidated  Film  Industries  has 
been  called  for  Sept.  28,  to  vote  upon 
a  plan  of  merger  and  consolidation  of 
Consolidated  and  Republic  Pictures 
with  Setay  Co.,  Inc.,  which  would 
thereafter  be  known  as  Republic  Pic- 
tures Corp.  Proxy  statements  are 
being  mailed  to  stockholders. 

The  authorized  capitalization  of  the 
consolidated  corporation  surviving  the 
merger  will  consist  of  600,000  shares 
of  $1.00  cumulative  preferred  stock 
with  a  par  value  of  $10.00  each,  each 
such  share  being  convertible  into  one 
share  of  common  stock ;  2,750,000 
shares  of  common  stock  with  a  par 
value  of  50  cents  each ;  and  $5,200,000 

(Continued  on  page  14) 


Ten  Million  Raise 
In  'UV  Budget 


Universal's  production  budget  for 
1945-46  will  be  increased  $10,000,000. 
according  to  W.  A.  Scully,  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  sales  manager,  who 
today  will  open  the  last  of  a  series  of 
regional  sales  meetings,  at  the  V\  al- 
dorf-Astoria  here.  Scully  stated  that 
the  planning  of  the  1945-46  program 

(Continued  on  page  14) 


Decree  Settlement 
Possibility  Fades 


Washington,  Aug.  27. — Depart- 
ment of  Justice  officials  were  non- 
committal today  when  queried  on  a 
n°w  consent  decree  following  their 
meeting  here  Friday  with  counsel  for 
defendants  in  the  New  York  anti-trust 
suit.  They  said  that  the  company 
lawyers  who  came  to  Washington  Fri- 
day talked  about  the  case  with  Attor- 

( Con ti lined  on  page  14) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Border  Bad  men" 
appears  on  Page  14.  Critics' 
Quotes  of  "The  Southerner" 
and  "Pride  of  the  Marines" 
are  on  page  11. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


CSU  Readying  for 
Theatre  Picketing 


Hollywood,  Aug.  27.— The  Confer- 
ence of  Studio  Unions'  strategy  com- 
mittee today  declared  that  it  is  going 
ahead  with  its  plans  for  theatre  pick- 
eting, as  soon  as  arrangements  can  be 
made. 

Business  agents  of  the  principal 
unions  on  strike,  at  a  meeting  this  af- 
ternoon, discussed  ways  and  means  to 
expedite  the  picketing  in  which  CIO 
unions  and  others  have  pledged  co- 
operation along  lines  already  followed 
here. 

Pep  Ruiz,  business  agent  for  the 
Screen  Cartoonists  Guild,  Local  1461, 
New  York,  telegraphed  Herbert  Sor- 
rell,  CSU  president,  "backing  up  our 
recent  assessment  with  direct  action," 
and  adding:  "We  are  picketing  New 
York  theatres  to  tell  the  public^  about 
your  fight  for  honest  unionism."  Ruiz 
was  in  phone  conversation  with  Sor- 
rell  over  the  weekend,  pledging  co- 
operation in  reply  to  a  telegram  sent 
to  him  by  Sorrell  on  Friday.  The 
New  York  SCG,  like  its  companion 
union  here,  is  affiliated  with  the 
Painters  International,  whose  presi- 
dent, L.  P.  Lindelof,  has  been  distrib- 
uting theatre  boycott  literature  to  the 
painter  locals  throughout  the  country. 

Meanwhile,  Superior  Judge  Emmett 
H.  Wilson  issued  a  temporary  re- 
straining order  forbidding  CSU  pick- 
ets from  "using  force  or  violence" 
while  picketing  Warners'  Hollywood 
Theatre  and  set  Friday  for  a  hearing 
at  which  strikers  may  show  cause  why 
a  preliminary  injunction  should  not  be 
issued. 


Postpone  Jacocks 
Injunction  Plea 

Hearing  on  the  motion  for  a  tem- 
porary injunction  sought  by  the  Ca- 
pans  Amusement  Co.,  of  which  Don 
Jacocks  is  president,  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here,  has  been  postponed  from 
Sept.  4  to  Sept.  25.  Jacocks  is  seek- 
ing an  injunction  which  would  order 
11  distributors  to  make  half  of  their 
first-run  product  available  to  him  for 
his  Strand  Theatre  in  Taunton,  Mass. 

The  companies  are  to  file  affidavits 
by  Sept.  18. 


Nelson  Coming  East 
On  Foreign  Talks 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — The  Society 
of  Independent  M.  P.  Producers 
membership  will  meet  here  tomorrow 
on  foreign  distribution  and  other 
matters. 

It  is  expected  that  Donald  Nelson, 
SIMPP  president,  will  go  East  later 
in  the  week  for  conferences  with  dis- 
tribution executives  regarding  possible 
concerted  action  with  respect  to  the 
foreign  market. 


Personal  Mention 


Walter  Colmes  Will 
Do  6  for  Republic 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — Republic 
will  distribute  six  features  to  be  made 
by  Walter  Colmes,  based  on  the  John- 
ny Fletcher  detective  stories  by  Frank 
Gruber,  at  the  rate  of  two  a  year.  Al- 
bert Dekker  will  star. 


SAM  DEMBOW,  president  of 
Golden  Productions,  is  due  back 
from  Hollywood  at  the  weekend,  stop- 
ping in  Chicago  en  route. 

• 

Betty  Hutton,  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood,  announced  yesterday  that 
in  three  weeks  she  will  become  the 
bride  of  Ted  Beiskin,  president  of 
Revere  Equipment  Company,  at  a  cere- 
mony in  Hollywood. 

• 

T/5  Jose  Schorr,  former  Columbia 
home  office  publicist,  has  written  a 
book,  "Haven't  I  Met  You  Somewhere 
Before?"  He  is  with  the  Army  in 
Manila  interpreting  the  week's  events 
for  Maptalk,  Officers'  magazine. 
• 

Reginald  Baker,  president  of  Kine- 
matograph  Renters  Society,  now  in 
New  York,  will  leave  for  London  next 
Monday. 

• 

Lester  Stepner,  La  Salle  Theatre 
manager,  Chicago,  is  recovering  from 
an  appendectomy  at  Columbus  Me- 
morial Hospital  there. 

• 

Nelson  Trowbridge,  recovered  from 
a  prolonged  illness,  has  started  his 
21st  year  as  manager  of  the  Cox  and 
Taft  theatres,  Cincinnati. 

• 

Marie  Orth,   secretary   to  Steve 
Trilling  at  Warner  Bros,  was  mar- 
ried to  Lt.  Col.  Jack  Oberhansley, 
U.  S.  Army  Air  Forces,  yesterday. 
• 

George  Rabb,  general  manager  of 
Rifkin  Theatres,  Massachusetts,  and 
Mrs.  Rabb,  are  the  parents  of  their 
first  son. 

• 

Bill  Seib,  Columbia  Salt  Lake  City 
manager,  is  on  a  trip  through  Mon- 
tana. 

• 

Capt.  J.  S.  Tankersley,  USA, 
Georgia  theatre  owner,  is  visiting  At- 
lanta Film  Row. 

• 

•  Don  Tibbs,  Salt  Lake  City  manager 
for  Monogram,  is  on  a  trip  through 
Idaho. 

• 

Al  Weiss,  manager  of  the  Olympia 
Theatre,  Miami,  is  making  vacation 
visits  to  Chicago  and  Milwaukee. 


AW.  SMITH,  JR.,  20th  Century- 
•  Fox  Eastern  sales  manager,  has 
left  Atlanta  for  meetings  in  New  Or- 
leans, Memphis,  Oklahoma  City  and 
Dallas. 

• 

A.  J.  Mason,  owner  of  the  Capitol 
Theatre,  Springhill,  Nova  Scotia,  has 
been  reelected  president  of  the  Nova 
Scotia  Amateur  Baseball  Association, 
for  the  10th  term. 

• 

Lt.  Gen.  Holland  M.  Smith,  for- 
mer commander  of  the  Fleet  Marine 
Force,  was  a  recent  visitor  at  War- 
ners' Burbank  studio  as  guest  of 
Harry  M.  Warner. 

• 

Norman  Elson,  vice-president  of 
Trans  Lux  Theatres  Corp.,  New  York, 
left  for  Chicago  yesterday  and  will 
return  Thursday. 

• 

Mike  Weiss,  20th  Century-Fox 
Philadelphia  exploiteer  and  Mrs. 
Weiss,  are  parents  of  their  first  born, 
Jacqueline  Nan. 

• 

Francis  Jones,  of  Warner  Bros, 
home  office  art  department,  and  Mrs. 
Jones,  are  parents  of  a  son,  Thomas 
Alan  Jones,  born  Sunday  morning. 
• 

William  Speck,  manager  of  the 
Rex  Theatre,  Los  Vodos,  Cal.,  is  visit- 
ing in  Chicago. 

• 

Charles  Walker,  new  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox  district   manager,   has  re- 
turned to  Salt  Lake  City  from  Denver. 
• 

Fred  N.  Sliter,  20th  Century-Fox 
salesman  in  Albany,  will  enter  a  hos- 
pital there  today  for  surgery. 

• 

William   Z.   Porter,  Monogram's 
traveling  auditor,  has  returned  to  Hol- 
lywood from  the  Pacific  Northwest. 
• 

Col.  James  Stewart  is  aboard  the 
Queen  Elizabeth,  en  route  to  the  U.  S. 
with  troops,  from  Europe. 

• 

Giff  Davison,  RKO  Salt  Lake  City 
exchange  manager,  is  visiting  in  Los 
Angeles. 

• 

W.  C.  Gehring,  20th-Century-Fox 
Western  sales  manager,  is  in  Chicago. 


MGM  Sets  New  Block 
'Waldorf'  Separate 

M-G-M  will  sell  "Weekend  at  the 
Waldorf"  as  a  special  under  separate 
contract,  it  was  announced  by  the 
company  yesterday.  It  is  expected  to 
be  released  late  in  October. 

The  company's  13th  block  will  be 
made  up  of  five  pictures,  to  be  re- 
leased the  latter  part  of  September 
and  October ;  the  pictures  and  tenta- 
tive release  dates  are :  "Our  Vines 
Have  Tender  Grapes,"  scheduled  for 
the  third  week  in  September ;  "The 
Hidden  Eye,"  slated  for  the  fourth 
week  in  September;  "Bud  Abbott  and 
Lou  Costello  in  Hollywood,"  first 
week  in  October  ;  "Her  Highness  and 
the  Bellboy,"  second  week  in  October ; 
"Dangerous  Partners,"  third  week  in 
October. 


Connors  Says  20th 
Scraps  War  Films 

Chicago,  Aug.  27. — Tom  Con- 
nors, 20th-Fox  vice  president  in  charge 
of  distribution,  who  concluded  a  two- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  here  today,  announced  that  the 
company  will  make  all  efforts  to  re- 
lease 36  pictures,  as  previously  an- 
nounced, during  the  1945-46  season. 

He  also  revealed  that  war  pictures 
have  been  scrapped  including  "Amer- 
ican Guerilla"  which  has  been  re- 
placed on  the  schedule  by  "Sentimen- 
tal Journey."  He  sees  little  demand 
for  war  films  for  several  years. 
October  releases  will  include  "State 
Fair"  and  "The  House  on  92nd  St." 
"And  Then  There  Were  None"  was 
set  back  due  to  the  raw  stock  short- 
ages. 


Gray  Leaves  Paramount 

Atlanta,  Aug.  27. — Bud  Gray,! 
Southeastern  publicity  director  of 
Paramount,  has  resigned. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.  &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 


OVER  21 


A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


2nd  WEEK  —  MUSIC  HAL! 


"THE  NEW 
U.  S.  FRONTIER" 

pig    ON  SCREEN 

m  ALAN  LADD 

MM     GAIL  RUSSELL 

L9    in  PAR  AMOUNT'S 

B  'SALTY 
m  0'ROURKE' 

IN  PERSON 

DAVE  _AP0LL0N 

"Think-a-Drink" 
HOFFMAN 

EXTRA! 

SALIC1  PUPPETS 

In  Paramount's 


INCENDIARY  BLONDE" 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON — 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCH. 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway  | 
and  45th  St 


C0NTINU0U8 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY 
47th  S 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


-WALT  DISNEY'S" 


WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

PINOCCHIO 

fpuelaltulrNeg,Tnh  TECHNICOLOR 

Distributed    by    RKO    Radio    Pictures.  In 
RE  P  U  B  LI C  A^R^COOLED 


SOS*** 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Qui  ;f 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center.  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubeo,  New  York."  Martin  Qui£  , 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Adverti  i 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg.  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bur  , 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubeo,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Thea-  , 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscnppi 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


"GEORGE  WHITE'S  SCANDALS" 

An  RKO  Radio  Picture 


JL 


^8  Mc0 


ent! 


Styled  by  a  famous  Broadway 
showman  to  click  with  the  crowds 
who  love  a  glittering  laugh  show 
o    spiced  with  reckless  rhythm, 
o    racy  romance,  solid  music  and  c 
«   sensational  spotlight  specialties! 


Screen  Play  by  HUGH  WEDLOCK,  HOWARD  SNYDER,  PARKE  LEVY  and  HOWARD  GREEN  •  Dance 

3Bi 


Numbers  Created  and  Staged  bv  ERNST  MATRAY 


MARTHA 

TERRY  •  HOLLIDAY 

k  GLENN  BETTEJANE 

V^RYON  •  GREER 

KRc/PA 

and  His  Band 

Swing  Organist  mf 

Produced  by  GEORGE  WHITE  \ 

Directed  by  FELIX  E.  FEIST  1 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tighten  War -Time 
Hillings  on  Hours 


States  are  beginning  to  tighten  up 
)n  wartime  practices  governing  hours 
)f  labor  for  women  and  teen-agers. 
Dispensations  granted  4,000  employ- 
es in  New  York  State  during  war- 
ime  permitting  a  longer  work  week, 
imployment  of  women  at  night  and 
he  employment  of  16  and  17-year- 
>ld  minors  will  be  canceled  shortly, 
industrial  Commissioner  Edward 
porsi  announces. 

j  Nearly  600,000  workers,  275,000  of 
Ihem  women,  will  be  affected  by  the 
jiction.  The  first  to  be  affected  will 
pe  the  working  minors.  Employers 
tave  been  advised  that  their  employ- 
ment will  not  be  permitted  after  Sept. 

The  dispensations  were  author- 
zed  during,  hostilities  by  the  State 
War  Council  under  provisions  of  the 
jvar  emergency  act. 

May  Work  48  Hours 

I  In  Ohio,  Gov.   Frank  J.  Lausche 

»'ias,  by  proclamation,  decreed  the 
ileath  knell,  as  of  Sept.  15,  of  the 
[Ross  and  Corey  Acts,  most  controver- 
sial of  the  war  emergency  measures 
inacted  by  the  legislature,  under 
which  employers  were  granted  the 
fight  to  extend  the  working  hours 
pf  women  and  minors  beyond  the 
lumber  fixed  by  law.  Under  the 
fundamental'  rules,  to  govern  after 
j:he  above  effective  date,  women  may 
dc  employed  only  a'  maximum  of  48 
■hours  a  week  on  an  eight-hour,  six- 
lay  week  basis,  while  boys  under  18, 
land  girls  under  21,  cannot  be  em- 
ployed more  than  48  hours,  with 
working  hours  between  six  A.M.  and 
10  P.M.,  except  in  mercantile  estab- 
lishments, where  they  may  work  10 
hours  on  Saturdays.  Boys  under  16 
jand  girls  under  18  will  not  be  per- 
mitted to  start  work  before  seven 
A.M.  or  work  after  six  P.M. 

Boys  employed  in  theatres  and 
amusement  places  must  be  at  least  16 
years  old,  and  girls,  18,  the  sole  ex- 
ception being  for  stage  entertainers 
who  may  be  under  the  minimum  ages. 

Decision  relative  to  setting  mini- 
mum wages  for  women  and  minors 
in  the  theatre  industry  in  Utah  are 
to  be  announced  this  month.  It  is 
likely  that  at  a  public  hearing  a  min- 
imum wage  scale  for  women  and 
minors  will  be  set.  The  state  indus- 
trial commission  argues  that  the  step 
is  necessary  to  protect  workers,  some 
of  whom  have  been  working  for  as 
low  as  eight  and  ten  cents  per  hour. 
Representatives  of  theatres  have  de- 
nied .the  low  wage  charge. 


Siritzkys  Building 
Theatre  in  Hotel 

New  York  will  have  its  first  thea- 
tre-in-hotel  operation  soon  with  the 
building  by  Siritzky  Brothers  of  a 
700-seat  house  adjacent  to  the  lobby 
floor  of  the  Paramount  Hotel,  off 
1  mies  Square.  Sam  Siritzky  has  in- 
formed Motion  Picture  Daily  that 
he  and  his  brother,  Joe,  have  already 
closed  negotiations  for  the  theatre's 
construction. 

Siritzky  Brothers  are  remodeling 
i  the  Ambassador  Theatre,  and  it  is 
scheduled  to  reopen  on  Sept.  1  with 
Paramount's  reissue  of  "Northwest 
Mounted  Police,"  which  will  have  a 
Jour-week  run.  Thereafter,  the  Am- 
bassador will  carry  first-run  product. 


Eighty-six  Cities  Face  Severe  Coming 
Unemployment  Prospects  Events 


(Continued  from  payc  1) 

affected  most  seriously,  where  esti- 
mates of  impending  unemployment 
run  as  high  as  25  per  cent,  are  the 
following :  Detroit,  Los  Angeles,  Buf- 
falo, Portland,  Me. ;  Portland,  Ore. ; 
Flint,  Mich. ;  Wichita,  Kans. ;  Nia- 
gara Falls,  N.  Y. ;  Panama  City,  Fla., 
and  Talladega,  Ala. 

Areas  which  will  be  affected  to  the 
extent  of  unemployment  ranging  up 
to  20  per  cent  less  than  wartime  lev- 
els, according  to  the  surveys,  are : 
Chicago,  Boston,  Baltimore,  Cincin- 
nati, Oklahoma  City,  Dallas,  Seattle, 
Minneapolis,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City, 
New  Haven,  Atlanta,  Indianapolis, 
San  Francisco  Bay  area,  Des  Moines, 
New  Orleans,  Omaha,  Memphis,  St. 
Paul,  New  London,  Tacoma,  Ft. 
Worth,  Tulsa,  Providence  and  South 
Bend. 

Also :  Mobile,  Grand  Rapids,  Little 
Rock,  San  Diego,  Houston,  Nashville, 
Beaumont,  Bridgeport,  Tampa,  Savan- 
nah, Louisville,  Joliet,  Newark, 
Wilmington,  Toledo,  San  Jose,  Hart- 
ford, Aluskegon,  Akron,  Portsmouth, 
Elmira,  Sandusky,  Pine  Bluff,  Ark. ; 
San  Bernardino,  Shreveport,  Dayton, 
Texarkana,  Springfield,  Mass.; 
Springfield,  111. ;  Saginaw,  Mich.  ; 
Bath,  Me. ;  Salem,  Mass. ;  Stockton, 
Meriden,  Conn. ;  Macon,  Decatur,  111. ; 
Evansville,  Hagerstown,  Northamp- 
ton, Mass. ;  Bay  City,  Mich. ;  Pasca- 
goula,  Miss. ;  Springfield,  O. ;  Bristol, 
Tenn. ;  Lancaster,  Pa. ;  Manitowoc, 
Wis. ;  Riverside,  Cal. ;  Brunswick, 
Ga. ;  Holyoke,  Mass. ;  Lima,  O. ;  An- 
derson, Ind.,  and  Kingsport,  Tenn. 

Cities  which  will  continue  at  peak 
activity  and  which,  according  to  sur- 
veys, may  be  in  need  of  workers,  in- 
clude :  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Butte, 
Mont. ;  Ogden,  Utah ;  Asheville,  N. 
C. ;  Richmond,  Va. ;  Cheyenne,  Wyo. ; 


Ventura,  Calif.;  Columbus,  Ga. ; 
Tooele,  Utah,  and  Oxnard,  Calif. 

Estimates  of  the  length  of  time  for 
which  the  extreme  conditions  indicated 
may  prevail  are  not  available  at  this 
time.  In  general,  however,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  conditions  will  vary  in  in- 
dividual localities ;  the  unemployment 
conditions  being  of  shorter  duration 
and  lesser  severity  in  some  areas  than 
in  others. 

In  most  areas  not  specifically  men- 
tioned, employment  reductions  of  from 
five  to  10  per  cent  are  foreseen,  which 
is  regarded  as  a  more  or  less  normal 
leveling-off  from  wartime  peaks. 

Cincinnati  Optimistic  on 
Unemployment  Problem 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  27.— Although 
unemployment  caused  by  cancellation 
of  war  contracts  here  presented  a 
grave  economic  problem  at  the  outset, 
the  situation  is  easing  encouragingly 
through  absorption  of  idle  manpower 
by  a  large  number  of  the  many  local 
diversified  industries  where  reconver- 
sion plans  practically  are  completed, 
or  activities  geared  to  a  quick  resump- 
tion of  peacetime  production. 

Closing  of  the  Wright  Aeronautical 
Co.  rendered  approximately  25,000 
jobless;  the  manufacturing  division  of 
the  Crosley  Corp.  dispensed  with  some 
20,000  employees,  and  a  number  of 
smaller  plants  effected  proportionate 
decreases  in  personnel. 

The  consensus  of  business  and  eco- 
nomic leaders  here  is  that  this  area 
will  not  experience  serious  unemploy- 
ment repercussions  from  the  industrial 
transition,  excepting  possibly  a  migra- 
tion of  some  transient  workers  attract- 
ed here  by  high  wage  scales,  but  this 
is  considered  negligible  compared 
with  the  aggregate  number  of  em- 
ployees carried  on  local  payrolls. 


Ads  Needed  to  Keep 
Holdovers  'Alive' 

Chicago,  Aug.  27.  —  Advertising 
budgets  on  extended  engagements  of 
RKO  product  have  been  raised  in  this 
area  to  permit  bigger  display  advertise- 
ments in  newspapers  during  the  hold- 
over weeks,  Bob  Hickey,  Midwest  field 
supervisor  reports.  Recent  experi- 
ences with  long  run  pictures  here  have 
indicated  that  budgets  must  be  in- 
creased to  keep  an  engagement  'alive,' 
rather  than  permit  the  picture  to  run 
on  its  own  merits. 

This  policy  is  currently  being  prac- 
ticed on  "Along  Came  Jones"  and 
"Wonder  Man,"  at  the  RKO  Palace 
and  Woods,  respectively. 


'  dimes'  Drive  Drew 
Record  I6V2  Millions 

An  increase  of  more  than  50  per 
cent  over  the  1944  total,  Basil  O'Con- 
nor, president  of  the  National  Founda- 
tion for  Infantile  Paralysis,  said,  is 
represented  in  contributions  to  the 
1945  March  of  Dimes  of  $16,589,874. 

Half  of  the  funds  have  been  allo- 
cated to  national  headquarters  in  New 
York  for  maintenance  of  an  emergen- 
cy epidemic  fund  and  for  education 
and  research,  and  the  other  half  was 
retained  by  county  chapters  to  carry 
on  regular  services  for  infantile 
paralysis  victims  in  their  territories, 
he  said. 


WLB  Retains  Dispute 
Of  RKO  Theatres 

Action  by  the  War  Labor  Board 
in  Washington  in  clearing  its  dockets 
of  many  disputes  pending  before  it 
and  sending  them  back  to  the  disput- 
ing parties  for  further  settlement  at- 
tempts, is  not  expected  to  affect  the 
contract  dispute  between  RKO  and 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Operating 
Managers  and  Assistant  Managers 
Guild,  according  to  Hyman  N.  Glick- 
stein,  attorney  for  the  Guild.  Mana- 
gers and  assistant  managers  in  the 
40  RKO  Metropolitan  New  York  the- 
atres are  involved. 

The  case  is  before  the  WLB  on  an 
appeal  from  a  ruling  by  the  Regional 
WLB  in  New  York,  and  the  WLB  in 
Washington  is  expected  to  rule  on 
that  appeal  shortly. 


$350,000  Studio  Is\ 
Under  Way  in  N.  Y. 

Designed  to  meet  increased  film  pro- 
duction in  the  East,  ground  has  been 
broken  in  Yonkers  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  motion  picture  studio  to  cost 
35350,000,  it  is  announced  by  Stanley 
Neal,  president  of  Associated  Filmak- 
ers,  at  McCIean  and  Central  Avenues. 

The  construction  of  two  large 
stages  for  television  production  and 
the  installation  of  lighting  equipment 
perfected  during  the  war  will  be  fea- 
tures of  the  new  plant. 


Today — Two-day  Universal  sales 
meeting  opens,  Waldorf-Astoria 
Hotel,  New  York. 

Today  through  Tommorrow  —  20th 
Century-Fox  sales  meeting,  Black- 
stone  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Aug.  29 — New  Jersey  Allied  out- 
ing, West  End  Casino,  West 
End,  N.  J. 

Aug.  30-31— 20th  Century-Fox  sales 
meeting,  Des  Moines. 

Sept.  1-2 — 20th  Century-Fox  sales 
meeting,  Kansas  City. 

Sept.  3 — SOPEG  membership  meet- 
ing, New  York. 

Sept.  5-7— 20th  Century-Fox  sales 
meeting,  San  Francisco. 

Sept.  27 — Joint  Defense  Appeal  din- 
ner honoring  Jack  Cohn,  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 


Set  New  '306'  Pact 
Meet  for  Tomorrow 

The  first  meeting  at  which  Richard 
F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president  will  seek 
to  mediate  the  contract  dispute  be- 
tween IATSE  New  York  Motion 
Picture  Machine  Operators  Union 
Local  No.  306  and  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  first-runs,  as  well  as  RKO 
and  Loew's  New  York  circuit  houses, 
will  be  held  here  tomorrow  morn- 
ing. Negotiations  broke  down  last 
week  and  Local  306  threatened  strike 
action  but  Walsh  is  understood  to 
have  refused  permission  for  a  strike 
pending  his  mediation  attempts. 

Local  306  had  asked  a  25  per  cent 
wage  increase  and  other  concessions 
but  the  main  stumbling  block  is  the 
union's  attempt  to  eliminate  the  're- 
quest clause'  whereby  theatres  can 
select  projectionists  they  wish  to  hire, 
from  Local  306  availability  lists. 


MGM  Reception  for 
Novel  Award  Winner 

Literary  and  motion  picture  critics, 
radio  commenators,  publishers  and  edi- 
tors have  been  invited  by  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer  to  a  reception  in  honor 
of  Elizabeth  Metzger  Howard,  whose 
novel,  "Before  the  Sun  Goes  Down," 
has  won  the  second  annual  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  novel  award,  on 
Wednesday  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria. 

The  award  involves  a  pavment  of 
$125,000  to  Mrs.  Howard,  with  a  fur- 
ther $50,000  contingent  on  book  sales. 
"Before  the  Sun  Goes  Down"  will  be 
published  by  Doubleday,  Doran  and 
Co.,  whose  prize  of  S20.000  has  also 
been  won  by  the  book.  Spencer  Tracy 
will  star  in  the  screen  version. 


CBS   Television  in 
Color  Is  Disclosed 

Washington-.  Aug.  27.— Columbia 
Broadcasting  announces  it  expects  to 
begin  actual  broadcasting  of  a  new 
system  pi  color  television  in  New 
York  before  the  cud  of  the  vear. 

Dr.  Peter  G  Goldmark,  CBS  di- 
rector of  engineering  research  and  de- 
velopments, said  in  a  broadcast  talk 
that  the  new  transmitter  will  be  in- 
stalled in  the  Chrysler  Building.  The 
new  ultra-high  frequency  color  televi- 
sion system.  Dr.  Goldmark  declared, 
will  also  provide  black  and  white  pic- 
tures "with  more  than  twice  as  much 
picture  detail  as  compared  with  the 
pre-war  system." 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


Information  Bureau 
May  Succeed  OWI 


Weather  Again  Proves  Big 
Help  to  N.  Y.  First-Runs 


See  Two-Year  Delay 
Of  Video  in  Canada 


Washington,  Aug.  27. — Flans  to 
close  the  Office  of  War  Information 
within  90  days  were  disclosed  yester- 
day, when  it  was  learned  that  OWI 
director  Elmer  Davis  has  recom- 
mended to  President  Truman  that  the 
State  Department  take  over  part  of 
the  OWI  staff  to  serve  as  an  infor- 
mation service  abroad. 

Although  the  State  Department  has 
not  yet  reported  its  views  to  the 
President,  it  is  known  that  such  an 
arrangement  would  fit  in  with  plans 
to  have  information  experts  attached 
to  the  various  Embassies  to  provide 
foreign  newspapermen  and  writers 
with  'background'  information  on  this 
country. 

Plans  for  liquidation  of  the  agency 
as  outlined  by  Davis  are  understood 
to  carry  no  recommendation  for  con- 
tinuance of  the  domestic  branch  which, 
among  other  things,  is  now  handling 
the  distribution  of  16mm.  Govern- 
ment films. 

So  far  the  only  suggestion  for  con- 
tinuance of  the  branch's  film  opera- 
tions has  been  a  proposal  that  the  in- 
terested Government  agencies  make 
an  agreement  to  have  distribution  su- 
pervised by  a  selected  central  agency 
and  to  set  up  a  unit  of  some  sort  to 
provide  expert  advice  on  scripts, 
contracts  and  other  phases  of  film 
production. 

'45  Kinemato graph 
Year  Book  Arrives 

The  1945  edition  of  Kinematograph 
Year  Book,  almanac  of  the  British 
film  industry,  has  been  received  here 
from  London. 

Published  by  Kinematograph  Pub- 
lications, Ltd.,  London,  the  564-page 
year  book  is  divided  into  10  sections, 
including :  Trade  Shown  Films,  Rent- 
ers' Offers,  Films  Registered  and 
Documentary  Producers,  Theatre 
Equipment,  Trade  Personnel,  Studio 
and  Production,  General  Trade  Direc- 
tory, Classified  Trade  Directory,  The- 
atre Circuits  and  Kinema  Directory. 

The  volume  also  contains  a  chapter 
devoted  to  the  American  film  indus- 
try. 

HearingTomorrow  on 
Coast  Theatre  Levy 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — The  coun- 
cil's committee  of  taxation  set  Wed- 
nesday afternoon  for  an  open  hearing 
on  a  proposal  to  levy  a  five  per  cent 
tax  on  theatre  grosses. 

Exhibitors,  exhibitor  organizations 
and  interested  civic  bodies  are  ex- 
pected to  submit  their  views  to  the 
committee.  Whether  the  measure  will 
ultimately  reach  the  Council  floor  is 
considered  an  open  question  at  this 
time. 

de  Ycaza  to  Edit 
RKO  Foreign  Paper 

Phil  Reisman,  RKO-Radio  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  foreign  distribu- 
tion, has  appointed  Ramon  de  Ycaza 
to  take  over  temporarily  the  editor- 
ship of  Foreign  Legion  foreign  de- 
partment publication,  de  Ycaza  is  a 
native  of  Ecuador  and  was  formerly 
attached  to  the  Washington  Embassy 
as  commercial  attache  and  a  member 
of  the  standing  committee  of  UNRRA 
until  last  Fall. 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

erner,"  at  the  Globe,  and  "The  Strange 
Affair  of  Uncle  Harry,"  at  the  Cri- 
terion, drew  heavy  receipts  in  their 
first  few  days  with  strong  initial  weeks 
expected. 

"Over  21,"  at  Radio  City  Music 
Hall ;  "Anchors  Aweigh,"  at  the  Capi- 
tol ;  "Incendiary  Blonde,"  Paramount ; 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue,"  Hollywood ; 
"Along  Came  Jones,"  Palace,  and 
"Wonder  Man,"  at  the  Astor  continued 
strongly  as  holdovers,  while  two  re- 
releases,  "The  Wonderful  Adventures 
of  Pinocchio,"  at  the  Republic,  and 
"This  Gun  For  Hire,"  at  the  Rialto 
also  drew  big. 

'Pride'  Is  Big 

"Pride  of  the  Marines,"  combined 
with  a  stage  bill  presenting  Charlie 
Barnet  and  his  orchestra,  drew  almost 
$35,000  for  the  first  three  days  at  the 
Strand  and  a  big  $75,000  is  expected 
for  the  initial  week.  "The  Southerner" 
is  headed  for  a  splendid  $25,000  for  an 
initial  week  at  the  Globe,  on  the  basis 
of  $10,000  recofded  for  the  first  two 
days.  "The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle 
Harry"  drew  $32,000  in  its  first  four 
days  at  the  Criterion,  and  a  big 
$43,000  is  expected  for  the  first  week. 

Second  week's  receipts  for  "Over 
21,"  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  are 
expected  to  be  close  to  the  initial 
week's  $128,000,  with  $127,500  ex- 
pected on  the  basis  of  $78,500  taken  in 
for  the  first  four  days  of  the  second 
week.  The  engagement  is  limited  to 
three  weeks ;  "Our  Vines  Have  Ten- 
der Grapes"  will  follow,  on  Sept.  6. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  a  stage 
show  with  Paul  Whiteman  and  his 
band,  Lionel  Kaye  and  Johnnie  John- 
ston at  the  Capitol  continue  to  draw 
record  receipts,  with  an  excellent 
$94,000  expected  for  the  sixth  week, 

Another  Exhibitor, 
Benton,  Buys  Hotel 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  27. — Another 
theatre  operator  has  entered  the  hotel 
business  in  this  territory.  He  is  Wil- 
liam E.  Benton,  who  operates  six 
theatres  in  Northeastern  New  York. 
Benton  announces  that  he  has  bought 
the  Word'en,  leading  year-round  hotel 
in  Saratoga  Springs,  his  home  town, 
for  a  reported  $100,000.  Benton  was 
one  of  a  group  of  business  men  who 
last  year  formed  a  company  to  take 
over  the  Grand  Union,  one  of  the  Spa's 
two  largest  hotels. 

Benton  is  a  partner  in  four  situa- 
tions with  the  Schine  interests,  who 
bought  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel  in  Al- 
bany last  month.  The  Brandt  broth- 
ers, New  York  circuit  operators,  pur- 
chased the  Hotel  Sagamore  at  Lake 
George  last  Spring. 

Legion  Classifies  Six 
Additional  Pictures 

The  National  Legion  of^  Decency 
has  given  the  following  films  a  Class 
A-I  rating :  "Abbott  and  Costello  in 
Hollywood,"  M-G-M;  "Saddle  Sere- 
nade," Monogram ;  "State  Fair," 
20th  Century-Fox.  In  Class  A-II  are 
"Duffy's  Tavern,"  Paramount ;  "The 
Lost  Weekend,"  Paramount ;  "Pride 
of  the  Marines,"  Warners. 


following  the  $96,200  for  the  fifth. 
Ninth  week  receipts  for  "Rhapsody  in 
Blue"  at  the  Hollywood  are  expected 
to  hit  $45,000,  following  the  eighth 
week's  $42,000.  "Wonder  Man"  is  ex- 
pected to  draw  a  heavy  $40,000  for  its 
12th  week  at  the  Astor.  "Incendiary 
Blonde"  is  expected  to  bring  a  good 
$63,000  for  a  fifth  week  at  the  Para- 
mount, combined  with  Phil  Spitalny's 
all-girl  band. 

"Along  Came  Jones"  is  displaying 
excellent  holdover  power  at  the  Pal- 
ace and  RKO  has  now  postponed  the 
opening  of  "Back  to  Bataan"  to  Sept. 
12,  giving  'Jones'  an  additional  two 
weeks,  for  a  total  of  eight.  Sixth 
week's  receipts  will  be  about  $26,000. 

"The  Wonderful  Adventures  of 
Pinocchio"  is  headed  for  a  bigger  sec- 
ond week  at  the  Republic  than  its 
first,  which  saw  $21,750  recorded.  The 
picture  drew  $8,300  for  the  first  two 
days  of  the  second  week  and  $22,000 
is  expected.  "This  Gun  for  Hire"  is 
headed  for  a  splendid  $10,000  at  the 
Rialto ;  it  will  hold. 

'Eddie'  Strong 

"Captain  Eddie"  is  expected  to  bring 
a  good  $83,000  for  the  final  eight  days 
of  a  third  week  at  the  Roxy.  Opening 
of  "State  Fair"  there  has  been  set  for 
Thursday  instead  of  the  usual  Roxy 
opening  day  of  Wednesday,  in  order 
not  to  conflict  with  the  world  pre- 
miere in  Des  Moines.  The  stage  show 
will  include  Connee  Boswell,  Condos 
Bros.,  Gene  Sheldon  and  Carl  Ravaz- 
za.  "Carribean  Mystery"  is  headed  for 
$13,500  for  a  second  week  at  the  Vic- 
toria with  "The  Fall  of  Berlin"  set  to 
follow  on  Sept.  8.  "Why  Girls  Leave 
Home"  is  expected  to  bring  $8,000 
for  a  third  and  final  week  at  the 
Gotham ;  "Youth  Aflame"  will  follow 
I  Friday. 


Nat  Browne,  Capital 
WAC  Leader,  Dead 

Washington,  Aug.  27. — Nat  B. 
Browne,  59,  for  many  years  prom- 
inent in  Washington  film  circles,  died 
Sunday  of  a  heart  attack  at  his  home 
here. 

A  native  of  Ventura,  Cal.,  Browne 
came  to  Washington  25  years  ago 
to  work  for  the  Ford  Motor  Co.,  later 
joining  the  Harry  Crandall  Theatre 
Enterprises,  which  he  left  to  become 
executive  secretary  of  the  MPTOA 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  sec- 
retary of  the  local  industry's  War 
Activities  committee. 

Browne  is  survived  by  three  sisters : 
Mary  K.  Browne,  former  golf  and 
tennis  champion,  now  with  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross ;  Mrs.  Ruth  Irish, 
Sierra  Madre,  Cal.,  and  Valerie 
Browne,  Los  Angeles,  and  one  brother, 
Samuel  Harrison  Browne,  Chicago. 


Toronto,  Aug.  27.  —  "There  is  no  I 
possible  chance  of  television  in  Can- 
ada for  at  least  two  years",  it  is 
stated  in  an  announcement  at  Toronto] 
from  the  radio  manufacturing  indus- 
try in  a  general  discussion  of  prospec- 
tive developments.  The  enforced  de-i 
lay  in  production,  however,  woulq 
provide  opportunity  for  further  per-* 
fection  in  details  before  the  equip-j 
ment  is  marketed,  it  was  indicated. 

Some  of  the  receiving  sets  promises 
for  the  Christmas  trade,  the  first  t(M 
be  made  for  civilian  use  since  1942;! 
will  be  equipped  for  frequency  modu-1 
lation  but  it  was  stated  this  innova-B 
tion  could  not  be  used  for  another* 
year  because  broadcasting  station? 
will  not  be  ready  for  it  before  tha 
time. 

Walter  McNally,  59, 
Dies  in  Ireland 

Walter  McNally,  operator  of  a  cir 
cuit  of  theatres  in  Ireland,  and  RKC 
distribution  representative,  died  01 
Sunday. 

Born  in  Scranton,  Pa.,  McNall 
went  to  Ireland  in  1906  and  met  witl 
wide  success  as  a  singer.  Well  knovvi 
as  a  baritone,  he  toured  the  Continen 
with  an  opera  troupe  and  visited  th 
United  States  on  several  occasion; 
He  played  many  engagements  in  ligh 
opera  concerts  and  vaudeville.  He  sanj 
the  leading  role  in  a  13-month  run  o 
"The  Student  Prince"  at  the  Grea 
Northern  Theatre  in  Chicago. 

A  successful  exhibitor  and  indepen* 
dent  distributor  of  films  in  Irelanc 
McNally  was  retained  by  RKO  as  it 
representative  there  when  the  compan 
opened  an  office  in  Dublin  about  It 
years  ago.  A  son  succeeds  him  in  th 
theatre  and  film  distribution  business; 


Franz  Werfel,  54, 
Dies  in  California 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — Franz  Wei 
fel,  54,  author  of  "The  Song  of  Bei 
nadette,"  which  was  released  as  a  mc 
tion  picture  by  20th  Century-Fox,  die 
of  a  heart  ailment  at  his  home  in  Be\ 
erly  Hills  on  Sunday  following  a  Ion 
illness. 

Born  in  Prague,  Werfel  was  or 
of  the  first  to  raise  his  voice  again; 
the  Nazis.  He  came  to  Southern  Cal 
fornia  in  1940,  after  fleeing  the  Naz 
from  Austria  to  Paris.    He  was  cor 
sidered    a    leader    in    the    moder  i 
renaissance  of  literature.    In  additic 
to  "The  Song  of  Bernadette,"  othe 
of  his  novels  include  "The  Man  Whj  I 
Conquered  Death,"  which  appeared  i 
1928,  and  "The  Forty  Days  of  Musi 
Dagh,"  published  in  1933. 

Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mrs.  Aln 
Mahler  Werfel,  and  his  mother,  Mr  I 
Albina  Werfel. 


Altering  'Over  2V 

Camp  Robinson,  Ark.,  Aug.  27. — 
Jack  Cohn,  Columbia  executive  vice 
president,  is  reported  here  to  have 
promised  to  correct  an  alleged  slur 
against  Arkansas  in  "Over  21,"  which 
will  open  in  Little  Rock  today.  This 
was  brought  about  as  a  result  of  ac- 
tion by  Arkansans  who  threatened  a 
state-wide  protest,  now  'held  in  abey- 
ance,'  it  was  said. 


Rockefeller  Resigns 

Washington,  Aug.  27.  —  Nelsc  i 
Rockefeller's  resignation  as  Assistai 
Secretary  of  State  has  been  accepts 
by  President  Truman.  Rockefelle 
former  board  member  of  RKO,  ai 
well  known  in  the  film  industry,  w; 
formerly  Coordinator  of  Inter-Ame 
ican  Affairs,  in  which  capacity  he  d 
veloped  an  extensive  film  program  fi 
bettering  relations  between  the  Ame 
icas. 


has  held  her  top  position  among  Hollywood  stars  because  her 
pictures  have  consistently  offered  new  and  exciting  forms  of 
entertainment.  "LADY  ON  A  TRAIN"  is  an  eminent  example. 
Deanna  plays  an  entirely  different  type  of  role— a  lovely  society 
girl  who  becomes  involved  in  a  murder  .  .  .  and  further  involved 
with  five  men,  one  of  whom  is  the  killer. 

The  tense  adventure  of  "LADY  ON  A  TRAIN"  is  punctu- 
ated by  lots  of  comedy  to  make  this  a  delightful  movie.  A  little 
love  for  good  measure,  plus  Deanna's  singing  of  two  melodic 
songs —"Night  and  Day"  and  "Give  Me  a  Little  Kiss"— will  add 
to  audience  enjoyment. 

It  is  our  opinion  that  "LADY  ON  A  TRAIN"  will  be  one 
of  the  most  successful  Deanna  Durbin  pictures.  See  it  soon  and 
date  it  for  big  returns. 


HEADED 
FOR 
BIG  BUSINESS 


"Lady  on  a  train" 

with 

RALPH  BELLAMY  •  DAVID  BRUCE 

GEORGE  COULOURIS  •  ALLEN  JENKINS  •  DAN  DURYEA  •  EDWARD  EVERETT  HORTON 
PATRICIA  MORISON  •  ELIZABETH  PATTERSON  •  MARIA  PALMER  •  JACQUELINE  deWIT 


Produced  by  FELIX  JACKSON  •  Directed  by  CHARLES  DAVID 
Associate  Producer:  HOWARD  CHRISTIE  •  Screenplay  by  EDMUND 
BELOIN  and  ROBERT  O'BRIEN  •  Original  Story  by  LESLIE  CHARTERIS 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


11 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27 
pjIRECTOR  William  Seiter  has 
L'  been  signed  to  a  new  long-term 
ontract  by  Universal;  his  first  as- 
ignment  under  the  new  deal  will  be 
The  Boy  Wonder,"  starring  Abbott 
.nd  Costello.  The  original,  by  Paul 
arrico,  relates  the  adventures  of  a 
iashful  brush  salesman  with  telepathic 
;ifts.  .  .  .  William  Bacher  has  ar- 
anged  to  conduct  beauty  contests  in 
ix  Central  American  cities,  the  win- 
lers  to  appear  in  sequences  of  "City 
>f  Flowers,"  which  he  will  produce 
or  20th  Century-Fox. 

• 

Hillary  Brooks  has  been  signed  for 
he  role  of  Madame  Pompadour  in 
Paramount' s  next  Bob  Hope  picture, 
'Monsieur  Beaucaire."  .  .  .  "East 
Vide,  West  Side,"  original  by  Elsie 
<nd  George  Bricker,  has  been  acquired 
>y  Sigmund  Neufeld  for  PRC  release. 

.  .  Kent  Smith  has  been  selected  for 
he  second  male  lead  in  "Black  Market 
Babies,"  which  Jeffrey  Bernerd  ivill 
'roduce  and  William  Beaudine  direct 
or  Monogram. 

Carole  Landis  has  had  her  20th 
Century-Fox  contract  extended,  and 
has  been  assigned  a  top  role  in  the 
George  Jessel  production,  "Girl  in 
the  Moon."  .  .  .  William  Marshall  is 
iet  for  the  leading  role  in  Republic's 
"Murder  in  the  Music  Hall."  .  .  . 
Kent  Smith  has  been  selected  for 
the  second  male  lead  in  "Some  Must 
Watch,"  which  Dore  Schary  is  cur- 
rently producing  for  RKO  Radio. 
.  .  .  Ernest  Truex  has  been  signed 
for  a  role  in  Columbia's  "Life  with 
Blondie." 

• 

After  24  hours  of  negotiations, 
Felix  Feist  purchased  the  rights  to 
Aleen  Leslie's  newest  original,  "One 
9f  Ten,"  psychological  murder  mys- 
tery based  on  the  mental  telepathy 
ixperiments  of  university  scientists. 
Feist,  who  recently  purchased  the 
remaining  portion  of  his  con- 
tract with  RKO,  after  completing 
'George  White's  Scandals"  and  pre- 
paring "Show  Busines  Out  West," 
lists  Miss  Leslie's  story  as  the  first 
on  his  list  schedule  of  independent 
productions. 

• 

Declining  the  proferred  chief  pro- 
duction berth  with  a  Canadian  film 
corporation  several  months  ago,  John 
"arrow  has  elected  to  renew  with 
Paramount,  signing  a  term  contract 
ollowing  the  completion  of  "Cal- 
cutta." Farrow's  first  under  his  new 
leal  will  be  "California,"  with  Alan 
-add  and  Betty  Hutton,  with  a  Sept. 
f  starting  date. 


Small,  Others  Form 
Film  Investors  Corp. 

'  Hollywood,  Aug.  27.— Formation 
>f  Motion  Picture  Investors  Corp., 
khich  will  finance  independent  pro- 
lucers,  is  nearing  completion  here 
With  Edward  Small,  Daniel  T.  O'Shea, 
I  oseph  R.  McDonough,  B.  B.  Kahane, 
Vlaury  Cohen  and  Ernest  Scanlon  as 
the  principals  thus  far  named,  and 
•vith  O'Melveny  and  Myers  as  coun- 
f  ^  's  understood  the  principals 
™  continue  in  present  posts  with 
MPIC  as  a  personal  undertaking. 


Critics 9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"The  Southerner"  (David  Loew-United  Artists) 

"  'The  Southerner'  has  been  intelligently  conceived  and  executed.  The  act- 
ing is  good,  particularly  that  of  Betty  Field  and  Zachary  Scott  and  we  feel 
that  this  drama  will  appeal  to  the  more  serious-minded  moviegoer,  but  it  is 
not  the  kind  of  salad  sought  by  the  casual  entertainment-seeker."— Norman 
Clark,  Baltimore  News-Post. 

"Scene  after  scene  imprints  itself  indelibly  upon  the  memory,  in  a  picture 
which  will  not  soon  be  forgotten." — Donald  Kirkley,  Baltimore  Sun. 

"Pride  of  the  Marines"  (Warners) 

"One  of  the  season's  most  important  photoplays.  ...  It  packs  a  punch  in  the 
entertainment  department  and  is  loaded  with  heart  throbs  and  sentiment." — 
Lee  Mortimer,  New  York  Daily  Mirror. 

"That  it  talks  too  much  at  times,  and  labors  its  points  in  a  repetitive  and 
over-long  continuity,  does  not  keep  the  film  from  being  a  vastly  pertinent  war 
picture,  even  now  that  the  war  is  finished." — Howard  Barnes,  New  York 
Herald  Tribune. 

"To  say  that  this  picture  is  entertaining  to  a  truly  surprising  degree  is  an 
inadequate  recommendation.  It  is  inspiring  and  eloquent  of  a  quality  of  human 
courage  that  millions  must  try  to  generate  today." — Bosley  Crowther,  New 
York  Times. 

"A  war  picture  but  a  different  sort  with  only  a  few  battle  scenes.  .  .  .  One 
that  you  will  not  forget." — Wanda  Hale,  Neur  York  Daily  Neivs. 

"A  serious,  thoughtful  and  emotionally  affecting  picture." — Rose  Pelswick, 
New  York  J  ournai- American. 

"A  timely  drama,  also  a  good  one  .  .  .  well  worth  seeing. — Eileen  Creelman, 
Neiv  York  Sun. 


141  Iowa  Openings 
For  'Fair*  Thursday 

"State  Fair,"  20th  Century-Fox, 
will  open  in  141  Iowa  towns  on  Thurs- 
day, following  the  world  premiere, 
held  tomorrow  night,  at  the  Des 
Moines  Theatre,  Des  Moines,  it  was 
announced  yesterday  by  Tom  Con- 
nors, the  company's  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution.  Hal  Home,  di- 
rector of  advertising-publicity,  is  di- 
recting the  promotional  campaign  for 
the  film's  world  premiere,  which  is  to 
be  supervised  by  exploitation  manager 
Rodney  Bush,  who  is  now  in  Des 
Moines  with  a  staff  of  company  field 
men  and  Tri-States  publicists. 

A  committee  sponsoring  the  activi- 
ties in  connection  with  the  premiere 
include  Iowa  Governor  Robert  D. 
Blue;  Mayor  John  MacVicar  of  Des 
Moines ;  Gardner  Cowles,  Jr.,  pres- 
ident of  the  Des  Moines  Register  and 
Tribune;  A.  H.  Blank,  president  of 
Tri-States  Theatre  Corp.,  and  G. 
Ralph  Branton,  general  manager  of 
Tri-States. 


Gauld  to  Toronto  Post 

Montreal,  Aug.  27.  —  Don  Gauld, 
supervisor  of  10  theatres  for  Canadian 
Odeon  in  the  Montreal  district,  is 
moving  to  the  Toronto  headoffice  of 
the  circuit  about  Aug.  20,  to  assume 
a  new  position.  He  is  being  succeeded 
by  Gordon  Dahn,  former  manager  of 
the  York  Theatre,  Montreal,  and  son 
of  Harry  S.  Dahn  who  is  Odeon  dis- 
trict manager  for  the  Niagara-Ham- 
ilton territory.. 


Holiner  in  Radio  Post 

Major  Mann  Holiner,  who  organ- 
ized the  program  section  of  the  Armed 
Forces  radio  service,  has  been  named 
vice-president  in  charge  of  radio  ac- 
tivities of  Lennen  and  Mitchell,  Inc., 
advertising  agency,  Ray  Vir  Den,  ex- 
ecutive vice-president  announces. 


F.  W.  Cocklin  Promoted 

W.  Conner,  Cincinnati  district  man- 
ager of  Altec  Service  Corp.,  an- 
nounces the  promotion  of  F.  W.  Cock- 
lin of  Morgantown,  W.  Va.,  to  super- 
visor of  the  Pittsburgh  area. 


Dire  Need  for  Film 
Equipment  in  Cuba 

Chicago,  Aug.  27. — Cuban  exhibi- 
tors are  suffering  from  a  dire  need  of 
theatre  equipment  as  a  result  of  war- 
time restrictions  on  U.  S.  export  of 
such  equipment,  the  Jenson  Radio 
Manufacturing  Co.,  here,  reports  on 
the  basis  of  statements  by  Vicente 
Vazquez,  Havana  theatre  equipment 
dealer,  a  recent  visitor  to  Chicago. 

Vazquez  revealed  that  Cuban  exhib- 
itors have  substantial  orders  ready  to 
be  placed  with  American  film  equip- 
ment manufacturers  once  war  restric- 
tions are  lifted. 


Slate  Pennsylvania 
Blue  Law  Ballot 

Philadelphia,  Aug.  27. — The  ques- 
tion of  Sunday  films  will  come  up  for 
a  vote  in  a  number  of  Pennsylvania 
communities  in  November.  Accord- 
ing to  the  law,  a  referendum  on 
'Blue  Laws'  may  be  held  every  five 
years. 

This  year's  ballot  will  be  the  indus- 
try's third  try  to  get  Sabbath  show- 
ings through  in  Harrisburg  where 
defeat  was  met  twice  before  through 
the  power  of  the  Pennsylvania  Minis- 
terial Association. 


Moscow  Film  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  27. — Dubbing  in 
Spanish  of  the  first  Russian  picture  to 
be  so  treated  in  Mexico,  "Wait  for 
Me,"  which  was  produced  by  Mos 
Films  in  Moscow  and  directed  by 
Boris  G.  Ivanoy,  now  representative 
in  Mexico  of  the  Soviety  industry,  is 
being  done  at  Azteca  Studio,  here.  It 
is  claimed  that  it  is  also  the  first  Rus- 
sian picture  ever  to  he  dubbed  in 
Spanish. 


Sues  for  $100,000 

Mexico  City,  Aug.  27.  —  Norman 
Foster  will  direct  Dolores  del  Rio's 
next  picture,  which  Films  Mundiales 
will  produce.  He  is  suing  Clasa 
l'ilm>  and  Producciones  Calderon  loi 
$100,000  for  alleged  violation  of  his 
contract  with  them,  and  the  case  will 
be  tried  soon. 


Several  Changes  in 
Ownership  in  Iowa 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  27.  —  Unusual 
activity  is  reported  in  transfers  of 
theatre  ownerships  throughout  Iowa 
including  the  following : 

Cliff  Pratt  has  sold  the  Royle, 
Lohrville,  to  Elmer  A.  Pearson,  who 
is  from  Washburn,  Wise,  and  this 
is  his  first  film  venture;  M.  M. 
Peterson  has  taken  over  the  theatre 
at-  Northboro,  la.,  which  formerly 
was  operated  by  business  men  of 
the  town ;  D.  K.  Justice  has  pur- 
chased the  Hubb,  at  Hubbard,  from 
Pauline  Bush,  taking  over  on  Aug. 
15;  George  Thacker  has  purchased 
the  Tyke  at  Titonka,  from  the  Bart- 
lett  brothers ;  Fred  McGee  has  pur- 
chased the  Pastime,  Iowa  City,  from 
Ray  Lumsden. 

Also,  Kenneth  R.  Hodges,  who  re- 
cently purchased  the  theatre  at 
Mormingsun,  has  bought  the  house 
at  Winfield,  the  latter  owned  by  E.  S. 
Tompkins,  now  in  service ;  C.  F. 
Shefferd,  Edgewood,  has  sold  the 
theatre  in  that  town  to  A.  Lilly  of 
Chicago ;  W.  E.  Huck  has  pur- 
chased the  theatre  at  Arlington, 
from  T.  J.  Markley. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SON© VOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright.  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood,-  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK:  444  M»dl»on  Are. 

Plua  S-4130 
CHlCAGOi  180  N.  Mirhlgan  At«. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  <>331  Hollrwood 
Hlv.1..  Hollywood  215  1 


Paramount 


Has  One  Of  The  Most  Successful  Reissues 
In  The  History  Of  The  Industry — 


NORTH  WEST 
MOUNTED  POLIC 


COOPER! 
CARROLL! 
GODDARD ! 
De  MILLE! 
TECHNICOLOR ! 


THIRD  OF  A 
CENTURY  


THAN  THE 
ORIGINAL 

RUN  IN  FIRST  WEEK  OF 

RETURN  ENGAGEMENT  AT 
THE  DENHAM,  DENVER! 


THAN  "AFFAIRS 
OF  SUSAN,'  "BRING  ON  THE  GIRLS" 
"SALTY  O'ROURKE,"  "OUT  OF  THIS 
WORLD,'  OR  "PRACTICALLY  YOURS " 
IN  MANY  OF  ITS  FIRST  REISSUE  DATES! 


You  Can  Make 


OPENING  DAY  IN  30 -YEAR 
HISTORY  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  STRAND! 


Money  With 
These  TWO  GREAT 
ACTION  RE- 
ISSUES Than 
With  Many  Of 
The  Big  New 
PicturesAvail- 
able  Today! 


Play  Them  In 
ILfllMf    /  Paramount 

lilWirf  Month 
If Sail i # 

ftjUflf    /Aup.  26  to  Sent.  29 


14 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


Review 

"Border  Badmen" 

{PRC) 

ADHERING  to  the  familiar  horse-opera  story  pattern,  "Border  Badmen"  is 
replete  with  large  measures  of  all  of  the  ingredients  necessary  for  pro- 
viding devotees  of  Western  fare  with  a  satisfying  hour's  entertainment.  Con- 
scientious direction  by  Sam  Newfield  is  disclosed  in  good  performances  by 
almost  the  entire  cast,  headed  by  Buster  Crabbe  and  Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John. 

Crabbe  and  St.  John  fill  the  roles  of  a  couple  of  cowboy  partners  who,  at 
the  latter's  instigation,  visit  a  border  town  where  lived  St.  John's  deceased 
distant  cousin  whose  will  is  about  to  come  up  for  probate.  The  town's  offi- 
cials from  the  mayor  down,  however,  are  in  cahoots  to  prevent  rightful  heirs 
from  collecting  so  that  they  can  divide  the  dead  man's  estate.  In  their 
machinations  the  heavies  stop  at  nothing,  including  murder,  and  the  kidnap- 
ping of  Lorraine  Miller,  niece  and  chief  heir  of  the  deceased.  Crabbe  and 
St.  John,  however,  pit  themselves  against  the  crooks  and  emerge  victorious 
after  a  tempest  of  fisticuffs,  chase  sequences  and  gun  fights,  and  Miss  Miller 
and  the  other  heirs  receive  their  respective  shares  of  the  estate.  Sigmund 
Nufeld  is  the  producer,  with  credit  for  the  original  story  and  screenplay  going 
to  George  Milton. 

Running  time,  59  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  October  10. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Setting  World 
TradeMeeting 


Consolidated^ 
Merger  Plan 
Up  on  Sept.  28 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

principal  amount  of  four  per  cent 
cumulative  income  debentures,  due 
June  30,  1965.  All  of  the  debentures, 
400,000  shares  of  the  new  preferred 
stock,  and  1,818,664  shares  of  the  new 
common  stock,  will  be  issuable  upon 
the  consummation  of  the  plan. 

Under  the  plan,  the  holder  of  each 
share  of  Consolidated  Industries  pre- 
ferred stock  will  receive  in  exchange 
therefor,  together  with  all  rights  in  re- 
spect to  dividend  arrearages  thereon, 
$13.00  principal  amount  of  the  new  in- 
come debentures,  one  share  of  the  new 
cumulative  convertible  preferred  stock, 
and  two  shares  of  new  common  stock ; 
the  holder  of  each  share  of  Consoli- 
dated common  stock  will  receive  in 
exchange  therefor  three-quarters  of 
one  share  of  new  common  stock ;  and 
the  holder  of  each  share  of  Setay 
capital  stock  will  receive  in  exchange 
six  and  one-half  shares  of  new  com- 
mon stock.  No  shares  will  be  issuable 
in  respect  of  the  stock  of  Republic 
Pictures,  inasmuch  as  all  of  its  out- 
standing stock  is  owned  by  Setay. 

Purposes  of  Merger 

Purposes  of  the  merger  and  con- 
solidation are  to  integrate  the  three 
companies  into  a  single  consolidated 
corporation,  Republic  Pictures  Corp., 
the  dominant  business  of  which  will 
be  the  production  and  distribution  of 
motion  pictures,  now  carried  on  by 
the  present  Republic  Pictures  Corp. ; 
to  liquidate  the  existing  dividend  ar- 
rearages on  the  preferred  stock  of 
Consolidated  Film  which,  as  of  July 
1,  1945,  amounted  to  $13.50  per  share, 
a  total  of  $5,400,000;  to  make  earn- 
ings arising  from  the  business  of  pro- 
ducing and  distributing  pictures  avail- 
able for  distribution  as  dividends  ;  to 
reduce  the  present  annual  dividend  re- 
quirement of  $800,000  on  preferred 
stock  of  Consolidated ;  and  to  make 
possible  the  raising  of  additional  capi- 
tal for  expansion  purposes  or  other- 
wise through  the  issuance  and  sale  of 
securities  of  the  consolidated  corpora- 
tion. 

The  film  laboratory  and  accessory 
business  presently  conducted  by  Con- 
solidated will  be  carried  on  by  the 
consolidated  corporation.  Consolidat- 
ed Molded  Products  Corp.,  engaged  in 
the  plastic  field,  will  become  a  sub- 
sidiary of  the  consolidated  corporation. 


Robbins  Opens  NSS 
Three-Day  Confab 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

tional's  new  'streamlined  service,'  de- 
signed for  new  peacetime  operations, 
including  a  new  fixed  weekly  cost  on 
accessories  instead  of  separate  contracts 
on  each  lobby  display  used  during  the 
week. 

J.  R.  McPherson  and  M.  L.  Kauf- 
man of  the  home  office  sat  in  at  yes- 
terday's session. 


Laird,  Col.  Producer 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. —  Stephen 
Laird,  former  head  of  the  Time  and 
Life  London  bureau,  has  been  given  a 
producership  by  Columbia. 


Mexican  President 
Hears  Actors'  Plea 


Mexico  City,  Aug.  27. — Leaders  of 
the  motion  picture  production  union 
here  which  is  dominated  by  actors, 
have  presented  to  President  Manuel 
Avila  Camacho  their  side  in  the  in- 
dustry labor  strife  which  has  resulted 
in  a  threatened  strike  against  17  pro- 
ducers and  distributors  on  Sept.  10. 

The  President  was  told  that  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union,  which  practically 
controls  film  labor,  is  exceeding  its 
jurisdiction  to  the  extent  of  permit- 
ting its  workers  to  work  in  not  only 
pictures  but  on  the  stage  and  in  radio 
as  well.  The  production  union  lead- 
ers did  not  discuss  the  strike  against 
the  eight  American  companies. 

President  Camacho  has  promised 
to  prepare  a  program  which  he  indi- 
cated will  definitely  settle  the  row. 


10  Million  Raise 
In  'U's'  Budget 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

was  initiated  about  18  months  ago 
and  merely  awaited  the  end  of  the  war 
so  that  the  studio  would  have  the 
benefit  of  eased  Government  controls. 

"We  definitely  feel  that  the  next 
few  years  will  see  the  maintenance  of 
high  theatre  attendance  and  all  of  us 
at  Universal  are  confident  that  the 
basic  entertainment  requirements  of 
the  country  will  naturally  deflect  a 
good  share  of  the  entertainment  dollar 
into  motion  nicture  box-offices." 

Scully  will  outline  company  policy 
and  discuss  the  future  product,  which 
he  is  expected  to  announce  at  to- 
morrow's meeting.  E.  T.  Gomersall, 
assistant  sales  manager ;  Fred  Mey- 
ers, Eastern,  and  F.  T.  A.  McCarthy, 
Southern  and  Canadian  sales  heads, 
respectively,  and  Maurice  Bergman, 
Eastern  director  of  advertising-pub- 
licity, also  will  address  the  meeting. 

Export  Co.  May  Be 
Sent  Into  Germany 

{Continued  from  page  1) 
Russian  and  French  troops.  As  a 
group,  however,  they  expect  they  have 
a  better  opportunity  to  comply  with 
the  wishes  of  occupation  authorities  in 
supplying  films  commercially  to  Ger- 
man theatres. 


Decree  Settlement 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

be  held  in  this  country  next  March 
or  April. 

The  conference,  planned  under  the 
Social  and  Economic  Council  of  the 
United  Nations  Organization,  as  set 
up  at  San  Francisco,  would  discuss 
such  subjects  as  trade  barriers  of  all 
kinds,  including  exchange  and  coun- 
try preferences,  economic  barriers, 
cartels  and  government  commodity 
agreements. 

State  Department  officials  are  un- 
derstood to  be  anxious  to  have  the 
meeting  as  early  as  possible,  in  the 
hope  of  reaching  agreements  that  will 
eliminate  serious  situations  affecting 
international  trade,  such  as  the  bar- 
riers which  have  been  raised  against 
our  motion  pictures  or  are  under  con- 
sideration in  France,  Holland,  Jugo- 
slavia and  several  other  countries. 

Americans  Firm 


Possibility  Fades 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

ney  General  Tom  C.  Clark  and  As- 
sistant Attorney  General  Wendell 
Berge,  and  discussed  "some  of  the 
situations." 

If  there  was  any  hope  that  the 
conference  would  develop  any  definite 
move  toward  an  out-of-court  settle- 
ment, it  appears  to  have  been  quashed 
by  a  reported  statement  by  Berge 
that  the  Government  figures  on  going 
to  trial. 

Berge  left  immediately  after  the 
meeting  for  a  vacation,  not  to  return 
until  after  Labor  Day,  and  it  was 
said  at  the  Department  that  no  further 
conferences  have  been  scheduled  for 
the  near  future. 

If  the  companies  are  thinking  of 
negotiations  they  can  come  in  at  any 
time,  it  was  added,  but  officials  refused 
to  say  whether  there  was  any  talk 
of  a  consent  decree  at  last  week's 
session. 


If  the  conference  is  held,  it  has  been 
indicated  that  American  delegates  will 
follow  the  'hard-fisted'  policy  which 
the   State   Department   recently  ha 
adopted,  and  make  full  use  of  ou 
bargaining  power  through  the  grant 
ing  of  loans  and  other  assistance  § 
secure  a  leveling  of  tariff  barriers 

A  meeting  of  this  nature,  at  whicl 
definite  agreements  could  be  reachec 
on  types  of  trade  barriers  whicl 
should  be  generally  outlawed,  has  beeij 
envisioned  by  the  Department  foil 
more  than  a  year,  and  officials  wen] 
to  San  Francisco  last  Spring  deter 
mined  to  press  for  an  agency  whicl 
could  serve  as  a  clearing  house  o: 
trade  difficulties.  The  desired  organi 
zation  was  set  up  and  the  Departmen 
lost  no  time  in  seeking  to  make  ar 
rangements  with  the  British  to  cal 
the  first  conference. 


h 

< 
1 
i 

ji 
i 

I 

; 


Paramount  Adopts  a 
Short  Form  Contract 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

streamlined  agreement  covers  the  deal 
in  the  simplest  language. 

The  new  form,  which  will  be  put 
into  use  immediately,  was  devised  by 
Austin  C.  Keough,  vice-president  and 
general  counsel,  and  is  only  11  inches 
long.  The  condensed  text  is  in  larg- 
er and  more  readable  type  and  is  con- 
tained on  one  letter-size  sheet  of  pa- 
per. Not  more  than  five  features  are 
to  be  listed  on  each  contract. 

A  shorter  and  more  simplified  form 
for  short  subjects  and  newsreels  also 
has  been  adopted. 


Hitchock  and  Grant 
Form  Own  Company 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

have  completed  their  respective  cur- 
rent assignments. 

The  first  production,  with  Grant1 
as  star  and  Hitchcock  as  director  will 
be  an  original  utilizing  the  theme, 
the  characters  and  situations  of 
"Hamlet."  It  is  to  be  an  entirely 
modern  picture. 

Most  recent  association  of  Grant 
and  Hitchcock  was  in  RKO's  "Suspi- 
cion." 


Fromkess  Resigns 
PRC  Presidency 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

nor  was  any  announcement  made  o| 
an  administrative  director,  pending  thl 
appointment  of  a  new  president. 

Fromkess  was  active  in  the  formal 
tion  of  PRC  in  1940  and  was  electel 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production 
in  November,  1943.  He  became  presiji 
dent  in  1944,  succeeding  O.  Henri 
Briggs.  Fromkess,  Schwalb  and  Mcl 
Elwaine  said  they  would  announci 
new  affiliations  shortly. 


Warner  Managers  id 
Ohio  Meet  This  Weel 

Cleveland,  Aug.  27.— Nat  Wolj 
Warner  zone  manager,  will  hold  sea 
sonal  managers'  meetings  this  weeR 
The  Southern  district,  under  Ra, 
Brown,  will  meet  tomorrow  in  Colun 
bus,  while  the  Northern  district,  ui 
der  Frank  Harpster  will  meet  Thur; 
day  in  Cleveland.  Post-war  plans  an 
exploitation  schedules  of  new  picture 
will  be  discussed. 


Abandon  Pyle  Project 

Richard  Condon,  Inc.,  public  rel;. 
tions  firm,  has  withdrawn  its  effor  t 
on  behalf  of  a  committee  sponsorii: 
an  Ernie  Pyle  Memorial,  as  a  resu! 
of  Mrs.  Pyle's  objections  to  it.  Tf 
memorial  campaign  proposed  the  rai 
ing  of  between  $1,000,000  to  $2,00C 
000,  or  more  for  a  park  and  cemeter 


IN  WONDER  LAND 


Tq  My  Future" 
"AmerlCa  •   les    "This  is  MY 

Dear  Editor  .  and  other  P      Amerloa  is .  to  ne 

Anlerica,/  W  To  read***      ^  have  t    «  j  am 

me  the  desire  love  America  my  countrv 

lmportant  before  and  1  e_ 

only  a  young  Sir      ,  Amerioa  is  my  o{  a  land 

as  any  one.  t  name  5poWn  ^  ^ 

America',  "^/opportunity   •    •  choiee.  *here 

of  ^eed°!  tfey  Please  and  ma*e  the 

*  -  haVe.T  end  -  thins-ur  hoys  ana  ide_ 

"^"^ds  from  a  poem  *or  us  to 

mind  wrds  1  „  country  from  RalP 

the  -^^"L  stand  out  m  my 

the  «rds  th       ^  Hyffln„ :  ^  tV,e  flood, 

person 


.  .concord  Hymn  :  {lood, 
'      tM  rude  hrid8e  that  arched 

^dTirerthe  shot  heard  rou  ^  ^ 


Here  on  »  -        shot  hearu 

am  an  American    -  J-*^  ~ 
1  f  C^reat  land    and ^od  Afflerica. 
tMn        America."  ^is  is  your  laJ>d? 

'.UT..r.: ....  »-;„,.  „,.f  - 

,    ,11  I  can  to  help-  i  t  so0n  the  home. 

do  an  x  +  flpsire,  so  ,ir^ii  come 

that  same  great  de si  boys  wxii  c_ 

t  t.eace  again,  ana  Liberty, 
be  at  pe<a^  Miss  E.  m  ' 


TRUE  CONFESSIONS  has  become  so  much  a  part 
of  the  lives  of  its  readers  that  it's  the  most 
natural  thing  in  the  world  for  them  to  sit  down 
and  write  letters  to  the  editor.  By  thousands  the 
letters  come  in  every  month  —  letters  from 
friends  to  a  friend.  They  come  from  everywhere, 


True  Confessions 


concern  everything.  Some  ask  advice,  hundreds 
seek  help,  others  just  say  "Hello."  All  of  them 
prove  that  True  Confessions  is  real  —  it  springs 
from  the  lives  of  its  readers.  If  it  didn't,  they 
never  would  call  every  issue  their  "Magazine  for 
a  Better  Life." 

Bough/  at  newsstands  by  2,000,000  women  a  month 
for  the  living  service  it  gives 


FAWCETT  PUBLICATIONS,  INC.,  295  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.  Y„  World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthlj  Magazines 


16 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  August  28,  1945 


Swiss  Market  Seen 
Poor  in  Post-war 


Washington,  Aug.  27. — Peacetime 
Swiss  markets  for  projection  equip- 
ment are  seen  here  by  Nathan  D. 
Golden,  chief  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture unit  of  the  Bureau  of  Foreign 
and  Domestic  Commerce,  as  compara- 
tively limited,  barring  outstanding 
improvements  which  will  induce  ex- 
hibitors to  make  a  general  replace- 
ment as  was  the  case  after  1929  when 
the  transition  from  silent  to  sound 
necessitated  an  almost  complete 
change-over. 

Golden  reached  these  conclusions 
on  the  basis  of  a  report  by  Robert  T. 
Cowan,  American  vice-consul  at  Zu- 
rich, pointing  out  the  factors  which 
will  determine  the  size  of  the  Swiss 
market. 

The  sale  of  equipment,  Cowan 
said,  will  depend  on  the  volume  of 
peacetime  theatre  attendance  which,  he 
added,  "reportedly  is  rather  unsatis- 
factory at  this  stage."  Further,  he 
explained,  since  existing  agreements 
prohibit  the  establishment  of  addi- 
tional theatres  in  Switzerland,  sales 
possibilities  will  be  confined  to  re- 
placements, and  only  a  limited  num- 
ber of  houses  can  afford  to  purchase 
the  newest  type  of  equipment. 

Most  Swiss  theatre  equipment  is  of 
German  origin,  Cowan  reported,  and 
while  the  major  portion  is  from  10  to 
15  years  old  its  general  condition  is 
said  to  be  good. 

Cowan  saw  greatest  possibilities  in 
the  development  of  a  16mm.  market, 
reporting  that  there  is  some  belief  in 
Switzerland  that  this  type,  as  a  result 
of  further  improvement,  will  soon  re- 
place the  standard-size  film  in  theatres. 


Variety  Clubs  May 
Get  N.  Y.  Clubhouse 

Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  gen- 
eral manager  of  Interstate 
Theatres,  Dallas,  will,  it  is 
understood,  spearhead  a  move- 
ment within  National  Variety 
Clubs  of  America,  and  among 
its  27  Tents,  to  establish  a 
national  clubhouse,  to  be  lo- 
cated in  New  York.  The  idea 
is  to  provide  a  meeting  place 
for  the  scores  of  Variety  Club 
members  traveling  to  New 
York  from  the  field. 

Variety  has  national  head- 
quarters in  Pittsburgh,  with 
no  national  clubhouse  at- 
tached thereto.  It  was  in  that 
city  where  the  organization 
was  founded  by  John  Harris, 
nearly  18  years  ago,  on  Oct. 
10,  1924. 


Ideal  Will  Expand 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — As  the  first 
step  in  its  peacetime  expansion,  now 
that  WPB  has  removed  restrictions 
on  paper  stocks,  Ideal  Publications 
has  acquired  a  building  on  Sunset 
Blvd.  to  house  a  camera  department 
under  direction  of  Mai  Traxel.  Ideal 
publishes  Movie  Life,  Movie  Stars 
Parade,  Movies  and  Personal  Ro- 
mance. 


NBC  Promotes  Mueller 

Merrill  Mueller,  NBC  correspond- 
ent in  the  Pacific,  has  been  named 
chief  of  Pacific  operations  by  Wil- 
liam F.  Brooks,  network  director  of 
news  and  special  events. 


$2,000,000  for 
Georgia  Theatres 

Atlanta,  Ga.  —  Plans  which  will 
make  Atlanta  one  of  the  best  equipped 
entertainment  centers  in  the  South,  en- 
tailing the  expenditure  of  more  than 
$2,000,000,  have  been  announced  by  a 
score  of  theatre  executives.-  New  thea- 
tres will  be  going  up  soon  in  College 
Park  and  Hapeville. 

The  key  to  the  outlook  on  the  future 
is  contained  in  a  statement  by  W.  T. 
(Bill)  Murray,  veteran  Atlanta  show- 
man who  owns  the  Rialto,  Little  Five 
Points,  and  East  Point  theatres,  who 
says :  "We  look  for  prosperous  times 
for  years  to  come.  Business  is  sailing 
along  now  and  we  don't  look,  for  any 
let-down." 

Fred  Coleman,  director  of  the  thea- 
tres in  East  Point  and  College  Park, 
discloses  that  his  firm  plans  to  spend 
$250,000  on  three  new  theatres  in  that 
area  as  soon  as  building  materials  are 
available,  to  take  care  of  the  influx  of 
workers  who  will  move  there  to  work 
in  new  plants.  Coleman  added  each  of 
his  present  theatres  would  be  equipped 
with  new  carpets,  sound  equipment, 
projectors  and  seats,  involving  $100,- 
000.  One  of  the  largest  programs  now 
underway  in  the  Atlanta  theatre  field 
involves  a  large  parking  lot  being  ex- 
cavated, paved  and  landscaped  adjacent 
to  the  Fox  theatre. 

In  the  state,  Georgia  Theaters  is 
now  building  two  new  theaters  at  a 
cost  of  more  than  $500,000,  one  at 
Savannah,  and  another  in  Columbus,  to 
be  completed  within  four  months.  In 
addition,  William  K.  Jenkin,  president, 
announced  approximately  $100,000  in 
air-conditioning  equipment  will  be  in- 
stalled in  his  present  theatres  through- 
out the  state  in  the  near  future.  Geor- 
gia Theaters  likewise  plans  to  remodel 
many  of  its  neighborhood  theatres. 

Forming  New  B*nai 
B'rith  Chicago  Unit 

Chicago,  Aug.  27. — Lou  Harrison 
of  the  Goodman  and  Harrison  Circuit 
here,  newly  elected  vice-president  of 
the  district  lodge  No.  6,  B'Nai  Brith, 
is  organizing  a  Chicago  Film  Row 
chapter.  Jack  Kirsch,  president  of  Al- 
lied of  Illinois,  has  been  mentioned 
for  president  of  it. 


Nelson  to  Discuss  Jobs 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — Donald  M. 
Nelson,  president  of  the  Society  of 
Independent  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  former  head  of  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board,  will  be  one  of  the 
speakers  in  a  discussion  of  "How  Can 
We  Make  Jobs  for  All  Now?",  on 
"America's  Town  Meeting"  over 
American  Broadcasting  Thursday 
night. 


Laurie  Appoints  Scott 

Toronto,  Aug.  27.  —  General  man- 
ager A.  J.  Laurie  of  Eagle-Lion  Films 
of  Canada,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  has  com- 
pleted his  list  of  branch  managers"  in 
the  new  organization  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Frank  Scott  to  the  Calgary, 
Alta.,  office.  Dave  Brickman  is  Win- 
nipeg branch  manager  of  the  company. 


Mono.  Names  Ralston 

Hollywood,  Aug.  27. — Monogram 
has  named  A.  E.  Ralston,  manager  of 
the  Vancouver,  B.  C,  branch,  and  has 
renamed  Sam  Jacobs  manager  of  the 
St.  Johns,  N.  F„  office. 


Exhibitor 
Complaint 


Princeton,  III. 
Editor,  Motion  Picture  Daily: 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  recently 
released  a  cartoon  entitled  "Swing 
Shift  Cinderella"  which  most  cer- 
tainly is  not  suitable  for  children 
to  see,  and  I  doubt  if  few  adults 
appreciated  it.  It  is  hard  to  under- 
stand how  Metro  would  place  the 
M-G-M  trade  mark  on  such  a  dis- 
gusting piece  of  film. 

The  story  was  given  over  com- 
pletely to  a  so-called  "wolf"  and 
a  strip  tease  •  artist  wiggling  and 
squirming  like  a  hula  dancer.  It 
was  anything  but  entertainment  or 
constructive  to  the  minds  of  adoles- 
cents. 

I  am  a  small  town  operator, 
managing  several  Central  Illinois 
theatres.  We  constantly  battle 
whistlers  who  have  been  taught  by 
cartoons  and  features  to  whistle  at 
a  good  looking  girl  who  makes  her 
appearance  on  the  screen.  .  .  . 
Often  times,  in  a  serious  part  of 
the  feature,  a  beautifully  dressed 
girl  will  make  an  appearance  and 
some  one  will  let  out  a  whistle, 
which  kills  the  effect  of  the  particu- 
lar scene.  We  have  fought  this 
practice  by  paying  bonuses  to  ush- 
ers who  catch  a  whistler  of  this 
type.  .  .  . 

Motion  pictures  in  the  making 
should  take  these  things  into  con- 
sideration, and  I  am  sure  that  no 
box  office  value  would  be  disturbed 
by  merely  leaving  out  the  whistling 
sequence  in  any  particular  picture. 

...  I  seldom  feel  the  urge  for 
writing  suggestions  or  criticizing 
the  efforts  of  companies  who  have 
been  very  successful  and  their  im- 
portant executive  heads.  However, 
when  I  look  at  a  cartoon,  referred 
to  herein,  and  when  I  hear  patrons, 
particularly  young  ones,  whistle, 
and  know  that  it  was  promoted  by 
the  screen  itself,  I  "blow  my  top." 
.  .  .  Maybe  it  won't  do  any  good 
but  at  least  I'll  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  telling  them  a  thing  or  two. 

Samuel  T.  Traynor. 
Gen.  Mgr., 
Bailey  Enterprises. 


New  DelValle  Post 

Arnold  Pressberger,  producer  < 
"Scandals  in  Paris"  for  United  Ar 
ists  release,  has  appointed  John  D 
Valle  as  publicity  representath 
while  the  picture  is  being  filmed 
Hollywood,  U.  A.  reported  here  ye 
terday.  The  Walter  Compton  age: 
cy  continues  to  handle  the  over? 
Coast  promotion  on  Pressburger  pr> 
ductions. 


50c  Columbia  Dividend 

Columbia  Pictures'  board  of  dire 
tors  has  declared  a  dividend  of 
cents    per    share    on    the  comni' 
stock,    payable    Sept.    21    to  stoc 
holders  of  record  on  Sept.  6. 


WB  Promotes  Pickman 

Promotion  of  Herbert  Pickm; 
Warner  field  representative  in  the  .4 
lanta  branch,  to  the  New  York-M' 
ropolitan  branch  area,  was  announc 
by  Mort  Blumenstock,  Eastern  advi 
tising-publicity  manager,  yesterd; 
when  Pickman  started  on  his  nil 
post. 


BIGGEST! 


★ 
★ 
* 


* 


THE 


THE 


BIGGEST 
BIGGEST 


DOG  IS  IRISH  WOLFHOUND 


MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  MADE  IS 


* 


1 


WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  (ANDEAN)— Chile,  Peru, 
Bolivia,  Ecuador 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  CO.  INC.  OF  ARGENTINA— Argentina, 
Uruguay 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  OF  ASIA-China, 
Philippines,  Thailand,  Malaya,  East  Indies 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  CO.  (AUSTRALIA)  PTY.  LTD. 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  CO.  OF  BRAZIL 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  CO.  (CARIBBEAN)— Cuba,  Trinidad, 
Venezuela,  Panama,  Guianas,  Puerto  Rico,  West  Indies 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  A/S-Denmark 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  (FRANCE)— France,  Belgium, 
Luxembourg,  North  Africa 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  OF  ITALY 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  LTD.-British  Isles.  India, 
Ceylon 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  OF  MEXICO 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  (NEAR  EAST)  — Egypt, 
Greece,  Turkey,  Palestine,  Syria,  South  Africa 

NEDERLANDSCHE  WESTERN  ELECTRIC  N/V-Netherlands 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  (NEW  ZEALAND)  LTD. 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  (ORIENT)  LTD.-Japan,  Koreo 
Manchuria 

WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  OF  SPAIN-Spain,  Gibraltar, 
Portugal 

SWEDISH  WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPANY  A/B-Sweden, 
Norway,  Finland 

ALPINE  WESTERN  ELECTRIC  COMPAN Y-Switzerland 


Western  Electric 
Export  Corporation 

WILL  DISPLAY  ITS 
POST-WAR  SOUND 
REPRODUCING 

f  SYSTEMS 


during  a  convention  of  its  foreign  company 
managers  and  branch  managers  in  .New 
York  City,  October  1-12. 

The  post-war  Westrjexfl&^STER |  Sound! 
System  will  supersede  the  pre-war  Mirro- 
phonic  Master  Sound  System  for  larger 
theatres.  This  new  system  is  designed  for 
easy  adaptation  in  the  field^-tlc^  probably 
Hollywood  developments  such  as  automatic 
control  and  multi-track  sound- 

The  post-war  Westrex  STANDARD  Sound 
System  is  especially  built  for  the  needs  of 
smaller  theatres. 

Orders  for  these  post-war  models  will 
be  accepted  now  and  will  be  filled  in  the 
order  of  their  receipt. 

Western  Electric  Export  Corporation 

111  EIGHTH  AVtNUE,  NEW  YORK  II,  N.  Y. 


MOTION.  ICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWige  i 

Ih^DeV 

to  the^l 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

)L.  58.  NO.  42 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  29,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


cully  Lists 
5  from  'IP 
"or  New  Year 


our  Serials,  Plus  58 
horts  Also  for  '46 

Universal  will  release  55  features 
1945_46,  50  to  be  made  by  the 
jnpany  and  five  to  come  from  out- 
[e  producers  Walter  Wanger, 
Diana  Produc- 
tions and  J.  H. 
Skirball  -  Bruce 
Manning  Pro- 
ductions, Wil- 
liam A.  Scully, 
vice  -  president 
and  general 
sales  manager, 
disclosed  here 
yesterday  with 
the  opening  of  a 
company  sales 
meeting  at  the 
Wadorf  -As- 
toria Hotel. 
The  company  is 
c  o  mmitted  to 
same  number  in  the  current  sea- 

ID"  will  also  release  four  serials, 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


A.  Scully 


lay  Delay  Delivery 
>f  Trial  Documents 


Possibility  of  a  delay  in  the  Depart- 
int  of  Justice's  turning  over  docu- 
!nts  it  intends  to  use  in  the  trial  of 
c  New  York  film  anti-trust  suit  to 
tributor-defendants  by  the  deadline 
Saturday  developed  yesterday  when 
was  learned  that  some  distribu- 
s  have  not  yet  turned  over  informa- 
n  about  distribution  and  their  cir- 
ts  as  requested  by  the  Department. 
\  Government  spokesman  pointed 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


odgers  Lists  54 
horts  for  '45-46 


William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  vice- 
esident  in  charge  of  sales,  disclosed 
•e  yesterday  that  in  1945-46,  the 
npany  will  deliver  54  short  sub- 
ts,  embracing  four  two-reel  specials, 
hiding  "Crime  Does  Not  Pay"  sub- 
ts,  and  the  following  one-reelers : 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


$33,332,579  Federal  Ticket  Tax  Is 
Highest  Collection  Since  Aug.,  1944 

Washington,  Aug.  28.  —  Federal  admission  tax  receipts  in  July 
were  $33,332,579,  the  highest  figure  touched  since  August,  1944,  top- 
ping June  collections  by  more  than  $5,000,000,  it  was  reported  here 
tonight  by  the  U.  S.  Internal  Revenue  Bureau.  However,  last 
month's  collections  were  not  quite  $2,000,000  above  the  $31,343,730 
received  in  July,  1944. 

Bureau  figures  show  that  for  the  first  seven  months  of  the  year 
the  Treasury  secured  $203,780,104  from  wartime  admission  taxes, 
against  collections  of  $144,841,051  in  the  corresponding  period  last 
year. 

The  special  report  for  the  third  New  York  district  showed  that 
collections  on  the  Broadway  front  increased  from  $3,758,398  in  June 
to  $4,946,662  last  month.  Box-office  collections  increased  from  $3,- 
388,450  to  $4,236,833  and  receipts  on  tickets  sold  by  brokers  from 
$42,432  to  $42,813,  but  the  biggest  percentage  gain  was  registered 
in  admissions  to  cabarets,  which  more  than  doubled,  rising  from 
$327,516  to  $667,015. 


OCR  Opposes  Move  to  End 
Raw  Stock  Export  Control 


Washington,  Aug.  28. — Officials  of 
the  Office  of  Civilian  Requirements 
were  disclosed  here  today  to  be  op- 
posing plans  of  the  Foreign  Economic 
Administration  to  lift  controls  on  the 
export  of  raw  stock,  apparently  fear- 
ful that  shipments  abroad  would  be 
so  large  as  to  threaten  supplies  need- 
ed by  domestic  consumers. 

The  question  is  due  to  be  threshed 
out  at  a  meeting  tomorrow  of  the  com- 
bined Committee  on  Exports,  com- 
posed of  representatives  of  OCR,  War 
Production  Board,  FEA,  State  De- 
partment and  other  agencies  interest- 
ed in  foreign  trade. 

So  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  there 
is  no  support  for  OCR's  position,  al- 
though it  was  said  the  State  Depart- 
ment might  favor  retention  of  some 
control  because  of  the  situation  in 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Coast  Strike  Hits 
General  Service 


Hollywood,  Aug.  28. — Hollywood's 
25-weeks-old  strike  took  a  sharp  turn 
for  the  worse  late  this  afternoon  when 
the  Conference  of  Studio  Unions 
called  its  workers  out  of  the  General 
Service  Studio,  exempted  until  now 
because  it  was  used  by  independent 
producers  on  a  rental  basis,  and  estab- 
lished picket  lines  around  the  premises. 
Two  pictures,  Benedict  Bogeaus' 
"Dairy  of  a  Chambermaid"  and  Ed- 
ward Golden's  "Breakfast  in  Holly- 
wood," both  for  United  Artists  re- 
lease, were  in  the  shooting  stage  when 
(Continued  on  page  13) 


ConnorsNames 
4  Sales  Heads 


Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  of  20th  Century- 
Fox,  announced  yesterday  from  Des 
Moines,  scene  of  the  world  premiere 
of  20th's  "State 
Fair,"  that  L. 
J.  Schlaifer  has 
resigned  as 
Central  sales 
manager,  and 
that  in  place  of 
three  sales 
managers,  now 
functioning  un- 
der general 
sales  manager 
William  J. 
Kupper,  there 
will  be  four, 
namely,  W.  C. 
Gehring,  Cen- 
tral and  Canadian  sales  manager ;  A. 
W.  Smith,  Jr.,  Eastern;  Herman 
Wobber,  West  Coast;  Harry  G.  Bal- 
lance,  Southern.  The  latter  two  were 
formerly  division  managers  in  San 
Francisco  and  Atlanta,  where  they  will 
remain  in  their  new  posts.  Gehring 
and  Smith,  of  the  four  sales  man- 
gers, will  continue  to  work  out  of  the 
home  office,  according  to  Connors. 

The  following  exchanges  will  come 
under  Smith's  Eastern :  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Washington, 
Boston,  New  Haven,  Albany,  Buffalo. 

The    following    will    come  under 
Gehring's  Central  and  Canadian  divi- 
(Continued  on  pane  7) 


Tom  Connors 


Thousands  in 
Industry  Set 
For  Increases 


End  of  Wage  Curbs  Opens 
Way  for  Union  Moves 


Thousands  of  film  workers  in 
production,  distribution  and  home 
offices  are  expected  to  benefit 
through  wage  increases  as  a  result 
of  the  lifting  of  restrictions  on  sal- 
aries by  the  War  Labor  Board  and 
the  U.  S.  Treasury's  Wage  Stabiliza- 
tion Bureau. 

Producers  are  scheduled  to  open 
new  wage  talks  with  the  IATSE  for 
some  10,000  studio  workers  in  a  few 
weeks.  Previous  War  Labor  Board 
and  Treasury  restrictions  kept  'IA' 
wage  demands  within  the  15  per  cent 
allowable  under  the  'Little  Steel 
Formula,'  but  now  that  the  'lid'  is  off, 
the  'IA'  is  expected  to  press  for  a 
general  increase  as  well  as  classifica- 
tion adjustments. 

Distribution  representatives  are 
scheduled  to  confer  shortly  with  rep- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Espy  Named  PRC 
Production  Chief 


Hollywood,  Aug.  28.  —  Kenneth 
Young,  PRC  board  chairman,  today 
announced  the  appointment  of  Reeves 
Espy  as  vice-president  in  full  charge 
of  studio  management,  which  had 
been  in  charge  of  Leon  Fromkess, 
president,  who  resigned  yesterday. 
Espy,  long  associated  with  Samuel 
Goldwyn  as  production  aide  and  more 
recently  an  official  of  the  Myron  Selz- 
nick  talent  agency,  assumes  his  new 
post  Sept.  4. 

In  making  the  announcement,  Young 
(Continued  on  page  12) 


Columbia  to  Meet 
In  Chicago  Sept.  11 


Columbia  Pictures  will  hold  a  three- 
day  sales  meeting  at  the  Drake  Hotel 
in  Chicago  Tuesday  through  Thurs- 
day, Sept.  11-13,  for  the  company's 
annual  discussion  of  product  and  sell- 
ing and  promotional  policies  for  the 
new  season.  Jack  Cohn,  executive 
vice-president,  and  A.  Montague,  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  will  preside. 

Public  relations  officers  from  all 
{Continued  on  paoe  12) 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  29,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


WILLIAM  F.  RODGERS,  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  sales  for 
M-G-M,  left  for  Washington,  D.  C., 
yesterday. 

Joel  Bezahler,  home  office  assist- 
ant to  John  E.  Flynn,  M-G-M 
Western  sales  manager,  is  now  in 
Milwaukee  and  will  visit  the  Chicago, 
Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City  exchanges 
before  returning  to  New  York. 
• 

Ernest  Morrell  of  th  e  M-G-M 
sales  department,  will  return  to  New 
York  after  Labor  Day  from  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  is  visiting  his  son, 
Robert,  head  booker  for  the  company 
there. 

Da™  Halper,  IATSE  *  attorney, 
became  the  father  of  a  second  daugh- 
ter, Vicki  Joan,  born  to  Mrs.  Hal- 
per  at  the  Methodist  Hospital  here 
yesterday. 

John  B.  Nathan,  Paramount 
managing  director  in  Argentina,  will 
leave  Buenos  Aires  by  plane  Aug.  31, 
for  his  first  home  office  visit  in  two 
years. 

Al  Finestone  of  the  Paramount 
home  office  publicity  staff  will  leave 
here  for  the  Coast  on  Friday  to  join 
the  company's  studio  publicity  depart- 
ment. 

Eugene  Straub,  who  resigned  re- 
cently as  assistant  manager  of  the 
RKO  Palace,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  has 
left  there  for  New  York. 

• 

Steve  Broidy,  Monogram  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
will  arrive  in  Hollywood  from  New 
York  today. 

Jules  Lapidus,  Warner  Eastern 
sales  manager,  visited  in  Albany  yes- 
terday. 

Stewart  McDonald,  Warners'  as- 
sistant treasurer,  has  arrived  on  the 
Coast  from  New  York. 

• 

Fred  M.  Jack,  United  Artists' 
Southern  sales  manager,  arrived  in 
Dallas  yesterday. 

Harold  Zeltner,  M-G-M  Pitts- 
burgh salesman,  is  vacationing  in  New 
York. 

John    R.    Wood,    Jr.,    March  of 
Time's    sales    manager,    returned  to 
New  York  last  night  from  Chicago. 
• 

Joe  Youngerman,  Paramount  pro- 
duction executive,  has  arrived  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

Harry  David,  head  of  Northio  The- 
atres, Cincinnati,  is  visiting  in  New 
York. 

• 

Andrew  Stone  has  arrived  here 
from  the  Coast. 


Insider's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN' 


"C*  OURTH  time  around  on 
■      Eric  Johnston : 

You  can  find  those  who  will 
insist  the  deal  under  which  he 
would  head  up  the  MPPDA  as 
its  president  is  closed.  You  can 
also  find  those  who  say  it's  all 
off.    Both  sides  are  wrong. 

The  possibility  continues  alive, 
but  there  has  not  been  much  life 
in  it  latterly.  The  negotiations, 
in  a  word,  have  been  dormant 
and  now  are  about  to  be  re- 
newed. Of,  if  you  prefer  it,  re- 
vived. 

One  road  block,  self-construct- 
ed by  Johnston,  has  been  his  re- 
fusal to  take  action  while  the 
war  was  on.  That  road  block 
is  no  longer  in  the  way,  pro- 
vided Johnston  does  not  create 
another. 

■ 

The  impression  is  that  what 
he  has  been  insisting  upon  by 
way  of  a  clear-cut  definition  of 
duties  stems  to  three  different 
approaches  thrown  at  his  head. 
One,  .  reputedly  attributable  to 
Will  Hays,  proposed  Johnston 
enter  the  MPDDA  as  an  execu- 
tive assistant  and  top  level  con- 
sultant under  a  setup  which 
would  continue  Hays  as  presi- 
dent. Two  concerns  one  seg- 
ment of  executive  opinion  which 
felt  this  persistently  pursued 
man  ought  to  handle  trade  prob- 
lems— and  Johnston  reportedly 
was  shown  quite  a  list  of  them. 
Three  deals  with  still  another 
segment  of  executive  viewpoint 
which  figured  Johnston  fitted 
best  into  the  area  of  industry 
public  relations.  When  this 
group  saw  a  task  crying  to  be 
done  in  that  field  it  assuredly 
knew  its  onions. 

■ 

Anyhow,  there  ,  it  was.  And 
there  it  is,  moreover.  Out  of 
this  three-cornered  affair,  John- 
ston has  to  consolidate  his  own 
viewpoint,  but  he  also  has  to  find 
out  clearly  just  what  his  poten- 
tial principals  expect  him  to  do. 
Beyond  that  is  his  own  appraisal 
of  the  post — its  practicalities 
and  its  possibilities — and  wheth- 
er or  not  the  differing  ap- 
proaches stand  chance  of  being 
consolidated  into  one  single, 
workable  whole. 

Moreover,  Johnston's  once  re- 
ported political  ambitions,"  so 
far  as  is  known,  continue  a  high- 
ly important  factor.  His  reim- 
bursement from  the  proffered 
job  is  considerably  less  of  a  fac- 
tor. He  does  not  need  the  posi- 
tion. 

■  ■ 

Practically  everyone  fell  for 


the  publicity  barrages  sent  aloft 
by  the  Paramount  studio  lads 
on  behalf  of  Billy  Wilder  and 
Charlie  Brackett  and  their  solu- 
tion of  a  treatment  for  "The 
Lost  Weekend."  It  was  one 
tough  assignment  and  Wilder 
and  Brackett  knew  the  way,  ac- 
cording to  the  handouts.  Para- 
mount publicity  also  knew  a  way 
of  keeping  the  fiction  in  full 
bloom  and  reaped  considerable 
pre-production  publicity  thereby. 

How  much  value  those  early 
breaks  carry  with  all  of  the  in- 
tervening months  between  shoot- 
ing and  releasing  is  a  fine-line 
conclusion  anyway.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  standard  industry  prac- 
tice for  which  George  Brown 
gets  the  full  accolade. 

The  fact  is,  however,  the  solu- 
tion falls  considerably  behind  the 
drummed-up  excitement.  This 
novel  of  a  dipsomaniac  was 
faithfully  followed  and  gripping- 
ly  filmed  until  the  finish  loomed. 
Then  the  drunk  was  made  to 
reform  for  a  sunset  finish.  Very 
old  hat. 

■  B 

One  Si  to  another.  Or  Fabi- 
an to  Seadler : 

"Are  you  air  conditioned  over 
there  in  the  Loew  Building?" 

Seadler,  in  reply : 

"You  might  call  it  hot  air  con- 
ditioning." 

■  ■ 

Jesse  L.  Lasky  is  on  the 
record  with  a  prediction 
"Thanks,  God,  I'll  Take  It 
From  There,"  his  first  for  RKO, 
and  yet  to  enter  production,  will 
gross  $5,000,000. 

Nice  predicting. 

■  ■ 

In  the  industry's  eyes,  Franz 
Werfel  inescapably  was  linked 
with  "The  Song  of  Bernadette." 
In  the  eyes  and  minds  of  incal- 
culable numbers  -  of  people 
throughout  the  world  the  iden- 
tification probably  was  remote 
or  moderately  known.  Yet  it 
seems  assured  they  will  remem- 
ber the  touching  and  dignified 
film  for  which  he  was  directly 
responsible.  Werfel  was  delight- 
ed with  the  care  and  apprecia- 
tion which  William  Perlberg, 
charged  with  the  production,  and 
the  entire  20th  Century-Fox  or- 
ganization had  poured  into 
transfer  of  his  novel  to  the 
screen.  An  important  man  of 
letters  thereby  was  won. 

The  regret  must  be  that  Wer- 
fel had  not  lived  longer  so  that 
future  novels  of  his,  perhaps, 
some  day  might  find  their  way 
into  a  medium  unfettered  by  the 
limiting  barriers  of  language. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


THE  initial  phases  of  Gen.  Charles 
de  Gaulle's  visit  to  the  U.  S.,  the 
Japs'  Manila  surrender  mission,  Presi- 
dent Truman  making  Medal- of -Honor 
azuards  to  28  American  Soldiers,  the 
Petain  trial,  and  Bing  Crosby  sound- 
ing the  call  to  school,  are  featured  in 
the  new  newsreel  issues,  along  with 
London's  'V-J'  celebration  and  some 
miscellaneous  items  of  current  interest. 
Contents  of  the  five  current  newsreels 
follow: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  104— Jap  sur- 
render mission  in  Manila.  De  Gaulle 
U.  S.  hails  American  victory  effort.  Mar- 
shall Petain  found  guilty  as  Paris  tria 
ends.  Wild  victory  celebration  in  London. 
Heroes  of  the  week  —  President  Trumar 
awards  Medals  of  Honor  to  28  Americar 
soldiers.  Advice  to  high  school  students  bj 
Bing  Crosby.  Sports:  Bob  Feller  comes 
back.    G.  I.'s  see  water  show. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  302— Japs  gel 
U.  S.  final  terms.  War  heroes  honored  ai 
White  House  ceremony.  London  hails  Kins: 
and  Queen  on  'V-J  Day.'  Petain  face; 
Laval  in  dramatic  treason  trial.  De  Gaulli 
thanks  America.  Water  follies  for  woundei 
war  veterans. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  1— London': 
'V-J.  Day'  Calling  all  youths — Bing  Crosb; 
appeals  to  high  school  students  to  return  ti 
schooL  Petain — the  end.  Unconditional  sur 
render — historic  meeting  at  Manila. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  3— De  Gaull' 
begins  American  tour.  President  gives  toi 
U.  S.  honor  to  28.  London  goes  wild  ove 
'V-J'  news.  Bing  Crosby  speaks  to  U. 
children.    Jap  envoys  in  Manila. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL,  No.  428—  Sur 
render  conference  in  Manila.  School  day 
on  Okinawa.  De  Gaulle  reviews  Middies 
B-25  fights  Polio  plague.  Twenty-eighl 
heros  get  Medals  of  Honor.  Bing  sound  j 
school  call. 


Retention  of  Canadt 
Film  Board  Likely 

Ottawa,  Aug.  28. — Reorganizatio 
of  the  Canadian  National  Film  Boarc 
following  the  resignation  of  Joh 
Grierson,  commissioner,  effective  i 
November,  is  hinted  in  Dominion  Gov 
ernment  quarters,  in  a  declaration  ths 
the  board  is  likely  to  be  retained,  'fo 
a  time,'  along  with  other  wartim 
bureaus,  all  of  which  are  to  be  redis 
tributed  among  permanent  goverr 
ment  departments.  No  decision  ha 
been  reached  on  the  fate  of  the  Wai 
time  Information  Board,  of  whic 
Grierson  also  had  been  general  mar 
ager  for  12  months. 

The  resignation  of  Stuart  Leg 
from  the  Film  Board,  to  join  Griei 
son  in  the  latter's  private  film-prc 
duction  project,  has  been  announce! 
Legg  was  the  producer  of  the  "Car 
ada  Carries  On"  and  "World  in  A( 
tion"  wartime  series  and  his  departut 
suggests  that  the  two  series  will  l 
terminated. 


Gen.  Edward  Curti 
To  Leave  Army 

Rochester,  Aug.  28.  —  Maj.  Gei 
Edward  P.  (Ted)  Curtis  has  bee 
granted  terminal  leave  by  the  Arm 
Air  Forces  and  will  go  on  inactn 
duty  Nov.  17. 

Formerly  chief  of  staff  to  Gen.  Ca 
A.  Spaatz  with  the  U.  S.  Strateg 
Air  Force  in  Europe,  Curtis  left  it] 
position  of  motion  picture  film  sal( 
manager  for  Eastman  Kodak  to  ente 
the  Army  in  1940.  It  is  expects 
that  Curtis  will  return  to  Eastma 
in  the  same  capacity. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigk 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigle- 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertisin  i 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigherg,  Representative:  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  BIdg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Burea 
4  Golden  So,..  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Better  Theatre 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscriptic 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


HERE  IS  PROOF 
THAT  13  IS  A 
LUCKY  NUMBER 


4 


The  Lucky  Fiye! 

"OUR  VINES  HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES" 

Another  M-G-M  Big  One  for  Radio  City  Music  Hall 

"THE  HIDDEN  EYE" 

A  detective  drama  that  curls  your  hair! 

"Bud  ABBOTT  and  lou  COSTELLO  IN  HOLLYWOOD" 

They  crash  the  Studios  and  See  Stars! 

"HER  HIGHNESS  AND  THE  BELLBOY" 

The  producer  of  "Anchors  Aweigh"  has  done  it  again! 

"DANGEROUS  PARTNERS" 

German  Gold  hidden  in  America!  Timely  Thriller! 


{Turn  Please) 


M  G  M's  LUCKY  FIVE 


A  POWERFUL  DRAWING  COMBINATION! 


JACKIE 


EDWARD  G.  MARGARET 

ROBINSON  O'BRIEN  BUTCH  JENKINS 

"OUR   VINES   HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES" 

Yes,  it's  Radio  City  Music  Hall  size!  The  laugh -and -tears  story  of  two  kids  and  a  tough  guy  and 
how  they  tamed  a  hard-boiled  American  town.  Exciting  TRUE-TO-LIFE  drama! 

with  James  Craig,  Frances  Gifford,  Agnes  Moorehead,  Morris  Carnovsky  •  Screen  Play  by  Dalton  Trumbo  •  Based  on  the 
Book  "For  Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes"  by  George  Victor  Martin  •  Directed  by  Roy  Rowland  •  Produced  by  Robert  Sisk 

A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


Thrilling  new  challenge  to  Edward  Arnold's  lamed  blind  detective!  He 
and  his  Seeing-Eye  Dog  are  on  the  case  of  the  "Jasmine  Terror  Killings!" 


ft 


THE  HIDDEN  EYE 


with  Edward  Arnold,  Frances  Rafferty,  Ray  Collins,  Paul  Langton,  Friday  Played  by  Himself 
Screen  Play  by  George  Harmon  Coxe  and  Harry  Ruskin  •  From  a  Story  by  George 
Harmon  Coxe  •  Directed  by  Richard  Whorf  •  Produced  by  Robert  Sisk  •  An  M-G-M  Picture 


e 


They  Crash  the  Studios  and  See  Stars! 
Bud  Lou 

"ABBOTT  and  COSTELLO 
IN  HOLLYWOOD" 

with  Frances  Rafferty,  Robert  Stanton,  Jean  Porter,  Warner  Anderson,  "Rags" 
Ragland,  Mike  Mazurki   •    Screen  Play  by  Nat  Perrin  and  Lou  Breslow   •  Original 
Story  by  Nat  Perrin  and  Martin  A.  Gosch  •  Directed  by  S.  Sylvan  Simon  •  Produced 
by  Martin  A.  Gosch  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 

Following  its  preview  before  theatre  audiences  in  Los  Angeles  and 
New  York,  it  is  predicted  to  be  their  greatest  yet! 


NEVER  BETTER! 
HEDY 

LAMARR 


THEY  LOVE  HIM! 
ROBERT 

WALKER 


SHE'S  TOPS! 
JUNE 

ALLYSON 


it 


A  Great  Cast  in  a  Great  Romance  with  Music! 

ER   HIGHNESS  AND  THE  BELLBOY 

"Just  call  me  'Toots'!"  said  the  princess  who  was  PINCHED  and  liked  it!  A 
royal  command  to  love.  The  next  Pasternak  musical  following  "Anchors  A  weigh." 

with  Carl  Esmond,  Agnes  Moorehead,  "Rags"  Ragland  •  Original  Screen  Play  by  Richard  Connell  and  Gladys  Lehman 
Directed  by  Richard  Thorpe  •  Produced  by  Joe  Pasternak  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


J! 


e 


German  gold  hidden  in  America!  Baffling  clues  and  tingling 
suspense  in  a  timely  thriller  with  a  sultry  romance  between 
beautiful  Signe  Hasso  and  handsome  James  Craig. 

DANGEROUS  PARTNERS 

with  James  Craig,  Signe  Hasso,  Edmund  Gwenn,  Audrey  Totter,  Mabel  Paige, 
John  Warburton,  Henry  O'Neill,  Grant  Withers   •    Screen  Play  by  Marion 
Parsonnet  •  Adaptation  by  Edmund  L.  Hartmann  •  Directed  by  Edward  L.  Cahn 
Produced  by  Arthur  L.  Field  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 


» 


M-G-M's 
GROUP 

NUMBER 


Those  FIVE 
Shows  are 
the  CAT'S 
MEOW,  Leo! 


It's  my 

lucky  number, 
puss! 


{Over) 


Coming! 


"WEEK.END  AT  THE  WALDORF" 

Ginger  Rogers,  Walter  Pidgeon,  Lana  Turner,  Van  Johnson 

"ZIEGFELD  FOLLIES"  {0ecAnictM) 

Fred  Astaire,  Lucille  Ball,  Lucille  Bremer,  Fanny  Brice, 
Judy  Garland,  Kathryn  Grayson,  Lena  Horne,  Gene  Kelly. 
James  Melton,  Victor  Moore,  Red  Skelton,  Esther  Williams 
and  William  Powell  .  .  .  and  others 

"HOLD  HIGH  THE  TORCH"  (gTecAnicctoi) 

Elizabeth  Taylor,  Frank  Morgan,  Tom  Drake,  Lassie 

"THE  SAILOR  TAKES  A  WIFE" 

Robert  Walker,  June  Allyson 

"THEY  WERE  EXPENDABLE" 

Robert  Montgomery,  John  Wayne 

"THE  HARVEY  GIRLS"  {gTee/micolci) 

Judy  Garland,  John  Hodiak 

"YOLANDA  AND  THE  THIEF"  (JPec/intcolci) 

Fred  Astaire,  Lucille  Bremer 

"THE  YEARLING"  (3TecAnicc/ti*) 

Gregory  Peck 

"THE  BIG  SHORE  LEAVE" 

Clark  Gable,  Greer  Garson 

In  addition  to  current  hits! 
"ANCHORS  AWEIGH"  (3~ec/t*ttco/o) 
"THRILL  OF  A  ROMANCE"  (&e<-/i»tcc/«>) 
"VALLEY  OF  DECISION" 
"SON  OF  LASSIE"  (gTecAnicv/ot) 

And  More! 


M-  G-M 

(jvu^cufe^C  id 
k^Xj  "tor  corv*^  { 

"WEEK-END 

AT  TWE 
WALDORF 


Wednesday,  August  29,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Cuban  Exhibitors 
Appealing  Decree 


Cuban  exhibitors  will  make  a  Su- 
)reme  Court  appeal  to  have  the  gov- 
ernment's decree  compelling  them  to 
-un  stage  shows  with  pictures  declared 
llegal  on  the  ground  that  it  is  uncon- 
titutional,  Ramon  Garcia,  Universal's 
jcneral  manager  in  Cuba,  who  ar- 
ived  in  New  York  on  Monday,  dis- 
posed at  the  home  office  yesterday, 
j  Garcia  told  of  the  jailing  of  45 
Inhibitors  for  24  hours  recently  under 
>rders  from  Cuban  Secretary  of  Gov- 
ernment Curtis  because  they  closed 
j.heir  theatres  for  three  days  in  pro- 
[est  against  the  decree.  He  reports 
|hat  the  exhibitors  are  at  present  com- 
plying with  the  decree  on  a  60-  to  90- 
lay  trial  basis  to  show  the  govern- 
nent  that  they  stand  only  to  lose 
noney  under  the  decree. 
I  Cuban  exhibitors'  present  difficulty 
.vas  described  by  Garcia  as  the  effects 
pf  a  boomerang  of  their  own  enlist- 
nent  of  the  support  of  actors,  musi- 
cians and  stagehands,  three  years  ago, 

0  strengthen  their  fight  then  against 

1  requirement  to  show  double  features, 
iriie  actors,  musicians  and  stagehands 
leld  to  a  solid  union  thereafter  which 
lias  now  used  its  strength  to  bring 
ibout  the  government's  decree  com- 
pelling combined  film  and  stage  pre- 
stations. 

Exhibitors  Beat  Decree 

Through  cooperation  of  the  Cuban 
Secretary  of  Finance,  Garcia  said,  ex- 
libitors  have  been  successful  in  de- 
bating another  governmental  decree 
-tquiring  them  to  pay  the  same  amount 
tor  stage  shows  as  for  pictures.  He 
disclosed  that  under  the  prevailing 
order  25  per  cent  of  gross  receipts 
"nust  be  paid  to  stage  performers  and 
musicians ;  motion  picture  rentals  ac- 
:ount  for  40  per  cent  and  the  exhibitor 
las  left  only  35  per  cent,  out  of  which 
le  must  defray  all  other  expenses,  in- 
rluding  stagehands'  wages. 

There  is  no  film  production  in  Cuba, 
Garcia  said.  He  reports  that  70  per 
:ent  of  films  shown  are  American, 
while  30  per  cent  are  Spanish,  im- 
ported from  Argentina,  Mexico,  Spain 
and  other  South  American  countries. 
!  Garcia  will  be  in  New  York  for  two 
•weeks  for  home  office  conferences. 


Major  Greenthal  Is 
Retired  from  Army 

Major  Monroe  Greenthal,  who  left 
his  post  as  advertising-publicity  man- 
ager for  United  Artists  to  join  the 
W  ar  Production  Board  at  the  request 
>f  the  then  chairman  Donald  M.  Nel- 
son, and  who  later  entered  the  Army, 
is  off  the  active  list  and  will  shortly 
return  to  civilian  status.  He  plans  a 
vacation. 

Major  Greenthal  joined  WPB  in 
April,  1942,  to  handle  the  national 
^crap  drive.  He  was  commissioned  a 
captain  in  the  Army  in  Jan.,  1943  and 
later  was  promoted  to  major  with  the 
title  of  chief  of  the  motion  picture 
branch,  industrial  services  division, 
bureau  of  public  relations.  He  han- 
dled showings  of  high  priority  incen- 
tive films  in  factories  and  before 
abor  unions  and  was  instrumental  in 
expanding  audiences  for  those  films 
trom  an  initial  70,000  to  9,000,000  a 
nonth  on  the  basis  of  45,000  separate 
screenings  in  each  30-day  period. 


Thousands  in  Industry  Set 
For  Wage  Increases 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

resentatives  of  the  TA'  in  New  York 
to  negotiate  new  contracts  for  over 
5,000  'white  collar'  and  service  work- 
ers employed  in  exchanges.  Agree- 
ments expired  in  Dec,  1944,  but  TA' 
representatives  have  been  awaiting 
War  Labor  Board  approval  of  pre- 
viously-negotiated increases  before 
starting  new  talks. 

Over  2,000  'white  collarites'  in  the 
Paramount,  Loew,  RKO  Radio,  20th 
Century-Fox  and  Columbia  home  of- 
fices will  now  be  able  to  receive  re- 
cently-negotiated wage  increases;  the 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild  represents  them.  SOPEG 
representatives  and  company  execu- 
tives will  complete  details  of  the  new 
contract  in  a  few  weeks. 

Employes  in  Warner. and  Universal 
home  offices  are  also  expected  to 
benefit  by  the  lifting  of  restrictions. 
These  workers  are  represented  by  the 
TA'  Motion  Picture  Home  Office  Em- 
ployes Union.  About  750  'white  col- 
larites'  in   the   Warner   home  office 


were  granted  an  eight  per  cent  wage 
increase  recently  but  within  rate 
ranges  of  classifications. 

Since  company  and  union  officials 
had  agreed  upon  higher  rate  ranges 
than  those  previously  approved  by  the 
WLB,  it  is  expected  that  the  union 
will  now  seek  the  higher  ranges. 

MPHOE  is  also  presently  nego- 
tiating a  new  contract  for  over  150 
Universal  home  office  workers  and  is 
seeking  an  eight  per  cent  increase  for 
them  and  classification  adjustments. 
Paramount  News  office  workers  will 
also  benefit  on  their  new  contract. 

Lifting  of  WLB  restrictions  is  also 
expected  to  pave  the  way  for  approval 
of  most  contracts  which  have  been 
pending  before  the  Board  covering 
almost  1,800  laboratory  workers  in 
the  East  represented  by  IATSE 
Motion  Picture  Laboratory  Techni- 
cians, Local  No.  702. 

WLB  approval  is  no  longer  neces- 
sary where  an  increase  in  the  cost  of 
the  product  manufactured  or  processed 
is  not  a  consideration. 


Gillham  Is  Honored 
At  Reception  Here 


R.  M.  Gillham,  Paramount  adver- 
tising-publicity director  who  has  re- 
signed to  become  vice-president  of  the 
J.  Walter  Thompson  advertising  agen- 
cy, was  honored  at  a  reception  given 
by  John  Hertz,  Jr.,  Monday  evening 
in  the  Hotel  Astor.  Hertz  is  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  Buchanan  and 
Co.,  advertising  agency  which  handles 
the  Paramount  account. 

Attending  the  reception  were  :  From 
Paramount,  Barney  Balaban,  Adolph 
Zukor,  Charles  M.  Reagan,  Leonard 
Goldenson,  Paul  Raibourn,  C.  J.  Scol- 
lard,  Bernard  Goodwin,  Alec  Moss, 
Stanley  Shuford,  Bill  Schneider,  Jonas 
Arnold,  C.  N.  Odell,  Al  Finestone, 
R.  M.  Weitman,  Carl  Clausen,  John 
Cicero,  Paul  Ackerman,  John  Guil- 
foyle,  Morton  Parkinson. 

Present  from  Buchanan  were: 
Hertz,  Jr.,  Tom  Buchanan,  Arthur 
Ramsdell,  Douglas  Day,  Dave 
Strumpf,  Roy  Winkler,  Jerry  Zig- 
mond,  Nat  Strom,  Chet  Wright,  Joe 
Metzger,  Charles  Mahoney,  James 
Lannon,  Bill  Boley,  Bill  Ard,  Ralph 
Rockefellow,  Fred  Apgar,  Gordon 
Sutton,  George  Richardson,  Vincent 
Regan,  John  Cisneros. 

Gillham's  resignation  is  due  to  be- 
come effective  at  the  end  of  the  week. 
A  successor  has  not  been  announced. 


Judges  to  Pick  MGM 
Latin  Emissaries 

Edward  M.  Saunders,  M-G-M's  as- 
sistant general  sales  manager ;  Edwin 
W.  Aaron,  circuit  sales  manager,  and 
Alan  F.  Cummings,  in  charge  of  ex- 
change operations  and  maintenance 
have  been  named  by  the  company  to 
select  the  district  and  branch  man- 
agers who  will  make  the  trip  to 
South  America  after  Jan.  1  as  part 
of  the  company's  "On  to  Rio"  drive.  A 
like  number  of  foreign  executives  will 
be  chosen  by  Arthur  Txiew  and  his 
associates  to  make  a  trip  to  this  coun- 
try. 


Exchange  Workers 
Will  Get  Raises 


Office  workers  in  Seattle,  Portland, 
San  Francisco  and  Washington  film 
exchanges  of  eight  companies  will  re- 
ceive retroactive  wage  increases  dat- 
ing back  to  Dec.  1,  1943,  and  service 
workers  in  Kansas  City,  Omaha,  and 
Des  Moines  exchanges  will  receive  10 
per  cent  wage  increases,  retroactive  to 
Dec.  1,  1942,  as  a  result  of  decisions 
reached  here  yesterday  in  a  meeting 
between  IATSE  officials  and  represen- 
tatives of  the  companies. 

Appeals  on  decisions  of  regional 
War  Labor  Boards  had  been  pending 
involving  the  workers  but  with  the 
lifting  of  WLB  restrictions,  approval 
is  no  longer  necessary.  Service  work- 
ers and  office  workers  in  other  ex- 
change cities  have  already  received  in- 
creases, which  involve  a  series  of 
classifications. 

Lifting  of  WLB  restrictions  also 
has  paved  the  way  for  the  granting  of 
wage  increases  for  service  workers  and 
office  workers  in  Republic,  National 
Screen  and  some  Monogram  ex- 
changes. The  eight  companies  in- 
volved are :  RKO,  Paramount,  War- 
ner Bros.,  20th  Century-Fox,  Loew's, 
Columbia,  Universal  and  United 
Artists. 


Folsom  in  England 
For  Economy  Study 

Rochester,  Aug.  28.  —  Marion  B. 
Folsom,  treasurer  of  Eastman  Kodak 
and  director  of  the  staff  of  the  House 
Committee  on  Post-War  Enonomic 
Policy,  has  arrived  in  England  with 
eight  members  of  the  committee. 

The  committeemen  will  make  a  tour 
of  England,  France,  Italy  and  Ger- 
many and  expect  to  meet  Premier 
Stalin  and  Prime  Minister  Clement 
Attlee.  They  will  return  to  the  U.  S. 
in  September  with  a  report  for  Con- 
gress on  Europe's  post-war  economic 
prospects. 


ConnorsNames 
4  Sales  Heads 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

sion :  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Detroit, 
Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Indianapolis, 
Des  Moines,  Minneapolis,  Omaha. 
Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  Toronto, 
Montreal,  Calgary,  St.  John,  Vancou- 
ver, Winnipeg. 

Exchanges  coming  under  Wobber's 
West  Coast  division :  San  Francisco, 
Los  Angeles,  Portland,  Seattle,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Denver. 

The  following  exchanges  will  come 
under  Ballance's  Southern  division : 
Atlanta,  Charlotte,  New  Orleans,  Dal- 
las, Oklahoma  City,  Memphis. 


Connors  Presiding  at 
20th  Sales  Meeting 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  28.— Next  20th 
Century-Fox  "Victory  Year"  sales 
meeting,  fourth  of  six  being  conducted 
by  Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  will  take  place 
here  Thursday,  following  others  al- 
ready completed  in  New  York,  Atlan- 
ta and  Chicago.  Connors  concluded 
Chicago  meetings  in  time  to  arrive 
here  for  the  world  premiere  of  the 
company's  "State  Fair,"  which  will 
open  tomorrow  night  at  the  Des 
Moines  and  Paramount  theatres. 

Connors  and  Gehring  will  conduct 
the  sales  sessions,  which  will  last  un- 
til Friday.  District  and  branch  man- 
agers from  Des  Moines,  Minneapolis 
and  Omaha  will  attend,  including  dis- 
trict manager  M.  A.  Levy,  and  branch 
managers  S.  J.  Mayer,  Des  Moines ; 
J.  S.  Cohan,  Minneapolis ;  J.  E.  Scott, 
Omaha. 


$250,000  Campaign 
For  Republic  Film 

Republic's  campaign  on  "Love. 
Honor,  and  Goodbye"  will  have  $250,- 
000  allocated  to  national  advertising 
and  local  promotion,  the  latter  to  be 
concentrated  in  branch  and  key  cities. 

Local  newspaper  advertising,  the 
use  of  radio  spot  announcements  and 
five-minute  radio  shows,  and  special 
promotions  will  back  openings  in  the 
32  cities  and  other  important  key 
runs. 


NORTH  STAR 

'  with 
Anne  Baxter      •     Dana  Andrews 
Walter  Huston  •  Walter  Brennan 
Ann  Harding     •       Jane  Withers 
Farley  Granger 
and  Erich  Von  Stroheim 
First  GOLDWYN  picture  in  16MM. 
A  1944  Major  Company  release. 

On  5  year  lease  to  rental 
libraries  at  SI  250  per  print,  list. 

Minimum  daily  rental  $20 

ASTOR    PICTURES  CORP. 


130  W.  46  Strcrt 


Now  York  19.   N.  Y. 


8 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  29,  1945 


Rodgers  Lists  54 
Shorts  for  '45-46 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

10  "Pete  Smith  Specialties";  six  "John 
Nesbitt's  Pasing  Parades" ;  six  "Min- 
iatures," some  of  which  will  be  done 
by  Carey  Wilson;  16  M-G-M  car- 
toons and  12  "FitzPatrick  Travel- 
talks,"  the  latter  two  series  in  Techni- 
color. In  addition,  M-G-M  will  offer 
the  customary  104  issues  of  the  bi- 
weekly News  of  the  Day. 

With  the  product  announcement, 
Rodgers,  in  a  statement,  acclaims 
shorts  to  be  a  "necessary  complement 
to  the  feature  picture."  He  cites 
three  of  their  functions :  "a  requisite 
for  balanced  screen  entertainment, 
a  medium  of  public  enlightenment, 
which  wins  industry  prestige  and  good- 
will, and  as  a  laboratory  and  proving 
ground  for  the  development  of  new 
screen  talent  and  techniques." 

Rodgers  states  the  short  subject  is 
a  "powerful  and  informative  medium 
which  can  continue  (with  the  war's 
end)  to  discharge  a  civic  and  social 
obligation  which  extends  to  every 
theatre  in  every  community." 

He  states  further  that  "it  was  the 
shorts  that  nurtured  this  industry  and 
it  is  the  shorts  that  are  still  respon- 
sible for  much  of  its  progress." 


May  Delay  Delivery 
Of  Trial  Documents 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

out  here  yesterday  that  the  informa- 
tion requested  from  distributors  must 
be  incorporated  in  the  Government 
documents  and  also  in  the  Depart- 
ment's trial  brief,  which  Robert  L. 
Wright,  Special  Assistant  to  U.  S. 
Attorney  General  Tom  C.  Clark,  who 
is  to  try  the  case,  is  to  turn  over  to 
the  distributors  by  Sept.  20. 

A  deadline  of  August  1  was 
originally  set  by  Judge  Augustus  N. 
Hand  for  the  distributors  to  turn  over 
information  requested  by  the  Depart- 
ment. The  Department  did  not  press 
for  adherence  to  the  Aug.  1  deadline, 
believing  that  all  information  request- 
ed would  be  forthcoming  as  quickly 
as  it  could  be  assembled. 

It  is  not  considered  probable  that 
the  Department  will  seek  court  aid  to 
obtain  the  additional  information  since 
Judge  Hand  had  admonished  both 
sides  to  cooperate  with  each  other  in 
exchanging  information.  Possibly, 
Wright  will  seek  a  meeting  with  dis- 
tributor counsel  to  work  out  the  new 
snag.  The  Department  has  already 
completed  the  initial  draft  of  its  trial 
brief. 


$80,000  for  'Love  Letters* 

Described  as  topping  all  previous 
Rivoli  Theatre  marks  during  its  first 
three  days  at  the  theatre,  starting  last 
Saturday,  to  gross  close  to  $40,000, 
Paramount's  "Love  Letters,"  a  Hal 
Wallis  production,  is  headed  for  a  new 
record  of  $80,000  for  an  initial  week, 
the  company  reported  here  yesterday. 
Previous  high  was  the  $72,800  drawn 
by  "Frenchman's  Creek"  in  Sept., 
1944.  "Love  Letters"  was  said  to 
have  surpassed  the  previous  record 
holder  on  all  three  days,  bringing 
$7,000  more  than  "Frenchman's  Creek" 
for  the  first  two  days. 


Scully  Lists  55  from 
Universal  for  1945-46 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

58  short  subjects  and  its  newsreel 
next  season. 

In  announcing  next  year's  product, 
Scully  stressed  flexibility,  declaring 
that  "Universal  will  be  able  to  supply 
top  players,  directors,  writers  and 
producers  not  only  for  our  own  prod- 
uct, but  that  of  outside  producers.  We 
have  been  adding  to  this  roster  for  the 
past  six  months,"  he  added. 

The  five  specials  will  include  two 
Technicolor  productions,  both  from 
Walter  Wanger :  "Night  in  Paradise," 
starring  Merle  Oberon  and  Turhan 
Bey,  directed  by  Arthur  Lubin,  and 
Ernest  Haycox's  Sahirday  Evening 
Post  "Canyon  Passage,"  with  Dana 
Andrews,  Brian  Donlevy,  Susan  Hay- 
ward,  Patricia  Roc,  Andy  Devine  and 
Hoagy  Carmichael ;  Jacques  Tourneur 
is  the  director. 

Diana  Productions  will  make  "Scar- 
let Street,"  produced  and  directed  by 
Fritz  Lang  and  starring  Edward  G. 
Robinson  and  Joan  Bennett.  Diana, 
recently  organized  to  release  through 
Universal,  has  Fritz  Lang  as  presi- 
dent, Walter  Wanger  as  executive  vice 
president,  and  Joan  Bennett  as 
treasurer. 

Skirball-Mannine  Film 

"Genius  in  the  Family"  will  be  a 
Skirball-Manning  production,  starring 
Myrna  Loy  and  Don  Ameche,  from 
the  book  by  Hiram  Percy  Maxim; 
Frank  Ryan  will  direct.  The  unit 
will  also  make  a  picture  starring 
Claudette  Colbert  and  Ameche,  from 
a  story  by  Manning. 

There  will  be  two  Deanna  Durbin 
pictures,  produced  by  Felix  Jackson, 
the  first  titled  "Because  of  Him,"  in 
which  she  co-stars  with  Charles 
Laughton  and  Franchot  Tone ;  Rich- 
ard Wallace  will  direct.  The  second 
will  be  "Letters  of  an  Unknown 
Woman." 

Other  product  for  1945-46  will  in- 
clude : 

"As  It  Was  Before,"  from  the  play, 
"As  Before,  Better  Than  Before,"  by 
Luigi  Pirandello,  to  star  Merle 
Oberon,  Claude  Raines  and  Charles 
Korvin ;  William  Dieterle  is  the  direc- 
tor, Howard  Benedict  the  producer. 
Abbott  and  Costello  are  slated  for 
"Boy  Wonder,"  from  a  screenplay  by 
Bruce  Manning,  and  "Buck  Privates 
Come  Home,"  sequel  to  "Buck  Pri- 
vates" ;  William  Seiter  will  direct. 
Yvonne  De  Carlo  will  be  seen  in  two 
Technicolor  productions,  "Frontier 
Gal,"  in  which  she  wil  co-star  with 
Rod  Cameron,  with  Charles  Lamont 
directing  for  writer-producers  Michael 
Fessier  and  Ernest  Pagano,  with 
Howard  Benedict  as  executive  pro- 
ducer, and  "Heat  Wave,"  original  by 
Walter  Reisch.  Reisch  will  also  di- 
rect, and  Edward  Kauffman  produce. 

Also:  "That  Night  With  You," 
with  music,  and  stars  Franchot  Tone, 
Susanna  Foster,  Louise  Allbritton  and 
David  Bruce ;  William  Seiter  directed 
for  writer-producers  Fessier  and  Pa- 
gano, and  Benedict  is  executive  pro- 
ducer. "Tangier,"  with  Maria  Montez 
in  a  story  written  by  author  Steve 


Fisher;  it  will  be  a  George  Waggner 
production,  directed  by  Waggner, 
produced  by  Paul  Malvern,  with  Joe 
Gershenson  as  executive  producer. 

Another  addition  to  "U"  releases 
is  Mark  Hellinger  Productions.  Hell- 
inger  is  bringing  several  story  prop- 
erties of  his  own  with  him  to  Uni- 
versal ;  his  first  picture  will  be  an- 
nounced shortly.  "Time  Out  of 
Mind,"  by  Rachel  Field,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Jane  Murfin.  "Shady  Lady," 
co-starring  Charles  Coburn,  Ginny 
Simms  and  Robert  Paige,  has  already 
been  completed ;  Waggner  produced 
and  directed  and  Gershenson  was  ex- 
ecutive producer.  "The  Daltons  Ride 
Again,"  a  sequel  to  "When  the  Dal- 
tons Rode,"  will  star  Alan  Curtis, 
Martha  O'Driscoll,  Lon  Chaney,  Kent 
Taylor^  Noah  Beery,  Jr.,  John  Litel 
and  Thomas  Gomez.  Ray  Taylor  will 
direct.  "Johnnie  Anselmo"  will  be 
written  and  produced  by  Lucien  Hub- 
bard. 

Also :  "White  Tie  and  Tails,"  a  top 
budget  modern  comedy  with  top  star 
names  and  director,  will  be  made. 
"Men  in  Her  Diary,"  with  Peggy  Ry- 
an co-starred  with  Jon  Hall  and  Lou- 
ise Allbritton,  Charles  Barton  pro- 
ducing and  directing,  and  Howard 
Welsch  as  executive  producer. 

There  will  be  four  "showman  ex- 
ploitation specials,"  for  which  both 
studio  and  sales  department  will  set 
up  a  special  exploitation  department, 
to  follow  the  pictures  from  production 
to  exhibition.  These  will  include 
"House  of  Dracula,"  starring  Boris 
Karloff,  with  Erie  Kenton  directing 
for  producer  Paul  Malvern ;  "Bad 
Sister"  ;  "Flame  of  the  Klondike,"  and 
"Brute  Man,"  with  Ben  Pivar  as  ex- 
ecutive producer  of  the  latter. 

Other  Product 

Other  new  season  product  will  in- 
clude :  "Hero  Wanted,"  co-starring 
Jack  Oakie,  Peggy  Ryan  and  Ann 
Blyth ;  Joan  Davis  in  "That's  My 
Baby" ;  three  Sherlock  Holmes  pic- 
tures :  "The  Fugitive,"  "Prelude  to 
Murder"  and  "Terror  By  Night."  all 
with  Basil  Rathbone  and  Nigel  Bruce, 
and  Roy  William  Neill  continuing  as 
producer-director.  The  remaining  25 
features  will  be  topical  subjects,  aimed 
at  trends  of  the  times. 

Universal  will  also  produce  seven 
Westerns  starring  Kirby  Grant  and 
featuring  Fuzzy  Knight ;  Wallace  Fox 
will  produce  and  direct. 

Four  serials  are  "Secret  Agent  X- 
9,"  "The  Royal  Mounted  Rides 
Again,"  "The  Scarlet  Horseman"  and 
"Lost  City  of  the  Jungle,"  all  to  be 
made  by  serial  supervisor  Morgan  B. 
Cox  and  directed  by  Ray  Taylor  and 
Lewis  D.  Collins. 

The  short  subjects  program  for  the 
new  year  will  consist  of  104  issues 
of  Universal  Newsreel,  issued  twice 
weekly,  plus  13  Walter  Lantz  Techni- 
color "Cartunes,"  featuring  his  estab- 
lished characters  such  as  Andy  Panda, 
Woody  Woodpecker,  Reddy  Kilowatt, 
and  Little  Eight  Ball;  15  "Person- 
Oddities,"  15  "Variety  Views,"  13 
"Name-Band  Musicals,"  and  two 
specials. 


'Tokyo*  Tradeshows  Set 

RKO  Radio  will  tradeshow  "First 
Yank  Into  Tokyo"  at  its  New  York, 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco  ex- 
changes tomorrow. 


Hartman  to  Columbia 

Don  Hartman,  former  Goldwyn  as- 
sociate, has  been  signed  as  a  producer 
by  Columbia.  His  first  picture  will  be 
"Down  to  Earth,"  a  musical. 


OCR  Would  Keep 
Export  Controls 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Argentina  and  Spain.    However,  it 
believed   that   if   the  Administratioi 
finds  it  necessary  to  restrict  or  em 
bargo  exports  to  either  or  both 
those  countries  it  could  find  a  way 
doing  so  even  if  the  FEA  restriction 
were  off. 

The  OCR's  position  on  raw  stock 
merely  an  extension  of  its  attitudi 
toward  the  reopening  of  export  trader 
generally  at  this  time.  Vested  witj 
the  responsibility  of  protecting  thl 
domestic  economy,  OCR  officials  ar: 
opposed  to  any  open-ending  of  FEZ 
export  policy,  foreseeing  possibilitie 
that  manufacturers  might  make  a  rus 
for  foreign  markets  to  get  an  earl 
position,  shipping  goods  badly  neede 
in  this  country. 

Other  agencies  interested  in  th 
problem  said,  however,  that  there  ar 
no  indications  that  the  release  of  ra\ 
stock  from  export  restrictions  woulj 
take  much  35  mm.  film  out  of  th 
country.  At  WPB,  it  was  said  tha 
there  was  a  flurry  among  domesti 
consumers  for  a  few  days  after  thl 
L-278  controls  were  lifted,  but  East 
man  and  DuPont  reported  that  a 
soon  as  everyone  was  assured  tha 
needed  film  would  be  available  the  sid 
uation  immediately  quieted.  The  sam3 
thing,  they  said,  is  likely  to  occul 
when  the  export  controls  are  off. 

Other  Arguments 

Other  arguments  in  favor  of  a  Iif1 
ing  of  the  restrictions  are  that  indict 
tions  are  that  current  foreign  deman 
for  raw  stock  is  considerably  less  tha 
under  Lend-Lease  and  that,  since  mor 
than  half  of  the  foreign  demand  is  mt 
from  Eastman's  Canadian  productioi 
comparatively  little  film  would  be  re 
quired  from  this  country.  It  is  pointe 
out  that  there  are  no  controls  on  e> 
port  from  Canada. 

In  view  of  the  objections  which  ar 
being  pressed  by  OCR,  however, 
was  considered  possible  that  the  ever 
tual  outcome  of  the  meeting  tomorro' 
and  such  subsequent  conversations  i 
may  be  necessary  may  be  a  comprc 
mise  under  which  the  present  control 
would  be  continued  for  the  short  r< 
mainder  of  this  quarter  and  lifted  Oc 
1.  This,  it  is  believed,  would  give 
breathing  spell  in  which  supply  an 
demand  could  be  brought  into  ba 
ance. 


Two  Millions  to  b( 
Spent  at  'LP  Studio 


Universal  Studios  will  construct  1 
new  sound  stages  at  an  initial  outla 
of  $2,000,000,  in  order  to  meet  tr 
stepped  up  production  requirement 
W.  A.  Scully,  vice-president  and  get 
eral  sales  manager,  disclosed  here  ye: 
terday  at  a  sales  meeting  at  the  Wa 
dorf-Astoria.  This  is  not  the  con 
plete  amount  that  will  be  spent,  Scul' 
stated,  for  this  phase  of  peace-tirr 
building  plan  will  include,  in  add[ 
tion  to  the  10  stages,  an  administr; 
tion  building  and  additional  bungalow ! 

Scully  also  told  the  meeting  th;| 
Universal   would  build   several  ne 
exchange    buildings    throughout  tl 
U.  S. ;  construction  of  one  will  soc 
start  in  Chicago. 


THE  MOST 
IMPORTANT 
SHORT 
SUBJECT 
NEWS 
SINCE 
PRE-WAR! 

Metro-GoldwyrvMayer  is  embarking  on  a  most  ambitious  devel- 
opment in  short  subject  production.  Below  is  the  line-up  of  M-G-M 
Shorts  for  the  coming  year.  Bear  in  mind  that  they  will  be  pro- 
duced in  the  M-G-M  manner  by  the  same  expert  showmanship 
studio  that  delivers  The  Big  Ones  in  the  feature  field. 

M-G-M  JUNIOR  FEATURES! 

4  TWO-REEL  M-G-M  SPECIALS  including  "Crime  Does  Not  Pay" 

ONE    REEL  SUBJECTS 


16  TECHNICOLOR  CARTOONS 

including  famed  "Tom  and  Jerry,"  (a  hit  in 
"Anchors  Au'etgh");  also  "Barney  Bear"  and 
others. 

10  PETE  SMITH  SPECIALTIES 


12  FITZPATRICK  TRAVELTALKS 

(IN  TECHNICOLOR) 

6  JOHN  NESBITT'S  PASSING  PARADE 
6  M-G-M  MINIATURES 


ALSO  104  M-G-M  NEWS  OF  THE  DAY 

M-G-M  .  .  .  The  Long  and  the  Short  of  it! 


PoQ 


...AND  WE  ANNOUNCE  IT  WITH  PRIDE- 


*****  ************ 


UNIVERSAL  PICTURES  COMPANY,  iic. 


1ACKH 


sWRBMl-BRUCt  WAHSWG 


,«  no*  releose  through 


UHWBSM- 


INC. 


*   *   ★  ★   *   *  ★   *  *  ★ 


★  *★★*★ 


H  of  ffce  important  SKIRBALL-MANNING  properties  to  be  produced  at  Universal  will  be 


j  MYRNALOY 
i  DON  AMECHE 


in 


benms 
In  The  Famihj" 

Directed 
by 

FRANK  RYAN 


Sunny  River 

in  Technicolor 

based  on  the  stage 
play  bg 
Oscar  Hammerstein,  II 
and 

Sigmund  Romberg 


CLAUDETTE  COLBERT 
DON  AMECHE 

the  sparkling  stars 
of  the  I 
Skirball-Manning  Production 
"Guest  Wife" 


in  a  : 
NEW  COMEDY 


12 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  August  29,  1945 


Review 


"Swingin'  on  a  Rainbow" 

(Republic) 

A SPRIGHTLY  musical,  "Swingin'  on  a  Rainbow"  has  for  its  core  an  ear- 
appealing  tune  by  Kim  Gannon  and  Walter  Kent,  called  "Wrap  Your 
Troubles  in  a  Rainbow,"  which  carries  a  strong  suggestion  of  airwave  possi- 
bilities. The  script  job,  by  Olive  Cooper  and  John  Grey  is  tied  to  a  familiar 
formula,  but  that  matters  little,  however,  in  view  of  William  Beaudine's 
directorial  verve,  from  which  has  stemmed  pleasing  performances  in  the 
acting  department,  headed  by  Jane  Frazee  and  Brad  Taylor,  with  the  late 
Harry  Langdon  functioning  nicely  in  a  comedy  role.  The  picture  will  give 
audiences  a  good  72  minutes  of  fun. 

Miss  Frazee  as  a  small-town  radio  station  songstress  with  a  flair  for  music 
writing,  has  one  of  her  tunes  stolen  by  a  "big-name"  band  leader,  played  by 
Richard  Davies,  and  when  she  seeks  him  in  New  York  to  right  the  wrong  he 
hides.  Miss  Frazee,  broke,  moves  into  the  absent  Davies'  hotel  suite  by 
passing  herself  off  as  his  neice  and  then,  representing  herself  as  the  band 
leader's  song-writing  collaborator,  sells  her  songs  as  their  collective  work. 
Meanwhile  romance  blossoms  between  herself  and  Taylor,  in  the  role  of  a 
wealthy  lyricist  writer,  who  lives  in  the  apartment  next  door.  Taylor's 
original  fiancee,  a  singer,  irked  over  his  new  romantic  interest,  neglects 
to  appear  on  a  big  radio  program  featuring  the  songs  of  Miss  Frazee,  who 
pinch-hits,  and,  of  course,  is  highly  successful  and  calms  Davies  who  returned 
to  the  scene  furious  over  the  way  she  evened  her  score  with  him.  The  cast 
also  includes  Minna  Gombell,  Amelita  Ward,  Wendell  Niles,  Tim  Ryan  and 
others.    Eddy  White  was  associate  producer. 

Running  time,  72  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  Sept.  1. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Vinson  Sets  8th 
War  Loan  Program 


Washington,  Aug.  28. — The  gen- 
eral program  of  the  forthcoming 
'Victory  Loan'  has  been  announced 
here  by  Fred  M.  Vinson,  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  As  previously  an- 
nounced, the  loan  will  be  for  $11,000,- 
000,000,  which  is  the  smallest  amount 
that  has  been  sought  in  any  loan  since 
the  first,  which  took  place  in  Dec, 
1942,  and  for  individuals  the  national 
quota  will  be  $4,000,000,000;  corpora- 
tions, savings  banks,  life  insurance 
companies,  etc.,  $7,000,000,000;  the  'E' 
bond  quota  will  be  $2,000,000,000. 

The  so-called  'basket'  of  securities 
to  be  offered  will  be :  Series  'E,'  'F' 
and  'G'  savings  bonds ;  series  'C  sav- 
ings notes ;  two-and-a-half  per  cent 
Treasury  bonds  of  1967-72,  maturing 
Dec.  15,  1972;  two-and-a-quarter 
per  cent  Treasury  bonds  of  1959-62, 
maturing  Dec.  15,  1962;  and  seven- 
eighths  per  cent  certificates  of  indebt- 
edness, maturing  Dec.  1,  1946. 

The  drive  will  open  for  individual 
subscriptions  on  Monday,  Oct.  29  and 
extend  through  Saturday,  Dec.  8.  The 
-corporate  sales  will  open  on  Monday. 
Dec.  3  and  extend  through  the  close 
of  business  on  Dec.  8.  The  account- 
ing period  for  savings  bonds  and  'C 
notes  will  cover  the  two  months  from 
Oct.  29  through  Dec.  31.  The  mar- 
ketable securities  will  be  dated  Nov. 
15,  except  the  certificates  which  will 
be  dated  Dec.  3. 

Both  Secretary  Vinson  and  Ted  R. 
Gamble,  national  director  of  the  Treas- 
ury's War  Finance  Division  empha- 
size the  urgent  need  for  a  continuing 
strong  payroll-savings  program. 

Columbia  to  Meet 
In  Chicago  Sept,  11 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

nine  Army  service  commands  will 
meet  here  today  and  tomorrow  with 
Columbia  home  office  executives  to 
formulate  and  coordinate  the  War  De- 
partment's share  of  the  national  pro- 
motional campaign  for  Gen.  Dwight 
D.  Eisenhower's  "The  True  Glory." 
In  addition,  the  meeting  will  be  at- 
tended by  public  relations  officers 
from  the  more  important  posts  and 
bases,  and  by  representatives  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information  and  the 
War  Activities  Committee.  Altogeth- 
er, 1,400  Army  public  relation  officers 
throughout  the  U.  S.  will  cooperate  on 
publicity  for  the  film. 

The  film,  from  official  records  of 
the  Allied  armies,  tells  the  story  of  the 
Invasion  of  Fortress  Europe,  from  in- 
ception until  the  final  surrender  of 
Germany.  Columbia  is  distributing 
for  the  OWI,  through  the  WAC. 


Premiere  of  'True 
Glory9  at  Abilene 

Glendon  Allvine,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Eastern  Public  Information 
Committee,  left  here  yesterday  for 
Abilene,  Kansas,  to  complete  arrange- 
ments for  the  premiere  of  "The  True 
Glory,"  Allied  documentary  of  the 
winning  of  Europe,  at  the  Plaza  The- 
atre in  General  Dwight  Eisenhower's 
home  town. 

The  premiere  will  be  held  during 
the  week  of  Sept.  7-13,  day-and-date 
with  the  New  York  opening  of  the 
picture,  date  for  which  also  remains 
to  be  set. 


Eight  Million  See 
U.  S.  Bureau' 's  Films 

Washington,  Aug.  28.— More  than 
8.000,000  persons  attended  95.000 
showings  of  Bureau  of  Mines  films 
during  the  past  year,  it  was  reported 
here  today  by  the  Interior  Depart- 
ment. 

The  Bureau  now  has  over  10,000 
reels,  the  largest  and  most  complete 
collection  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  it 
was  disclosed. 

None  of  the  pictures  were  pro- 
duced at  Government  expense,  the  en- 
tire cost  of  production  being  borne  by 
the  mineral  and  related  industries.  It 
is  estimated  that  since  1916.  when  the 
production  of  films  was  initiated,  more 
than  $2,250,000  has  been  contributed 
for  the  purpose.  Throughout  the 
period,  M.  F.  Leopold,  supervising 
engineer  of  the  Bureau's  motion  pic- 
ture section,  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
work. 

Miss  Flagg  Resigns 
Vanguard  Film  Post 

Harriett  Flagg,  for  the  past  three 
years  Eastern  production  represen- 
tative for  David  O.  Selznick's  Van- 
guard Films,  has  resigned  effective 
Sept.  15.  Miss  Flagg  has  been  with 
Selznick  for  10  years,  starting  shortly 
after  he  opened  his  first  office  as  an 
independent  producer,  proceeding 
thence  to  Hollywood  as  his  executive 
secretary  during  the  filming  of  "Gone 
With  the  Wind,"  and  culminating  in 
her  appointment  as  New  York  talent 
and  story  head  the  post  which  she  is 
now  relinquishing. 

'G.I.  Joe'  at  $2.40 
Top  in  Gotham  Run 

Lester  Cowan's  United  Artists  re- 
lease of  Ernie  Pyle's  "The  Story  of 
G.  I.  Joe,"  scheduled  to  have  a  dual 
premiere  in  New  York  at  the  Globe 
and  Gotham  theatres,  following  the 
run  of  "The  Southerner"  at  the  Globe, 
will  play  the  Gotham  on  a  three-a-day 
showing  at  a  top  of  $2.40,  while  it 
will  play  the  Globe  on  a  'grind'  basis 
at  that  theatre's  regular  prices. 

'G.  I.  Joe'  was  originally  scheduled 
to  play  Loew's  Criterion  only. 


Espy  Named  PRC 
Production  Chief 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

said  PRC  chose  him  because  the  com- 
pany "wanted  a  man  whose  prestige 
and  respect  in  the  industry  would  at- 
tract the  finest  personalities  for  its  ex- 
tensive program  of  'A'  pictures." 
After  surveying  the  studio  and  its 
facilities,  Espy  will  go  East  for  con- 
ferences with  the  Pathe  board  of 
director  and  with  general  sales  man- 
ager Harry  Thomas. 


PRC  Will  Hold  Sales 
Drive  for  Thomas 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  28. — PRC  head- 
quarters here  announces  that  the  com- 
pany and  its  franchise  holders  will 
conduct  a  special  "Harry  Thomas 
Sales  Drive,"  honoring  the  company's 
general  sales  manager,  from  Sept.  29 
to  Nov.  23. 

The  drive  will  be  preceded  by  a  spe- 
cial advertising  campaign. 


John  S.  Young,  partner  with  Ken- 
neth M.  Young  in  Pathe  Laboratories, 
with  which  PRC  is  affiliated,  is  en 
route  to  British  Columbia,  from  his 
headquarters  in  New  York;  Harry 
Thomas  is  on  his  way  back  to  New 
York  from  Hollywood,  making  stop- 
overs at  PRC  exchanges  in  the  field. 
He  is  due  here  at  the  end  of  the  .week. 

National  Screen  to 
Close  Confab  Today 

National  Screen  Service  executive 
and  sales  conferences  continued  at  the 
home  office  yesterday  and  are  sched- 
uled to  be  concluded  today  with  dis- 
cussion of  new  peacetime  operations 
remaining  on  the  agenda.  Herman 
Robbins,  NSS  president,  is  presiding. 


Altec-Vinnicof  Deal 

Stanley  Pariseau,  Los  Angeles  dis- 
trict manager  of  Altec  Service  Corp., 
announces  the  renewal  of  agreements 
for  Altec  service  and  repair  parts  with 
the  Vinnicof  Theatre  Circuit  of  10 
theatres  in  California,  and  the  Fox 
West  Coast  Loma  Theatre  at  San 
Diego. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Aug.  28 

ANDREA  KING  and  Janis  Paig, 
■  have  been  promoted  to  full-fledgec 
stardom  by  executive  producer  Jack 
L.  Warner,  bringing  the  Warner  Bros 
star  roster  to  a  total  of  28,  the  highesl 
in  the  company's  history.  A  new  stu- 
dio personnel  sheet  also  reveals  thai 
Warners  has  50  featured  players  undei 
contract  and  27  engaged  to  appear  ir 
one  or  more  pictures.  This  brings  th« 
Warner  talent  roster  to  a  total  of  10; 
stars  and  featured  players,  a  recorc, 
peak  for  the  company. 

• 

Paramount  has  contracted  Olhii 
DeHavilland  for  three  pictures  in  thi 
next  three  years.  .  .  .  Director  Irving 
Pichel  has  signed  a  long-term  contrac 
with  International  Pictures.  .  .  .  Olgi 
San  Juan  has  been  selected  for  the  leac 
opposite  Bing  Crosby  in  Paramount'' 
comedy  version  of  "Monsieur  Beau 
caire."  .  .  .  Errol  Flynn  is  set  to  sta] 
in  "Stallion  Road,"  Stephen  Long, 
street's  novel  which  was  recently  pur 
chased  by  Warners,  on  which  Ale. 
Gottlieb  will  function  as  producer. 
• 

Anthony  Mann  has  been  signed  t 
direct  "The  Bamboo  Blonde"  fc.j 
RKO  Radio;  Frances  Langford  ha 
been  cast  for  the  title  role,  witj 
Russell  Wade  as  her  lead.  .  .  .  Th 
King  brothers,  Monogram  produ< 
ers,  have  engaged  Polly  Ellis,  wh 
recently  won  the  title  "Miss  Cal 
fornia  of  1945,"  for  a  role  in  "Golde 
Girl."  .  .  .  Douglas  Fowley  has  bee 
added  to  the  cast  of  "What  Nex 
Corporal  Hargrove?"  now  shootir 
at  M-G-M. 

• 

Humphrey  Bogart  and  Lauren  B. 
call  will  be  teamed  for  the  third  tin 
in  "Tomorrow  Is  Another  Day,"  whii 
Robert  Buckner  will  produce  ar 
Raoul  Walsh  will  direct  for  Warner 
.  .  .  Clifford  Odets  is  currently  prepa 
ing  the  script  for  "Notorious," 
which  Cary  Grant  and  Ingrid  Ber 
man  will  be  starred;  Alfred  Hitc 
cock  will  produce  and  direct  the  pi 

ture  for  RKO  Radio  "Four  Hou 

from  Chi,"  a  forthcoming  magazi 
serial  by  William  Porter,  has  been 
quired  by  Republic ;  Armand  Schae 
will  supervise  production  of  the  film 

Des  Moines  Variett 
Tent  Reorganizing 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  28. — Following 
visit  by  R.  J.  O'Donnell,  national  ch 
barker,  and  other  National  Varie 
Club  officers,  A.  H.  Blank,  head 
Central  and  Tri-States  Circui 
agreed  to  cooperate  in  the  reorgani; 
tion  of  the  dormant  Des  Moines  Te 

Blank  has  approved  a  change  j 
name  for  the  hospital  here  which 
and  Mrs.  Blank  donated  in  memory 
their  late  son,  hereafter  to  be  kne 
as  the  Raymond  Blank- Variety  CI 
Memorial  and  should  the  Tent  reti 
to  full  activity,  this  hospital  wing  v 
become  one  of  its  chief  charities, 
which  the  circuit  head  will  also  p; 
ticipate. 

Local  exchangemen,  theatre  m; 
agers  and  other  industry  people  : 
now  discussing  the  details  that  \ 
lead  up  to  the  return  of  the  I 
Moines  charter.  When  this  ev 
takes  place,  all  ranking  national 
ficers  will  attend  the  function. 


Uj    Wednesday,  August  29,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


13 


LiYf  Hemisphere 
Passport  Rulings 

Washington,  Aug.  28.— The 
State  Department  discloses 
today  that  it  is  working  on 
plans  to  enable  U.  S.  citizens 
to  travel  anywhere  in  this 
hemisphere  without  pass- 
ports. 

A  passport  regulation 
amendment  to  that  end  was 
announced  by  the  Department 
which,  if  followed  by  other 
countries,  will  make  this  pos- 
sible. Several  American  coun- 
tries already  permit  our  citi- 
zens to  enter  and  leave  with- 
out passports  and  others  have 
indicated  that  they  will  do  so, 
Secretary  James  F.  Byrnes 
said. 


SOPEG  Calls  for 
nd  to  the  Strike 


The  New  York  Screen  Office  and 
Professional  Employes  Guild,  Local 
\o.  1,  CIO,  has  voted  to  place  the 
Guild's  facilities  at  the  disposal  of 
oth  sides  in  the  Hollywood  strike  in 
n  effort  to  settle  that  dispute. 
»ed  Hi  Text  of  a  statement  voted  upon  by 
"  folhe  membership  follows:  "The  Holly- 
d  hip  vood  strike  has  become  a  matter  of 
rttfrave  concern  to  SOPEG's  member- 
,  Ttrfihip.  The  place  of  our  union  in  the 
rodut  industry  and  the  well-being  of  our 
,  jrld  membership  are  influenced  by  the  sta- 
Calpijility  of  labor-management  relations 
;0liJtAroughout  the  rest  of  the  industry. 
;  i,e,  .ioreover,  our  fraternal  ties  and  the 
Xe!i7  lutual  interests  and  identity  between 
ootii!'ur  membership  and  those  of  the 
lollywood  office  and  professional  em- 
•loyee  Guilds  dictate  a  keen  concern 
or  their  status. 

"Clear  is  our  moral  obligation  to 
Ji  of  such  assistance  as  possible  and 
,i.ecessary  in  resolving  this  situation 
m  the  satisfaction  of  the  employees  in- 
volved.   To  this  end,  we  place  our 
inion  at  the  disposal  of  the  parties  in- 
-    olved  and  call  upon  the  companies, 
c,:he  National  Labor  Relations  Board, 
Jnd  both  groups  of  AFL  unions  to 
>rthwith  settle  the  strike. 

.a; 
sat 
jit 


CBS  Setting  Network 
Promotion  Campaign 

Thousands  of  special  recordings  of 
.  letwork  stars.,  local  announcements 
£t|ior  CBS  outlets,  guest-critic  record- 
ngs,  and  matrices  and  proofs  for 
y  ewspaper  advertisements  will  be  used 
MM  the  1945-46  Fall  and  Winter  pro- 
J  dp"iotion  campaign  of  Columbia  Broad- 
/aij||asting. 

Qj II  This  first  peace-time  drive  involves 
intl'  completion  and  distribution  of  this 
,4|naterial  to  148  CBS-affiliated  stations 
s  Mil  the  U.  S.  and  two  in  Canada.  Last 
aSi!'ear's  keynote  of  "The  Biggest  Show 
Town"  is  being  retained  this  year. 
-  Recordings  include  those  to  be  made 
la«»Py  Danny  Kaye,  Joan  Davis  and 
..  (  .  lmmy  Durante. 


Weekly  Television  Plays 

NBC  will  usher  in  its  Fall  season 
Sunday  night  drama,  in  television 
ver  its  station  WNBT  in  New  York 
text  Sunday,  with  "Another  Laguage," 
irst  produced  on  Broadway  in  the 
spring  of  1932  and  produced  as  a 
•lm  by  M-G-M  in  1933.  Edward 
,'obol,  NBC  television  producer,  is 
Handling  production. 


Critics 9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"THE  SOUTHERNER"  (David  Loew-United  Artists) 

"One  of  the  courageously  outspoken  pictures  of  this  season.  The  large  audi- 
ences it  deserves  may  not  materialize  at  the  Globe  Theatre  but  the  fortunate 
who  do  visit  it  will  carry  away  stirring,  if  disturbing  memories." — Alton 
Cook,  New  York  World-Telegram. 

"A  worthy  addition  to  the  year's  roster  of  fine  films  .  .  .  may  not  be  an 
'entertainment'  in  the  rigid  Hollywood  sense,  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  a  rich, 
unusual  and  sensitive  delineation  of  a  segment  of  the  American  scene  well 
worth  filming  and  seeing." — New  York  Times. 

"An  interesting  departure  from  the  groove  of  Hollywood  pictures.  .  .  .  The 
seeds  of  fine  drama  are  here,  but  the  picture  only  scratches  the  surface  of 
these  uneducated  but  strong-souled  rural  types." — Otis  L.  Guernsey,  Jr., 
New  York  Herald  Tribune. 

"At  once  a  rare  and  rewarding  motion  picture.  ...  It  is  not  a  film  to  miss, 
nor  to  let  your  friends  miss." — John  T.  McManus,  PM  {New  York). 

"Forceful  drama  that  may  not  be  popular  escapist  entertainment,  but  does 
offer  a  stirring  picture  of  the  land." — Rose  Pelswick,  New  York  Journal- 
American. 

"Can  safely  head  your  list  of  current,  worthwhile  pictures." — Archer  Win- 
sten,  Neiv  York  Post. 

"Mr.  Renoir  has  been  careless  about  much  of  the  cutting  and  direction,  but 
the  film  has  real  emotion." — Eileen  Creelman,  New  York  Sun. 

"GEORGE  WHITE'S  SCANDALS"  (RKO  Radio) 

"Half  of  it  is  good  entertainment,  the  other  half  is  tedious  repetition  of  a 
worn-out  plot.  The  good  half,  however,  is  somewhat  better  than  average  and 
most  film  fans  will  be  glad  to  bear  with  the  sameness  of  the  conventional  love 
story  for  the  sake  of  the  fun  and  music." — Donald  Kirkley,  Baltimore  Sun. 

"It  is  funnier  than  the  two  previous  "Scandals,"  unless  our  memory  is  more 
faltering  than  usual.  It  is  noisy  fun  of  a  primitive  sort  but  it  meets  a  demand. 
.  .  .  Unfortunately,  as  is  the  case  with  so  many  diversions  in  this  category, 
"Scandals"  suffers  from  stuffy  plot  trouble." — Gilbert  Kanour,  Baltimore  Eve- 
ning Sun. 

"Retains  the  ingredients  that  made  its  Broadway  original  an  annual  fun 
and  frolic  festival.  .  .  .  Treated  to  a  backstage  musical-comedy  story,  how- 
ever, the  resultant  movie  is  murky  with  plot." — Newsweek. 


Coast  Strike  Hits 
General  Service 
Studio  in  25th  Week 


Academy  Revises 
Leader  on  Prints 

Hollywood,  Aug.  28. — The  Acad- 
emy Research  Council  announces  the 
adoption  of  the  ninth  revision  in  the 
standard  release  print  leader.  Chief 
change  provides  for  the  inclusion  of 
six  frames  bearing  the  title  and  reel 
number  printed  lengthwise  with  the 
film,  simplifying  reading  by  a  pro- 
jectionist. The  American  Standards 
Association  and  the  British  Institute 
of  Standards  are  considering  it  for 
approval  as  the  international  standard. 


Deny  Altering  'Over  2T 

Jack  Cohn,  executive  vice-president 
of  Columbia,  yesterday  denied  pub- 
lished reports  that  he  had  agreed  to 
correct  references  .  to  Arkansas  in 
"Over  21"  to  which  objection  has  been 
taken  by  the  office  of  the  state  pub- 
licity director  and  other  Arkansans. 


Werfel  Funeral  Today 

Hollywood,  Aug.  28.  —  Funeral 
services  for  Franz  Werfel,  author  of 
"The  Song  of  Bernadette,"  who  died 
of  heart  ailment  at  his  home  in  Bev- 
erly Hills,  last  Sunday,  will  be  held 
tomorrow  afternoon  at  the  Pierce 
Chapel,  Beverly  Hills. 


Allied  Outing  Today 

Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New 
Jersey,  Inc.  will  hold  an  August  Out- 
ing today  at  the  West  End  Casino, 
West  End,  N.  J.  The  occasion  will 
feature  a  luncheon,  dinner,  swimming, 
and  general  athletic  activities. 


Sir  William  Brass, 
59,  Dies  in  London 

London,  Aug.  28. — Lord.  Chatti- 
sham,  parliamentary  secretary  to  sev- 
eral Cabinet  members,  is  dead  at  the 
age  of  59. 

Better  known  as  Sir  William  Brass, 
he  had  served  as  a  Conservative  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Commons  from 
1922  until  his  retirement  a  month  ago, 
when  he  was  made  a  Baron. 

Lord  Chattisham  served  with  the 
Royal  Flying  Corps  and  the  Royal 
Air  Force  in  the  first  World  War 
and  was  knighted  in  1929.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  British  Film  Insti- 
tute. 


Earle  Holds  Vaudeville 

Philadelphia,  August  28.  —  The 
Earle  Theatre  will  continue  to  show 
vaudeville  for  another  year  and  will 
not  show  films  exclusively,  as  ex- 
pected after  Warners  dropped  'live' 
talent  in  its  Washington  theatres.  A 
new  contract,  just  signed  by  War- 
ners and  Local  No.  77,  AFM,  runs 
until  Aug.,  1946.  Already  signed  for 
the  coming  season  are  Cab  Calloway 
and  Duke  Ellington. 


BMI  Short  Here  Soon 

"The  Patients  Are  In,"  a  British 
Ministry  of  Information  short  des- 
cribing an  incident  in  the  life  of  an 
American  soldier  hospitalized  in  Eng- 
land, will  soon  be  released  in  the 
United  States  by  20th  Century-Fox. 


Stock  Sales  Authorized 

Hollywood,  Aug.  28.  —  The  Cali- 
fornia State  Corporation  Commis- 
sioner has  authorized  stock  sales  by 
Mark  Hellinger  Prod,  and  Janny's 
Corp.  Directors  of  the  latter  are  Ben 
Hecht,  Rose  Hecht,  Florence  George 
and  Martin  Gang. 


Para.  Finances  Play 

Paramount  has  concluded  a  deal 
with  the  Playwrights  Co..  under  which 
the  former  will  invest  $50,000  in  the 
stage  production  of  Elmer  Rice's 
"Dream  Girl,"  and  also  make  a  down 
payment  of  $100,000  toward  a  $300,000 
maximum  for  film  rights. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

CSU  president  Herbert  Sorrell  issued 
the  walkout  directive  to  members  of 
all  striking  crafts. 

Immediate  cause  of  the  about-face 
on  the  part  of  CSU,  which  in  com- 
mon with  the  IATSE  had  refrained 
from  interfering  with  the  independent 
producers  previously  on  the  ground 
that  the  set  decorators'  contract  at 
issue  in  the  strike  was  held  by  the 
major  studios,  was  the  studio  manage- 
ment's dismissal  of  plumbers,  one  or 
three  according  to  conflicting  reports, 
who  had  held  dual-membership  cards. 
A  CSU  spokesman  said  the  plumbers 
had  been  ordered  to  drop  their  IATSE 
affiliation  and  refused  to  do  so.  An 
IATSE  spokesman  said  they  had  not 
been  IATSE  members  but  were  per- 
mitted to  work  because  only  independ- 
ent production  was  involved.  IATSE 
international  representative  Roy  M. 
Brewer  said  the  IATSE  is  prepared 
to  provide  replacements  for  all  em- 
ployees who  go  out. 

Labor  Dept.  Mediates 

U.  S.  Department  of  Labor,  which 
has  made  previous  attempts  to  inter- 
vene in  the  strike,  today  again  under- 
took to  serve  as  mediator.  Following 
the  request  telegraphed  by  the  Screen 
Writers  Guild  last  night  to  the  De- 
partment in  Washington,  local  U.  S. 
conciliator  Earl  Ruddy  this  morning 
received  instructions  to  proffer  his 
services  in  the  interests  of  settlement. 
This  afternoon  he  visited  SWG  of- 
ficials as  a  first  step  toward  arrang- 
ing meetings  at  which,  it  is  planned, 
all  factions  will  confer  on  terms  of  a 
possible  settlement. 

SWG's  telegram  was  in  sequel  to 
its  second  demand  on  the  producers, 
made  last  week  and  as  yet  unanswered, 
to  grant  the  strikers'  three  basic  con- 
ditions as  a  step  toward  meetings 
which  might  eventuate  in  peace.  The 
Screen  Actors  Guild,  invited  by  the 
SWG  to  collaborate  in  its  peace  under- 
taking, today  wired  the  SWG,  "SAG 
does  not  deem  it  within  its  power  to 
sit  in  judgment  on  any  party  involved 
in  the  present  strike.  The  Guild 
stands  ready  at  any  time,  in  coopera- 
tion with  other  impartial  groups  in 
the  industry,  to  assist  contending  fac- 
tions to  reach  settlement  of  their  dif- 
ferences." SAG's  reply  softens 
somewhat  its  earlier  flat  refusal  to  co- 
operate with  SWG. 


New  Ohio  Censor  Named 

Columbus,  O..  Aug.  28.  —  Gyde 
Hissong,  head  of  the  educational  de- 
partment of  the  Bowling  Green.  Ohio. 
University,  has  been  appointed  State 
Director  of  Education  here,  by  virtue 
of  which  office  he  becomes  head  of 
the  State  censor  board.  Hissong  suc- 
ceeds W.  Kenneth  Ray.  who  recently 
resigned  to  become  educational  direc- 
tor of  the  Grolier  Society. 


More  Sunday  Film  Time 

Hartford,  Aug.  28.  —  The  Con- 
necticut State  Legislature  has  passed, 
and  Gov.  Raymond  Baldwin  has 
signed  a  bill  which  permits  theatres 
in  all  towns  and  cities  of  Connecticut, 
after  Oct.  1,  to  exercise  local  option 
and  remain  open  from  1  P.  M.  to 
11  :30  P.  M.  instead  of.  as  at  present, 
from  2  P.  M.  until  11  P.  M. 


1 


UNIVER 


MAflK  HELLimER 

y  Known  newspaper 

^  v«  cwe8pondenti  and 

n°ted  --»  Picture  producer. 
no^  Produce  for 

VWERSAL 

M  his  fim 

for  the  screen  ! 


/B«?ir 

OF  SEHSAT/M/1L 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 
InteUigerv 

to  the  Action 

Picture 

Industry 


NO.  43 


NEW  YORK,  U.  S.  A.,  THURSDAY,  AUGUST  30,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


L  S.  Making  a 
00-Reeler  on 
Korld  War  II 


1,000-Ft.  Subject  Is 
yeady  Well  Along 

he    Government    is  compiling 
reels  of  500,000  feet  for  53 
onologies"  for  a  play-by-play 
ion  picture  account  of  the  mili- 
operations  of  the  United  States 
Vorld  War  II,  in  which  is  de- 
Ded  as  "the  most  ambitious  pic- 
i\  job  of  all  time." 
Doing  the  job  is  the  Signal 
jjrps  Photographic  Center,  at 
>arby    Astoria,    Queens,  of 
fhich  Col.  R.  C.  Barrett  is  cont- 
ending officer.  The  center  has 
ready  completed  15  of  the  pro- 
cted  53  chronologies,  yielding 
(0,000   feet.     An  inestimable 
nount  of  footage  is  available 
r  editing. 

le  chronologies,  which  some  spe- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


licago  Operators 
3 -Year  Pact 


iiicago,  Aug.  29. — After  a  15-hour 
erence  between  exhibitor  represen- 
ts and  officers  of  the  Chicago 
ling  Picture  Operators  Union,  Lo- 

10.  110,  IATSE,  at  the  Bismarck 

11,  today,  a  three-year  agreement, 
|Hve  Saturday,  was  signed. 

o  new  pact  calls  for  a  10  per 
raise  over  the  three  year  period, 
jer  cent  to  be  paid  the  first  year, 
and  one-half  per  cent  the  second, 
two  and  one-half  the  third.  It 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


ogress  Reported 
i  '306'  Union  Pact 


^ress  was  reported  here  yester- 
is  representatives  of  Loew's  and 
'  circuits  and  New  York  and 
klyn  first-runs  met  with  IATSE 

York  Motion  Picture  Machine 
|ators  Union,  Local  No.  306  for 
irst  time  under  the  direction  of 
ird  F.  Walsh,  national  IATSE 
I'lent,  as  arbiter,  in  a  renewed 
|pt  to  negotiate  a  new  contract  to 
:e  agreements  which  will  expire 
I 'row.  A  second  meeting  with 
(Continued  on  page  3) 


Connors  Gives  Two 
Reasons  for  'B's' 

Chicago,  Aug.  29.  —  Tom 
Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution  for 
20th-Fox,  explained  to  the  re- 
cent company  regional  meet- 
ing here  that  the  company 
will  continue  to  make  'B'  pic- 
tures for  two  reasons:  80  per 
cent  of  theatre  customers 
want  double  features,  creat- 
ing a  market  for  small-budget 
pictures,  and  'B'  productions 
are  a  vital  training  school  for 
new  talent  in  all  phases  of 
the  industry. 


Paramount  Setting 
New  N.Y.  Outlets 


Having  failed  thus  far  to  come  to 
terms  in  the  New  York  territory  with 
the  Brandt,  Skouras  or  Century  cir- 
cuits, Paramount  has  started  to  seek 
other  outlets  for  its  1944-45  product 
in  situations  where  such  a  move  is 
possible.  The  three  circuits  and  the 
houses  for  which  they  book  have  not 
played  any  of  the  current  season's 
Paramount  product,  making  nine 
months  in  some  instances  where  thea- 
tres on  Long  Island  and  elsewhere 
hereabouts  have  not  shown  new  Para- 
mount pictures.  Loew's  Metropolitan 
circuit  and  Paramount  set  a  deal  sev- 
eral months  ago  after  the  same  type 
of  disagreement  over  terms  had  kept 
Paramount  films  from  Loew  theatres 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Nelson  to  Seek  U.S. 
Aid  for  Industry 
In  Foreign  Markets 


Hollywood,  Aug.  29. — The  Society 
of  Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers proposes  that  the  Government 
be  invited  to  actively  cooperate  with 
the  U.   S.  film 
industry  along 
lines  which 
would  expedite 
the  reopening 
of  foreign  mar- 
kets  to  Holly- 
wood films. 

Carrying  such 
a  plan  to  the 
Government  in 
Washington  for 
the  organiza- 
tion will  be 
Donald  Nelson, 
former  head  of 
the  WPB,  and 
president  of  the 
SIMPP,  who  will  first  confer  with 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Donald  Nelson 


Reconversion  Aids 
Business:  Broidy 


Hollywood,  Aug.  29. — Theatre  busi- 
ness is  going  to  be  better  than  ever  for 
a  while  with  bigger  matinees  prevail- 
ing and  evenings  holding  up  during  the 
immediate  period  of  reconversion,  ac- 
cording to,  Steve  Broidy,  Monogram 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


U.S.  Cites  Film  Assets  of 
Over  $1,500,000,000 


Washington,  Aug.  29. — Value  of 
the  motion  picture  industry  is  well  in 
excess  of  $1,500,000,000,  it  was  indi- 
cated in  figures  released  tonight  by  the 
Internal  Revenue  Bureau. 

Analysis  of  balance  sheets  submitted 
by  corporations  in  connection  with 
their  tax  returns  for  1942  disclosed 
that  3,632  motion  picture  companies 
had  combined  assets  of  $1,302,556,000. 
No  estimates  are  possible  of  the  assets 
of  individuals  and  unincorporated  con- 
cerns in  the  industry. 

Net  receipts  of  the  reporting  cor- 
porations in  1942  were  $1,192,585,000. 
of  which  $1,100,600,000  was  derived 
from  operations.  Rents  and  royalties 
accounted  for  $22,383,000  and'  divi- 
dends from  other  corporations,  do- 
mestic and  foreign.  $20,253,000. 

The  Bureau  reported  cost  of  opera- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reels'  Occupation 
Films  Due  Tuesday 

First  newsreel  shots  of  the 
U.  S.  Third  Fleet  in  Japanese 
waters  and  the  initial  land- 
ings of  occupational  troops  on 
the  Japanese  homeland  are 
expected  here  early  next 
week,  probably  Tuesday.  Full 
coverage  is  foreseen  since 
Army,  Navy  and  regular 
newsreel  cameramen  are  on 
the  scene. 

Whether  the  material  will 
be.  shipped  to  theatres  imme- 
diately upon  receipt  as  a  spe- 
cial will  be  decided  when  the 
films  arrive. 


New  Drive-in 
Construction 
Boom  Is  Seen 


The  steady  expansion  of  the  number 
of  drive-in  theatres  in  progress  prior 
to  the  war  is  due  to  be  repeated  as  the 
nation  again  takes  to  pleasure  driving 
now  that  gasoline  rationing  has  ended, 
according  to  a  current  analysis  of  out- 
door theatre  prospects  which  has  been 
made  by  Fred  C.  Matthews,  of  Motio- 
graph,  projection  equipment  manufac- 
turers. Matthews  discloses  that  there 
is  at  present  "a  vast  amount  of  interest 
in  drive-in  theatres"  among  U.  S.  ex- 
hibitors, leading  him  to  believe  that 
outdoor  exhibition  "is  destined  to  be- 
come an  increasingly  important  factor" 
after  the  war. 

W.  W.  Smith,  president  of  Park-In 
Theatres,  Inc.,  which  holds  exclusive 
control  of  the  patent  on  drive-in  thea- 
tres, granted  in  1933,  has  furnished 
Motion  Picture  Daily  with  figures 
indicating  that  there  was  a  300  per  cent 
increase  in  the  number  of  drive-in's 
within  a  few  years  prior  to  the  stale- 
mate which  the  war  placed  on  con- 
struction.   There  were  only  about  25 

^Continued  on  page  3) 


Shooting  at  General 
Service  Continues 


Hollywood.  Aug.  29.  —  General 
Service  Studio  continued  to  operate 
today  with  IATSE  craftsmen  replac- 
ing members  of  striking  unions  with- 
drawn yesterday.  Production  on 
"Breakfast  in  Hollywood"  and  "Diary 
of  a  Chambermaid"  went  forward 
without  interruption,  although  there 
was  a  reported  possibility  that  prog- 
ress might  be  slowed  somewhat  as  a 
result  of  the  changeover  in  crew  per- 
sonnel. 

Meanwhile,   the    Screen  Directors 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


U.  S.  Calls  Industry 
To  Coast  on  Drive 


Washington,  Aug.  29. — Plans  for 
the  industry's  participation  in  the 
"Victory  Loan"  campaign  will  be  laid 
next  week  in  Hollywood  on  a  date 
how  being  arranged  by  Theodore 
Gamble,  director  of  the  Treasury's 
W  ar  Finance  Committee,  and  Si  Fabi- 
an, chairman  of  theatres  division  of 
the  War  Activities  Committee.  Gam- 
ble and  his  assistants  plan  to  meet 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Thursday,  August  30,  19 


Foreign  Heads  Study 
Spanish  Situation 

Foreign  managers  of  the  film  com- 
panies met  here  yesterday  to  discuss 
the  present  situation  affecting  the  dis- 
tribution of  American  films  in  Spain, 
which  is  complicated  by  the  fact  that 
there  is  no  clear  idea  of  what  the  Span- 
ish government  is  seeking  to  attain  in 
the  restrictions  it  has  imposed  on  the 
importation  of  Hollywood  films. 

Foreign  managers  are  scheduled  to 
meet  again  next  Wednesday  to  set 
final  details  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Export  Co.,  Inc.,  for  Holland  and  also 
to  make  a  final  decision  on  a  head  for 
the  corporation.  While  it  was  sug- 
gested in  some  quarters  that  the 
changing  situation  in  Holland,  occa- 
sioned by  a  more  conciliatory  attitude 
by  the  Dutch  government,  might  make 
it  unnecessary  to  set  up  the  export  cor- 
poration there  to  handle  the  release  of 
American  films,  other  sources  declared 
that  the  situation  has  not  changed  and 
that  combined  plans  are  going  for- 
ward for  Holland. 

It  is  understood  that  further  negoti- 
ations to  reach  an  agreement  with  the 
French  government  on  the  distribu- 
tion of  American  films  in  France  will 
be  conducted  in  France  with  the  re- 
turn of  General  DeGaulle  and  his 
representatives.  While  it  has  been 
suggested  that  discussions  have  been 
conducted  on  the  basis  of  the  French 
admitting  108  American  films  annual- 
ly, other  factors  concerning  release 
of  revenue  and  playing  time  need  to 
be  thrashed  out  before  the  American 
companies  would  be  inclined  to  accept 
such  an  arrangements  as  a  compro- 
mise. 


Kroehler  Appoints 
Colonel  Tandler 

Chicago,  Aug.  29.— Lt.  Col.  R.  N. 
Tandler,  placed  on  the  Army  Air 
Corps  inactive  list  after  three  years 
in  service,  has  been  appointed  Eastern 
division  sales  manager  of  the  Kroehler 
Manufacturing  Co.'s  theatre  seating 
department,  with  headquarters  in  New 
York.  The  appointment  was  an- 
nounced here  by  B.  B.  Buchanan,  gen- 
eral sales  manager  of  the  theatre  seat- 
ing division. 


Mono.  Will  Spend 
$500,000  on  Studio 

Hollywood,  Aug.  29. — Monogram 
executive  director  Trem  Carr  an- 
nounced today  a  half-million-dollar 
studio  expansion  program  which  will 
be  featured  by  the  construction  of  a 
new  stage,  the  addition  of  a  second 
story  to  the  administration  building, 
and  erection  of  a  commissary  building 
and  other  improvements. 


Film  Music  in  'Journal* 

The  September-October  issue  of 
Music  Publishers  Journal,  will  consist 
entirely  of  articles  devoted  to  the  ap- 
plication of  music  to  motion  pictures, 
incorporating  such  features  as  tech- 
niques in  film  music,  the  development 
of  film  music. 


Personal  Mention 


FRANK  ROSENBERG,  Columbia 
advertising-publicity  director,  will 
leave  for  the  Coast  tomorrow  for  a 
vacation. 

• 

C.  S.  Posen,  formerly  of  the  Metro 
Theatre,  Toronto,  who  resigned  re- 
cently to  join  a  theatre  circuit  in 
Ohio,  was  guest  of  honor  at  a  fare- 
well party  attended  by  100  film  men 
in  that  city. 

• 

Claire  C.  Harris,  daughter  of 
Ben  Harris,  head  of  the  American 
Film  Exchange,  Philadelphia,  and 
Pfc.  Robert  Newcomer  were  mar- 
ried recently  in  Atlantic  City. 
• 

Major  Daniel  Jenkins,  son  of 
Felix  Jenkins,  secretary  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, was  among  the  first  Amer- 
ican troops  who  flew  into  Tokyo  this 
week. 

• 

Lieut.-Col.  William  Wyler, 
former  Goldwyn  director,  has  arrived 
in  New  York  from  Los  Angeles,  and 
is  staying  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
Towers. 

• 

Everett   Callow,   advertising  and 
publicity  manager  for  Warner  the- 
atres in  Philadelphia,  celebrated  his 
15th  wedding  anniversary  last  week. 
• 

Nikitas  Dipson  of  Batavia,  N.  Y., 
■has  been  named  a  member  of  the 
American  Reparations  Committee  for 
Greece. 

• 

Leo  F.  Samuels,  foreign  manager 
of  Walt  Disney  Productions,  is  back 
at  his  desk  after  a  brief  vacation  in 
the  Poconos. 


T  AMES  COSTON,  Warner  Thea- 
>J  tres  Chicago  zone  manager,  is  due 
in  New  York  tomorrow  to  attend 
home  office  conferences. 

• 

Ned  E.  Depinet,  Robert  Mochrie, 
Harry  Michalson,  Walter  Bran- 
son, S.  Barret  McCormick,  M.  J. 
Poller,  A.  A.  Schubart  and  Terry 
Turner,  RKO  Radio  executives,  are 
due  here  at  the  weekend  from  Los 
Angeles. 

• 

Harry  Kosiner,  Eastern  represen- 
tative for  Edward  Small,  has  post- 
poned his  European  trip  and  'Will 
leave  for  Hollywood  instead. 

• 

Patricia  Dollahan  is  back  at  her 
sales  promotion  post  at  Filmack  Trail- 
er, Chicago,  after  an  absence  of  four 
months.- 

• 

Ed  Hochstin,  former  Columbia 
salesman  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  has  been 
transferred  to  the  company's  Chicago 
sales  force. 

• 

Carol  Frantz  of  Publix-Rickards- 
Nace  Theatres,  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  associ- 
ated with  Paramount,  is  a  New  York 
visitor. 

• 

Lindsley  Parsons,  Monogram  pro- 
ducer, has  returned  to  the  studio  after 
an  illness  of  several  days. 

• 

John  Corfield,  British  producer,  is 
due  here  from  London  shortly.  He 
will  also  visit  Hollywood. 

• 

Lester  Pollock,  manager  of  Loew's 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  is  vacationing  with 
his  family  at  Chautauqua  Lake. 


Kuykendall  Hails 
Para.  Pact  Form 

"The  decision  of  Paramount  to  of- 
fer an  understandable  and  much  shorter 
contract  form  will  be  received  by  ex- 
hibitors who  have  been  long  inter- 
ested in  short  contracts  as  a  progress- 
ive and  constructive  development  in 
our  industry,"  a  statement  from 
MPT  OA  president  Ed  Kuykendall, 
states,  as  issued  yesterday  from  or- 
ganizational headquarters  here,  com- 
mending Paramount  counsel  Austin 
Keough  and  general  sales  manager 
Charles  Reagan. 


'Glory'  Opening  Sept.  6 

"The  True  Glory,"  General  Eisen- 
hower's film  history  of  the  fall  of 
Fortess  Europe,  from  the  inception  of 
the  invasion  plan,  through  'D-Day,' 
and  the  final  Nazi  surrender,  will  open 
at  the  Victoria  Theatre,  here,  on 
Thursday,  Sept.  6.  It  will  be  dis- 
tributed by  Columbia  for  the  Office  of 
War  Information,  through  the  War 
Activities  Committee. 


Adler  Aide  to  Cummings 

Alfred  Adler,  returned  service  man, 
will  handle  all  M-G-M  correspond- 
ence on  home  office  prints  for  trans- 
fer to  _  exchanges,  working  under 
supervision  of  Alan  F.  Cummings,  in 
charge  of  exchange  operations  and 
maintenance. 


14  Killed  in  Para. 
Office  in  Bombay 

Paramount's  Bombay  office  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  yesterday,  according-  to 
a  cablegram  received  by  George  Welt- 
ner,  Paramount  International  presi- 
dent, from  Marian  Jordan,  the  com- 
pany's general  manager  in  India. 

Unofficial  reports  from  Bombay  said 
that  14  were  killed  and  17  injured,  and 
the  United  Press  reported  that  nine 
todies,  including  that  of  Subodh  Gan- 
guli,  sales  manager,  had  been  recov- 
ered. Ganguli  returned  to  Bombay 
Julv  15  following  an  eight-weeks'  visit 
to  the  U.  S. 

Morey  Marcus,  Paramount  district 
manager,  is  being  dispatched  to  Bom- 
bay as  soon  as  possible  to  investigate 
the  fire  and  to  assist  Jordan  in  re- 
establishing an  office. 


Western  Electric  to 
Meet  in  October 

Western  Electric  Export  Corp.  will 
hold  a  convention  of  its  foreign  and 
domestic  managers,  here,  Oct.  1-12,  at 
which  will  be  featured  a  display  of 
its  new  peacetime  sound  reproducing 
systems. 

Included  in  the  equipment  to  be 
shown  will  be  a  sound  •  system  for 
larger  theatres,  and  a  new  system  built 
especially   for   smaller  houses. 


Added  Duties  for 
•U's  Kelly,  Sparks 

Hollywood,  Aug.  29.  —  Dan  Ke! 
and  Robert  Sparks  will  have  increas 
executive  responsibilities  as  memb'- 
of  Universal's  studio  advisory  boa 
by  virtue  of  the  appointment  of  Jam 
Geller,  former  Warner  Brothers  ai 
William  Morris  Agency  story  exe 
utive,  as  co-ordinator  of  the  cor 
pany's  entire  writer  activities  previou 
ly  under  joint  supervision  of  Kel 
and  Sparks. 

Another  Universal  studio  personr 
change  transfers  Milton  Schwarzws 
from  the  production  department 
the  position  of  consultant  in  the  mu 
department. 


Canada  Film  Boar 
Building  Condemne 

Ottawa,  Aug.  29.— Following  l] 
recent  second  outbreak  because  of 
short  circuit  in  the  studio  premises 
the  National  Film  Board  here  1 
building  has  been  condemned  as  a  f 
hazard  and  unsafe  for  its  present  i 
by  the  Ottawa  fire  department  in 
report  to  the  Civic  Board  of  Conti' 

Fire   Chief   Burnett  criticized 
handling  of  nitro-cellulose  films  in 
improvised  building  with  many  WO' 
en  partitions  and  extensive  high  v< 
age  wiring.  Two  employees  were  tal , 
to  the  hospital  after  the  recent 
and  last  year  five  were  injured, 
eluding  two   seriously   burned  w 
film  burst  into  flames  in  the  revis 
room. 


Reisman  Names  Nt 
RKO  Chief  in  Italy 

In    line    with    rapidly  expanc 
markets  abroad,  Phil  Reisman, 
president  in  charge  of  foreign 
tribution  for  RKO  Radio,  has  na  j 
Bruno  Fux  as  manager  in  Italy,  | 
headquarters  in  Rome. 

Fux's  experience  in  the  motion 
ture  business  dates  back  to  1924  vfl 
he  joined  Fox  Films  as  managing] 
rectory  for  Italy.  He  was  subsear] 
ly  with  Pasquale  Films  in  Ti 
Mondus-Metro  Films  in  Italy  an] 
head  of  Fux  Films,  his  own  organ 
tion,  in  that  country. 


Film  Talk  by  Dowden 

"Movies  at  War"  was  the  sul 
of  an  address  made   this  weeL 
Edward  C.  Dowden  of  Loew's,  clj 
man  of  public  relations  of  the 
York  City  W ar  Activities  Comm  I 
before  the  Mt.  Vernon  Kiwanis  <j£ 
George   Miner,   manager   of  LcF 
Theatre,  Mt.  Vernon,  introduced  I 
den.  Other  Loew  men  present  f 
district   manager  James   Grady  i 
Saul  Handwerger  of  the  publicit  ) 
partment. 


'Kiss  and  Tell'  Passet 

Chicago,  Aug.- 29.  — The  Ch 
Police  Censor  Board  has  chang< 
decision  on  Columbia's  "Kiss  A 
Tell,"  removing  this  week  its  " 
only"  restriction.  The  film  is 
for  a  Loop  run  in  October. 


PnhM.hW  r™I™  W  1?™'  Q^aM  a  Qu,gle&  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  QM 
President3  ReTx,™  ViriVr  I  t  ti  21U^'  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  -'Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Q,U 
^^^'^^^C^^M^jJtr'iJ-  Sulilvan'  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Adve  i* 
i  fX'^  Kwi  '  w  i  Ml<*'San  Avenue,  Sam  Homgberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  B  aHi 
Inter^S<m2i'M^ioS T*cl\re%J?™m&  Manaier;  P<*er  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Th  reS) 
lTsTr  ytMTfn  Sf  AmeHcTa'd  ^"forefgnf ' sing"  cS  loT  ^  ^  ^  *  ^  P°St  ^  *  Y°*'  *  Y"  ""^  the        °f  Ma"*  3'  ^    ^  H 


rhursday,  August  30,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Short  Subject 
fceview 


f Annapolis" 

RKO  Radio — This  Is  America) 
Timed  with  the  100th  anniversary 
f  the  founding  of  the  U.  S.  Naval 
.cademy,  "Annapolis,"  No.  11  in  the 
lird  of  the  'This  Is  America'  series, 
resents  a  highly  enlightening  docu- 
lentation  of  the  activities,  customs, 
•aditions  and  guiding  principles  sur- 
junding  the  lives  of  the  Nation's 
iture  guardians  of  the  seas.  It  is  a 
\m  that  every  American  will  view 
jith  pride,  for  it  holds  the  answer  as 
m§jb  why  our  Navy  emerged  so  victor- 
ies in  the  war  in  the  Pacific. 
!  There  are  scenes  of  various  phases 
ji  Annapolis  training  and  sdcial  activi- 
tes  and  of  many  historic  points  of 
iiterest  in  and  about  the  Academy 
hich  the  casual  visitor  would  be 
kely  to  miss.  Running  time,  16 
inutes. 


i.  A.  City  Council 
eighsTheatreLevy 


Los  Angeles,  Aug.  29. — Los  Ange- 
s  City  Council  committee  on  revenue 
id  taxation  today  took  committee 
lairman  Meade  McClanahan's  pro- 
Dsal  for  a  five  per  cent  tax  on  theatre 
rosses  under  advisement  following 
|pen  hearings  in  the  council  chamber 
;  which  citizen  groups  and  exhibitor 
laders  presented  their  views.  Citizens' 
J-oponents  took  the  position  the  levy 
ould  be  a  "tax  on  luxury."  Where- 
,  I ;  exhibitor  leaders  pointed  out  the 
\nema  is  not  a  luxury  but  "necessary 
jnusement  at  all  times  and  especially 
Ipw  with  postwar  developments  not 
et  known  to  be  dealt  with." 
,  |  Paul  Williams,  general  counsel  of 
'ie  Southern  California  Theatre  Own- 
s,  and  Thomas  Tobin,  representing 
.ie  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
.jputhern  California  and  Arizona,  were 
;e  principal  speakers  for  the  ex- 
hibitor side.  They  called  the  pro- 
mised tax  "discriminatory"  and  asked 
le  committee  for  "information  as  to 
e  purposes  for  which  the  tax  money 
sought  and  how  it-  would  be  ex- 
nded." 

No  date  for  submission  of  the  meas- 
jje  to  the  Council  by  the  committee, 
"  f  iich  is  believed  to  favor  its  passage, 
il'f\s  been  set. 


Renewed  Boom  Is  Forecast 
For  Drive-in  Construction 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

in  operation  at  the  beginning  of  that 
period  of  activity  in  drive-in  building. 
Matthews'  observations  would  indicate 
that  drive-in  construction  is  prepared 
to  pick  up  where  it  left  off  as  the  war- 
time restrictions  are  forgotten  and 
automobiles  again  become  identified 
with  pleasure. 

Matthews  points  out  that,  despite 
the  fact  that  a  relatively  short  season 
restricts  the  drive-in's  earning  power 
correspondingly,  outdoor  theatres  lo- 
cated in  states  north  of  the  Mason- 
Dixon  Line  have  been  pronounced 
financial  successes.  Northern  states 
having  drive-ins  include  Connecticut, 
Illinois,  Indiana,  Massachusetts,  Mich- 
igan, New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey, 
New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode 
Island,  Washington  and  Wisconsin. 

"As  admission  charges  for  the  drive- 
in  are  about  the  same  as  those  of  the 
average  urban  theatre,  and  the  cus- 
tomer capacity  of  the  drive-in  is  far 
greater  than  the  average  indoor  house," 
Matthews  stated,  "the  annual  gross  re- 
ceipts of  the  average  drive-in  even 
with  its  short  daily  and  seasonal  oper- 
ation, should  equal  the  annual  gross 
receipts  of  a  moderate  sized  theatre 
with  its  longer  daily  and  seasonal  oper- 
ation." In  this  respect  he  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  smaller  operational  costs  of 
the  drive-in  as  well  as  lower  real  es- 
tate taxes,  building  depreciation  and 
maintenance. 


Hollywood  Canteen 
To  Close  Oct  3 

if  L  JHollywood,    Aug.    29.  —  President 
acedfttte  Davis  of  the  Hollywood  Can- 
sent  |p>  today  announced  the  institution 
Jradljpl  close  on  its  third  anniversary, 
ibliifP-  3,  so  members  of  the  forty-one 
ilds  and  unions  who  have  partici- 
(ted  can  devote  their  time  "to  better 
i.vantage    in    other    fields    for  the 
hefit  of  veterans." 


ndoa] 
tter  1 


lussian  Composers 
ought  for  Film 

Hollywood,  Aug.  29.  —  Producer 
iris  Morros  today  cabled  Shostak- 
fch  and  Prokofieff,  Russian  com- 
sers,  proposals  for  their  services  on 
score  of  his  independent  techni- 
or  production,  "Carnegie  Hall"  and 
appear  as  themselves  in  the  picture. 


Frank  Harris  Plans 

5  More  Drive-in  Houses 

Atlanta,  Aug.  29. — Announcement 
of  plans  to  build  five  more  drive-in 
theatres  has  been  made  by  Frank  Har- 


ris Theatres.  License  for  the  theatres 
has  been  granted  by  Park-In  Theatres 
of  Camden,  owners  of  U.  S.  patent 
rights  which  cover  various  phases  of 
construction  necessary  to  operate  a 
drive-in  theatre. 

Negotiations  for  the  purchase  of 
sites  is  now  in  progress,  two  locations 
having  already  been  purchased.  Final 
details  for  purchase  of  the  remaining 
three  will  be  completed  in  time  to  per- 
mit building  to  start  in  all  five  spots 
simultaneously,  when  present  restric- 
tions are  lifted. 

Frank  Harris  .  Theatres  is  Park-In 
Theatres'  franchise  holder  in  "North 
Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida  and 
own  and  operate  drive-in  theatres  in 
Augusta,  Macon  and  Savannah,  Ga. ; 
Jacksonville  and  Orlando,  Fla. ;  Char- 
lotte, Durham  and  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
It  will  be  built  on  property  owned  at 
26th  street  and  Prospect  avenue.  The 
Johnson  County  theatre  will  be  at 
Overland  on  owned  ground.  It  will 
be  a  modern  structure  in  the  Santa  Fe 
style,  and  will  be  named  the  Trail. 
Each  theatre  will  seat  about  800,  ac- 
cording to  present  plans. 


Individual  Speakers 
In  Planned  Drive-in 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  29. — Mid-west 
Drive-In  Theatres,  Inc.  of  Boston, 
will  erect  a  $75,000  open-air  theatre 
for  cars  on  a  20-acre  tract  in  South- 
east Des  Moines.  •  '  Construction  will 
begin  in  the  Fall  and  the  theatre  will 
be  open  next  Spring. 

A  feature  will:  be  individual  speak- 
ers for  each  car  in  place  of  a  cen- 
tral amplifier  now  in  use,  according  to 
Philip  Smith,  company  president. 


Progress  Reported 
On  '306'  Union  Pact 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
Walsh  and  TA'  executive  board  rep- 
resentatives has  been  set  for  Tuesday. 

Meanwhile  Local  306  membership 
met  here  last  night  to  vote  on  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  settlement  negotiated 
through  Walsh's  intercession  in  the 
long-standing  controversy  between 
Local  306  and  the  Century  Circuit  of 
Brooklyn  and  Queens,  which  oper- 
ates 35  theatres.  Under  terms  of  the 
settlement,  approximately  a  20  per 
cent  wage  increase  is  contemplated 
immediately  for  about  100  projection- 
ists in  Century  Circuit,  retroactive  to 
April  1.  Arc  additional  increase  of 
five  per  cent  has  been  set  for  Sept. 
1,  1947. 

The  Century  controversy,  which  de- 
veloped when  Local  306  merged  with 
Empire  State  Motion  Picture  Oper- 
ators Union  in  1943  and  Century 
sought  to  upset  the  merger,  has  been 
settled.  Century  obtained  an  injunc- 
tion to  prevent  the  dissolution  of  Em- 
pire until  the  expiration  of  its  con- 
tract in  1951.  Under  terms  of  the  new 
agreement,  Empire  will  go  out  of  ex- 
istence on  Dec.  31,  1948  as  a  corpora- 
tion when  the  injunction  is  lifted, 
and  Century  acknowledges  that  the 
officers  of  Local  306  can  act  for  Em- 
pire. Century  also  has  agreed  to 
maintain  prevailing  scales  in  any  the- 
atres it  might  take  over  where  Local 
306  has  contracts./ 

For  its  part,  Local  306  has  agreed 
to  withdraw  its  petitions  pending  be- 
fore the  :fState  Labor  Relations  Board 
to  be  declared  the  collective  bargain- 
ing _  representative  of  Century  pro- 
jectionists. 


Paramounteers  Will 
Appear  on  MBS  Show 

As  a  feature  of  Paramount's  'One 
Third  of  a  Century'  anniversary  cele- 
bration, teams  made  up  Paramount  ex- 
change employes  from  New  York  and 
Chicago  will  participate  in  a  "Quiz  of 
Two  Cities"  Mutual  network  program 
Sunday. 

The  New  York  team,  captained  by 
Henry  Randel,  branch  manager  and 
broadcasting  from  WOR,  New  York, 
will  include  Myron  Sattler,  Kitty 
Flynn,  Sid  Mesibov.  Allen  Usher, 
Chicago  district  manager,  will  captain 
the  Chicago  team,  broadcasting  from 
WGN,  and  including  Harold  Stevens, 
E.  G.  Fitzgibbons  and  Alice  Enright. 
Film  industry  knowledge  and  Para- 
mount releases  will  comprise  the  sub- 
ject matter. 


Dorian  Otvos,  Film 
Writer,  Is  Dead 

Los  Angeles,  Aug.  29. — A.  Dorian 
Otvos,  playwright  and  author,  is  dead 
here  after  a  brief  illness. 

Otvos  was  born  in  Hungary  and 
received  his  education  at  the  Royal 
Music  Academy  of  Hungary.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1921  and  wrote 
the  music  and  sketches  for  main- 
Broadway  shows.  Eight  years  ago 
Otvos  came  to  California  to  work  as 
a  screen  writer  for  Columbia  and  Uni- 
versal studios. 

He  leaves  a  widow,  Ilonka,  and  a 
son,  John. 


Celebrations  Launch 
'State  Fair9  in  Iowa 

Des  Moines,  Aug.  29.  — ■  Seven 
Hollywood  stars  were  guests  at  the 
world  premiere  here  tonight  of  20th 
Century-Fox's  "State  Fair."  They 
were  George  Jessel,  James  Dunn,  Car- 
ole Landis,  Dick  Haymes,  Fay  Mar- 
lowe, Peggy  Ann  Garner,  and  Jo  Car- 
roll Dennison. 

The  premiere  followed  a  day-long 
celebration  in  the  city,  locale  of  much 
of  the  action  in  the  picture.  Events 
included  a  street  carnival,  national 
radio  hookup,  parade,  beauty  contest, 
and  personal  appearance  of  the  stars 
at  the  Des  Moines  and  Paramount 
theatres.  The  film  will  be  given  an 
all-state  premiere  in  65  Iowa  cities 
beginning  tomorrow. 


20  Joseph  Houses  in 
Philippines  Ruined 

Chicago,  Aug.  29. — Major  George 
Joseph  of  the  Philippine  Army,  Manila 
representative  for  the  De  Vry  Corp. 
here,  was  guest  this  week  at  a  din- 
ner given  at  the  Blackstone  Hotel, 
here,  by  William  and  E.  B.  De  Vry, 
heads  of  the  company.  He  was  re- 
cently discharged  by  the  army  and 
has  made  the  trip  to  re-establish  his 
business  relationship. 

He  revealed  that  of  21  theatres  he 
had  operated  in  the  Philippine  Islands 
prior  to  the  war,  20  of  them  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  Japanese  and  dur- 
ing bombing  raids. 


Chicago  Operators 
Sign  3 -Year  Pact 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

was  also  agreed  that  the  basic  hour- 
ly pay  of  smaller  houses,  now  set  at 
$2,  would  be  raised,  with  the  specific 
increase  to  be  set  by  the  union  and 
exhibitors  involved. 

Demands  from  the  union  for  extra 
pay  for  Sundays  and  holidays  and  em- 
ployment of  one  operator  for  each  pro- 
jector for  each  shift  in  all  houses 
with  a  seating  capacity  over  1,000 
were  defeated. 

Local  110  was  represented  by  Eu- 
gene Atkinson,  Clarence  Jalas  and 
James  J.  Gorman,  respectively  busi- 
ness agent,  assistant  and  president. 
Jack  Kirsch  represented  Allied  of  Il- 
linois ;  Morris  G.  Leonard,  Balaban 
and  Katz ;  Edwin  Silverman,  Essan- 
ess;  Frank  Smith,  RKO,  and  Harry 
Phelps,  Warner  Theatres. 


Variety  Football  Charity 

Baltimore.  Aug.  29. — The  Balti- 
more and  Washington  tents  of  the 
Variety  Club  will  sponsor  a  football 
game  between  the  Washington  Red- 
skins and  Detroit  Lions,  scheduled  to 
be  played  here  during  the  coming  grid 
season  in  the  stadium.  The  theatre 
men  will  share  receipts  for  charitable 
work  among  youngsters  in  the  two 
cities.  Plans  were  disclosed  simul- 
taneously by  Frank  H.  Durkee.  chief 
barker  of  the  Baltimore  Tent,  and 
Fred  S.  Kogod,  leader  with  the  same 
title  in  Washington. 


4-  ^ 


6 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Review 


"Isle  of  the  Dead" 

{RKO-Radio) 

BORIS  KARL  OFF,  as  an  iron-willed  Greek  army  general  during  the 
Balkan  War  of  1912,  comes  through  with  another  of  his  characteristically 
impressive  performances  in  "Isle  of  the  Dead,"  an  Ardel  Wray-Josef  Mischel 
screen  play  about  a  small  group  of  heterogeneous  people  who,  because  of  a 
plague,  are  quarantined  on  a  tiny  cemetery  island  just  off,. the  Greek  mainland. 
Directed  by  Mark  Robson,  the  film  starts  slowly  and  then  strives  mainly  for 
"atmosphere" — to  the  point  of  overdoing  it— and  then  piunges  into  a  spine- 
chilling  climax  which,  of  itself,  stands  to  give  "horror"  fare  devotees  their 
money's  worth  aplenty. 

The  story :  After  three  of  the  island's  visitors  die  of  the  plague,  a  supersti- 
tious old  Greek  woman,  played  by  Helene  Thimig,  endeavors  to  convince 
Karloff  that  Ellen  Drew;,  in  the  role  of  a  woman  visitor's  nurse  and  com- 
panion, is  a  vampire  who  killed  the  three.  Soon  thereafter  Miss  Drew's  em- 
ployer,' played  by  Katherine  Emery,  falls  into  a  cataleptic  trance,  is  pro- 
nounced dead  and  placed  in  a  coffin.  When  Karloff  himself  is  stricken  by 
plague,  he  gives  credence  to  the  old  woman's  mouthings  and,  despite  his 
weakened  condition,  tries  to  kill  Miss  Drew.  At  that  point  he  is  himself 
slain  with  a  trident  in  the  hands  of  maddened  Miss  Emery  who  had  escaped 
from  her  coffin  after  recoverng  consciousness  and  who,  in  like  manner,  had 
stabbed  the  old  woman  to  death.  The  gruesomeness  of  the  trident  killings 
,nake  the  film  unsuitable  fare  for  children.  Love  interest,  which  takes  a  back 
seat,  is  shared  by  Miss  Drew  and  Marc  Cramer,  who  plays  an  American 
newspaper  reporter.  Others  in  the  cast  include  Alan  Napier,  Jason  Robards 
and  Ernst  Dorian — all  uniformly  good.  Val  Lewton  produced,  and  Jack  J. 
Gross  was  executive  producer.  _ 
Running  time,  72  minutes.    Adult  classification.    Release  date,  not  set. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


$2,000,000  Malco 
Building  Program 

Memphis,  Aug.  29.— Malco  Thea- 
tres, headed  by  M.  A.  Lightman,  will 
begin  an  improvement  and  expansion 
program  in  Arkansas  and  Tennessee 
estimated  to  cost  nearly  $2,000,000. 
New  theatres,  each  to  cost  about  $50,- 
000,  are  planned  for  Ft.  Smith,  Hope, 
McGehee,  Helena,  Hot  Springs  and 
Camden,  in  Arkansas.  Theatres  to  be 
remodelled  and  air  conditioned  are  in 
Ft.  Smith,  McGehee,  Morrilton,  Con- 
-way,  Jamesboro,  Newport,  North  Lit- 
tle Rock.  Smackover,  Stuttgart, 
Clarksville,  and  Pine  Bluff,  all  in 
Arkansas. 

The  Tennessee  program  includes 
construction  of  a  'B'  house  on  Main 
street  in  Memphis,  a  drive-in  outside 
the  city,  remodelling  of  the  Capitol, 
Memphis,  and  building  of  another 
house  in  Jackson.  Besides  new  con- 
struction $100,000  would  be  spent  on 
new  seats,  $40,000  on  carpets,  and 
$60,000  for  equipment. 

The  expansion  will  enable  Malco, 
according  to  Lightman,  to  make  good 
on  its  pledge  to  re-employ  all  of  the 
241  of  its  700  employees  in  the  Armed 
Services.  It  was  also  announced  that 
Malco  sold  $24,000,000  worth  of 
bonds  during  the  Seventh  War  Loan 
Drive. 

U.S.  Calls  Industry 
To  Coast  on  Drive 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Fabian  and  other  industry  leaders  on 
the  Coast  shortly  after  Labor  Day 
to  work  out  the  broad  details  of  the 
industry's  program. 

Treasury  officials  recently  returned 
from  a  two-day  meeting  in  Chicago  at 
which  the  program  of  the  16  mm.  in- 
dustry was  discussed,  and  expressed 
the  opinion  that  the  141,000  16  mm 
showings  which  were  held  during  the 
Seventh  Loan  campaign  will  be  ex- 
ceeded in  the  coming  drive. 

A  spokesman  for  the  War  Finance 
Committee  here  said  the  35mm.  indus- 
try will  undoubtedly  come  up  with 
some  new  ideas  such  as  marked  its 
efforts  in  past  campaigns.  "If  they 
do  as  well  as  they  did  in  the  Seventh 
Loan  we  have  nothing  to  worry 
about,"  he  added. 

WAC  'Victory'  Short 
In  Work  at  Paramount 

Bette  Davis  has  been  added  to  the 
cast  of  "Hollywood  Bond  Caravan," 
a  two-reeler  being  produced  at  Par- 
amount Studios  in  Hollywood  for  the 
U.  S.  eighth  and  the  Canadian  ninth 
'Victory  Loans,'  the  War  Activities 
Committee  here  reports. 

Bing  Crosby  and  the  U.  S.  Maritime 
Service  Training  Station  choir  of  60 
are  now  at  work  in  the  first  song 
number,  "We've  Got  Another  Bond 
to  Buy,"  by  Jimmy  McHugh  and 
Harold  Adamson.  Louis  Harris  is 
producing  the  picture,  with  Tom 
Baily  serving  as  coordinator  between 
the  industry  and  the  War  Finance 
groups.  Melville  Shavelson,  of  Holly- 
wood Writers  Mobilization,  wrote  the 
script.  William  Russell  is  directing 
and  Bernard  Luber  is  supervisor. 

25c  GPE  Dividend 

Directors  of  General  Precision 
Equipment  Corp.  have  declared  a  divi- 
dend of  25  cents  per  share  on  the 
company's  capital  stock,  payable  Sept. 
15  to  stockholders  of  record  on  Sept.  7. 


Reconversion  Aids 
Business:  Broidy 


(Continued  frorn  page  1) 

vice-president  and  general  sales  mana- 
ger, who  has  returned  here  irom  New 
York.  Broidy  said  that  unemployment 
will  be  technical  and,  therefore  tem- 
porary, witlj  those  thrown  out  of  work 
afforded  the  opportunity  for  a  rest  and 
relaxation  at  theatres.  Then,  too, 
Broidy  said  the  return  of  servicemen, 
who  by  all  reports  will  come  back 
fonder  than  ever  of  motion  pictures, 
will  serve  to  swell  audiences. 

Commenting  on  the  elimination  of 
raw  stock  allocations,  Broidy  said  that 
this  would  not  affect  Monogram's  pro- 
duction program.  It  will  make  pos- 
sible, he  said,  the  release  in  a  shorter 
period  of  time  of  many  backlog  pic- 
tures held  up  because  of  a  lack  of 
positive  raw  stock.  He  estimated  that 
some  10  to  12  Monogram  films  are 
in  the  backlog. 


Reissues  Refused 
For  B.  &  K.  1st  Runs 

Chicago,  Aug.  29.  —  The  Balaban 
and  Katz  Circuit  this  week  reaffirmed 
its  iron-clad  policy  of  not  playing 
reissues  in  its  first  run  theatres  by 
permitting  a  couple  of  Paramount 
'oldies'  to  be  sold  away  from  its 
Loop  outlets.  The  RKO  Grand  will 
double  bill  "Northwest  Mounted  Po- 
lice" and  "This  Gun  For  Hire,"  next 
month. 


Hudson  Joining  CBS 

Robert  B.  Hudson,  director  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Radio  Council,  will 
join  the  program  department  of  CBS 
on  Sept.  1  as  assistant  to  Lyman  Bry- 
son,  director  of  education,  in  the  su- 
pervision and  administration  of  the 
network's  education  programs,  accord- 
ing to  Douglas  Coulter,  vice-president 
in  charge  of  programs. 


Cites  Film  Assets 
Of  $1,500,000,000 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tions  of  the  companies  as  $595,827,000, 
and  compensation  to  officers  as  $23,- 
367,000. 

Only  2,559  of  the  reporting  compa- 
nies paid  income  taxes.  They  had  to- 
tal assets  of  $1,228,715,000  and  total 
receipts  of  $1,119,435,000,  of  which 
$1,035,487,000  was  from  operations, 
$20,461,000  from  rents  and  royalties 
and  $20,183,000  from  dividends.  Costs 
of  operations  were  $561,008,000. 

The  companies  showed  a  net  profit 
for  the  year  of  $170,143,000,  and  paid 
total  income  and  excess  profits  taxes 
of  $73,110,000,  leaving  a  net  profit  af- 
ter taxes  of  $97,033,000.  Dividends 
paid  included  $44,140,000  in  cash  and 
assets  other  than  their  own  stock,  and 
$407,000  in  the  corporations'  own 
stocks. 

Nelson  to  Ask  U.S. 
For  Support  Abroad 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

heads  of  the  distributing  companies  in 
New  York  immediately  after  the  La- 
bor Day  holiday ;  Nelson  will  leave 
here  by  plane  for  the  East  tomorrow 
night. 

The  outcome  of  Nelson's  delibera- 
tions with  the  distributors  will  deter- 
mine whether  the  independent  produc- 
ers will  join  the  distributors'  Motion 
Picture  Export  Company,  Inc.  An 
invitation  to  membership  in  the 
MPEC  was  extended  to  the  indepen- 
dents by  the  companies  several  weeks 
ago. 

Since  he  assumed  the  presidency  of 
the  independent  group,  Nelson  has 
stressed  that  his  No.  1  job  for  the  pro- 
ducers is  to  improve  their  position  in 
foreign  markets. 


Noraya  Incorporates 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  29. — Noraya 
Film  Supply  Co.,  Inc.  has  been  incor- 
porated to  deal  in  photographic  equip- 
ment in  Brooklyn. 


U.  S.  Making  60 
Reels  on  the  War 


(Continued  from  page  I) 

cialists  expect  to  become  the  "te 
books"  of  tomorrow,  are  films 
which  animation  sequences  are  said, 
play  an  important  role.  Special  n| 
ration  is  written  and  cued  to  each  ij 
of  film. 

Since  the  end  of  the  war,  the  s" 
of  the  Historical  Film  Branch  of  - 
Combat  Films  Division,  under  C: 
D.  F.  Marquette,  has  been  expand 
More  than  30  have  been  transfer 
to  this  branch  since  Japan's  j 
render. 

Purposes  of  the  historical  films  '• 
outlined  by  Capt.  Marquette,  are :  j 
An  official  history  of  the  war ;  j 
Teaching  history  of  the  war ;  3. 
ture  propaganda  and  educational  i 
tion  pictures.  (As  is  gener 
known,  Government  war-propaga 
films  were  used  extensively  in  thea- 
during  World  War  II).  4.  Study 
strategy  and  tactics. 

Although  final  plans  have  not 
been  announced  regarding  the  per 
time  utilization  of  the  pictures,  civi- 
interests  have  expressed  interest  in: 
films,  said  the  Signal  Corps. 

The  53  chronologies  are  sub-di., 
ed  into  theatre  chronologies  as 
lows:  ETO  25,  Pacific  15,  CB: 
and  Mediterranean,  9. 


Shooting  at  Generc, 
Service  Continues  ! 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Guild  answered  the  Screen  Wri: 
Guild  invitation  to  join  in  an  atte 
to  effect  a  strike  settlement  stat. 
"SDG  position  is  unchanged  since 
tri-guild  meetings  early  in  the  sti 
All  three  parties  involved  in  the  st! 
should  observe  due  processes  of 
NLRB  decision  of  the  Set  Decora^ 
is    expected   this   week.  Until 
studios  and  the  unions  act  on  that  ;:j 
cision,    SDG    cannot    determine  ; 
position." 

Other  quarters  doubted  the  NI 
decision  would  be  forthcoming  wi( 
two  weeks. 


U.  S.  Conciliator  Quits 
Mediation  Efforts 

Hollywood,  Aug.  29. — U.  S.  L; 
Department  conciliator  Earl  Ru" 
who  yesterday  undertook  to  set 
meetings  between  the  producers  • 
union  factions  for  the  purpose  of 
tling  the  strike  today  withdrew  f 
the  scene  on  receipt  of  notifies 
from  the  War  Labor  Board  tha 
had  not  relinquished  its  interes' 
the  strike  situation. 

It  was  on  a  charge  that  prodii 
had  refused  to  obey  a  WLB  os 
tha„t  the  strikers  precipitated  t 
walkout  March  12th. 


Paramount  Setting 
New  N.Y.  Outlets 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

in  New  York  for  almost  six  monil 
Loew's  is  now  playing-off  the  pict 
held  back. 

Newest  Paramount  distributior 
Long  Island  is  by  Samuel  CumrAj 
who  operates  the  Jackson,  a  700-.' H 
er  in  Long  Beach.  Cummins  will  y| 
five  Paramount  double  bills  and  i  <l 
can  continue  to  get  product  he  plai  \oi 
operate  at  the  resort  throughout  k| 
year,  having  installed  a  heating  rl 
tern. 


03 

< 


< 

to 

Ph 

> 


co"  I  ff-jr 
Sucos-§~ 

MZ  bBr,  > 


J;,  Wee  S-S* 
uoco 


<  c  c  • 


t  M  *a  J-  ro 


J;QW<  £  gj 
w05  w 


'  .a  re 


3  I  Si 


-?E<  2.  So! 


.,     O  v>r* 


OS  «>  m  ») 

<■§  n  g.S* 
"coOh  ™ 

o 


•P  u  C  c  10 
►7  ,_  fa  3  re  .S  ti- 
—  2  ■3  u  S  c  \ 
OhOB«  ~» 

<  m  "*00 

<  S£rep« 


Oco 
<  re. 5  oM 

Kgoos 

cow 


«  o 


g  * 
i-) 


O 
2 


Si's, 


< 


X  J  repap^, 
03 


H  EPOS'S  I  £ 
a,  o  S  wOpS 


<       2  "> 

D   w  ™ 

Co  i- 

re  %  2  > 

W  ^  re  re  2j 

f-iffi 


^ci: 

Sffl Si  '  £ 
Q  .  eOQca 

§2o 


.Eg 


Q 
2 

0.=  S 

«  Sm  £• 

i-5  -s  o 
CO  w 


X 

o 

I 

H 

o 

CM 


u  OS  o_ 

3  o  J-SSJ 

U     ,       _    H    "I  ^ 

<<  <  |  ^ 

Q 


o  c^o^ 

OrJ"  o  .  ^ 
.2  lU  2?" 
co  o  S  .S  SS 
n  dig  S  K  fc* 

>  g 
<o  I  ^ 


co  C  <="- 

BO-  N 

CD  bfi      I  S 
A,  O 


o  „ 


>< 

K<C-C  5§  S 


5ix  c  o!1? 


S2, 


re< 
.Eh 

;< 


.5  |  8  {\ 

n)  w  P  - 
In  i-.  c  ^ 

re  c  u  1 
ore'. 


°wtd" 
OS  H  - 

0"H  =  - 

at  ^ 


P 
< 

O 

M 

OS 


0W  re  o^u; 

So  S  S  * 

oo  s  ^  « 


2 

Opj 

HW  8  S3 
S2Q 

3-co 


~  <£  a  o  u  p. 

<  I 
P 


!S    K  CD 


?g  s, 

K5  [r  — 

2    >     o  — . 

2  o-<  t:  .  ; 


^  Oi  o  h  > 


Oh  H  Q 

ago 


CM 

O  _ 

i  nj  co' ,_, 
°  re '. 


^03 


O  ^ 
{_)  n 

co  >, 

i-h  re  re  • 

w  o  -tS  ^ 
2^KTf 

<  A 

CO 


t— ' 

O 

o 
>-) 
< 


W  5- 

2  re  >  3" 
<«  S 

2  o.=  c  > 
W   u  |  - 

O  Q 


H<  c 
COOS  ™ 

2°i  3 
Pz  c 
<5  2 

OS^fc 


REPUBLIC 

MAN  FROM 
OKLAHOMA 
Roy  Rogers 
Gabby  Hayes 
OM—  68  mins.  (443) 
(Rev.  7/30/45.1 

TELL  IT  TO 
A  STAR 
Ruth  Terry 
Robt.  Livingston 

C— 67  mins.  (425) 
(Rev.  8/15/45) 

SWINGING  ON  A 
RAINBOW 
Jane  Frazee 
Grad  Taylor 

C— 72  mins.  (426) 

(1945-'46) 
BANDITS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Sunset  Carson 
Peggy  Stewart 
O— 56  mins.  (551) 

FATAL 
WITNESS 
Evelyn  Ankers 
Richard  Fraser 

D— 59   mins.  (427) 

(Reissue) 
RANCHO 
GRANDE 
Gene  Autry 

O — 68  mins. 
(Rev.  3/25/40) 

MARSHAL  OF 
LAREDO 
Bill  Elliott 
Bobby  Blake 

0—56  mins.  (562) 

PRC 

STAGE  COACH 
OUTLAWS 
Buster  Crabbe 
Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John 

O — 58  mins. 
(Rev.  7/16/45) 

FRONTIER 
FUGITIVE 
Dave  O'Brien 
Tex  Ritter 

O — 55  mins. 

ARSON  SQUAD 
Frank  Albertson 
Robt.  Armstrong 

D — 64  mins. 
Rev.  6/28/45 

DANGEROUS 
INTRUDER 
Charles  Arnt 

Veda  Ann  Borg 

D— 71  Mins. 
(Rev.  8/3/45) 

APOLOGY  FOR 
MURDER 
Ann  Savage 
Hugh  Beaumont 
D 

1 

BORDER 
BADMEN 
Buster  Crabbe 
Al  St.  John 

O — 59  mins. 
(Rev.  8/28/45) 

< 

PQ 

O 


09  vo 

.2p_:V-3  8 vol 


rSS  s  re 

zz  E 

<ia  c  _  . 

o 


So 


:'£> 


<2§  »'« 

|DhH      »  £  • 

0*1 


OS 


H 

3>Su  i 
sh^q  ><o  £  . 

PS&iOp;  re^b°  > 


°  o 


O 


&«  | 

hH  "0 

►G  -a 


l-H        J  C 

X 


E  . 


(r.  h>  <<  u      u  -S  co 

P  <   o-c  +!  > 


fHQ"2 

gzjE-S 

ww   -  £ 

i-h  ^  rt  J-*  o  -I 
H^05A7« 


< 

HZ 

>§ 

o  > 


:6« 


w 
l-J 

ECO3  "  B  * 

o 


2<  S.S$ 
coO  c^OS 

«•§  I w 


QW  >,£ 
<05  E^-  > 
cow  £ 

M^  I « 
o 


o 

w.a  -S3 

QMpqi- 


-co  >,i3.5-«- 

uO*  i-  M  "tx  w 

1<<  oSo| 


OreB^"?00 


i2&< 


Mj«  >,•£- 

^"cooo 
OS?"  ^ 


u  o 
—  c  c 

5  sis 

<>  C  re 

O 


I  £ 
6« 


03  c  c 
coW    -S  o 

«W™  red' 


<aj     re  T3*- 

P3  £w 


w2  & 

M  C  .-3 
2<Ph 

a  re  re 

t_(  TJ  V-1 


COS 


Q2Q 

z"o 
<oo. 

PQ00. 


CO 

co 
W 

ZW 

X  s 

OH 

wg 

os< 
w 
s 


2  13] 
So-2 

m_  o. 

-OS- 


05 

o 
z 

<o.->eo-0: 
Q 


OS  c  c  I  > 

<  §.«?:  ■■ 


OS 


c 


Pco-S 


HD 


re  iJ 


>  Oh  T)  M 

<  S 


^H     U  S 

o^i<s 

►J  Q  ^  .2 


w 
X 

-To 

~< 
« 


2  t 
«  J  2 

H<  C 


coo  "  ?" 

SO""  Oh  OS 

OSCJ  OS  c  < 

uo<  5  oos 

Q£  re  20. 

•5  o 


"he 

3h  CO  O  C 

fc0S^2  _ 
O  -  *  - 
,05  £5 

os_  cas 

3ja 


be 

S  CO 

<5 


§P  O 


be 
s 


iH 


be 
S 


be 


CO 


cu 

on 


-a, 


-a 
oo 


■a 

cu 

oo 


00 


cj  in 

o 


fiLflfl  llfiflHfiflOrMl  PflnGBORIHSflBfLfiflllDOLPHDDIE  IRR-RDRIfln  BOOTH  •HUROfifl  IfflRflODfl 


Directed  by  FRANK  MCDONALD  •  Screen  Play  by  lOHM  K.  BUTLER  .  Original  Story  ty  GERALD  DRAYSON  ADAMS  and  JOHN  KRAFFT 

&  REPUBLIC  LIGHT-AS-A-FEATHER  MUSICAL  ROMANCE  FULL  OF  THAT  OLD  CRQWD  APPEA 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  _  ICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 


to  the 
Picture 
Industry 


tion 


)L.  58.  NO.  44 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  AUGUST  31,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Oth-Fox  Sets 
leleases  Thru 
)ecember,  '46 

?  Films  Are  Scheduled; 
roduction  Accelerated  ■ 


Twentieth  Century-Fox  has  set 
ease  dates  for  a  total  of  38  films 
-ough  Dec.,  1946,  the  longest 
riod  in  the  company's  history  for 
iich  release  dates  have  been  set. 

As  previously  announced,  the 
jompany  will  release  28  films, 
nine  of  them  in  Technicolor, 
luring  1945-46  season. 
The  38  films  scheduled  for  release 
to  and  including  Dec,  1946  in- 
ide  those  in  current  release  since 
:  beginning  of  the  new  season.  List- 
as  Aug.,  1945  releases  are :  "A  Bell 
H  Adano,"  "Wilson,"  "Junior  Miss" 
d  "The  Way   Ahead."  "Captain 
ildie"  and  "Caribbean  Mystery"  will 
September  releases. 
Scheduled  for  October  release  are: 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


irst-Runs 
it  Peak 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

First-runs  throughout  the  coun- 
generally  registered  one  of  their 
st  weeks  of  the  Summer  during 
b  past  seven  days,  reports  from 
otion  Picture  Daily  correspon- 
ds in  17  key  cities  said  ;  circuit  exe- 
ives  agree.  Little  effect  was  felt 
>m  the  lifting  of  gasoline  rationing. 
Fourteen  pictures  and  one  combina- 
n    double-bill    re-release,    led  by 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


okyo  Already  on 
"he  Air  to  U.S. 


Direct  radiotelegraph  communica- 
>n  with  Tokyo,  suspended  since  Dec. 
1941,  was  restored  at  7:00  A.M. 
sterday  by  RCA,  it  was  announced 
re  by  Thompson  H.  Mitchell,  vice- 

(Coutinued  on  page  3) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "  Pardon  My 
Past"  appears  on  page  3. 


States  Collect 
$10,517,000 
Theatre  Taxes 


Washington,  Aug.  30. — Admis- 
sion taxes  collected  by  21  of  the 
28  states  having  theatre  levies 
amounted  to  $10,517,000  for  the  fis- 
cal year  ended  around  last  June  30, 
it  was  reported  here  today  by  the 
U.  S.  Census  Bureau. 

The  heaviest  collections  were: 
$2,554,000  in  Ohio,  $2,099,000  in 
Washington,  $1,243,000  in  Ken- 
tucky and  $1,084,000  in  New 
York;  the  lightest  were:  $10,- 
000  in  Rhode  Island,  and  $11,000 
in  Connecticut. 

The  Bureau  showed  only  the  re- 

{Continued  on  page  3) 


U.S.  to  Study  Delay 
In  New  Italy  Ruling 


Washington,  Aug.  30. — An  in- 
quiry to  determine  the  cause  for  delay 
in  announcement  by  the  Italian  Gov- 
ernment of  new  film  laws  designed 
to  supersede  those  of  the  Fascist  re- 
gime was  instituted  today  by  the  State 
Department. 

A  spokesman  for  the  Department 
disclosed  that  no  word  has  been  re- 
ceived regarding  the  situation  in  Italy 
{Continued  on  page  6) 


WB  and  Para.  End 
Product  Squabble 

Chicago,  Aug.  30. — Warner 
Theatres  here  have  ended 
their  three-month  old  ban 
against  Paramount  product 
and  will  resume  showing  in 
its  subsequent  run  houses, 
beginning  with  September  re- 
leases, it  is  revealed  by  Allen 
Usher,  Paramount  district 
manager. 

Differences  on  clearance 
and  price  have  been  ironed 
out  between  Usher  and  James 
Coston,  Warner  zone  man- 
ager. 


DuMont  Television 
Studio  Being  Built 
In  Wanamaker  Store 


Allen  B.  DuMont  Television  Lab- 
oratories, in  which  Paramount  has  a 
substantial  interest,  has  concluded  ar- 
rangements with  Charles  R.  Shipley, 
president  of  the  John.  Wanamaker  de- 
partment stores,  whereby  Wanamak- 
er's  in  New  York  will  start  work  on 
Sept.  4  to  convert  its  large  auditorium 
into  one  large  and  two  smaller  tele- 
vision studios  to  provide  full  facili- 
ties for  the  production  of  DuMont 
television  shows.  The  studios  are 
expected  to  be  ready  by  the  end  of  the 
year. 

The  studios  will  be  operated  in  con- 

{Colitinued  on  page  2) 


Exhibitor  Cross-Section 
Views  Films  in  Peacetime 


Accord  with  France 
Seen  in  Two  Weeks 


Settlement  of  the  prolonged  Ameri- 
can-French film  trading  dispute,  is 
expected  to  be  reached  within  two 
weeks,  it  was  learned  in  New  York 
yesterday. 

Herve  Alphand,  general  director  of 
the  French  Ministry  of  Economic  Af- 
fairs, who  had  conferences  this  week 
and  last  with  U.  S.  State  Depart- 
ment officials  and  American  company 
foreign  heads,  is  scheduled  to  return 
to  Paris  on  Friday.  Alphand  was 
one  of  the  French  delegation  which 
{Continued  on  page  3) 


An  exhibitor  cross-section  opinion 
of  the  industry  in  peacetime  concludes 
that  straight  entertainment  films  and 
films  on  rehabilitation,  with  no  war 
films,  is  the  order  of  the  day  for  the 
screen.  The  owners'  combined  opin- 
ion adds  expectations  that  grosses  will 
continue  high,  that  admission  scales 
will  depend  on  general  economics  and, 
as  is  generally  known,  that  consider- 
able reconstruction  is  on  the  agenda 
in  every  section  of  the  country. 

The  cross-section,  to  lie  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald  today,  in  an 
article  by  Red  Kami,  discloses  that 
war-films,  long  on  their  way  out,  are 
definitely  out  now.  The  public  is  ted 
up,  does  not  want  them.  But  if  a 
great  attraction  can  he  made  with  a 
war  theme,  it  will  do  business.  The 

{Continued  on  page  61 


Refreezing  by 
U.K.  of  Film 
Credits  Urged 

A  she  din  Retaliation 
For  Lend-Lease  End 


By  PETER  BURNUP 

London,  Aug.  30. — Refreezing 
of  American  monetary  film  credits 
in  Great  Britain  is  advocated  by 
John  Maynard  Keynes,  prominent 
British  economist,  in  consequence  of 
the  cessation  of  lend-lease  aid  from 
the  U.  S.,  it  is  learned  here  authori- 
tatively. 

When  President  Truman  an- 
nounced the  end  of  lend-lease 
to  England,  and  our  other  Al- 
lies, a  furor  was  raised  among 
all  elements  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment, with  Prime  Minister 
Clement  Attlee  and  Winston 
Churchill  denouncing  the  action 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


OWI,  CI  A  A  to 
State  Dept. 


Washington,  Aug.  30.  —  A  major 
reorganization  of  the  foreign  informa- 
tion services  of  the  Government  under 
which  the  information  functions  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information  and  the  Co- 
ordinator of  Inter-American  Affairs 
will  come  under  the  State  Department, 
has  been  approved  by  Secretary  of 
State  Byrnes. 

This  reorganization,  which  will  pre- 

(Continucd  on  page  3) 


Dutch  Claim  Trade 
Bars  Invalidated 


The  Netherlands  Information  Bu- 
reau in  New  York,  a  government 
agency  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Neth- 
erlands, told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
yesterday  that  it  has  been  advised  by 
{Continued  on  page  3) 


No  Paper  Monday 

Motion  Picture  Daily  will 
not  be  published  on  Monday. 
September  S,  Labor  Day.  and 
a  legal  holiday. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  August  31,  19  j 


Personal 
Mention 


w 


ILL  HAYS  will  leave  Holly- 
wood for  New  York  today. 


Shirley  Magid,  secretary  to  Ed- 
win H.  Collins,  20th  Century-Fox 
home  office  executive  representative 
for  Herman  Wobber  and  Harry  G. 
Ballance,  Western  and  Southern 
sales  managers,  respectively,  will  be 
married  this  weekend  to  Dr.  Irving 
Rubin  of  Pittsfield.  Mass. 

• 

Alfred  W.  Schwalberc,  general 
sales  manager  of  International  Pic- 
tures, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Hollywood,  following-  conferences 
with  William  Goetz  and  Leo  Spitz, 
company  executives. 

• 

Johnny  Kotaman,  who  has  been 
with  the  Army  Air  Forces  for  two- 
and-a-half  years,  returned  this  week 
to  his  former  desk  as  assistant  pay- 
master for  Warner  Bros.'  Burbank 
studios. 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  International  Pic- 
tures' Eastern  publicity  representative, 
leaves  New  York  on  Tuesday  for 
Chicago  where  he  will  remain  for  two 
days  before  departing  for  Hollywood. 
• 

Jeanne  Chain,  20th  Century-Fox 
star,  has  been  named  official  hostess  of 
the  Trenton  Fair  which  this  year  cele- 
brates the  200th  anniversary  of  its 
first  charter. 

• 

Sam  Dembow,  Jr.,  president  of 
Golden  Productions,  returned  here 
from  Hollywood  yesterday. 

• 

Joseph  H.  Seidelman,  Universal 
International  president,  arrived  on  the 
Coast  yesterday  from  New  York. 


DuMont  Television 
Studio  Being  Built 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

junction  with  DuMont's  New  York 
television  station  WABD  and  will  not 
only  provide  sufficient  facilities  for  the 
production  of  'live'  television  shows, 
but  will  also  permit  customers  of  the 
store  to  witness  production  of  the 
shows.  More  than  500,000  square  feet 
of  space  is  being  devoted  by  Wana- 
maker's  to  the  project.  All  latest 
television  equipment,  including  cam- 
eras, will  be  used  by  DuMont. 

The  main  studio  will  accommodate 
700  people  to  witness  the  production. 
Glass  partitions  will  also  permit  store 
customers  to  witness  activities  from 
outside  the  studio.  Plans  include  the 
use  of  four  television  cameras  in  the 
large  studio.  DuMont  will  continue 
to  operate  its  present  studio  on  Madi- 
son Avenue. 


Lela  Rogers  Quits  RKO 

Hollywood,  Aug.  30. — Lela  Rogers 
has  resigned  as  producer  for  RKO 
Radio  in  consequence  of  reported  dif- 
ferences over  assignments. 


Frank  Carroll  Is 
Advanced  by  20th 


Frank  X.  Carroll  has  been  pro- 
moted to  manager  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  home  office  contract  depart- 
ment. Carroll  had  been  affiliated  with 
the  company's  contract  department  for 
the  past  several  years,  and  was  in 
distribution  24  years. 

In  1921  he  entered  the  sales  de- 
partment of  Educational  Films,  later 
becoming  assistant  to  David  Chatkin, 
general  sales  manager  of  that  com- 
pany. In  1933,  when  Educational  ob- 
tained physical  distribution  of  World 
Wide  films,  Carroll  concentrated  on 
features.  When  Educational  releases 
were  handled  by  20th  Century-Fox,  in 
1938,  Carroll  was  retained  by  the  lat- 
ter company,  joining  the  contract  de- 
partment in  1941.  As  contract  de- 
partment manager  he  succeeds  Harry 
Fenster. 


T o  Reconsider  Ban 
On  German  Pictures 

Washington,  D.  C,  Aug.  30. — Fol- 
lowing protests  against  the  with- 
drawal from  the  sale  here  of  Ger- 
man and  Austrian  motion  pictures  the 
U.  S.  Alien  Property  Custodian  has 
informed  the  American  Civil  Liber- 
ties Union  in  New  York  that  a  special 
committee  will  be  formed  to  recon- 
sider the  withdrawal.  A  request 
from  Francis  J.  McNamara,  deputy 
custodian,  asks  the  union  to  submit 
nominations  for  the  committe  which 
will  serve  "in  an  advisory  capacity 
only,"  and  says  that  Rep.  Helen 
Gahagan  Douglas,  California,  an  ad- 
vocate of  suppression  of  the  films  is 
also  being  asked  to  submit  nomina- 
tions. 

Civil  Liberties  had  written  the  prop- 
erty custodian  protesting  that  more  than 
100  of  the  films  withdrawn  from  sale 
after  public  protests  against  their  al- 
leged Nazi  propaganda  content,  were 
in  fact  "entertainment  and  musical 
films  devoid  of  any  propaganda  what- 
ever." 


'Glory'  Before  'Berlin' 

In  deference  to  the  War  Activities 
Committee,  under  whose  auspices  the 
U.  S.  Army  film,  "True  Glory,"  is  be- 
ing distributed,  Artkino  has  agreed  to 
postpone  the  New  York  opening  date 
of  its  Soviet-made  "The  Fall  of 
Berlin,"  according  to  a  statement 
made  here  yesterday  by  Nicholas 
Napoli,  president  of  Artkino.  "The 
Fall  of  Berlin"  was  originally  sched- 
uled to  open  at  the  Victoria  Theatre 
on  Sept.  8,  but  Artkino  has  relin- 
quished this  date  to  "True  Glory"  and 
"The  Fall  of  Berlin"  will  follow  at 
the  Victoria  immediately  after  the  U. 
S.  Army  film. 


Set  First  '46  MOT' 

"Palestine  Problem"  has  been 
named  by  20th  Century-Fox  as  first 
of  the  1945-46  March  of  Time  sub- 
jects, of  which  there  will  be  the  usual 
13,  it  was  disclosed  here  yesterday 
by  Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution.  The  two-reel- 
er  will  be  released  nationally  on 
Sept.  7. 


de  Rochemont  to  Get 
French  Legion  Award 

March  of  Time  producer  Richard 
de  Rochemont,  who  from  1934  until 
the  outbreak  of  World  War  II  was 
foreign  general  manager  for  MOT, 
will  be  deco- 
rated today  in 
Paris  as  an 
Officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Hon- 
or, for  his  serv- 
ices to  France, 
March  of  Time 
reported  yes- 
terday. The 
decoration  will 
be  made  by 
Henri  Laugier, 
director  gen- 
eral of  Quai 
d  '  O  r  s  a  y  , 
France's  State 
Department,  at 
a  dinner  to  be  given  to  de  Roche- 
mont by  the  France  Forever  Society, 
of  which  he  is  national  president  in 
the  U.  S. 

On  de  Rochemont's  first  of  two 
trips  to  the  European  war  theatre 
in  1941  he  conferred  with  the  lead- 
ers of  the  French  Underground. 
Among  March  of  Time  war  subjects 
which  he  has  produced  are:  "Under- 
ground Report,"  "What  to  do  with 
Germany,"  "Report  on  Italy,"  and 
the  recent  "The  New  U.  S.  Fron- 
tier." 

de  Rochemont  has  been  touring 
England  and  the  European  battle 
grounds  and  capitals  along  with  the 
heads  of  the  five  U.  S.  newsreels,  as 
guests  of  the  Army. 


Richard  de  Rochemont 


James  B.  Fitzgerald 
Rites  Tomorrow 

Washington,  Aug.  30.  —  Funeral 
services  for  James  B.  Fitzgerald,  53, 
past  national  vice-commander  of  the 
American  Legion  and  for  years  coun- 
sel for  the  MPPDA  in  Washington, 
who  died  at  his  home  here  yesterday, 
will  be  held  Saturday  morning  with  a 
Requiem  High  Mass  at  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  Church,  Chevy  Chase.  Bur- 
ial will  be  in  Arlington  National 
Cemetery  with  full  military  honors. 

Fitzgerald's  death  came  after  a 
year's  illness  and  an  operation  for  a 
kidney  ailment.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Fitzgerald,  and  a 
son,  James  B.  Fitzgerald,  Jr.,  a  stud- 
ent at  Georgetown  Medical  School. 


USO  Will  Function 
As  Long  as  Needed 

United  Service  Organizations  will 
continue  to  function  as  long  as  the 
Armed  Services  request  entertainment 
and  recreational  facilities,  Lindsley 
F.  Kimball,  president,  reports. 

With  3,754  employees  and  thousands 
of  volunteers,  Kimball  states,  the 
USO  will  carry  on  its  job,  answering 
"very  substantial  and  urgent  re- 
quests" for  entertainment  in  Europe 
and  the  Pacific,  for  occupational  and 
transient  troops  and  in  camps  and  hos- 
pitals here. 


Skouras  En  Route  o 
Latin  Theatre  Plan\ 

Hollywood,      Aug.     30.— Char  j 
Skouras,  president  of  National  Tl 
atres,  and  B.  V.  Sturdivant  and  T< 
Page,  executives  of  the  circuit,  hi  \ 
left  for  New  York  for  the  repon | 
purpose    of    completing    a  Natioi 
Theatres  exhibition  set-up  for  La 
America. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRE 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.   &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBUR 

"OVER  21" 

A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE     PRESENTATI C 


ON  SCREEN 

NEW  ADVENTURES  OF 
THE  BLIND  DETECTIVE! 

FIRST  N.  Y.  SHOWING 
M-G-M's  'THE 

HIDDEN  EYE' 

With  EDWARD  ARNOLD 


IN  PERSO 


OTHER 
BIG 

ACTS 


BETTY  HUTTON  - ARTURO  DE  CORDOV 
In  Paramount's 

"INCENDIARY  BLONDE' 

In  Technicolor 

IN  PERSON— 
"The  Hour  of  Charm"  ALL-GIRL  ORCF 
Under  the  Direction  of  PHIL  SPITALNY 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Technicolor 


AST0 

Broadwa  I 
and  45th  !| 

CONTINUOl 

POPULAR 
PRIDES 


EDEE3 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Youn 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASE 
BY  RKO 


Dana  Jeanne  Dick  Viv 
ANDREWS     CRAIN      HAYMES     BLA  | 

RODGEBS  and  HAMMEBSTEIN'S  ! 

"STATE   FAIR"  j 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  In  Technico] 
PLUS  ON  STAGE  — CONNEE  BOSWE 
CONDOS  BROS.  Extra!  GENE  SH ELD 
Buy  More       g%         y  \T        7th  A-  j 

Bonds         K  V  A   I  50th 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Pubjisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Q 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Qi 
President;  Ped  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advei 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bi 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Th« 
Cnt(  rnational  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscr 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


riday,  August  31,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


3 


Extension  of  Strike 
'o  Laboratories 
linted  at  by  CSU 


si 


Hollywood,  Aug.  30. — Marked  by 
rorts  on  the  part  of  the  Conference 
Studio  Unions  to  apply  pressure 
er  wider  industry  areas,  Holly- 
Dod's  strike  neared~the  close  of  its 
fth  week  with  none  of  the  factions 
volved  venturing  to  predict  a  date 
I  the  manner  of  settlement, 
flijlndependent  producers,  only  indi- 
btly  hampered  heretofore,  were 
alt  a  severe  blow  Tuesday  when  the 
SU  withdrew  its  craftsmen  from  the 
neral  Service  Studio,  principal 
ntal  lot  used  by  independents,  in  a 
•spute  with  the  management  over 
^charge  of  a  plumber.  Picket  lines 
;re  established  and  production  con- 
lued  with  the  IATSE  supplying  re- 
i  icements  for  the  workmen  who 
ilked  out. 

Yesterday,  in  the  first  of  several 
;ps  planned  as  a  means  of  bringing 
'^f<w  pressure  to  bear,  the  CSU  noti- 
||d  the  local  office  of  National  Screen 
■rvice  that  it  would  be  expected  to 
pp  servicing  struck  studios  by  to- 
prrow  night.  Consequence  of  NSS 
fusal  to  comply,  according  to  CSU. 
ijiuld  be  the  withdrawal  of  CSU 
kftsmen  employed — publicists  and 
Itists — and  establishment  of  picket 
j  es.  Laboratories  and  other  auxil- 
ry  industries  were  to  be  subjected 
J  similar  demands  subsequently,  ac- 
Jrding  to  a  CSU  spokesman. 

IATSE  May  Issue  Charter 

^Meanwhile  the  IATSE,  which  has 

Spplied  replacement  craftsmen  in  all 
Inilar  cases,  withheld  comment  on 
•  e  NSS  development,  but  revealed  it 
under  consideration  the  issuance  of 
barter  for  a  new  local  +^  be  called 
jdio  mechanics,  in  addition  to  the 
if  it  has  chartered  since  the  strike 
fan;  IATSE  international  repre- 
itative  Roy  M.  Brewer  pointed 
t,  however,  that  this  action  was 
ider  consideration  prior  to  the  start 
"ujj'l'j  the  strike,  asserting  the  new  union 
'  !  iuld  parallel  IATSE  locals  long  es- 
jlished  in  Chicago  and  New  York. 
WJ  sources  contended  its  purpose 
puld  be,  nevertheless,  to  expand 
TSE  control  in  the  studios. 
Hope  that  an  early  decision  by  the 
'itional  Labor  Relations  Board  in 
6  Set  Decorators  case  might  set  the 
j;ge  for  a  settlement  was  expressed 
it*' j  CSU  and  producer  quarters,  but  the 
TSE  view  continued  to  be  that  the 
pision  whichever  way  it  went,  would 
t  materially  alter  the  situation. 
■  Meanwhile,  theatre  picketing  was 
Jjjl  |j  the  increase,  with  18  theatres  in 
,e  Hollywood  and  Los  Angeles  area 
iterating  behind  picket  lines  tonight. 
|>morrow's  hearing  in  Superior 
urt  on  the  temporary  restraining 
er  issued  on  complaint  of  Warners' 
jjjjj  Mlywood  Theatre  was  not  expected 
figure  importantly  in  this  connec- 
m,  since  the  order,  and  presumably 
y  injunction  which  might  be  issued, 
rtains  to  the  deportment  of  pickets 
K;t  does  not  prohibit  picketing. 


(Ml 


.v. 

:c:: 


Imminent  Changes 
'■en  in  Production  Costs 

.  Hollywood,   Aug.   30.— Relaxation 
':,  .  War  Labor  Board  controls  over 
will  not  change  the  production- 


st  picture  immediately,  studios  and 
Jions  agree,  because  wage  contracts 
W  before  the  Board  for  approval 
-re  drawn  with  the  understanding 
at  the  terms  as  written  would  be 


Review 


Pardon  My  Past 

( Columbia-Mutual) 

Hollywood,  Aug.  30 

FRED  MacMURRAY'S  first  appearance  as  a  star  in  a  picture  of  his  own 
and  Leslie  Fenton's  Mutual  Productions  turn  out  a  better  comedy  than 
any  he's  been  assigned  to  by  other  employers  in  recent  seasons.  With  Wil- 
liam Demarest  and  Akim  Tamiroff  foremost  in  a  supporting  cast  which  in- 
cludes such  dependables  as  Harry  Davenport,  Rita  Johnson,  Marguerite  Chap- 
man and  Douglas  Dumbrille,  Mutual  is  off  to  a  flying  start,  and  Columbia 
and  its  clients  will  be  beneficiaries  of  the  circumstance. 

,  Fenton  produced  and  directed  the  comedy,  from  a  script  by  Earl  Pelton 
and  Karl  Kamb,  based  on  a  story  by  Patterson  McNutt  and  Harlan 
Ware,  and  it  is  to  be  reported  -  that  Fenton  takes  high  rank  among  pro- 
ducer-directors in  his  first  undertaking.  The  picture  has  tone,  pace,  point 
and  appeal  in  extraordinary  measure.  And  it  has  a  special  kind  of  timeliness 
in  that  its  story  concerns  discharged  soldiers  setting  out  on  civilian  careers 
— incidentally  the  mink-breeding  business — and  refrains  from  waxing  serious 
about  the  obstacles  they  encounter. 

MacMurray  and  Demarest  portray  the  returnees,  who  no  sooner  exchange 
uniforms  for  civilian  dress  than  the  former  is  picked  up  by  gangsters  who 
mistake  him  for  a  monied  no-good  who  owes  them  $12,000.  Everybody  else 
makes  the  same  mistake  about  his  identity,  including  the  no-good's  wealthy 
family  and  complications  accrue  in  laughable  plenty  before  it  is  learned  by  all 
that  the  men  are  twins,  separated  in  infancy,  after  which  the  happy  ending  is 
arrived  at  by  complex  devices  generating  cumulative  laughs.  The  picture  is 
top-quality  material  suitable  for  any  and  all  places  and  times. 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
unset.  William  R.  Weaver 


Accord  with  France 
Seen  in  Two  Weeks 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

accompanied  General  deGaulle  to 
America.  He  is  to  meet  with  Harold 
Smith,  Hays  Office  representative  in 
France,  soon  after  his  return  to  Paris, 
to  complete  details  of  an  American- 
French  film  agreement. 

In  all  likelihood,  the  distributors' 
compromise  offer  of  108  Hollywood 
pictures  a  year  to  enter  France,  in 
return  for  25  French  films  to  be 
distributed  in  the  U.  S.,  will  be  ac- 
cepted. 


Schiffrin  to  France  on 
French-U.S.  Conference 

Simon  Schiffrin.  director  of  the  film 
division  for  the  French  Ministry  of 
Information  in  New  York,  will  leave 
for  Paris  next  week,  for  a  two-week 
visit.  It  is  understood  he  will  partici- 
pate in  the  conferences  concerning 
new  film  trading  arrangements  between 
the  French  Ministry  of  Economic 
Affairs  and  American  companies. 


regarded  as  standing  and  agreed  upon 
in  case  WLB  should  be  terminated. 
The  Screen  Publicists  Guild,  which 
has  become  a  major  factor  in  the  stu- 
dio strike  since  negotiating  an  em- 
ployment contract  now  in  WLB 
hands,  is  one  of  several  crafts  which 
would  have  been  affected  if  the  pre- 
vious understanding  had  not  been 
stipulated. 


C^TT  Wfrns  A-\  Agency 
On  Servicing  Studios 

Hollywood,  Aug.  30. — CSU  served 
notice  on  Foote.  Cone  &  Belding.  ad- 
vertising agency,  to  cease  servicing 
'unfair"  studios  bv  tomorrow  night. 


Cartoonists  Here  to 
Share  Strike  Expense 

Members  of  the  Screen  Cartoonists 
Guild  in  New  York,  as  well  as  on  the 
Coast,  are  being  assessed  to  remuner- 
ate the  275  members  at  the  M-G-M 
and  Warner  Coast  studios  who  are 
on  strike.  George  Ruiz,  business 
agent  for  the  New  York  chapter  has 
pledged  100  per  cent  support  to  the 
Hollywood  unit. 


Dutch  Claim  Trade 
Bars  Invalidated 

(.Continued  from  page  1 ) 

its  government  that  "the  royal  de- 
cree issued  by  the  Netherlands  Gov- 
ernment in  London  in  1944  which 
made  the  importation  of  all  films  into 
Holland  subject  to  Government  li- 
cense is  now  invalid  and  there  are  no 
restrictions  whatsoever  upon  the  im- 
portation of  movies." 

"The  only  difficulties  existing,"  the 
message  said  further,  "are  those  of 
foreign  exchange,  large  amounts  of 
which,  however,  are  now  free  for  the 
purchase  of  films." 

Industry  authorities  state  that  exist- 
ing restraints  in  Holland  on  importa- 
tion of  American  films  and  their  ex- 
hibition in  that  country,  including 
stipulations  that  "foreign"  companies 
which  were  not  established  in  Holland 
prior  to  the  war  cannot  now  open 
business  offices  there,  originated  with 
the  Netherlands  film  and  theatre  trade 
association.  It  is  generally  supposed 
within  the  industry  that  such  regula- 
tions as  confront  American  compa- 
nies attempting  to  do  business  in 
Holland  could  not  exist  without  the 
knowledge  and  support  of  the  Nether- 
lands government. 


(First  Yank'  Opens 
Sept.  11  on  Coast 

World  premiere  of  RKO  Radio's 
"First  Yank  Into  Tokyo"  will  be 
held  Sept.  1 1  at  the  Golden  Gate 
Theatre,  San  Francisco,  the  company 
reports  here. 

Details  in  connection  with  the  pre- 
view have  been  handled  by  Terrv 
Turner,  exploitation  head,  under  S. 
Barret  McCormick,  and  include  a 
haif-hour  radio  broadcast  over  Sta- 
tion KPO  -from  the  theatre  featuring 
Tom  Neal.  Barbara  Hale  and  other 
members  of  the  cast  as  well  as  Dick 
Powell,  all  of  whom  will  make  per- 
sonal appearances. 

More  than  50  other  theatres  in  sur- 
rounding cities  will  participate  in  the 
premiere,  which  will  be  for  the  benefit 
of  a  Christmas  fund  for  wounded  sol- 
diers. 


States  Collect 
$10,517,000 
Theatre  Taxes 


(Continued  from  page  I) 

turns  available  from  the  states  impos- 
ing taxes  directly  upon  admissions.  In 
other  states,  indirect  amusement  taxes, 
sales  and  gross  receipts  taxes  or  other 
levies  achieve  the  same  result. 

In  addition  to  the  direct  taxes,  the 
report  showed,  all  48  states  have  thea- 
tre license  taxes,  32  have  taxes  on 
individual  income  and  33  on  corpora- 
tion income  and  impose  property  taxes. 

The  Bureau  warned  that  the  end  of 
the  war  will  be  followed  by  a  reduc- 
tion in  state  tax  revenues,  the  extent 
of  the  decline  depending  upon  the  level 
of  industrial  and  business  activity,  and 
in  many  states  surveys  have  been  sug- 
gested, or  are  already  in  process  which 
may  lead  to  a  revision  of  the  tax 
structure. 

"The  results  of  some  of  these 
studies  of  state  taxes  may  affect  only 
slightly  the  types,  rates  and  proceeds 
of  taxation  in  the  next  fiscal  year, 
because  most  state  legislatures  will  not 
meet  in  regular  session  until  Jan., 
1947,"  the  report  commented. 

"For  succeeding  years,  however,  the 
results  will  probably  have  become 
available  for  possible  legislation  and 
hence  may  affect  tax  proceeds,"  the 
Bureau  added. 


Tokyo  Already  on 
The  Air  to  U.S. 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

president  and  general  manager,  who 
said  resumption  of  service  is  under 
direct  supervision  of  the  U.  S.  Army 
Signal  Corps.  For  the  present,  the 
circuit  will  be  available  only  for 
Government  and  press  messages. 

At  the  same  time,  Mitchell  an- 
nounced that  RCA  was  authorized  to 
receive  and  distribute  to  American 
networks  broadcasts  transmitted  to 
this  country  from  Tokyo  stations, 
which  also  have  been  taken  over  by 
the  Signal  Corps. 

It  is  expected  that  service  with 
Tokyo  will  be  extended  shortly  to  in- 
clude EFM  (military  personnel) 
messages  and  Prisoner-of-War  mes- 
sages. 


OWL  CI  A  A  Taken 
Over  by  State  Dept. 

(Continued  from  page  H 
sumably  affect  the  OWI's  overseas 
film  bureau  as  well  as  the  film  ac- 
tivities of  the  CIAA,  has  been  re- 
ported in  recent  weeks  to  be  in  the 
offing.  The  reorganization,  which  has 
also  been  approved  by  the  Budget 
Bureau,  has  been  sent  to  the  President. 


'Buck'  Stoner  to  20th 

'Buck'  Stoner  has  joined  the  home 
office  sales  department  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox as  a  home  office  represen- 
tative, it  has  been  announced  by  Tom 
Connors,  vice-president  in  charge  I  t 
distribution, 

Stoner  has  held  positions  with  M- 
G-M  and  only  recently  headed  a 
Pittsburgh  film-buying  combine,  which 
he  gave  up  to  join  20th-Fox. 


I 


V- 


^0 


-\0 


1^ 


■50 


k0* 


" ; 


5*5  3K« 


uu 


Nationally 
Advertised  to 

9,465,357 

CIRCULATION 

IN 

LIFE  •  LOOK  •  RED  BOOK 
PARENTS'  MAGAZINE 
LIBERTY*  TIME 


records  every  opening* 


lew  York .  • . 

Box-office  hit  of  the 
season  at  the  Repub- 
lic Theatre . .  •  1st  week 
'way  over  anything 
n  months ...  2nd  week 
ig  as  the  first  .  .  . 
and  3rd  looming  up 
strong  as  ever! 


W>>  7       Y°  «<% 


(]>rieKet 

Wln&Le  ox  r 


\ 


v 


6 


Motion  picture  daily 


Friday,  August  31,  19< 


Exhibitor  Cross-Section 
Views  Films  in  Peacetime 


20th-Fox  Sets 
Releases  Thru 
December,  '46 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

"State  Fair,"  "House  on  92nd  St.," 
and  "And  Then  There  Were  None"  ; 
November :  "The  Dolly  Sisters"  and 
"Colonel  Effingham's  Raid" ;  Decem- 
ber ;  "Dragonwyck"  and  "The  Spider"  ; 
Jan.,  1946:  "Fallen  Angel"  and  "Doll 
,  Face" ;  February :  "Leave  Her  to 
Heaven"  and  a  Bryan  Foy  untitled 
production;  March:  "Enchanted  Voy- 
age" and  "Kitten" ;  April  '  "Cluny 
Brown"  and  another  untitled  Bryan 
Foy  film;  May:  "Smoky"  and  "Senti- 
mental Journey"  ;  June  :  "Centennial 
Summer"  and  a  third  untitled  Bryan 
Foy  film;  July:  "Razor's  Edge"  and 
a  fourth  untitled  Bryan  Foy  film ; 
August :  "Chicken  Every  Sunday" 
and  "Three  Little  Girls  in  Blue" ; 
September :  "Claudia  and  David"  and 
"Shock";  October:  "Shocking  Miss 
Pilgrim"  and  an  untitled  production ; 
November :  "Anna  and  the  King  of 
Siam"  and  "Lonely  Journey" ;  and, 
finally,  "The  Band  Wagon"  and 
"Dark  Corner"  for  December,  1946. 

In  addition  to  the  five  films  of  the 
1945-46  program  already  released  or 
pre-released,  20th  Century-Fox  has 
negatives  at  its  home  office  of  "And 
Then  There  Were  None"  and  "Carib- 
bean Mystery"  ;  has  previewed  "State 
Fair,"  "House  on  92nd  Street"  and 
|The  Dolly  Sisters" ;  is  now  editing 
"And  Then  There  Were  None," 
"Colonel  Effingham's  Raid,"  "Dragon- 
wyck," "Fallen  Angel,"  "Kitten  on 
the  Keys,"  "The  Spider"  and  "Leave 
Her  to  Heaven" ;  while  four  others, 
"Smoky,"  "Enchanted  Voyage,"  "Doll 
House"  and  "Sentimental  Journey" 
are  in  production. 

Additional  Negatives 

The  company  has  an  additional  44 
pictures  in  preparation  as  follows : 
"Centennial  Journey,"  "Cluny  Brown," 
"The  Razor's  Edge,"  "Anna  and  the 
King  of  Siam,"  "Claudia  and  David," 
"Forever.  Amber,"  "Captain  From 
Castile,"  "In  Berkeley  Square," 
"Chicken  Every  Sunday,"  "Shock," 
"Daisy  Kenyon,"  "Dusty,"  "Home 
Sweet  Homicide,"  "Any  Number  Can 
Play,"  "Before  We  Die,"  "Honey- 
fogling  Time,"  "City  of  Flowers," 
"The  High  Window,"  "A  Lonely 
Journey,"  a  Darryl  F.  Zanuck  spe- 
cial from  a  story  being  written  by 
Moss  Hart,  "Romance  With  Music," 
"Down  to  the  Sea  in  Ships,"  "Party 
Line,"  "Shocking  Miss  Pilgrim," 
"The  Home  Stretch,"  "Three  Little 
Girls  in  Blue,"  "Romona,"  "The  Red 
Quarter,"  "Maggie,"  "Boomerang," 
"Laps  of  the  Gods,"  "Jean  Valjean," 
"Beyond  Death  Valley,"  "Lady  at 
Large,"  "Mexico  City,"  "New  Or- 
leans," "The  Gift  of  the  Magi,"  "The 
Gay  Illiterate,"  "Victor  Hugo," 
"Times  Have  Changed,"  "Band 
Wagon,"  "Horror  Island,"  "Music  in 
the  Air"  and  finally,  "Sitting  Bull." 


Trade  Show  'None' 

William  J.  Kupper,  general  sales 
manager  of  20th  Century-Fox,  an- 
nounces the  tradeshowing  of  Popular 
Pictures'  "And  Then  There  Were 
None,"  in  all  exchange  centers  on 
Sept.  4. 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

view  in  this  regard  is  that  outstand- 
ing films  rise  above  their  back- 
ground, or  at  lease  rise  with  it.  Thus, 
some  theatremen  believe  war  films 
will  be  vital  in  the  entertainment 
structure  over  a  period  of  years,  pro- 
vided they  are  properly  spaced  and 
the  market  is  not  glutted. 

Attractions  dealing  with  problems 
of  rehabilitation  will  prove  acceptable, 
but  again  only  if  they  are  genuine  en-' 
tertainment  and  if  too  many  are  not 
let  loose.  A  segment  of  opinion  main- 
tains it  is  an  industry  obligation  to 
carry  over  its  wartime  record  of 
service,  and,  therefore,  believes  part 
of  this  obligation  is  a  need  to  in- 
corporate the  issues  of  the  peace-time 
world  into  the  entertainment  pattern. 

Peacetime  types  of  films  fall  into 
one  over-all,  indisputable  pattern  on 
the  other  hand,  the  .Herald  will  say, 
"Anything,  if  it  entertains,"  is  the  con- 
solidated viewpoint.  Some  owners  see 
an  increasing  demand  for  musicals 
"with  lots  of  girls,"  comedies,  mys- 
teries and  super-Westerns  —  Holly- 
wood checkups  show  they'll  be  get- 
ting the  Westerns — but  all  agree 
escapism  should  be  the  byword  from 
here  out. 

Showmen  exude  confidence  over  a 
continued   high   level   of  grosses   on ' 


U.S.  to  Study  Delay 
In  New  Italy  Ruling 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

for  several  weeks,  the  last  report  be- 
ing that  publication  of  a  new  decree 
was  expected  momentarily. 

Department  representatives  in  Italy 
will  be  asked  to  submit  a  full  re- 
port on  the  matter  although  there 
have  been  no  indications  of  any  hitch 
in  the  negotiations  which,  at  last  ac- 
count, had  progressed  to  the  point 
where  the  final  version  of  the  decree 
was  being  prepared. 

ft  was  explained  at  the  Department 
that  Mussolini's  edicts,  which  resulted 
in  1938  in  the  withdrawal  of  American 
distributors  from  the  Italian  market, 
were  repealed  last  Spring.  Since  then 
no  laws  have  been  applied  with  re- 
spect to  films.  This  was  not  a  matter 
of  concern  so  long  as  Italy  had  not 
been  opened  to  normal  business,  but 
it  does  become  of  importance  as 
American  companies  prepare  to  re- 
sume operations  abroad. 

Department  officials  said  they  had 
no  information  on  reports  that  four 
American  film  rompanies  in  Italy 
are  still  sequestered,  but  said  this 
would  be  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances. A  report  on  this  also  will 
be  requested,  it  was  said. 


College  Adds  Film  Music 

Hunter  College  will  offer  two 
courses  on  background  music  for  mo- 
tion pictures  beginning  Sept.  18.  it 
has  been  announced  by  MPPDA, 
which  describes  the  project  as  "the 
first  known  instance  of  an  important 
college  devoting  curricular  courses"  to 
such  study. 

The  courses  will  be  conducted  by 
Mortimer  Browning,  an  authority  on 
the  theory  and  technique  of  back- 
ground music. 


the  heels  of  the  war.  They  recog- 
nize, of  course,  that  in  defense  areas 
where  unemployment  has  set  in  an 
unwinding  is  inevitable.  They  like- 
wise feel  a  readjusted  outlook,  gen- 
erally, is  required  to  match  the  span 
of  reconversion.  Several  see  a 
slowdown  in  grosses  in  periods  rang- 
ing from  six  months  to  a  year,  but 
after  that  one  circuit  operator,  for  in- 
stance, predicts  a  soaring  period  rang- 
ing from  three  to  five  years. 

Admission  prices,  it  is  agreed,  will 
hinge  on  general  economic  conditions, 
yet  their  current,  average  level  is  ex- 
pected to  be  maintained.  There  is  an 
impression  reconversion  will  eliminate 
any  need  to  drop  scales.  Another  im- 
pression is  prices  which  have  been 
disproportionate  in  some  areas  will  be 
— and  should  be — reduced.  A  third 
angle  maintains  no  cut  will  be.  found 
necessary  if  and  when  the  Federal  ad- 
mission tax  is  reduced,  this  on  the 
theory  the  public  will  be  inclined  to 
view  the  cutback  as  a  price  drop. 
Over-all  impression,  however,  is  that 
admissions,  generally,  will  remain 
about  where  they  now  stand. 

The  evidence  grows  that  many  new 
theatres  are  on  the  way  and  far  more 
are  to  undergo  general  face  lifting. 
This  applies  in  scattered  enough  areas 
to  assume  these  twin  moves  are  na- 
tional. 


Peak  Receipts 
Of  the  Summei 

At  First-Run; 

— ~       '  \ 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

"Pride  of  the  Marines,"  scored  abo 
average  in  the  reports.  The  other  filt 
were :  "A  Thousand  and  One  Night; 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut,"  "WonL 
Man,"  "Anchors  Aweigh,"  "Incenij 
ary  Blonde,"  "Out  of  This  Work! 
"You  Came  Along,"   "Guest  Wif(' 
"The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe,"  "Thrill 
a  Romance,"   "A   Bell   for  Adanc 
"Captain  Eddie,"  "Junior  Miss"  a| 
the   Universal    double-bill    of  "E^ 
Side  of  Heaven"  and  "Imitation 
Life." 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  "Christn  ! 
in  Connecticut"  were  the  outstandi ! 
films,  according  to  the  circuit  execl 
fives,  with  "Incendiary  Blonde 
"Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "Valley  . 
Decision,"  "Captain  Eddie,"  "Junil 
Miss,"  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  "Pri1 
of  the  Marines,"  "Out  of  This  World 
"Guest  Wife,"  "The  Southerne  j 
"Along  Came  Jones,"  "Over  2 
"Wonder  Man"  and  "George  Whit  j 
Scandals,"  also  as  leaders  of  the  we>| 

Circuit  heads  declare  that  there  lj 
been  some  shift  in  business  from  1 
smaller  towns  to  larger  places  in  (! 
Mid-West,  now  that  gasoline  is  mc 
plentiful. 


U.K.  Refreezing  of 
Film  Credit  Urged 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

as  "disastrous"  for  the  British 
economy. 

Disavowing  numerous  rumors  that 
have  been  rampant  here  on  an  immi- 
nent and  drastic  cut  in  playing  time 
here  of  U.  S.  films  in  consequence  of 
the  end  of  lend-lease,  the  Board  of 
Trade  informed  Motion  Picture 
Daily  that  they  are  premature.  • 

Additional  urgent  British  govern- 
mental inquiries  are  progressing  in 
Belgium  and  Germany  with  a  view  to 
having  these  countries  substitute  part 
of  the  present  supply  of  American  im- 
ported stockbase. 

Pre-eminently  in  the  British  gov- 
ernment's mind  is  the  necessity  of 
maintaining  the  motion  picture  as  en- 
tertainment, but  there  are  forces  here 
which  urge  that  it  be  used  as  a 
weapon  in  impendina'  Anglo-American 
trade  discussions.  It  is  estimated  that 
$88,000,000  is  earned  here  yearly  by 
U.  S.  film  companies. 

Loew's  'Daily  Guide' 
Now  in  Sixth  Year 

Loew's  Movie  Guide,  daily  news- 
paper directory  of  71  Loew's  New 
York  theatres,  has  completed  its  fifth 
year.  Conceived  by  Oscar  Doob.  the 
circuit's  advertising-publicity  direc- 
tor, and  developed  by  his  associate, 
Ernest  Emerling,  the  directory  uses 
nearly  100.000  lines  of  space  per  vear 
in  each  of  nine  Manhattan,  Brooklyn 
and  Bronx  newspapers,  at  an  approx- 
imate cost  of  $2,000,000  in  five  years. 


Southern  Cal.  Hit 

Southern  California  appears  to  j 
the  only  section  where  some  eff 
has  been  felt  by  the  cancelling  of  m 
contracts  and  the  resulting  unempl< 
ment.  In  most  other  sections,  recei ! 
have  held  up,  despite  growing  une 
ployment. 

Executives  add  that  favora 
weather  conditions  this  Sumn 
helped  to  increase  receipts  consid  \ 
ably. 

The  17  key  cities  reported  upon 
Motion  Picture  Daily's  correspo 
dents  were  Los  Angeles,  San  Fr; 
cisco,  Denver,  Kansas  City,  Oma 
St.  Louis,  Milwaukee,  Chicago,  In 
anapolis,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Pit 
burgh,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  B 
falo,  Boston  and  Toronto. 

"Pride  of  the  Marines"  was  big 
initial  weeks  in  three  Los  Ange 
theatres,  San  Francisco  and  Milwil 
kee,  while  it  continued  strong  in  I 
third  week  in  Philadelphia,  to  br  ■ 
in  a  total  of  $143,000  in  six  theatr  l 
par  is  $109,700. 

"A  Thousand  and  One  Nigbj! 
brought  $116,500  in  seven  theatres;! 
five  cities ;  "Christmas  in  Connei  I 
cut,"  $94,550  in  six  theatres  in  j 
cities;  "Wonder  Man,"  $60,000  1 
four  engagements  ;  "Anchors  Aweig  ,1 
$83,300  in  four ;  "Incendiary  Blonc  I 
$104,100  in  four;  "Out  of  T| 
World,"  $78,400  in  five;  '"You  Cal 
Along,"  $49,000  in  three;  "Gil 
Wife,"  $69,000  in  three;  "The  St  J 
of  G.I.  Joe,"  $94,100  in  10;  "Thl 
of  a  Romance,"  $61,300  in  three:  '  I 
Bell  for  Adano,"  $63,500  in  fc  I 
"Captain  Eddie,"  $83,300  in  .fill 
"lunior  Miss,"  $39,800  in  four;  I 
the  Universal  double-bill,  $55,000  1 
three ;  all  above  par. 


New  Nebraska  House 

Fairmont,  Neb.,  Aug.  30,-r-A. 
Chantry  of  Osceola,  has  opened  a  i 
300-seat  theatre  here.  Bill  King 
manager. 


U.  5.  Army  Signal  Corps  Phofo 


Heart  -WARMING  as  the  familiar  pictures  of  small  boys 
slipping  into  the  circus,  this  shot  from  the  South  Pacific  is 
pretty  good  evidence  that  Yanks  run  true  to  form. 

Their  urge  to  enjoy  a  glimpse  of  home  life  is  overwhelm- 
ing. So,  at  odd  moments,  often  under  the  weirdest  of  condi- 
tions, fighting  men  see  the  latest  Hollywood  pictures  .  .  . 
sooner,  frequently,  than  they  hit  "Main  Street"! 

Every  night — all  over  the  world — more  than  5000  movies 
are  jammed  with  an  estimated  1,500,000  service  men  and 
women.  The  movies  easily  reach  the  places  where  entertain- 
ment matters  most. 

Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  N.  Y. 

J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 
FORT  LEE  CHICAGO  HOLLYWOOD 


r 


advertisements  by 
KODAK  testifying  to 
the  achievements  ol 
the  movies  at  war 


A  TALE  OF 
TWO  CITIES! 


r..  .: 


"Boston]  calling!  Our  2nd 
S.  R.  O.  /  week  tops  the  1st! 
HowW you  doing  Pittsburgh?" 


'^Pittsburg h\terrific !  Never 
anything  like  it!  And  the 
\^dvance  sale  sets  new  high!" 


HN,C0L0SSA\ 


First  in 

Radio  I 

Accur* 

Impartial  ■ 

MOTION  PICTURE 

DAI  LY 


OL.  58.  NO.  45 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  4,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


/lost  Midwest 
louses  Need 
ew  Supplies 

eats  and  Carpets  Are 
Serious  Shortages 


By  SAM  HONIGBERG 

Chicago,  Sept.  3. — A  vast  ma- 
irity  of  the  350  theatres  in  this 
id-west  vicinity  will  be  in  need 
equipment  and  supplies  as  soon 
they  become  available,  dealers  and 
mufacturers  here  indicate. 

The  most  pressing  items  cur- 
rently in  demand  are  seats  and 
carpets,  with  delivery  date  still 
remaining  indefinite. 
Dealers  will  take  care  of  their  or- 
ts  for  seats  and  carpets,  as  well 
\  for  any  other  equipment  not  yet 
ailable,  according  to  the  dates  of 
Iders  filed  with  them  by  exhibitors. 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


2,000,000 
Lose  Jobs 


t.  Comdr.  Zukor  to 
LeturntoParamount 


i  Washington,  Sept.  3.  —  Lieut. - 
omdr.  Eugene  Zukor  was  released 
pm  active  duty  by  the  Navy  on 
'iday  and  left  here  immediately  for 
5  home  in  Hollywood. 
Zukor  will  resume  duties  as  as- 
ciate  producer  at  the  Paramount 
dio  which  he  relinquished  shortly 
iter  Pearl  Harbor  to  enlist  in  the 

my. 

_  Comdr.  Zukor,  son  of  Adolph 
ikor,  chairman  of  the  board  of  Par- 
lount  Pictures,  has  been  in  charge 
film  distribution  for  the  Navy. 


ilm  Companies  May 
Withdraw  in  Mexico 


Exico  City,  Sept.  3. — Continu- 
jce  of  the  strike  of  branch  office 
orkers  of  American  distributors, 
re,  has  prompted  the  eight  compa- 
ss to  insert  newspaper  advertise- 
nts  addressed  to  President  Manuel 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Reviews  of  "Perfect 
Strangers"  and  "Kiss  and 
Tell"  appear  on  page  3. 


Washington,  Sept.  3.  —  The  War 
Manpower  Commission  has  insti- 
tuted weekly  reports  on  the  labor  situ- 
ation with  announcement  that  2,000,- 
000  workers  have  been  released  from 
war  plants  since  the  surrender  of 
Japan. 

The  areas  hardest  hit  by  the  cessa- 
tion of  war  production  and  the  num- 
ber of  job  displacements  were:  New 
York,  89,000;  Detroit,  100,000;  Chi- 
cago, 85,000 ;  Los  Angeles,  70,000,  and 
Cleveland  and  Newark,  58,000  each. 

The  unemployment  figures,  it  was 
emphasized,  are  not  to  be  regarded 
as  representing  an  equivalent  increase 
in  joblessness,  since  some  of  the  work- 
ers displaced  are  being  absorbed  into 
peacetime  industries,  while  others  may 
be  withdrawing  from  the  labor  mar- 
ket, such  as  women,  older  workers 
and  students. 


Comdr.  Schmidt  to 
Col.  as  Cohn  Aide 


Commander  Arthur  A.  Schmidt  will 
join  Columbia  as  special  assistant  to 
Harry  Cohn,  company  president,  with 
the  title  of  advertising  consultant,  fol- 
lowing his  release  from  active  duty  in 
the  Navy  on  Sept.  17.  He  will  assume 
his  duties  at  the  studio  following  a 
temporary  stay  at*  the  home  office  in 
New  York. 

Comdr.  Schmidt  was  publicity  man- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


'306'  Pacts  Expire, 
Meet  Again  Today 

Pending  the  outcome  of  re- 
sumed negotiations,  on  which 
a  meeting  is  to  be  held  today, 
IATSE  New  York  projection- 
ists Local  No.  306  took  no 
action  over  the  weekend  on 
the  expiration,  last  Friday  of 
its  10-year  contracts  with 
Loew's  and  RKO  New  York 
circuits,  and  Brooklyn  and 
New  York  first-runs. 

Local  306  had  indicated  that 
it  would  start  'vacationing' 
regular  operators  and  send  in 
substitutes,  but  Richard  F. 
Walsh,  'IATSE'  president, 
now  acting  as  mediator  in  the 
dispute,  is  understood  to  have 
barred  any  immediate  strike 
or  other  stop-work  moves. 


John  Jones  Calls 
Screen  Guild  Meet 


Dallas,  Sept.  3. — John  J.  Jones, 
president  of  Screen  Guild  Productions, 
has  called  a  general  meeting  of  SGP 
stock  and  franchise  holders,  to  be  held 
at  the  Park  Central  Hotel,  New  York, 
Sept.  20-22. 

The  meeting  will  have  a  three-fold 
purpose:  to  pass  on  plans  for  new 
productions,  details  of  which  Jones  has 
worked  out  on  the  Coast ;  to  set  sales 
plans  on  12  productions  already  sched- 
uled for  1945-46,  including  "North- 
west Trail,"  second  of  Screen  Guild's 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Industry  Soon  to  Receive 
Film  at  Pre-  War  Levels 


Motion  picture  companies  may  be 
receiving  raw  stock  at  pre-war  ^quan- 
tity levels  "within  a  few  weeks"  as  a 
result  of  the  decreased  military  de- 
mands and  an  even  further  increase 
in  production,  according  to  William 
J.  German,  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  J.  E.  Brulatour,  Inc.,  ex- 
clusive motion  picture  distributors  for 
Eastman  Kodak.  At  the  same  time, 
an  Eastman  spokesman  in  Kodak  Park 
reported  that  the  plant  there  will  con- 
tinue to  operate  at  least  at  wartime 
capacity. 

L.  L.  Allison,  director  of  photo 
products  sales  for  DuPont,  reported 
from  Wilmington  that  the  extent  of 
industry  benefit  from  the  removal  of 
WPB  restrictions  would  depend  "en- 
tirely on  the  amount  of  priorities  giv- 


en the  Army  and  Navy"  in  their  con- 
tinued use  of  film.  On  Aug.  24,  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily  reported  that 
military  requirements  for  the  fourth 
quarter  are  expected  to  be  no  more 
than  half  of  original  estimates,  and 
WPB  officials  in  Washington  believe 
supply  and  demand  should  approach  a 
balance  by  the  end  of  the  year.  An 
earlier  balance  is  not  expected  because 
the  pent-up  demand  exceeds  that 
which  existed  prior  to  the  war. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
Brulatour  has  been  distributing  22  per 
cent  below  the  pre-war  stock  supplying 
level,  according  to  German.  The 
Eastman  spokesman  agreed  that  sup- 
'ply  should  equal  the  higher-than-pre- 
war  civilian  demand  in  a  few  months. 


Para,  to  Devise 
A  Telecaster 
For  Large  Runs 

Hopes  to  Show  Model 
In  Six  Months'  Time 


Probable  unavailability  of  televi- 
sion equipment  for  large  theatres 
for  several  years  to  telecast  pro- 
grams by  direct  projection  from  a 
video  receiver 
has  caused  Par- 
amount to  turn 
to  the  develop- 
ment of  its  own 
equipment.  Paul 
R  a  i  b  o  u  r  n ,  in 
charge  of  tele- 
vision for  Par- 
amount has  told 
Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily.  A 
combination  re- 
ceiver -  camera- 
film  developer 
would   pick  up 
programs  on 
film  and  use  the 
principle  of  regular   film  projection, 
independently  of  the  regular  projec- 
tor. 

Raibourn  said  that  now  that  mate- 
rials  are   available,    although  limit- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Paul  Raibourn 


U.  S.  Film  Clearing 
House  Approved 


Washington,  Sept.  3. — Plans  to  set 
up-  a  unit  in  the  Library  of  Congress 
to  act  as  a  general  clearance  house  for 
all  Government  film  operations,  in  ef- 
fect starting  in  where  the  motion  pic- 
ture bureau  of  the  Office  of  War  In- 
formation leaves  off  when  it  is  liqui- 
dated, were  given  general  approval  of 
representatives  of  the  various  Federal 
agencies  Friday. 

The   proposals   drafted    by  Taylor 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


Home  Leaves  20th: 
Will  Be  Consultant 


Resignation  of  Hal  Home  as  direc- 
tor of  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation for  20th  Century-Fox  was 
announced  here  on  Friday  by  Spyros 
Skouras,  president.  No  mention  of  a 
successor  was  made  in  the  announce- 

(CoiifiMiirrf  <>«  page  ") 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  4,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise 


BG.   DeSYLVA,   Paramount  pro- 
•  ducer,  is  due  here  from  the  Coast 
todav,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  DeSylva. 
• 

Leo  Abrams,  district  manager  for 
National  Screen,  spent  last  week  at 
the  company's  Albany  branch,  while 
John  A.  Bylancik,  manager  there, 
visited  his  brother  at  Notre  Dame 
University. 

• 

Natalie  Kalmus,  director  of  Tech- 
nicolor on  the  Coast,  and  Kay  Harris, 
manager  of  British  Technicolor,  will 
leave  Hollywood  for  England  on 
Thursdav. 

e 

Rodney  Bush,  20th  Century-Fox 
exploitation  manager,  and  Earl  Win- 
gart  of  the  home  office  returned  to 
New  York  from  Des  Moines  over  the 
weekend. 

• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  Monogram 
Southern  Exchanges  president,  Atlan- 
ta, is  visiting  the  New  Orleans  branch 
for  conferences  with  Paramount- Rich- 
ards theatre  executives. 

© 

Lester  Simansky,  secretary-treas- 
urer of  the  Fensin  Seating  Co.,  Chi- 
cago, has  gone  to  Miami  for  a  vaca- 
tion. 

• 

Irving  Yergin,  assistant  to  A.  W. 
Schwalberg,  International  Pictures 
general  sales  manager,  is  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood. 

• 

Brinson  A.  Wallace,  Columbia's 
special  sales  representative  in  Atlanta, 
was  married  recently  to  Gladys 
Smith  of  Atlanta. 

• 

Alfred  Hitchcock,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  daughter,  Patricia,  ar- 
rived here  from  Hollywood  yesterday. 
• 

X.  N.  Galbreath,  RKO  salesman 
in  Omaha,  is  in  a  Chicago  hospital 
recovering  from  a  recent  accident. 
• 

E.  P.  Clay,  of  Clay's  Theatre  Cir 
cuit,   Atlanta,   has   been  hospitalized 
witli  a  serious  illness. 

j 

Sgt.  Morris  Cohn,  former  Colum 
bia  salesman  in  Albany,  is  now  sta 
tioned  at  Fort  Dix,  N.  J. 

• 

John  Cicero  of  Paramount's  home 
office  advertising  department  is  vaca- 
tioning. 

• 

Lester  Cowan,  producer,  was  due 
in  New  York  from  Hollywood  yester- 
dav.  He  will  fly  to  London  shortly. 
• 

Andy  Devtne  has  started  his  20th 
year  as  a  contract  player  for  Universal. 
• 

Burgess  Meredith  arrived  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood  at  the  weekend. 


C.  F.  Parrish  Dies 

Bloomsbcrg,  Pa.,  Sept.  3. — Charles 
F.  Parrish,  62,  manager  of  the  Colum- 
bia Theatre,  here,  died  of  a  heart  at- 
tack at  his  home  last  week. 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


F>  EFORE  speculation  on  the 
2~  possibilities  of  a  new  consent 
(Tecree  being  entered  in  advance 
of  trial  of  the  New  York  anti- 
trust suit  gets  too  far  off  base 
there  are  a  few  circumstances 
which  ought  not  be  overlooked. 

One  is  that  all  indications 
point  to  the  fact  that  neither 
side,  the  defendants  nor  the  De- 
partment of  Justice,  has  altered 
its  basic  views  of  what  an  ac- 
ceptable consent  decree  might 
embrace.  Insofar  as  can  be  as- 
certained, theatre  -  owning  de- 
fendants are  no  more  of  a  mind 
now  to  agree  to  divest  them- 
selves of  their  theatres  in  order 
to  obtain  a  decree  than  the  De- 
partment is  to  waive  that  re- 
quirement. 

If  that  is  not  enough  to  curb 
unrestrained  speculation,  there  is 
the  further  indication  that  the 
recent  meeting  of  defense  coun- 
sel with  Department  officials,  on 
which  all  of  the  current  specula- 
tion appears  to  be  based,  was  not 
brought  about  by  the  defendants. 
If  information  coming  to  this  de- 
partment is  correct,  the  sugges- 
tion for  a  meeting  originated  in 
Washington,  not  New  York. 
That  information  does  not  imply 
in  the  least  that  the  object  of  the 
meeting  was  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  consent  decree  views 
of  either  side.  It  appears  that  its 
purpose  was  to  agree  on  some 
procedures  in  advance  of  trial. 

It  is  not  denied  that  a  consent 
decree  entered  the  discussions 
nor  that,  presumably,  it  was 
without  result. 

It  may  be  said  with  some  cer- 
tainty that  the  prospects  of  a 
new  consent  decree  in  the  New 
York  action  are  at  this  moment 
exactly  where  they  were  before 
the  Washington  meeting. 

Whether  the  positions  will 
change  remains  to  be.seen.  There 
is  a  possibility  that,  if  a  change 
is  to  occur,  it  will  be  within  the 
next  month,  for  it  is  almost  cer- 
tain that  further  pre-trial  discus- 
sions will  be  held  within  that 
time  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
meeting  of  Aug.  24,  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  the  conversation 
will  again  veer  to  the  subject  of 
a  decree. 

•  • 

While  officials  of  raw  stock 
manufacturers  now  feel  that  it 
may  take  several  months  to  bring 
raw  stock  production  back  into 
balance  with  full  requirements  of 
civilian  consumers,  they  are  rea- 
sonably sure  that  rationing  will 
not  be  necessary. 


The  development  which  did 
the  most  to  allay  the  apprehen- 
sions of  some  manufacturers' 
representatives  that  it  might  be 
necessary  to  start  raw  stock  ra- 
tioning where  the  War  Produc- 
tion Board  leaves  off,  if  only  for 
a  matter  of  several  months,  was 
the  recent  disclosure  in  Wash- 
ington that  military  requirements 
for  the  fourth  quarter  would  be 
about  half  of  that  originally  esti- 
mated. 

As  noted  in  this  department 
last  week,  the  answer  to  whether 
temporary  rationing  of  industrial 
raw  stock  would  be  necessary 
rested  with  the  services  and 
others  whose  priority  supplies 
are  being  continued.  The  mili- 
tary was  quick  with  its  answer 
and,  as  the  largest  priority  user 
of  raw  stock,  it  gives  the  manu- 
facturers and  the  industry  their 
answers,  too. 

«  • 

One  John  McCarten  of  the 
New  Yorker  contributes  the  new- 
est chapter  to  our  collection 
illustrating  the  distance  that  sep- 
arates a  type  of  reviewer,  most 
frequently  encountered  in  the 
East,  from  the  motion  picture 
audience  for  which,  presumably, 
they  write. 

Here  is  Mr.  McCarten's  com- 
plete review  of  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut" :  "Take  the  editor 
of  a  cooking  page  who  can't 
cook.  Add  a  petty  officer  who 
loves  food.  Throw  in  a  pub- 
lisher who  insists  that  the  cook- 
ing editor  entertain  the  petty 
officer  for  Christmas.  Now 
you've  practically  got  a  turkey 
called  'Christmas  in  Connecticut.' 
Among  the  other  ingredients  are 
Barbara  Stanwyck,  Dennis  Mor- 
gan and  Sydney  Greenstreet." 

That's  what  Mr.  McCarten 
thought  he  had.  Here's  what 
the  motion  picture  audience 
'thought  of  the  same  picture: 
$9,200  over  the  Stanley's  aver- 
age in  Baltimore  and  held  over ; 
$3,600  over  average  at  the 
Strand,  Hartford,  and  held  over ; 
$6,100  above  average  at  the 
Mary  Anderson,  Louisville,  and 
held  over ;  $6,000  above  average 
at  the  Ambassador,  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  $3,500  above  average 
at  the  Earle,  same  city,  playing 
day-and-date,  and  held  over  in 
both  theatres;  $7,100  above  aver- 
age at  the  Denver,  Denver,  and 
held  over ;  $8,000  above  average 
at  the  Warner,  Milwaukee,  and 
held  over;  $10,000  over  average 
at  the  Fox,  San  Francisco,  and 
still  playing  on  a  move-over. 


Government  Ban  on 
State  Meetings  Ends 

Washington,  Sept.  3.  —  The  War 
Committee  on  Conventions  has  eased 
its  ban  on  state  meetings,  effective  to- 
day, with  the  stipulation  that  attend- 
ance must  be  confined  to  persons  living 
or  doing  business  in  the  stateJand  to 
25  out-of-state  persons  as  guests. 

The  new  regulation  leaves  un- 
changed restrictions  on  national  meet- 
ings. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO  CITY  MUSIC  HALL 

50th  St.  &  6th  Ave. 

Irene  DUNN 
Alexander  KNOX  Charles  COBURN 


OVER  21 


A  Columbia  Picture 
SPECTACULAR     STAGE  PRESENTATION 


SCREEN 

NEW  ADVENTURES  OF 
THE  BLIHD  DETECTIVE! 

FIRST  N.  Y.  SHOWING 
M-G-M's  'THE 

HIDDEN  EYE' 

With  EDWARD  ARNOLD 


IN  PERSON 


OTHER 
BIG 
ACTS 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 

"DUFFY'S  TAVERN" 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS     SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


-WALT  DISNEY'S" 


WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

PIXOCCBIO 

ffuelaltulreg,tnh  technicolor 


Distributed  by  RKO  Radio  Pictures.  Inc 
B'WAY-5lst  ST  j 
3rd   BIG  WEEI 


REPUBLIC 


Editor.      Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Qr 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  M«0^1e  ^J^Tgj^  ^  w  Torf  20=  n'™"  Te'honT  Circle  7  -TlOo7~  Cable  address,  ^uigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quip 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  J270_  Sixth  Avenue,  Kocke^  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advert 

Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  " 


Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary  jSherwm 

624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  .Bureau 


Manager;  Chicago  Bureau, 


'©uigpubco,  London.' 


4  Golden 'Sa    London  Wl,'  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  ''€>ui„. 

Inierrfationai  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatr 
"   Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.    Subscript! ! 


"uesday,  September  4,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Vazi  Film,  Radio 
)ata  to  Industry 


■s 


Washington,  Sept.  3.  —  Nazi  de- 
elopments  in  the  fields  of  photo- 
raphy  and  radio  which  may  be  ahead 
research  in  this  country  will  be 
lade  available  to  the  motion  picture 
nd  broadcasting  industries  through 
le  Department  of  Commerce,  which 
as  been  named  by  mobilization  direc- 
>r  John  Snyder  to  handle  the  puli- 
ation of  scientific  knowledge  gleaned 
[tli  Europe  by  some  200  U.  S.  inves- 
gators  who  have  been  working  there 
nee  before  V-E  Day. 
The  necessary  organization  is  being 
|t  up  in  the#  Department,  and  it  is 
jlanned  to  issue  brief  abstracts  of  the 
feports  made  by  the  investigators,  to 
E  made  available  to  industry  without 
pst.  Companies  desiring  further  in- 
jjrmation  on  any  particular  subject 
•ill  be  able  to  secure  a  photostatic 
ppy  of  the  complete  file,  showing 
;xact  formulae,  processes  and  results 
tt  tests  made. 

i|  The  work  is  expected  to  require  a 
jjansiderable  period,  since  thousands 
!t  reports  have  been  received  here, 
'he  investigation  originally  was 
ndertaken  with  a  view  to  using 
gainst  Japan  any  German  develop- 
ments which  might  be  worthwhile,  but 
"resident  Truman  last  week  issued 
Jin  executive  order  to  make  available 
!)  industry,  as  promptly  as  possible, 
^i'll  enemy  scientific  and  industrial  in- 
irmation  not  restricted  for  reasons 
if  national  military  security. 

The  Germans  were  reported  to  have 
Woted  considerable  attention  to 
Dior  photography. 


ylews  reelers  Due; 
lad  Papal  Audience 

Jll  The  six  newsreel  executives  who 
/ay  sft  New  York  on  Aug.  3  on  an  Army- 
h  si|,iponsored  tour  of  the  European  thea- 
j-e,  for  the  purpose  of  observing  mili- 
um |kry  occupation,  redeployment  of  troops 
AB  j  nd  peacetime  operations,  are  due  back 
;s  hp  the  U.  S.  this  week.  Part  of  the 
__4,roup  was  to  have  arrived  yesterday. 
_J  Walton  Ament,  Pathe;  M.  D.  Clo- 
fflne,  News  of  the  Day ;  Thomas  Mead, 
fflflJniversal;  Edmund  Reek,  20th-Fox 
Tilovietonews ;  A.  J.  Richard,  Para- 
mount, and  Richard  deRochemont, 
larch  of  Time,  made  the  trip. 
Before  they  left  Europe,  the  execu- 
tes, in  Rome,  had  an  audience  with 
'ope  Pius,  XII,  who  reminded  them 
iat  while  the  camera  did  not  neces- 
sarily He,  it  could  exercise  a  deceptive 
light  of  choice. 
"It  may  be  very  selective  in  what  it 
eproduces,"  he  said,  and  thus,  truth- 
pi  as  it  is,  "it  may  yet  be  turned  into 
0  lib  effective  instrument  to  create  false 
°' I  mpressions  and  propagate  the  evil 
Kirit  of  distrust,  enmity  and  hate." 


True  Glory'  Opens 
At  Victoria  Thursday 

General  Omar  N.  Bradley,  adminis- 
■rator  of  Veterans'  Affairs,  will  ad- 
dress an  invited  audience  of  military, 
''leatrical  and  civilian  personalities  at 
!ie  Victoria  Theatre,  Thursday  eve- 
ling,  when  "The  True  Glory,"  Gen- 
"Jffral'  Dwight    D.    Eisenhower's  film 
tory  of  the  Battle  of  Western  Europe 
iSKr     ^ave  'ts  American  premiere. 
":■•;]  The   film,   produced   by   the  joint 
Vnglo-American  Film  Planning  Com- 
jiittee,  is  being  distributed  by  Colum 


ii:   jia  for  the  OWI  through  the  WAC. 


Reviews 


"Perfect  Strangers" 

(Alexander  Korda-MGM) 

London,  Sept.  3 

TARNISHED  with  top-plus  production  values  and  lavishly  adorned  with 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's    dollars,    one    nevertheless    leaves  "Perfect 
Strangers"  feeling  that  Alexander  Korda  has  made  just  another  picture. 

The  title's  "strangers"  are  a  prosaic  married  couple.  The  husband,  Robert 
Donat,  pursuing  a  humdrum,  pre-war  city  clerk's  job;  the  wife,  Deborah 
Kerr,  drably  content  doing  her  household  chores.  When  Donat  is  called  into 
naval  service,  Miss  Kerr  joins  the  Wrens  (Women's  Naval  Service).  He 
develops  an  aura  of  gallant  manhood,  she  a  glamorous  jauntiness. 

After  a  three  years'  separation  neither  is  aware  of  the  change  in  the  other's 
makeup,  but  each  is  dreading  the  inevitable  return  to  a  doleful,  everyday  peace- 
time life. 

Aided  by  the  Navy's  facilities  in  depicting  the  glories  of  wartime  life  in  the 
service  afloat,  Korda's  picture  might  be  an  exciting  documentary  in  this  respect. 
Also,  there  are  minute  flashbacks  to  London's  blitz  (disdained  now  by  all  good 
natives  of  the  city) ,  during  which  Donat  and  Miss  Kerr  are  reconciled  against 
an  obviously  studio-made  background  of  bomb-blasted  London. 

This  was  a  potentially  significant  theme  but  the  trouble  is  no  one  cares  two 
hoots,  anyway,  whether  Donat  gets  the  girl  or  whether  lovely  Miss  Kerr  runs 
off  with  anyone  else.  Neither  star  has  had  justice  done. 

Roland  Culver,  now  in  Hollywood,  contributes  another  of  his  invariably 
competent  pieces.  Glynis  Johns  is  delightful  and  first  in  the  running ;  with 
Leslie  Dwyer,  as  a  Navy  petty  officer,  finishing  a  close  second.  The  cumulative 
effect  is  as  though  Korda,  disdaining  his  stars,  couldn't  prevent  the  talented 
featured  players  from  stealing  the  picture. 

"Perfect  Strangers"  will  enjoy  prestige  in  the  West  End,  where  it  had  its 
premiere  at  the  Empire  late  last  week  in  a  stylish  occasion  which  raised  $20,000 
for  the  Victoria  League.  However,  its  inevitable  fate  will  be  spelled  in  the 
provinces  where  film-goers  now  are  educated  to  a  high  standard  of  British 
production. 

Running  time,  102  mins.  Adult  classification. 

Peter  Burnup 


Kiss  and  Tell 


(Columbia) 

Hollywood,  Sept.  3 

LAUGHTER  that  came  in  waves  rocked  the  Pantages  Theatre  here,  during 
the  preview  of  this  stage  play,  picturized  without  essential  change  as  a 
starring  vehicle  for  Shirley  Temple,  to  whose  successes  of  tenderer  years  it 
bears  no  categorical  relationship.  They  were  wholsome  little  stories  for  the 
juvenile  trade  and  the  family  audience  that  relished  them  for  that  reason. 
This  is  livelier,  maturer  stuff,  getting  its  loudest  laughs  with  comedy  based  on 
feigned  adolescent  pregnancy  and  the  reactions  of  family  members  to  that 
condition  prior  to  the  disclosure  that  the  fifteen-year-old  principal  is  only 
allowing  a  mistaken  conclusion  to  be  drawn  as  a  means  of  protecting  a 
legitimately  married  18-year-old.  The  complications  are  worked  out  in  a 
manner  to  fulminate  an  astounding  degree  of  laughing  response  from  a  general 
audience,  as  the  preview  proved,  but  the  picture  rates  adult  audience  classifica- 
tion by  all  the  other  standards. 

The  scene  is  an  average  city  and  Miss  Temple  portrays  the  daughter  of 
average  parents  who  display  shocked  reaction  to  her  admission,  under  a  charge 
brought  by  an  estranged  neighbor,  that  she  is  expecting.  When  pressures 
mount,  she  amends  the  admission  to  include  the  likewise  false  confession  that 
she  is  married  to  the  neighbor's  boy  of  like  years,  and  it  is  while  this  impres- 
sion prevails  among  the  several  parents  that  the  audience  laughs  loudest. 
Peace  and  contentment  are  restored  when  it  is  revealed  that  it's  the  slightly 
elder  offspring  of  the  same  parental  group  who  are  secretly  married  and 
expecting. 

Walter  Abel  and  Jerome  Courtland  are  the  standouts  in  a  supporting  cast 
that  includes  Katharine  Alexander,  Robert  Benchley,  Porter  Hall,  Edna  Hol- 
land and  numerous  others,  all  competent.  It's  a  George  Abbott  production, 
produced  by  Sol  C.  Siegel  and  directed  by  Richard  Wallace,  from  a  script  by 
F.  Hugh  Herbert  from  his  own  play  of  the  same  name. 

Running  time,  90  minutes.    Adult  classification.    Release  date  not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


Start  American  Film 
Showings  in  Vienna 

First  all-American  film  program  in 
Austria,  including  "It  Happened  To- 
morrow," with  German  sub-titles,  the 
Allied  Newsreel  and  the  Office  of  War 
Information's  documentary  "Pipeline," 
has  opened  at  Vienna's  Colissuem 
Theatre,  and  is  expected  to  run  for 
about  five  weeks,  according  to  a  cable 
received  here  by  Louis  Lober,  chief 
of  the  OWI's  Overseas  Motion  Pic- 
ture Branch,  New  York. 

There  are  at  present  94  theatres  in 
Vienna's  American  zone,  but  not  all 
are  operating.  The  theatres  in  this 
zone  were  least  damaged  by  Allied 
bombings,   only   10  having  been  hit. 


Theatre  Contractors 
Go  On  40-Hour  Week 

Boston,  Sept.  3.— The  Association 
of  General  Contractors  of  Massachu- 
setts, largest  organization  of  con- 
tractors in  New  England,  comprising 
a  group  of  leading  builders  who  will 
handle  most  of  the  new  theatre  proj- 
ects in  this  vicinity,  lias  announced 
through  its  president,  William  F. 
White,  that  they  will  return  at  once 
to  a  40-hour  week.  White  said 
reasons  for  the  move  are :  employment 
for  more  men,  and  stabilization  of  the 
contractors'  own  peacetime  plans. 

Plans  for  new  theatres  and  for  im- 
provements in  existing  houses  are  in 
the  contractors'  desks,  but  cannot  be 
revealed  at  present. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


GEN.  DOUGLAS  Mac  ARTHUR, 
French  president  Charles  de 
Gaulle  and  Madam  Chiang  Kai-Chek 
are  the  predominating  personalities-  in 
the  latest,  newsreel  issues.  Featured 
also  is  the  U.  S.  Carrier  Enterprise 
battling  Jap  suicide  planes.  Miscel- 
laneous items  of  current  interest  in- 
cluding sports  shots  fill  out  the  new 
reels.    Contents  follo'w: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  1  -  Heroic 
story  of  two  U.  S.  carriers.  News  flashes: 
Gen.  de  Gaulle  and  Madam  Chiang  Kai- 
Chek.  Wounded  soldier  learning-  to  use  new 
artificial  limbs.  Vast  throng?  out  for  pre- 
miere of  "State  Fair."  Water  sports:  Dogs 
swim  marathon;  Women's  AAU  meet. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  303-Eve  of 
MacArthur  departure  for  Tokyo.  Rogues 
gallery  of  Nazi  war  criminals.  Carrier 
Enterprise  'fightingest  ship.'  Personalities 
in  the  news:  Madam  Chiang  Kai-Chek  at 
the  White  House;  de  Gaulle  in  New  York 
City;  British  King  at  victory  thanksgiving. 
Sports  page:  Dogs  in  swim  marathon. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  2-MacArthur 
takes  over.  New  women's  diving  champ. 
Headline  people:  de  Gaulle  in  New  York; 
Royal  family;  Madam  Chiang.  'Hot  news': 
Postwar  stylists  get  busy. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  4— "U  S  S 
Enterprise"  in  action.  Madam  Chiang  ' re- 
turns to  China.  MacArthur  in  Manila  Con- 
gress DeGaulle  hailed  in  New  York.  Cur- 
tis Morgan  tops  swim  meet. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL,  No  429- 
MacArthur  honored  in  Manila.  Hurricane 
hits  Texas.  Big  "E"  struck  bv  Kamikaze 
Latest  in  footwear.  World  of  sports-  golf 
diving. 


Schnitzer  Heads 
'Grad  Sears  Drive' 


Carl  Leserman,  United  Artists  gen- 
eral sales  manager,  has  appointed 
Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  home  office  ex- 
ecutive, national  captain  of  the  $100  - 
000  'Grad  Sears  Drive.'  Schnitzer 
plans  to  tour  the  company's  exchanges 
and  is  now  working  out  his  itinerary. 

Final  details  for  distribution  of 
prizes  were  worked  out  following  the 
return  of  Leserman  to  New  York  from 
Hollywood.  Attending  sessions  at  the 
home  office  were  J.  J.  Unger,  Western 
sales  manager;  Harry  L.  Gold,  East- 
ern sales  manager  and  Fred  M.  Jack. 
Southern  sales  manager.  Of  the  total 
sum  of  prize  money,  approximately  65 
per  cent  will  be  awarded  to  winning 
U.  A.  district  and  branch  managers, 
as  well  as  salesmen  and  bookers  for 
sales  performances  on  individual  pro- 
ducer's product.  The  other  35  per  cent 
will  be  distributed  for  over-all  per- 
formances. 

Promotional  material  is  being  pre- 
pared by  Barry  Buchanan,  U.  A.  ad- 
vertising-publicity director,  and  will 
be  forwarded  to  exchanges  at  inter- 
vals. 


L.  B.  Morris  Leaves 
RCA  to  Resume  Law 

Lawrence  B.  Morris  has  resigned  as 
director  of  labor  relations  of  RCA 
X  ictor  to  return  to  the  general  prac- 
tice of  law.  Formerly  vice-president 
and  general  counsel  of  Victor,  Morris 
will  be  associated  after  Sept.  15  with 
Matthew  H.  O'Brien,  with  offices  in 
Xew  York  and  Washington. 

In  1928  Morris  joined  the  RCA 
Photophone  Co.  as  vice-president  and 
general  counsel,  continuing  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  1932  when  the  company 
merged  witli  RCA  Victor. 


...Word  flew  around  the  New  Orleans  "Quarter 


that  Johnny  wasn't  there  for  romance  this 
time*. .And  only  the  dynamite  blonde  with 
murder  and  mutiny  on  her  mind  knew  what  he 
was  after!. ..Rugged  romance  and  unshackled 
realism  in  another  lusty  show  from  RKO! 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Tuesday,  September  4,  1945 


ConnorsandWobber 
At  Final  Meeting 


Kansas  City,  Sept.  3.— The  fifth  of 
20th  Century-Fox's  'Victory  Year' 
sales  meetings  was  held  here  over  the 
weekend,  conducted  by  Tom  Connors, 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribution. 
W.  C.  Gehring,  Central  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  and  Morris  Caplan, 
branch  coordinator,  accompanied  Con- 
nors from  Des  Moines,  where  the 
fourth  business  conference  had  been 
held.  The  Kansas  City  meeting  was 
attended  by  district  manager  W.  E 
Scott  and  branch  managers  George  W. 
Fuller,  Kansas  City;  G.  T.  Landis, 
Indianapolis;  B.  B.  Reingold,  St 
Louis. 

Connors,  Gehring  and  Caplan  en- 
trained for  San  Francisco  today  for 
the  sixth  and  final  sales  meeting,  to 
take  place  starting  Wednesday.  In 
San  Francisco,  newly  promoted  West 
Coast  sales  manager  Herman  Wobber, 
will  assist  Connors  in  conducting  the 
three-day  business  conferences.  In  at- 
tendance will  be  district  managers 
George  M.  Ballentine  and  Charles  L 
Walker,  and  branch  managers  C.  W 
Eckhardt,  Los  Angeles ;  Charles  b 
Powers,  Portland;  Frank  Drew,  Se- 
attle; Arthur  Abeles,  Denver;  Clyde 
Blasi'us,  Salt  Lake  City. 


Most  Midwest  Theatres 
In  Need  of  Equipment 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Exception  will  be  made  in  cases 
where  the  exhibitor  is  hard  _  pressed 
for  the  merchandise,  and  failure  to 
receive  it  may  put  him  out  of  busi- 
ness. 

Despite  the  difficulty  in  securing 
new  sound  systems  and  projectors  for 
the  past  several  war  years,  no  ex- 
hibitor had  to  close  his  theatre  be- 
cause his  booth  equipment  could  no 
longer  be  used,  reports  William  Das- 
sow,  Chicago  manager  of  National 
Theatre  Supply  Co.  He  says  that  he 
was  always  able  to  secure  a  new 
sound  system  or  projector  when  an 
exhibitor  was  in  really  desperate 
straits.  He  recently  concluded  a  tour 
of  his  territory  and  reports  that  ex- 
hibitors have  thousands  of  dollars  set 
aside  for  remodeling  and  refurnishing 
purposes.  '  He  says  that  he  now  has 
orders  for  10,000  yards  of  carpeting 
and  for  some  500,000  seats,  just  to 
mention  two  items. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT- 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound" 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright  s 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

.  JAMES  L.  FREE 
H  PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood-  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK  :  44-4  Madison  Ave. 

Plaza  5-4130 
CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 

Franklin  6373 
HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Orders  for  Carpets 

Dave  Dewey,  owner  of  the  Chicago 
Theatre  Supply  Co.,  reveals  that  he 
has  orders  for  250,000  seats  and  for 
thousands  of  yards  of  carpets.  He  is 
able  to  deliver  sound  systems  and  pro- 
jectors on  six  months'  notice,  and, 
judging  by  current  conditions,  does 
not  see  any  relief  from  this  practice 
for  the  present. 

There  is  no  limit  on  the  number 
of  seats  one  can  sell,  says  Erwin 
Fensin,  president  of  the  Fensin  Seat- 
ing Co.,  here,  if  the  seats  were  avail- 
able for  sale.  Scarcity  of  raw  mate- 
rials, particularly  manufacturing 
equipment,  upholstery  fabrics,  textiles 
and  burlap,  explains  Fensin,  makes  it 
impossible  to  produce  any  seats. 
Bob  Engel,  sales  manager  of  De- 


Vry  Corp.,  reports  that  his  company 
is  now  making  some  equipment  for 
theatres,  but  it  is  far  from  enough. 
Orders  are  being  filled  according  to 
filing  date  made  by  dealers  as  well 
as  exhibitors. 

Fred  C.  Matthews,  Motiograph 
partner,  says  that  sound  systems  and 
projectors  will  not  reach  their  nor- 
mal manufacturing  pace  until  all  raw 
materials  become  available.  While 
the  company  is  no  longer  tied  down 
by  restrictions,  its  raw  stock  sup- 
pliers can  only  fill  a  small  portion  of 
Motiograph  orders  on  hand.  Mat- 
thews, revealed  that  Motiograph  is 
now  doing  50  per  cent  of  its  1941 
business,  but  that  the  demand  today 
is  10  times  over  the  demand  in  1941. 

An  equipment-needs  survey  made 
by  Allied  Theatres  of  Illinois,  while 
still  inconclusive,  indicates  a  great 
need  for  new  equipment  and  supplies. 

Balaban  and  Katz  Circuit  here  ex- 
pects to  pour  thousands  of  dollars  in- 
to refurnishings  for  most  of  its  50 
theatres. 


$75,000  Remodeling  Job 

The  RKO  Palace  here  will  under 
go  a  $75,000  remodeling  job  here  as 
soon  as  materials  become  available 
Warner  Brothers  has  set  aside  $30,- 
000  for  remodeling  work  at  its 
Flrolic,  Metropolitan,  and  Oakland, 
and  another  $30,000  will  be  spent  on 
a  new  front  for  its  Parthenon  in 
Hammond,  Ind. 

The  Van  Nomikos  Circuit  plans 
extensive  remodeling  work,  including 
a  new  front  for  the  Rex  Theatre. 
The  Manta  and  Rose  Circuit  will  do 
some  work  in  many  of  its  Indiana 
houses.  It  recently  installed  18  new 
plastic  type  screens.  Sam  Meyers, 
circuit  operator,  has  on  order  1,300 
push-back  seats  for  the  Teatro 


Para,  to  Devise 
A  Telecaster  i 
For  Large  Runs 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

edly,  Paramount  hopes  to  rush 
through  and  develop  a  new  experi- 
mental model  of  this  program  pickup 
and  developing  machine,  which  it 
hopes  to  demonstrate  in  about  six 
months. 

Raibourn  pointed  out  that  an  ex- 
perimental model  which  Paramount 
prepared  several  years  ago  still  re- 
quires considerable  improvement.  The 
old  equipment  photographs  the  image, 
complete  with  sound  track,  develops 
the  film  and  prints  it,  and  runs  the 
print  through  the  theatre's  projector. 
But  the  pickup  must  be  made  imme- 
diately, and  editing  is  impossible  be- 
fore proj  ection.  Paramount  seeks  a 
machine  that  will  permit  editing  and 
can  be  delayed  in  projection  in  order 
not  to  interfere  with  a  film  program 
in  process. 

Paramount  will  adopt  any  equip- 
ment which  can  directly  project  tele- 
vision in  large  theatres,  Raibourn  in- 
dicated. Paramount  has  a  one-third 
interest  in  Scophony  Corp.  of  Amer- 


Work,  Yates,  Hines 
In  Stock  Deals 


Philadelphia,  Sept.  3. — Sale  of  8,- 
100  shares  of  Universal  Pictures  com- 
mon stock  in  June  by  Cliff  Work, 
leaving  him  with  only  1,900  shares, 
was  reported  Saturday  by  the  Securi- 
ties and  Exchange  Commission,_  here. 

Another  belated  report,  carried  in 
the  SEC's  summary  for  July,  showed 
that  Herbert  J.  Yates  sold  900  shares 
of  Consolidated  Film  Industries  pre- 
ferred stock  which  he  held  jointly  with 
others,  in  June,  and  had  purchased  1,- 
000  shares  of  common  stock  in  May. 
Yates'  joint  holdings  at  the  close  of 
June  included  2,000  shares  of  preferred 
and  3,600  shares  of  common ;  he  also 
held  30,050  shares  of  preferred  and 
154,173  shares  of  common  through 
Associated,  Motion  Pictures  Industry. 

The  largest  transaction  reported  for 
July  was  the  sale  of  4,500>  shares_  of 
General  Precision  Equipment  capital 
stock  by  Earle  G.  Hines,  who  still  held 
11.000  shares  at  the  end  of  the  month. 

Other  transactions  reported  includ- 
ed the  purchase  of  2.000  shares  of 
RKO  common  by  Frederick  L.  Ehr- 
man.  New  York  director,  giving  him  a 
total  nf  3,000  shares,  and  the  purchase 
of  1,800  shares  of  Warner  common 
stock  bv  Jack  L.  Warner,  through  a 
trust  which  held  3,800  shares,  at  the 
close  of  the  month. 


MustKeepWarWork 
Records  Five  Years 


Washington,  Sept.  3. —  Manufac- 
turers who  have  had  Government  con- 
tracts at  any  time  during  the  war,  in- 
cluding film  equipment  companies  and 
film  producers,  should  take  .care  of 
their  records,  keeping  them  for  at 
lease  five  years,  Government  officials 
warn. 


Have  No  Plans 

Ralph  B.  Austrian,  in  charge  of 
RKO's  television  activities,  told 
Motion  Picture  Daily  that  he  re- 
cently spoke  to  most  manufacturer? 
of  television  equipment  about  plans 
for  theatre  equipment  but  none  indi- 
cated that  they  have  any  plans,  ai; 
least  for  the  present. 

Capt.  A.  G.  D.  West,  technical  di 
rector  of  J.  Arthur  Rank's  televisioi 
companies,  declared  during  a  visi 
here  in  July  that  he  does  not  expec  i 
theatre  television  equipment  in  En 
gland  to  become  available  for  at  leas 
five  years  after  the  resumption  o 
civilian  manufacturing  of  radio  am 
television  equipment. 

RCA  has  developed  a  televisio 
equipment  receiver  for  smaller  the! 
atres,  which  it  demonstrated  at  th 
New  Yorker  Theatre  late  in  1941; 
but  there  are  no  indications  that  th 
company  has  any  immediate  plans  fo 
its  manufacture. 


Czechs  Seek  End 
To  Film  Barriers 

Jan  Elbl,  a  representative  of  the 
Czechoslovak  Ministry  of  Information, 
was  reported  in  Associated  Press  dis- 
patches from  Prague  to  be  en  route  at 
the  weekend  to  Paris  and  London  to 
remove  difficulties  which  prevent  many 
films  from  Western  nations  from 
reaching  Czechoslovak  theatres. 

The  theatres,  in  the  process  of  na 
tionalization,  are  showing  no  U.  S 
films  and  only  five  British  films  have 
been  imported. 


Korda  Coming  Over 

London,  Sept.  3. — Alexander  Kord 
will  leave  here  for  New  York  i 
the  near  future  for  conferences  wit 
Loew's  home  office  officials  and  for  | 
vacation. 


'Tatiana'  in  France 

Hollywood,  Sept.  3.— Sam  Wood 
plans  to  produce  "Tatiana"  in  France. 
Adolphe  Menjou,  who  is  about  to  sign 
a  two-picture  deal  with  a  British  pro- 
ducer, may  play  the  lead. 


MITCHELL  MAY,  Jr. 

CO.,  INC. 

INSURANCE 
• 

Specializing 
in  requirements  of  the 

Motion  Picture  Industry 

75  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
510  W.  6th  St.,  Los  Anjjeles 


Tuesday,  September  4,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Pup- 


il. S.  Film  Clearing 
House  Approved 
|  By  Federal  Agencies 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Mills,  chief  of  the  OWI  film  bureau, 
which  would  leave  each  agency  still 
in  full  control  of  its  films  but  im- 
prove the  prewar  distribution  system 
by  bringing  all  Government  pictures 
together  at  one  point,  were  planned 
to  retain  in  the  peacetime  period  the 
extensive  distribution  system  which 
was  built  up  during  the  war.  The 
question  of  providing  a  centralized 
technical  and  advisory  service  on  pro- 
duction of  pictures  has  yet  to  be  fully 
developed,  and  was  deferred  until  a 
meeting  which  is  to  be  held  later  this 
week. 

Meanwhile,  plans  have  been  made  to 
bring  the  16mm.  industry  advisory 
committee  to  Washington  Sept.  10  to 
discuss  the  proposals  and  make '  such 
suggestions  as  they  may  develop,  and 
it  is  planned  to  perfect  the  program 
and  submit  it  to  the  Budget  Bureau 
before  the  domestic  branch  discon- 
tinues operations  Sept.  15. 

Truman  Orders  End 
Of  OWI  Domestic 


iireraj 
flaw 
inlji 
s,  i% 
I 

,i  di  i 
fiiio:  ( 
vis1  ii 
sped  i 
En 
iffi:  - 


ork 
S  in: 
ii 


Washington,  Sept.  3. — Liquidation 
of  the  Office  of  War  Information  has 
been  started,  under  an  order  issued 
Friday  by  President  Truman,  trans- 
ferring to  the  State  Department  the 
international  information  services  of 
OWI  and  the  informational  operations 
of  the  Office  of  Inter-American  Af- 
fairs and  directing  of  the  domestic 
branch  to  be  suspended  Sept.  15. 

As  previously  reported  a  major  re-, 
organization  of  the  Government's  for- 
eign information  services  has  been  ap- 
proved by  Secretary  of  State  Byrnes. 

President  Truman  conferred  upon 
the  motion  picture  industry  his  com- 
mendation for  "the  generous  con- 
tribution" it  made  in  informing  the 
American  people  about  the  Govern 
ment's  wartime  programs. 


If. 


Walters  to  Operate 
Own  Supply  Company 

Cleveland,  Sept.  3. — Lou  H.  Wal- 
ters has  resigned  from  National  Thea- 
tre Supply  Co.,  after  an  association  of 
almost  20  years,  10  of  them  as  man- 
ager of  the  Cleveland  office,  to  go  into 
the  theatre  supply  business  on  his  own. 

He  has  formed  a  new  company 
which  will  operate  in  the  Midwest. 


Million  to  Promote 
4  Paramount  Films 

More  than  $1,000,000  will  be  spent 
by  Paramount  in  advertising  and  pro- 
motional campaigns  pre-selling  "In- 
cendiary Blonde,"  Hal  Wallis'  "Love 
Letters"  and  "You  Came  Along"  and 
"The  Lost  Weekend." 


Critics '  Quotes  .  .  . 

"STATE  FAIR"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

Take  the  bad  with  the  good  and  "State  Fair"  is  still  a  very  satisfying 
movie,  but.  like  most  of  the  current  vintage  of  films,  it  could  have  stood  a 
lot  of  plotting  and  cutting. — Hoivard  Barnes,  New  York  Herald-Tribune. 

It's  a  gay  and  jovial  musical  .  .  .  has  charm  and  humor,  a  likable  story, 
an  ingratiating  cast,  the  liveliest  of  Technicolors  and,  chiefly,  six  lilting  songs. 
— Rose  Pelswick,  New  York  Journal  American. 

This  20th  Century-Fox  photoplay  in  Technicolor  marks  a  new  high  in 
filmusicals. — Lee  Mortimer,  New  York  Mirror. 

Top  rating  ...  it  is  guaranteed  a  sure  cure  for  the  blues. — Kate  Cameron, 
New  York  Daily  News. 

In  any  contest  for  'corn,'  it  merits  the  blue  ribbon  for  being  the  most 
delicious  in  Cinemaland  and  easy  on  the  eye,  too,  in  verdant  Technicolor. — 
John  T.  McMawus,  PM  (Neiv  York). 

It  has  everything,  doubled  and  re-doubled.  And  it  carries  its  buoyant  load 
of  music,  humor  and  romance  without  a  trace  of  pretentiousness.  I  can't 
remember  a  musical  as  delightful  since  they  started  making  the  things. — 
Archer  Winsten,  New  York  Post. 

A  musical  as  fresh  as  Spring,  as  enchanting  as  moonlight.  ...  I  would  hate 
to  have  missed  "State  Fair." — Eileen  Creelman,  New  York  Sun. 

.  .  .  the  simple  fact  is  that  this  song  version  of  the  old  Will  Rogers  talking 
film  is  no  more  than  an  average  screen  musical,  with  a  nice  bucolic  flavor  here 
and  there. — Boslcy  Crowther,  Nezv  York  'Times. 

The  gentlemen  of  "Oklahoma"  have  worked  their  zestful  magic  on  another 
rustic  story  and  turned  "State  Fair"  into  one  of  the  pleasantest  little  musical 
comedies  you  ever  saw  in  your  whole  life. — Alton  Cook,  New  York  World 
Telegram. 


John  Jones  Calls 
Screen  Guild  Meet 

(.Continued  from  page  1 ) 

action  releases,  and  to  select  a  general 
sales  manager. 

Expected  to  attend,  in  addition  to 
Jones  are :  vice-presidents  Robert  L. 
Lippert,  John  W.  Mangham  and  Ar- 
thur Lockwood ;  M.  S.  Schulter, 
treasurer ;  John  L.  Franconi,  secre- 
tary, and  directors  Jack  Engel,  J.  F. 
White,  Jr.,  and  Bert  Stearn.  Other 
franchise  holders  to  attend  include 
Sam  Wheeler,  Washington ;  Al 
Swerdlove,  Boston ;  Joseph  Wolf, 
Minneapolis;  Julian  King,  Kansas 
City,  Omaha  and  Des  Moines ;  J. 
Marcan  Bercesian,  Denver  and  Salt 
Lake  City ;  Al  Dezel,  Detroit ;  Joy 
Houck  and  L.  C.  Montgomery,  New 
Orleans  and  Memphis ;  Carr  Scott, 
Oklahoma  City ;  Al  Grubstick,  San 
Francisco,  and  Harry  Arthur,  St. 
Louis. 


Ad  Agency  Studies 
Boycott  Demands 

Hollywood,  Sept.  3. — The  manage- 
ment of  Foote,  Cone  and  Belding,  ad- 
vertising agency  servicing  RKO  Radio 
and  David  O.  Selznick,  was  in  con- 
ferences here  at  the  weekend  to  de- 
termine what  course  it  would  follow- 
as  a  result  of  notification  from  the 
Conference  of  Studio  Unions  strategy 
committee  to  withhold  service  from 
production  companies  considered  'un- 
fair' by  the  committee. 

Demands  made  on  Foote,  Cone  and 
Belding,  first  advertising  agency  to  be 
affected,  pertain  to  national  advertis- 
ing campaigns  of  the  two  companies 
only. 


Comdr.  Schmidt  to 
Col.  as  Cohn  Aide 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ager  of  M-G-M,  here,  prior  to  the 
war.  He  has  been  in  the  industry  for 
20  years  starting  as  a  theatre  manager 
at  the  Circle  Theatre,  Indianapolis. 
For  many  years  he  was  advertising- 
publicity  director  of  the  Publix  Michi- 
gan Theatre  Circuit  in  Detroit. 

Since  entering  the  Navy  in  1942, 
Comdr.  Schmidt,  who  was  a  graduate 
of  the  Naval  Academy,  has  served  in 
the  Naval  Aviation  Branch. 


Home  Leaves  20th; 
Will  Be  Consultant 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ment.  Home  could  not  be  reached  for 
comment  on  his  future  plans. 

Skouras  said  that  Home  will  act  as 
special  consultant  to  20th  Century- 
Fox  under  new  contractual  arrange- 
ments of  a  non-exclusive  nature, 
which  will  leave  Home  free  to  serve 
other  interests  and  engage  in  other  ac- 
tivities. 

"Home's  brilliant  performance  for 
us  over  the  past  three  years  contribut- 
ed considerably  to  what  has  been  the 
three  most  successful  years  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  company,"  Skouras  said. 
"The  splendid  job  he  did  for  the  com- 
pany confirmed  the  reputation  which 
he  has  enjoyed  for  years  as  one  of  the 
top  advertising  and  publicity  executives 
in  the  business.  It  is  most  gratifying 
that  we  will  continue  to  have  the  bene- 
fit of  his  talents  in  his  capacity  as  spe- 
cial consultant  to  the  company." 

Prior  to  joining  20th-Fox,  in  1942, 
Home  devoted  all  his  time  to  his  Hal 
Home  Organization,  which  he  still 
heads.  Earlier  he  was  associated 
with  Walt  Disney  as  Eastern  general 
manager  and  prior  to  that  was  direc- 
tor of  advertising,  publicity  and  ex- 
ploitation for  United  Artists. 


Buchanan  Promotes  Roth 

Barry  Buchanan,  director  of  pub- 
licity-advertising for  United  Artists, 
announces  the  appointment  of  Leon 
Roth  to  the  post  of  pressbook  editor. 
Roth,  who  has  been  with  the_  com- 
pany for  two  years,  has  been  "acting 
pressbook  editor  for  the  past  three 
months. 


THE  BIGGESTsTATUE  IN  U.S.A.  IS  STATUE  OF  LIBERTY 


Film  Companies  May 
Withdraw  in  Mexico 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Aliva  Camacho  stating  that  it  would 
be  preferable  for  them  to  withdraw 
from  Mexico  entirely  than  yield  to 
the  alleged  "unlawfulness"  of  section 
No.  1  of  the  National  Cinematographic 
Industry  Workers  Union.  Wage  in- 
creases of  at  least  30  per  cent  are  de- 
manded. 


BIGGEST 


MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED  .  .  . 


v. 


I 


\  v 


*********** 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

1600  BROADWAY.  H.  Y.  19       Clrelt  6-6686 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


moveovers  (Dallas,  Cincinnati,  Syracuse,  Toledo, 
Buffalo,  Richmond,  Worcester,  Bridgeport,  Hartford, 
Minneapolis)  with  top  business  indicated  in  other 
key  spots  where  it  has  just  opened! 

*  Another  Star-topped  H*  from  u.  ft.t 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


OL.  58.  NO.  46 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  5,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Big  Holiday 
Weekend  for 
S.Y.  Theatres 

Several  Houses  Set  New 
Marks  With  Top  Grosses 

With  several  first-runs  register- 
lig  new  Labor  Day  weekend  marks, 
ided  by  cool  weather  and  a  heavy 
iliux  of  holiday  visitors,  New 
j'ork  downtown  theatres  are  generally 
□unting  another  week  of  peak  re- 
eipts. 

|  The  Roxy,  Radio  City  Music  Hall, 
trand,  Rivoli  and  Capitol  are  among 
mse  which  scored  the  best  Labor 
)ay  weekend  business  in  their  his- 
Dries. 

"State  Fair,"  combined  with  a  stage 
ill  featuring  Connee  Boswell,  the 
"ondos  Brothers  and  Gene  Sheldon, 
oiled  up  a  tremendous  $98,600  for 
le  first  five  days  at  the  Roxy,  with 

terrific  $130,000  expected  for  the 
,-eek.  "Over  21"  and  a  stage  show 
t  Radio  City  Music  Hall  will  bring 

(.Continued  on  page  5) 


Bloom,  Collins  and 
Carroll  Promoted 


Following  last  week's  decision  by 
Tom  Connors,  vice-president  in 
|:harge  of  distribution,  to  increase  20th 
Century-Fox's  sales  divisions  from 
ihree  to  four,  it  was  announced  that 
new  assignments  have  been  given  to 
liree  home  office  veterans :  Jack 
31oom,  E.  H.  Collins  and  F.  X.  Car- 
ol!. 

Bloom  will  function   as  executive 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


0  WE  Foreign  Men 
To  Attend  Meeting 


Thirty  managers  of  Western  Elec- 
ric  Export  Corp's.  foreign  companies 
tnd  branches  will  attend  the  company's 
irst  world-wide  conference,  Oct.  1-12, 
it  the  Waldorf  Astoria,  according  to 
2.  S.  Gregg,  vice-president  and  gen- 
•ral  manager. 

Managers  who  are  coming  here 
rora  all  corners  of  the  globe  to  at- 
tend the  meeting  include :  R.  R.  Abar- 
lanell,  Philippines  ;  G.  Debus,  Mexico  ; 
M  ■  DeMello,  Colombia-Venezuela ;  F. 
DeRenzis,  Spain-Portugal;  D.  Dona 
Dalle  Rose,  Italy;  V.  I.  Enders, 
(Continued  on  page  5) 


West  Gained  Population  in  Wartime 
Migrations  from  North  and  South 

Washington,  Sept.  4. — Civilian  population  of  the  West  is  today 
approximately  1,200,000  greater  than  before  the  war,  while  that  in 
the  South  is  900,000  less  and  in  the  North  300,000  less,  it  is  disclosed 
by  a  survey  of  wartime  migration  just  completed  by  the  U.  S. 
Census  Bureau. 

About  15,300,000  persons,  more  than  12  per  cent  of  the  civilian 
population,  moved  outside  their  home  counties  during  the  war. 
This  does  not  include  the  12,000,000  persons  going  into  the  Armed 
Forces,  nor  an  uncounted  number  who  migrated,  but  returned  to 
their  homes  before  the  end  of  the  war. 

The  Census  Bureau  estimated  that  about  7,800,000  civilians,  or 
more  than  half  the  migrants,  crossed  state  lines,  while  about 
3  600,000  migrated  from  one  to  another  of  the  three  major  regions. 
Children  under  14  years  made  up  nearly  one-fourth  of  all  migrants. 

A  large  majority  pf  the  migrants  were  women,  it  being  estimated 
that  of  all  civilian  migrants  14  years  old  and  over,  7,100,000  were 
women  and  4,700,000  men. 

With  the  halting  of  war  production,  a  new  migration  is  in  the 
making,  the  results  of  which  may  not  be  known  for  several  years. 
No  estimates  are  possible  of  the  number  of  persons  who  will  return 
to  their  prewar  homes;  those  who  will  settle  where  they  were  at 
the  end  of  the  year,  or  those  who  will  seek  work  in  new  localities. 


Einf  eld  Quits, 
May  Produce 


Burbank,   Cal.,    Sept.   4.— Charles 
Einfeld,  effective  today,  resigned  as 
vice-president  of  Warners  in  charge 
of  national  advertising,  publicity  and 
exploitation  and 
told  Motion 
Picture  Daily 
he  will  make  no 
W      new  connection 
Ml      pending  a  long 
IT-    V/  holiday.  While 

vacationing,  he 
added,  he  will 
consider  offers 
and  arrive  at  his 
K  N*i|jj^^MBj  deter  mi- 
nation  by  Jan.  1. 
%/M  fl  Decision  to 

*■*         w^^^^^m     ]eave  the  organ- 

i  z  a  t  i  o  n  with 
Charles  Einfeld  whkh     he  has 

been  identified 
for  25  years  was  finalized  this  morn- 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


Schlaifer,  20th's 
Ad  Supervisor 


Spyros  Skouras,  president  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  discloses  that  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  exploitation,  pub- 
licity, advertising  and  radio  depart- 
ments of  the  company  will  remain 
status  quo,  with  Charles  Schlaifer, 
assistant  director,  temporarily  super- 
vising. The  department  will  continue 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Loew  Expands 
Foreign  Runs 


Arthur  Loew,  president  of  Loew's 
International  Corp.,  reports  that  'syn- 
chronizations' in  Spanish  -  speaking 
America  have  launched  Metro-Gold- 
wyn  -  Mayer  on 
one  of  the  great- 
est building  pro- 
grams of  its 
international 
career,  announc- 
ing the  follow- 
ing theatre  ac- 
quisitions to 
provide  M-G-M 
with  adequate 
outlets  in  Latin 
America:  In 
Colombia, 
Loew's  has  un- 
der construction 
in  Cali  a  2,000- 
seat  theatre ;  in 

Baranquilla,  after  alterations  and  in- 
(Continucd  on  page  5) 


Arthur  Loew 


Lipton  Leaves  Army, 
Back  to  Columbia 


Corp.  David  A.  Lipton,  director  of 
advertising,  publicity  and  exploitation 
of  Columbia  Pictures,  has  received  his 
discharge  from  the  Army.  He  has  been 
on  a  leave  of  absence  from  Columbia 
for  20  months. 

Lipton  was  attached  to  the  Army 
Pictorial  Service,  Signal  Corps  and 

(Continued  on  page  2) 


U.  S.  Lists  Its 
Documents  in 
N.Y.  Trust  Suit 


Company  Interrogatory 
Answers  Dominate  List 


The  Department  of  Justice  has 
turned  over  to  distributor  defend- 
ants in  the  New  York  film  anti-trust 
suit,  a  173-page  descriptive  list  of 
some  323  identified  classes  of  docu- 
ments which  will  comprise  the  bulk 
of  the  evidence  in  its  prima  facie  case. 
Copies  of  the  list  have  also 
been   delivered   to   the  three- 
judge  statutory  court,  compris- 
ing Justices  Augustus  N.  Hand, 
Henry  W.  Goddard  and  John 
Bright,  which  is  scheduled  to 
hear  the  case  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  starting  Oct.  8. 
The    list    of    documents,  broken 
down  into  some  30  subdivisions,  is 
dominated   by    the   distributors'  an- 
swers to  the  Government's  interroga- 
tories both  in  1939,  before  the  begin- 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Congress  Will  Cut 
War  Time  and  Taxes 


Washington,  Sept.  4. — An  early 
end  of  Daylight  Saving  Time  and 
quick  action  on  legislation  providing 
relief  from  war-time  taxes  were  in 
sight  tonight  as  Congress  prepared 
to  start  tomorrow  on  the  reconver- 
sion legislative  program. 

Little  difficulty  is  expected  to  be  en- 
countered in  the  return  to  Standard 
Time,  recommended  last  month  by 
President  Truman,  but  the  enactment 

(Continued  on  page  5) 


Arthur  Mayer  on 
Japan  Assignment 


Arthur  L.  Mayer,  managing  direc- 
tor of  the  Rialto  Theatre,  here,  and 
now  serving  as  assistant  to  Basil 
O'Connor,  chairman  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  will  leave  in  the  near  fu- 
ture for  China,  India  and  Japan  to 
survey  Red  Cross  activities  in  those 
countries  and  to  study  proposals  for 
additional  services  for  the  Army  of 
Occupation.  He  will  also  supervise 
the  production  of  a  factual  film  illus- 
trating Red  Cross  work  in  the  Far 
East. 

This  will  be  Mayer's  third  trip  for 
the  Red  Cross. 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Wednesday,  September  5,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Picketing  Spreads 
To  2  More  Firms 


NATE  BLUMBERG,  Universal 
president,  left  Hollywood  for 
New  York  yesterday  on  the  Super- 
chief. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgees,  M-G-M  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  may  delay  a 
scheduled  departure  for  his_  regular 
Fall  studio  trip,  to  Culver  City,  until 
next  month. 

• 

Frances  Kulick,  manager  of  Bell 
Pictures'  New  York  exchage,  and 
Capt.  Barney  Frank  were  married 
over  the  weekend  in  Chicago. 

• 

Sam  Forgoston  of  M-G-M's  home 
office  advertising  production  depart- 
ment, returned  to  New  York  yester- 
day from  a  vacation. 

• 

Phil   Regan,  Monogram   star,  is 
en  route  to  Chicago,  from  Hollywood 
for  personal  appearances,  stopping  off 
in  the  High  Sierras  for  a  vacation. 
• 

J.   Robert   Rubin,   M-G-M  vice 
president    and    general    counsel,  re 
turned  to  New  York  yesterday  from 
a  Saratoga  vacation. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal's  West- 
ern sales  manager,  will  arrive  in 
Chicago  today,  from  Los  Angeles,  ar 
riving  back  here  on  Friday. 

• 

E.   K.    (Ted)    O'Shea,  M-G-M' 
Eastern   sales   manager,   reports  the 
loss  of  his  oldest  brother,  who  died 
on  the  Coast. 

• 

S.  Barret  McCormick,  RKO  Radio 
director  of  advertising  and  publicity, 
is  due  back  in  New  York  today  with 
his  family,  following  a  Denver  visit 
• 

Robert  K.  Shapiro,  manager  of  the 
Paramount  Theatre,  here,  has  re- 
turned from  vacation. 

• 

Fred  Meyers,  Universal's  Eastern 
sales  manager,  left  New  York  yester- 
day for  Boston. 

Walsh  Moderator  at 
'306'  Negotiations 

Representatives  of  Loew's  and  RKO 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  first  runs 
met  with  representatives  of  IATSE 
Motion  Picture  Operators  Union,  Lo- 
cal 306,  until  a  late  hour  last  night 
with  Richard  F.  Walsh,  'IA' 
national  president  as  moderator 
gotiations  for  a  new  contract. 


Inter 
in  ne 


Hollywood,  Sept.  4.— Picket  lines 
were  established  today  in  front  of  the 
local  offices  of  National  Screen  Ser- 
vice and  Foote,  Cone  and  Belding, 
both  of  which  had  been  asked  last 
week  to  withhold  service  from  studios 
affected  by  the  strike  here.  The  Pa- 
cific Art  and  Title  Co.,  Ray  Mercer 
and  Co.,  Louis  Meyer  and  Co.  and 
Consolidated  Film  Industries,  all  of 
which  do  trailer  or  accessory  work, 
have  agreed  to  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  terms  and  were  not  picketed 
CSU  reported. 

The  strikers  said  Donald  Nelson, 
president  of  the  Society  of  Independ- 
ent Motion  Picture  Producers,  had 
telegraphed  from  Washington  asking- 
terms  on  which  CSU  would  settle  the 
controversy;  and  Paul  Williams,  gen- 
eral counsel  for  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Theatre  Owners,  talked  with 
CSU  president  Herbert  Sorrell  about 
an  arbitration  formula. 

Possibility  of  a  rift  within  the 
ranks  of  IATSE  was  seen  when 
Local  695,  sound  technicians,  long  ded- 
icated to  a  policy  of  autonomous  con- 
trol, filed  a  petition  with  the  National 
Labor  Relations  Board  seeking  clarifi- 
;ation  of  jurisdiction. 


'True  Glory'  Given 
Preview  for  Press 

Gen.  Dwight  D.  Eisenhow- 
er's "The  True  Glory,"  a  film 
account  of  the  war  from  'D- 
Day'  to  'V-E-Day,'  was  pre- 
viewed for  the  press  by  Co- 
lumbia here  yesterday,  prior 
to  its  opening  tomorrow  at 
the  Victoria  Theatre. 

Reviewing  the  production  in 
the  August  1  issue  of  Motion 
Picture  Daily,  Peter  Burnup, 
Motion  Picture  Daily  London 
editor,  said,  in  part:  "It  is  a 
magnificent  testament  to  the 
men  of  many  lands.  It  lends 
glory  to  the  screen.  Its  cumu- 
lative effect  is  an  overwhelm- 
ing picture  of  the  stupendous 
achievement  of  the  assault  of 
Europe."  Running  time  is  86 
minutes. 


Johnston  Contract 
Up  to  Board  Sept.  15 

Action  on  a  contract  for  Eric 
Johnston  as  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America  is  expected  to  come  up  for 
ratification  by  the  MPPDA  board  of 
directors  at  its  next  quarterly  meeting, 
scheduled  to  be  held  at  organization 
headquarters,  here,  on  Sept.  15. 

Will  H.  Hays,  present  president  of 
the  MPPDA,  would  become  chairman 
of  the  board.  Hays  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  Hollywood. 

Newsreel  Executives 
Back  From  Abroad 

Six  newsreel  executives  arrived  at 
La  Guardia  Field  by  plane  from  Paris 
yesterday  following  a  month's  tour  of 
London,  Brussels.  Bremen,  Hamburg, 
Frankfort,  Hanau,  Munich,  Rome, 
Casablanca  and  other  cities  at  the  in- 
vitation of  the  War  Department. 

Richard  de  Rochemont  of  March 
of  Time  arrived  in  the  morning,  fol- 
lowed at  6  :35  P.M.  by  Edmund  Reek, 
Fox  Movietone;  Albert  J.  Richard, 
Paramount ;  Walton  C.  Ament,  Pathe  ; 
Michael  D.  Clofine,  M-G-M  News 
of  the  Day,  and  Thomas  Mead,  Uni- 
versal. They  were  '  accompanied  by 
Capt.  James  B.  Faichney  of  the  War 
Department  bureau  of  public  relations. 


Two  Openings  for 
Eisenhower's  'Glory' 

Day  and  date  opening  of  "The  True 
Glory,"  Gen.  Dwight  D.  Eisenhower's 
,film-story  of  the  Battle  of  Western 
Europe,  will  be  held  Thursday  in  New 
York  and  Abilene,  Kan.,  General 
Eisenhower's  home  town. 

The  New  York  opening  will  be  held 
at  the  Victoria  Theatre,  under  aus- 
pices of  the  New  York  National  War 
Fund,  with  Gen.  Omar  N.  Bradley, 
now  administrator  of  veterans'  affairs, 
addressing  an  audience  of  top  military, 
theatrical  and  civilian  personalities. 
The  Abilene  opening  will  be  held  at 
the  Plaza  Theatre,  with  Gov.  Andrew 
Schoeppel  and  Mrs.  Ida  Elizabeth 
Eisenhower,  the  general's  mother,  as 
guests.  Proceeds  will  also  go  to  the 
National  War  Fund. 

Meanwhile,  a  move  is  afoot  to  have 
theatremen  offer  one  showing  of  the 
film  gratis  to  families  of  servicemen. 
This  was  started  by  New  York's 
Mayor  La  Guardia. 

Capt.  Lionel  J;  Toll,  of  the  War 
Department  Bureau  of  Public  Rela- 
tions, has  been  assigned  to  Columbia 
as  liaison  officer  for  "The  True 
Glory." 

Beck  and  Glass  Set 
Publicity  Company 

Announcement  of  a  partnership  be- 
tween Myer  P.  Beck  and  George 
Glass  and  Associates  was  made  yes- 
terday with  Beck  immediately  estab- 
lishing an  Eastern  office  for  the  pub- 
licity and  exploitation  organization. 
Glass  will  continue  to  operate  in  Hol- 
lywood. 


Ein feld  Qu  its, 
May  Produce 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ing,  Einfeld  continued.  While  he  did 
not  say  so,  it  is  understood  the  step 
has  been  in  his  mind  for  approximately 
a  year,  possibly  longer. 

The  probability  is  Einfeld  will  not 
be  replaced  immediately.  Alex  Evelove, 
director  of  studio  publicity,  is  ex- 
pected to  assume  charge  at  this  end,  | 
while  Mort  Blumenstock,  Eastern  ad- 
vertising director,  will  function  with- 
out change  in  the  post  he  has  so  long 
held. 

Premature  reports  which,  had  Ein- 1 
feld  entering  independent  production 
at  another  major  studio  are  without 
foundation,  Einfeld  maintained,  as  he 
repeated  his  plans  are  to  refrain  from 
accepting  offers  until  advent  of  the 
new  year.  However,  there  has  been 
attributed  to  him  for  some  time  a 
gradual  preparation  for  a  direct  en- 
try into  production,  the  rumors  in 
this  direction  gaining  renewed  ground: 
when  Hal  B.  Wallis  left  Warners.; 
At  that  time,  Hollywood  heard 
rumblings  of  the  possibility  Einfeld 
might  turn  producer  under  conditions 
generally  similar  to  those  extended] 
Wallis.  Einfeld  denied  this  at  the] 
time. 

Four   years   with   Vitagraph,  five' 
with  First  National  and  16  with  the] 
company  under  its  present  corporate! 
identity  mark  Einfeld's  tenure  with] 
Warners.      He  came  to  Hollywood, 
nine  years  ago,   specifically  to  take, 
charge  of  the  company's  advertising 
and  publicity.  His  province  of  execu 
tive  activity,  however,  expanded  rap 
idly  to  a  point  where  he  played 
highly  important  role  in  helping  t 
shape  company  policy  with  a  particu 
lar  emphasis  on  production  in  clos 
association  with  Jack  L.  Warner,  ex 
ecutive  vice-president  in  charge  of  th 
studio. 


Frank  Craven  Rites 
Are  Held  on  Coast 

Hollywood,  Sept.  4. — Funeral  serv- 
ices for  Frank  Craven,  70,  veteran 
playwright  and  stage  and  screen  ac- 
tor, who  died  on  Saturday,  were  held 
this  afternoon  at  Pierce  Brothers 
Chapel,  Beverly  Hills.  Cremation 
followed. 

Surviving  are  his  widow,  Mrs. 
Mary  Blythe  Craven,  and  a  son,  John, 

who  is  in  the  Armed  Forces.   

MOTION  I'lCTIRK  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday  Sunday  and  holidays  by  Quigle 
Publishina  Company  !,.<•  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York  Martin  Qugle> 
Presden*  Red  Kann  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham  News  Editor;  Herbert ;  V.  Fecke  Advertis  . 

e  rhi'ag o  Bureau  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau 
4     oldVn  V        ffl  Hope  Burnup   Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."    Other  Quig  ey  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  1  heatres 

\;U;Jm;.,,,,,  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscript^ 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


Reels'  Peace  Terms 
Story  Being  Shipped 

■  Newsreel  accounts  of  the  Japanese 
surrender  ceremonies  aboard  the  USS 
Missouri  were  in  the  cutting  rooms  of 
the  five  reels  in  New  York  early  yes- 
terday in  what  doubtless  marks  a  new 
speed  record  in  obtaining  on-the-spot 
coverage  from  a  distance. 


RKO  Distributes  a 
$105,000  Bonus 

Distribution  of  $105,000  in  bonus 
checks  to  approximately  250  theatre 
managers,  assistants  and  publicity  men 
of  RKO  Theatres  and  affiliates,  pre- 
viously reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  of  Aug.  23,  has  been  accom- 
plished, it  was  learned  here  yesterday. 

The  Treasury  approved  the  bonus 
after  application  had  been  pending  for 
a  year. 


Lipton  Leaves  Army 
Back  to  Columbia 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

for  the  past  year  served  as  Arm_ 
liaison  with  the  War  Activities  Com 
mittee  in  the  handling  of  war  film: 
released  through  the  Office  of  Wa: 
Information  and  WAC.  After  a  shor 
vacation  Lipton  will  return  to  his  pos 
at  Columbia. 

Francis  S.  Harmon,  WAC  coordi 
nator,  announces  that  Lipton  will  serv 
as  public  relations  consultant  to  th 
WAC  for  the  remainder  of  the  organ 
ization's  existence.  In  that  work  hi 
will  assist  and  advise  with  Maurio 
Bergman,  chairman  of  the  public  rela 
tions  division,  and  Walter  T.  Brown 
associate  coordinator  and  public  rela 
tions  director  of  WAC. 


Wage  Increase  Approvei 

Chicago,  Sept.  4. — The  local  Wa 
Labor  Board  has  approved  a  raise  o 
seven  and  one-half  cents  per  hour  fo 
janitors  and  six  cents  per  hour  fo 
janitresses  in  this  area,  retroactive  t< 
July,  1944.  Some  1,200  employes  wi' 
benefit  by  the  increase. 


il 


EDWARD  G.  ROBINSON 
\ MARGARET  O'BRIEN 
JACKIE  BUTCH  JENKINS 

\  M-G-M's  TRUE-TO-LIFE  DRAMA 

OUR  VINES  HAVE 
TENDER  CRAPES 

RADIO  CITY 
USIC  HALL! 


i 

I 


ANOTHER  AA~G~AA  BIO  ONE 
AT  THE  BIG  MUSIC  HALL 


BIG 
BIG 
BIG 
BIG 
BIG 
BIG 
BIG 


in  Star  Values — 
in  Heart  appeal 
in  Story  strength 
in  Thrills 
in  Romance 
in  Entertainment 
in  GROSSES! 


Edward  G.  ROBINSON  •  Margaret  O'BRIEN  •  Jackie  BUTCH  Jenkins 
OUR     VINES     HAVE     TENDER  GRAPES 

JAMES  CRAIG  •  FRANCES  GIFFORD  •  AGNES  MOOREHEAD  •  MORRIS  CARNOVSKY 

Screen  Play  by  Dalton  Trumbo  •  Based  on  the  Book  "For  Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes"  by  George  Victor  Martin  •  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 

Directed  by  Roy  Rowland  •  Produced  by  Robert  Sisk 


.1 


Wednesday,  September  5,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Newsreel 
Parade 


U.S.  Turns  Over  Document 
List  in  N.  Y.  Trust  Suit 


'  f)  UTSTANDING  in  the  latest  news- 
*J  reel  issues  are  scenes  of  American 
lsea  and  airbourne  landings  in  Japan, 
Incorporating  close-ups  of  Gen.  Mac- 
Arthur,  Adm.  Halsey  and  Adm.  Nim- 
i'7r.  Sports  shots  and  other  miscel- 
laneous items  of  current  interest  are 
featured  also  in  one  of  the  reels.  Con- 
sents follozv: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS— (Continuity  not 
ready.  Reel  which  would  ordinarily  be 
made  up  Monday  night  was  advanced  to 
make-up  last  night  to  enable  incorpora- 
tion of  Japanese  formal  surrender  shots.) 

!  NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  200— Mac- 
Arthur  in  Japan.  U.  S.  battleships  in 
Tokyo  Bay.    Adm.  Halsey. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  3-Football 
is  here  again.  Army  opens  'G.I.'  colleges 
overseas.  Tokyo — End   of    the  road. 

R.  K.  O.  PATHE,  NEWS,  No.  5^U.  S. 
I  air  and  seabourne  landings  in  Japan. 
Marines  land.  U.  S.  fleet  in  Tokyo  Bay. 
Halsey   greets  Nimitz. 

UNIVERSAL  NEWSREEL  —  (Continuity 
not  ready.  Reel  which  would  ordinarily  be 
made  up  Monday  night  was  advanced  to 
1  make-up   iast  night.) 


Arthur  Loew  Lists 
New  Foreign  Runs 


(.Continued  from  page  1) 

stallation  of  air-conditioning  and  other 
equipment,  the  Apollo  will  be  re- 
opened by  Loew's  as  a  first-run  about 
Jan.  1 ;  in  Medellin,  the  Avonida  Thea- 
tre has  recently  been  acquired  and  now 
is  operated  by  Loew's  as  a  first-run. 
In  Chile,  Loew's  has  under  construc- 

|  tion  in  Valparaiso,  a  2,500-seat  theatre. 

|  In  Havana,  plans  have  been  completed 

I  for  an  office  building,  to  include  a  first- 
run.    Joseph  R.  Vogel,  Loew  theatre 

!  executive  and  vice-president,  will  ar- 
rive in  Havana  shortly  to  complete  ar- 
rangements.    In    Argentina,  Loew's 

!  will  begin  construction  of  a  10-story 

I office  building  to  include  a  3,000-seat 
first-run.  Also  in  Argentina,  in  Tu- 
cuman,  Loew's  has  acquired  a  1,500- 
seater,  constructed  two  years  ago  and 
which  also  is  being  converted  into-  a 
|;  first-run  house.  It  was  formerly  called 
j  the  Opera  and  now  is  known  as  the 
1  Metro. 

Loew's  is  also  planning  a  12-story 
i  office  building  in  New  York  to  house 
<!  the  international  operations  of  M-G-M, 
I  on  57th  Street. 

,  Congress  W  ill  Cut 
War  Time  and  Taxes 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

|  of  extended  unemployment  compensa- 
tion, the  'full  employment'  bill  and 
other  phases  of  the  Administration's 
immediate  peacetime  program  will  re- 
quire some  time  to  accomplish. 

There  has  been  no  indication  that 
the  Senate  Small  Business  Commit- 
tee will  develop  a  full-scale  inquiry 
into  the  motion  picture  industry 
which  it  was  considering  before  its 

I  vacation,  but  members  of  the  House 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activities 
may  be  called  into  session  within  the 

!  next  week  or  ten  days  to  discuss 
Representative  Rankin's  probe  of  al- 
leged subversive  activities  in  Holly- 
wood. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 
ning  of  the  original  trial,  and  more 
recently  dealing  with  1943-44  produc- 
tion, distribution  and  exhibition  prac- 
tices. The  Department  expects  to 
add  a  small  list  of  supplemental  doc- 
uments before  the  trial,  these  to  be 
made  up  from  material  subpoenaed 
from  independent  producers.  The  de- 
fendants, according  to  the  Depart- 
ment, will  be  given  ample  opportunity 
to  study  any  additional  documents 
which  might  be  introduced. 

Most  of  the  documentary  informa- 
tion listed  by  the  Government  was 
supplied  by  the  defendants  with  the 
addition  of  the  Department's  own  in- 
vestigation, arbitration  cases  and  ap- 
peals, Federal  Trade  Commission  re- 
ports, and  copies  of  previous  suits. 

Whereas  the  1939  interrogatories  of 
the  Government  provide  the  basis  for 
a  study  of  distribution  and  exhibition 
practices  during  1936-37  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Kansas  City  and  At- 
lanta, in  its  new  interrogatories,  the 
Department  of  Justice  highlights  dis- 
tribution and  exhibition  in  the  five 
cities  with  populations  of  1,000,000 
or  more :  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Detroit,  Chicago  and  Los  Angeles ; 
first-runs  in  92  cities  with  popula- 
tions of  100,000  or  more;  and  432 
cities  with  populations  of  25,000  or 
more.  The  Department  contends  that 

30  WE  Foreign  Men 
To  Attend  Meeting 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Switzerland;  rl.  J.  Ford,  Great 
Britain ;  F.  H.  Gildemeyer,  Puerto 
Rico;  R.  E.  Gowar,  iigypt-Near  East; 
F.  C.  Hayes,  Chile;  T.  M.  Houston, 
Great  Britain ;  F.  C.  Leach,  Great 
Britain ;  A.  C.  Lenoel,  North  Africa. 

Also :  H.  B.  MacKenzie,  Argentina- 
Uruguay;  H.  L.  Marsterson,  Great 
Britain;  H.  E.  McFarland,  Brazil;  J. 
L.  Monnerot  -  Dumaine,  France  -  Bel- 
gium ;  G.  Nordqvist,  Sweden-Norway- 
Finland  ;  M.  Person,  Venezuela ;  M. 
Prado,  Peru-Bolivia-Ecuador  ;  D.  Pol- 
lock, Cuba;  B.  Rundle,  New  Zealand ; 
P.  Shean,  Panama ;  H.  Simonsen, 
Brazil;  R.  E.  Warn,  Australia';  b. 
Wiedemann,  South  Africa ;  F.  P. 
Young,  India-Ceylon-Burma;  K.  E. 
Zint,  Mexico. 

Discussion  during  the  first  week  of 
the  conference  will  cover  post-war 
products  which  the  company  will  dis- 
tribute abroad,  including  Westrex 
Sound  Systems,  W.  E.  studio  record- 
ing equipment,  and  a  line  of  theatre 
accessories.  All  suppliers  of  pro- 
jectors, arc  lamps  and  allied  theatre 
equipment  which  Western  Electric  Ex- 
port markets  abroad  will  also  display 
their  post-war  designs. 

Schlaifer  Is  20th's 
Ad  Supervisor 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

to  operate  as  heretofore,  under  Rodney 
Bush,  in  charge  of  exploitation  ;  Jules 
Fields,  publicity;  Christy  Wilbert,  ad- 
vertising, and  Ted  Lloyd,  radio. 


Hanley  Moves  U p 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  4. — William 
Hanley  is  new  head  booker  at  the 
Columbia  exchange  here,  having  been 
elevated  from  head  shipper. 


the  five  distributors  with  affiliated 
circuits  dominate  exhibition  in  the  lat- 
ter 432  cities. 

Columbia,  United  Artists  and  Uni- 
versal are  linked  with  Warner  Bros., 
Paramount,  RKO  Radio,  Loew's  and 
20th  Century-Fox  in  the  documents, 
through  cross-licensing  and  distribu- 
tion and  sales  practices. 

Documents  offered  by  the  Depart- 
ment in  evidence  at  t.ie  neanng  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  on  .March 
5,  1945,  before  Judge  Goddard,  com- 
prise the  first  section  of  the  docu- 
ment list.  Cited  documents  are  Ar- 
bitration Appeal  Board  decisions  and 
pooled  theatres  of  the  defendants  with 
affiliated  circuits.  Answers  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  Loew's,  Paramount, 
RKO  and  Warner  Bros,  and  Colum- 
bia, United  Artists  and  Universal 
to  U.  S.  interrogatories,  follow. 

The  documents  recite  the  financial 
history,  organization,  production  and 
distribution  of  the  companies.  Finally, 
the  remaining  documents  listed  relate 
to  lists  of  theatres  of  the  distributor 
defendants  with  affiliated  circuits,  plus 
theatre  pooling  arrangements  now  in 
effect,  consent  decree  arbitration  cases 
where  no  appeals  were* taken,  recent 
decisions  in  anti-trust  actions  brought 
by  the  U.  S.  where  one  or  more  of 
the  distributors  was  a  defendant,  and 
I  other  facets  of  film  industry  litigation. 

Raises  in  St.  Louis 
Are  Now  in  Effect 

St.  Louis,  Sept.  4. — Now  in  effect 
ire  wage  increases,  negotiated  last 
week,  which  will  cost  110  St.  Louis 
theatres  approximately  $500,000  in  the 
next  six  years  for  the  operators  union. 
The  contract  is  for  the  longest  period 
ever  negotiated  here.  It  covers  all  the- 
alres  except  the  Osage,  Kirkwood  and 
Ozark,  which  are  non-union. 

First  run  operators  will  get  two 
weeks'  vacation  with  pay  and  an  in- 
crease of  five  cents  an  hour  each  year 
for  six  years,  approximately  a  15  per 
cent  rise.  They  now  get  $92  a  week  at 
the  Shubert  and  $100  at'other  houses. 
The  second  group  of  theatres  whose 
operators  get  $80  a^  week,  receive  an 
increase  of  $3  for  the  first  year,  $2 
for  each  of  the  next  four  years  and  $1 
on  the  last  year.  Neighborhood  houses 
wnose  operators  get  $60,  $55  and  $50 
will  receive  a  $10  per  week  increase, 
of  which  $4  will  be  in  the  first  year 
and  $1  for  next  five.  All  theatres 
signed  except  Loews,  which  will  sign 
in  New  York. 

Bloom,  Collins  and 
Carroll  Promoted 

(.Continued  from  page  1) 

assistant  to  W.  C.  Gehring,  Central 
and  Canadian  sales  manager,  Collin> 
will  act  as  home  office  executive  rep- 
resentative of  Herman  Wobber,  West 
Coast  sales  manager,  and  Harry  G. 
Bal  lance,  Southern  sales  manager, 
who  will  continue  to  remain,  respec- 
tively, in  San  Francisco  and  Atlanta, 
while  Carroll  has  been  named  mana- 
ger of  the  contract  department,  re- 
placing Harry  Fenster,  who  has  re- 
signed. 

Clarence  Hill's  status  of  executive 
assistant  to  Eastern  sales  manager  A. 
W.  Smith,  Jr.,  will  remain  the  same 
in  the  new  setup. 


Big  Holiday 
Weekend  for 
IN.Y.  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1 ; 

a  lofty  $132,000  for  a  third  and  final 
week  on  the  basis  of  $100,000  taken  in 
on  the  first  five  days.  This  is  expect- 
ed to  surpass  the  $131,500  record  set 
by  "Top  Hat"  over  Labor  Day  week 
in  1935.  "Our  Vines  Have  Tender 
Grapes"  will  open  tomorrow. 

"Love  Letters,"  which  set  a  new 
mark  of  $76,000  for  its  initial  week  at 
the  Rivoli,  is  headed  for  a  bigger  $78,- 
000  in  its  second  week.  The  film 
brought  $39,000  for  the  first  three  days 
of  the  second  week,  to  better  the  $37,- 
000  of  the  initial  three  days  of  the 
first  week. 

"Pride  of  the  Marines"  is  headed 
for  well  over  $70,000  for  its  second 
week  at  the  Strand,  combined  with  a 
stage  show  featuring  Charlie  Barnet 
and  his  orchestra,  on  the  basis  of 
$45,000  counted  for  the  first  four  days 
of  the  second  week;  initial  week's  re- 
ceipts were  $71,000.  Bookings  will 
bring  "Mildred  Pierce"  in  on  Sept.  28, 
and  "Confidential  Agent"  on  Nov.  2. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  a  stage  bili 
with  Paul  Whiteman  and  his  band  and 
Lionel  Kaye  and  Johnnie  Johnston, 
are  continuing  at  a  blistering  pace  at 
the  Capitol,  with  a  tremendous  $92,000 
expected  for  the  seventh  week,  follow- 
ing a  sixth  week's  $92,500. 

"The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle 
Harry"  is  holding  up  strongly  at  the 
Criterion  in  its  second  week,  with 
$32,000  expected  following  an  initial 
week's  $42,500.  "Incendiary  Blonde" 
and  a  stage  show  completed  a  sixth 
and  final  week  at  the  Paramount  with 
a  big  $65,000  gross  ;  "Duffy's  Tavern" 
and  a  stage  bill  headlining  the  An- 
drews Sisters  will  open  there  today. 

'Southerner'  Holds  Mark 

"The  Southerner"  is  expected  to 
gross  a  big  $20,000  for  its  second 
week  at  the  Globe,  following  an  ini- 
tial week  which  brought  the  same  fig- 
ure ;  $12,500  was  recorded  for  the  first 
three  days  of  the  second  week ;  "Rhap- 
sody in  Blue,"  at  the  Hollvwood. 
brought  over  $30,000  for  a  10th"  week. 
"Wonder  Man"  is  headed  for  $41,000 
for  a  13th  week  at  the  Astor.  and 
"Along  Came  Jones"  will  bring  a 
smart  $22,000  for  a  seventh  week  at 
the  Palace;  it  will  go  for  an  eighth 
week.  "Back  to  Bataan"  will  follow. 

The  re-release  cf  "The  Wonderful 
Adventures  of  Pinocchio"  is  proving 
as  strong  in  a  third  week  as  it  was  in 
a  second,  with  an  excellent  $19,000 
expected.  The  Gotham  expects  57.- 
700  for  the  first  week  of  "Youth 
Aflame"  and  it  will  hold  for  a  second. 
"Caribbean  Mystery"  will  bring  $7.- 
500  for  its  final  five  days  of  a  third 
week  at  the  Victoria,  and  "True 
Glory"  will  open  tomorrow.  "This 
Gun  for  Hire,"  a  re-release,  will  bring 
"ToOO  for  a  second  and  final  week  at 
the  Rialto ;  "Isle  of  the  Dead"  will 
follow  on  Friday. 


USO  Cited  by  Truman 

In  his  "Y-J  Day"  proclamation. 
President  Truman  singled  out  "the 
men  and  women  in  the  USO  and  in 
the  entertainment  world."  in  paying 
tribute  "to  all  those  who  have  helped 
in  this  cooperative  struggle  to  preserve 
liberty  and  decency  in  the  world." 


'  '  Produced  by  SOI  C.  SIEGEL  •  Directed  by  RICHARD  WALLACE 

KEEP  SELLING  BONDS.' 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


i 


OL.  58.  NO.  47 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  6,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


British  Scoff 
M  Plea  for 
U.S.  Film  Ban 


Beaverbrook  Suggestion 
rritates  Government 


By  PETER  BURNUP 

London,  Sept.  5. — John  Gordon, 
ord  Beaverbrook's  favorite 
louthpiece  in  the  Express,  this 
:eek  published  a  story,  patently 
rdered  by  Lord  Beaverbrook,  de- 
landing  that,  in  view  of  the  halting  of 
•nd-lease  by  the  U.  S.,  the  British 
mpire  produce  films,  tobacco  and 
asoline  to  fill  its  own  needs  to  the 
'Inclusion  of  imports  from  America. 

Considered  here  to  have  been  in- 
lired  by  Washington  discussions  de- 
igned to  abolish  international  trade 
arriers,  the  story  aroused  the  irrita- 
|on  of  the  new  labor  government  and 
xcited  derision  elsewhere.  It  is  com- 
lonly  regarded  here  as  just  another 
pinprick"  from  Beaverbrook,  who  is 
'escribed  as  being  angered  by  the  na- 

(Contiuued  on  page  6) 


Jap  Reel  Ready, 
\nother  Is  Coming 


Editors  and  cutters  of  the  five 
jewsreels  are  now  engaged  in  reduc- 
ig  25,000  feet  of  spot  film  of  cover- 
of  the  Japanese  surrender  cere- 
lionies  abroad  the  USS  Missouri, 
1st  Sunday,  to  the  regulation  reel  of 
oproximately  750  feet  for  a  single  re- 
|ase. 

I  The  material  was  shot  by  scores  of 
imeramen  of  the  Army,  Navy,  Air 
iorps,  Marines  and  regular  newsreel- 
fs,  and  was  rushed  to  the  U.  S.  by 
inny  plane  earlier  this  week.  Ship- 
lent  of.  the  reels  to  theatres  around 
iie  country  is  to  start  on  Friday  for 

■neral  release  next  Tuesday. 

The  current  newsreel  releases,  out 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


)epinet  to  Preside 
it  Canadian  Meet 


■  RKO  Radio  will  hold  its  first  Cana- 
an regional  sales  meeting  in  the 
flfindsor  Hotel,  Montreal,  Sept.  10-12, 
Jith  both  home  office  and  Canadian 
prsonnel  in  attendance. 
Leaving  here  over  the  weekend  will 
Ned  E.  Depinet,  who  will  preside 

(Continued  on  pane  7) 


$14,582,000 
For  'Dimes' 


Washington,  Sept.  5. — The  indus- 
try's 1945  drive  in  behalf  of  the  March 
of  Dimes  infantile  paralysis  campaign 
resulted   in   collection   of  $5,961,785. 

Nicholas  M. 
Schenck,  national 
industry  drive 
chairman  told 
President  Tru- 
man "at  a  White 
House  conference 
today. 

The  1945  figure 
was  a  new  high, 
Schenck  disclosed, 
and  brings  the  in- 
dustry total  to 
$14,582,000  since 
theatres  started 
collecting  in  1941. 

Schenck,  while 
with  Truman, 
presented  to  Basil  O'Connor,  president 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Nicholas  M.  Schenck 


Restrictions  Still 
On  Printed  Matter 


Wartime  postal  restrictions  against 
the  sending  of  publications  and  other 
other  printed  matter  into  European 
countries  still  apply  to  10  nations, 
besides  Germany,  Austria,  Hungary 
and  Danzig,  to  which  no  mail  of  any 
classification  can  be  sent  as  yet.  The 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Less  Income  Makes 
Public  Selective 

Cleveland,  Sept.  5.  —  Local 
theatre  owners  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  public  will  be- 
come increasingly  more  selec- 
tive in  entertainment  buying 
as  money  becomes  tighter. 
With  money  coming  freely, 
fans  spent  it  easily  and  with- 
out much  discrimination,  it 
was  pointed  out,  but  with  low- 
er family  budgets,  due  to  re- 
duced working  hours,  reduc- 
tion of  full  family  employ- 
ment and  increased  unemploy- 
ment, 'regulars'  will  choose 
films  more  carefully. 


K.  M.  Young 
Heads  PRC 


Kenneth  M.  Young,  board  chair- 
man of  Pathe  Film  Laboratories,  Inc., 
and  now  in  Hollywood,  was  elected 
president  of  PRC  at  a  board  of  direc- 
tors meeting  at  PRC's  home  office, 
here,  yesterday.  He  replaces  Leon 
Fromkess,  who  resigned  the  presiden- 
cy of  PRC  on  Aug.  27  citing  "dif- 
ferences of  opinion  regarding  future 
operations  of  the  company,"  declaring 
that  the  management  prompted  his  ac- 
tion. PRC  is  an  affiliate  of  Pathe 
Laboratories,  ownership  of  which  is 
shared  by  the  new  PRC  president  and 
his  brother,  John  S.  Young. 

In  1942,  Young  was  named  to  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


French  Admit  First  U.  S. 
Features  Since  Deadlock 


Camacho  Plan  May 
End  Union  Strife 


Mexico  City,  Sept.  5. — President 
Manuel  Avila  Camacho,  endeavoring 
to  straighten  the  industry's  labor 
tangle,  has  suggested  that  the  recently 
organized  Picture  Production  Union 
attend  exclusively  to  making  features 
and  that  the  National  Cinemato- 
graphic Industry  Workers  Union 
have  total  charge  of  work  in  news- 
reels  and  short  subjects. 

He  further  suggests  that  both 
unions  accept  arbitration  by  the  Labor 
Ministry  in  their  dispute  which  in- 
cludes National's  strike,  threatened 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Special  licenses  have  been  secured 
from  the  French  government  for  the 
distribution  of  seven  American  films 
in  France  dealing  with  the  Pacific 
Theatre,  in  the  first  break  in  the  dead- 
lock which  has  prevented  the  entrance 
of  new  American  films  into  Franc 
commercially  since  the  end  of  the  war 
in  Europe. 

The  seven  are  :  "Destination  Tokyo.'' 
"30  Seconds  Over  Tokyo,"  "Gung 
Ho,"  "Guadalcanal  Diary,"  "Winged 
Victory,"  "Objective  Burma"  and 
"The  Eve  of  St.  Mark." 

Representatives  of  the  film  section 
of  the  Office  of  War  Information's 
U.  S.  Information  Service,  in  Paris, 
which  is  now  being  absorbed  into  the 
State  Department,  are  understood  to 
have  helped  distribution  represent;!  - 
(Continued,  on  page  7) 


Nelson  Seeks 
Formula  for 
Independents 

Talks  Foreign  Problems 
In  MPPDA  Meet  Here 


Donald  M.  Nelson,  president  of 
the  Society  of  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers,  met  with  com- 
pany presidents  and  foreign  dis- 
tribution representatives  here  yester- 
day to  explore  the  most  advantageous 
method  for  independent  producers  to 
distribute  their  films  abroad. 

It  is  understood  that  the  indepen- 
dents have  thus  far  not  set  any  over- 
all formula  for  the  distribution  of 
their  films  abroad,  but  have  indicated 
a  willingness  to  join  with  the  distribu- 
tors, even  in  the  recently-established 
Motion  Picture  Export  Co.,  to  form 
a  common  front  to  fight  foreign  film 
monopolies  and  discriminatory  trade 
rules. 

The    most    important    formula  to 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Studio  Strike  to 
Labor  Department 

Washington,  Sept.  5.  —  Another 
effort  to  settle  the  half-year-old  strike 
of  Hollywood  set  decorators  will  be 
launched  by  the  conciliation  service  of 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor  as 
soon  as  the  National  Labor  Relations 
Board  hands  down  its  determination 
of  the  union  which  is  to  be  the  bar- 
gaining representative  for  the  group. 

The  NLRB  has  still  before  it  the 
results  of  the  election  held  some 
weeks  ago  in  which,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  Board's  history,  every  vote 
cast  was  challenged,  with  no  indica- 
tion how  soon  it  would  pass  on  the 
matter. 


See  Johnston  in 
MPPDA  Next  Week 


Washington,  Sept.  5. — A  formal 
announcement  of  Eric  Johnston's  ac- 
ceptance of  the  post  of  MPPDA 
president  is  likely  to  be  made  in  Xew 
York  within  the  next  week  or  so, 
probably  at  the  quarterly  meeting  of 
the  MPPDA  board  of  director., 
scheduled  for  next  W  ednesday. 

Johnston  was  attending  a  meeting, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  6,  1945 


Insider's  Outlook 

By  RED  KANN 


Personal 
Mention 

C CHARLES  SKOURAS,  president 
J  of  National  Theatres,  and  Ber- 
tram Y.  Sturdivant,  National's  Mex- 
ico City  executive,  have  arrived  in 
New  York,  from  Hollywood ;  Sturdi- 
vant will  return  to  Mexico  City  very 
soon. 

• 

C.  Merwin  Travis,  executive  sec- 
retary-treasurer of  the  Motion  Picture 
Society  for  the  Americas,  is  enroute 
from  Hollywood  to  New  York  and 
Washington  for  conferences  with  in- 
dustry foreign  department  heads  and 
Inter-American  Affairs  officials. 
• 

Valentine  Williams,  M  -  G  -  M 
screen  writer,  returned  to  New  York 
yesterday  after  a  London  assignment 
with  Sir  Alexander  Korda,  who  is 
expected  here  from  England  Sept.  13. 
• 

Norman  Elson,  vice-president  of 
Trans-Lux  Theatres,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  Washington,  returning 
on  Saturday. 

• 

Toel  Bezahler,  M-G-M  home  office 
assistant  to  J.  E.  Flynn,  Western 
sales  manager,  is  in  Chicago  en  route 
to  Salt  Lake  City. 

• 

N.  Bernard  Freeman,  M-G-M 
general  manager  in  Australia  and  New 
Zealand,  is  in  New  York  for  home 
office  conferences. 

• 

E.  T.  Gomersall,  Universal  assis- 
tant general  sales  manager,  will  leave 
New  York  for  Detroit  today  and  ex- 
pects to  return  Monday. 

• 

John  B.  Nathan,  managing  direc- 
tor for  Paramount  in  Argentina,  ar- 
rived in  New  York  yesterday  for  his 
first  home  office  visit  in  two  years. 
• 

Billy  Wilder,  Paramount  director, 
has  left  London  en  route  to  Holly- 
wood, where  he  is  scheduled  to  arrive 
next  week. 

• 

A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  20th  Century- 
Fox  Eastern  sales  manager,  has  re- 
turned to  the  home  office  from  a  tour 
of  his  territory. 

• 

Marvin  H.  Schenck,  M-G-M's 
Eastern  talent  scout,  is  due  in  Holly- 
wood today  for  a  fortnight  of  confer- 
ences. 

• 

Al  Wilkie,  Paramount  home  office 
publicity  manager,  has  returned  to 
New  York  from  a  vacation. 

• 

Roy  Haines,  Warners'  Western 
and  Southern  sales  manager,  has  re- 
turned from  a  Midwest  tour. 

• 

Harry  Gold,  United  Artists'  East- 
ern sales  manager,  is  in  New  Haven, 
from  New  York. 

Natalie  Schaefer,  actress,  will  ar- 
rive here  from  Hollywood  this  morn- 
ing. 

• 

Buddy  De  Svlva  has  arrived  in 
New  York  from  Hollywood. 


CHARLIE  EINFELD  had 
been  with  the  Warners  so 
long — 16  years  under  the  con- 
temporary corporate  name  and 
nine  with  First  National  and 
Vitagraph,  both  of  which  sub- 
sequently filtered  into  the  pres- 
ent company — that  it  had  been 
regarded  as  traditional  to  asso- 
ciate him  there  in  something  re- 
sembling perpetuity.  Warner 
and  he  were  linked  as  indivisibly 
as  the  bacon  of  fond  memory 
and  eggs.  One  can  get  along 
without  the  other  all  right,  but 
the  combination  has  always 
proven  its  merits. 

Einfeld,  of  course,  enjoys 
acknowledged  recognition  for 
ability  in  his  principal  post  of 
advertising  and  publicity  direc- 
tor down  through  his  Warner 
years.  Additionally,  he  had  suc- 
cessfully propelled  his  sphere  of 
influence  into  a  larger  policy 
area  since  taking  up  official  resi- 
dence at  the  studio. 

Therefore,  there  is  speculation 
over  the  change,  and  it  reaches 
out  into  completely  unverified 
directions.  The  babble  of 
tongues,  wagging  industriously 
over  the  surprise  resignation,  is 
also  voicing  fairly  widespread 
incredulity  that  the  break  will 
long  endure.  No  one  professes 
to  know  how,  or  on  what  basis, 
the  association  can  be  resumed. 
It  seems  to  be  merely  assumed 
that  it  will.  A  guess  at  best, 
this  is  what's  talked  about  in  the 
many  Times  .  Square  offices 
where  the  topic  is  currently  top 
level. 

■ 

Meanwhile,  those  with  a  his- 
torical bent  point  out  this  is  the 
first  occasion  in  their  memories 
when  three  major  companies  are 
functioning  without  their  over- 
lords of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity. They  are  Warner  with- 
out Einfeld,  Paramount  without 
Bob  Gillham  and  20th  Century- 
Fox  without  Hal  Home. 
■  ■ 

A  Des  Moines  news  item  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  recent- 
ly reported  reorganization  of 
Variety  Club  there  provides  for 
a  change  in  name  of  the  hospi- 
tal which  A.  H.  and  Mrs.  Blank 
donated  in  memory  of  their  son, 
Raymond.  The  project  is  so 
widely  known  that  any  errone- 
ous impressions  about  its  future 
properly  call  for  dissipation. 
Consequently,  these  excerpts 
from  a  letter  from  Blank : 

"My  distress  regarding  the  story 
stems  from  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Blank  and  T  have  positively  and 
definitely  refused  so  many  offers 


of  monetary  support  for  this  hos- 
pital. In  the  first  place,  the  hospital 
was  erected  and  equipped  and 
turned  over  to  this  community  as 
a  memorial  to  our  son,  Raymond. 
It  stands  as  an  out-and-out  gift 
.  .  .  and  we  want  it  to  serve  the 
community  as  long  as  it  stands  as 
a  memorial. 

"As  far  as  the  operation  and  fu- 
ture support  of  that  hospital  are 
concerned  the  Iowa  Methodist 
Hospital,  to  which  the  memorial 
hospital  is  attached,  will  be  direct- 
ly responsible.  Naturally  since  my 
son,  Myron,  is  on  the  board  and, 
as  long  as  I  live,  we  will  all  be  tre- 
mendously interested  in  the  insti- 
tution and  probably  will  continue  to 
donate  new  and  vital  equipment  as 
it  is  needed. 

"At  the  meeting  referred  to  in 
this  story,  Bob  O'Donnell  did  re- 
fer to  the  memorial  hospital  as  a 
natural  recipient  of  many  fine 
charities  that  might  be  accomp- 
lished by  the  Variety  Club  tent  in 
Des  Moines.  But  immediately  this 
idea  was  stopped  not  only  by 
Ralph  Branton,  but  myself  .  .  . 
both  of  us  quickly  stating  the  hos- 
pital project  must  continue  to 
stand  as  a  gift  of  the  Blank  family. 

"Naturally,  if  the  Variety  Club 
tent  is  formed  and  will  wish  to 
care  for  one  or  several  children 
in  need  of  hospital  treatment,  such 
care  can  always  be  fianced  at  the 
memorial  hospital  as  well  as  in  any 
other  public  institution.  .  .  .  But 
the  whole  article  gives  a  vitally 
twisted  and  untrue  picture  and  I 
am  most  anxious  that  the  errone- 
ous idea  will  be  quickly  and  promi- 
nently corrected." 

■  ■ 

Leon  Fromkess'  break  with 
PRC  was  not  unexpected.  He 
had  considered  withdrawing  on 
several  earlier  occasions  because 
of  inability  to  reconcile  his  blue- 
print of  the  future  with  that  of 
the  Young  interests  which  con- 
trol the  company.  Fromkess  had 
been  stepping  up  negative  costs 
on  an  increasing  number  of  pic- 
tures. His  theory — and  correct 
— was  termination  of  the  war 
gradually  would  place  a  greater 
demand  on  quality,  not  quantity. 
The  Youngs  did  not  agree. 
Fromkess  refused  to  'give 
grqund.  That's  why  he  stepped 
out. 

■  ■ 

Arthur  L.  Mayer  is  about  to 
set  sail  for  Japan  on  what  will 
be  his  third,  and  final,  round  on 
behalf  of  the  Red  Cross.  He 
goes  momenatrily.  This  clears 
the  field  on  the  chairmanship  of 
the  industry's  8th,  and  also  final, 
War  Loan  Drive  and  makes  it 
practically  assured  the  man  will 
be  Si  Fabian. 

He  was  spearhead  of  the  first. 
Many  deem  it  lifting  that  he 
spearhead  the  last. 


Daylight  Saving 
Before  Congress 


Washington,  Sept.  5. — Daylight 
saving  repeal  legislation  was  before 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Committees 
of  the  House  and  Senate  today,  as  ex- 
pected, as  Congress  opened  its  first 
session  since  the  end  of  the  war. 

The  House  Ways  and  Means  Com- 
mittee will  turn  to  the  writing  of  a  tax 
revision  bill  as  soon  as  it  completer 
legislation  proposing  higher  unem- 
ployment benefits  now  before  it,  bui 
chairman  Robert  Doughton  (Nortf 
Carolina)  warned  that  there  is  little 
chance  of  any  immediate  cut  in  ta.N 
rates. 


President  Asks  for 
Further  War  Cuts 

Washington,  Sept.  5.— Presideiv 
Truman  today  asked  Congress  to  cui 
more  than  $3,500,000,000  from  curren 
budgets  of  a  number  of  war  agencies 
stripping  their  appropriations  down  t( 
amounts  which  are  seen  required  foi 
such  lessened  duties  as  may  still  re 
main  to  be  performed. 


Blumenstock  Names 
Three  to  Field  Staff 

Three  new  assignments  in  Warners 
field  public  relations  staff  have  beei 
made  by  Mort  Blumenstock,  directo 
of  advertising  and  publicity  at  th> 
home  office,  as  follows  : 

Allan  Kohan,  formerly  working  ou 
of  the  Cincinnati  branch,  has  beei 
shifted  to  Omaha,  which  did  not  pre 
viously  have  a  field  representative;  Ei 
Schoen  takes  over  Kohan's  spot  ii 
Cincinnati ;  George  Bannan  has  beei 
assigned  to  the  Southwest,  with  head 
quarters  in  Dallas,  succeeding  Franl 
V.  Bruner,  who  has  resigned,  effectiv 
Sept.  22. 

Walker  on  F.  D.  R 
Memorial  Committa 

Washington,  Sept.  5. — Frank  C 
Walker,  head  of  the  Comerford  Cir 
cuit  and  former  Postmaster  Genera 
was  named  a  member  of  an  ex-Cabi 
net  committee  to  head  the  work  c 
the  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt  Memoris 
Commission,  by  President  Truman  tc 
day. 

Harry  Hopkins  will  be  chairman 
the  committee,  other  members  bein 
Admiral  Leahy,  former  Labor  Se 
retary  Frances  Perkins  and  form 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Henr 
Morgenthau,  Jr. 

Benton  Will  Head 
Cultural  Relations 

Washington,  Sept.  5. — Willial 
Benton  of  Southport,  Conn.,  was  norrj 
inated  today  by  President  Truman  tj 
be  Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  sua 
ceeding  Archibald  MacLeish  in  charge 
of  public  and  cultural  relations  of  th' 
State  Department. 


Rosen  Garden  Manager 

Al  Rosen,  former  manager  c 
Loew's  State  Theatre,  here,  has  bee 
appointed  manager  of  the  N\r  i  nt  l- 
Garden,  by  United  Artists. 


MOTION  PICTL'KE  DAILY,  .Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily'except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quiglej 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley 
Pre!  dent;  Red  Kann,  Vii  e-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  liureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau 
I  G  Los  Ion  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."    Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres 

International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  SubscriptiO' 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


They're  calling  for  added  time 
and  more  added  time  and  more 
added  time! 

The  reason  is 

PRIDE  OF  THE  MARINES 

The  reason  is 

XMAS  IN  CONNECTICUT 

The  reason  is 

CONFLICT 

The  reason  is 

RHAPSODY  IN  BLUE 

f  national  release  this  month!) 


st0r>  and  P;n  l  c' 


TECH^oLOSSAu 


V 


at*** 


^^f!^.1*'  EXCITED 

°Ur  f""e.  ScreQm;n„,   ,'"esf  come. 


m,n9'y  funny. 


As 


\Y*e  \„  ^a 


s*c  \x\  be 


cvs 


GV 


NVfc* 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  6,  194,j 


Five  Finished, 
Five  Started, 
48  Are  in  Work 


Hollywood,  Sept.  5.  —  Production 
maintains  its  level  with  five  films 
completed  and  five  started.  The 
shooting  index  still  stands  at  48;  the 
production  scene  follows : 
Columbia 

Started:  "Phantom  of  the  Desert," 
with  Charles  Starrett,  'Smiley"  Bur- 
nett. 

Shooting:  "Life  with  Blondie," 
"Song  of  Broadway,"  "Tars  and 
Spars,"'  "Hail  the  Chief,"  "Hit  the 
Hay." 

M-G-M 

Started :  "Holiday  in  Mexico,"  with 
Walter  Pidgeon,  Ilona  Masaey,  Jane 
Powell,  Jose  Iturbi,  Xavier  Cugat, 
Roddy  McDowall,  Helene  Stanley. 

Shooting :  "The  Green  Years,"  "Up 
Goes  Maisie,"  "The  Yearling,"  "What 
Next,  Corporal  Hargrove?"  "Boys' 
Ranch,"  "Bad  Bascomb,"  "The  Hood- 
lum Saint,"  "Two  Sisters  from  Bos- 
ton," "The  Postman  Always  Rings 
Twice,"  "This  Strange  Adventure." 
Monogram 

Finished :  "Swing  Parade." 

Started:    "Black    Market  Babies," 
with  Ralph   Morgan,   Teala  Loring, 
Kane  Richmond,   Marjorie  Hoshelle, 
George  Meeker,  Parker  Gee. 
Paramount 

Started:  "Hot  Cargo,"  (Pine- 
Thomas)  with  William  Gargan,  Jean 
Rogers,  Phillip  Reed,  Larry  Young. 

Shooting:  "Blue  Skies,"  "The  Bride 
Wore  Boots,"  "To  Each  His  Own." 
PRC 

Finished:  "The  Flying  Serpent." 
Shooting :      "Stranger      of  the 
Swamp." 

Republic 

Shooting:  "Murder  in  the  Music 
Hall,"  "Along  the  Navajo  Trail," 
"Concerto,"  "Dakota." 

RKO  Radio 

Finished:  "A  Tale  of  Bedlam." 

Shooting :  "All  Brides  Are  Beauti- 
ful," "Some  Must  Watch,"  "The 
Kid  from  Brooklyn"  (Goldwyn)  ; 
"Heartbeat"  (Hakim-Wood)  ;  "Tar- 
zan  and  the  Leopard  Men"  (Lesser). 
20th  Century-Fox 

Finished  :  "The  Enchanted  Voyage." 

Started:  "Sentimental  Journey," 
with  John  Payne,  Maureen  O'Hara, 
William  Bendix,  Connie  Marshall, 
Trudy    Marshall,    Charles  Russell, 

Shooting :   "Doll   Face,"  "Smoky." 
United  Artists 

Shooting  :  "Tom  Breneman's  Break- 
fast in  Hollywood"  (Golden)  ;  "Diary 
of  a  Chambermaid"  (Bogeaus). 
Universal 

Finished:  "As  It  Was  Before." 

Shooting:  "Canyon  Passage,"  "Be- 
cause of  Him,"  "The  Daltons  Ride 
Again,"  "Gun  Town,"  "The  Fugi- 
tive," "Scarlet  Street." 

Warners 

Shooting :  "Never  Say  Goodbye," 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Night  and  Day,"  "Her 
Kind  of  Man." 


Jones  on  Coast  for 
SPG  Film  Releases 

Chicago,  Sept.  5.  —  Johnny  Jones, 
president  of  Screen  Guild  Productions, 
is  expected  back  from  Hollywood  next 
week.  He  has  been  on  the  Coast  for 
three  weeks  in  an  effort  to  line  up  ad- 
ditional productions  for  release. 


Nelson  Seeks  Formula  for 
Independents  Abroad 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

be  worked  out  for  the  independents 
would  be  their  participation  in  a  dis- 
tribution arrangement  such  as  has 
been  proposed  as  a  settlement  of  the 
French  deadlock,  in  which  a  specified 
number  of  American  films  would  be 
admitted  to  the  French  market  an- 
nually. Indications  are  that  the  in- 
dependents would  handle  their  own 
distribution  through  one  of  the  major 
companies  where  no  restrictions  exist 
against  American  films. 

Nelson  is  understood  to  have  pro- 
posed several  methods  at  the  meeting 
for  handling  the  distribution  of  Amer- 
ican films  abroad  in  view  of  the  com- 
mon problems  of  majors  and  indepen- 
dents. Several  similar  plans  already 
were  under  consideration  by  the  major 
companies. 

Nelson  told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
following  the  meeting  that  the  report- 


ed SIMPP  plan  to  invite  the  Govern- 
ment to  cooperate  with  the  industry 
along  lines  which  would  expedite  the 
reopening  of  foreign  markets  was 
something  for  the  future  more  than 
the  present. 

Nelson  plans  to  return  to  Washing- 
ton today  of  tomorrow  and  will  go 
to  Hollywood  next  week  for  further 
discussions  with  SIMPP  members  to 
evolve  an  overall  formula  on  foreign 
distribution. 

Company  presidents  who  attended 
yesterday's  meeting  included  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  RKO ;  Barney  Balaban, 
Paramount ;  and  Spyros  P.  Skouras, 
20th  Century-Fox. 

It  was  announced  following  the 
meeting  that  the  study  of  the  many 
problems  involved,  as  they  relate  to 
the  particular  interest  of  both  parties, 
will  be  continued  in  the  immedate  fu- 
ture. 


$14,582,000  Theatre 
'Dimes'  Collections 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  the  National  Foundation  for  Infan- 
tile Paralysis,  a  check  for  half  of  the 
total  collections ;  the  other  half  will 
remain  in  the  counties  where  collec- 
tions originated. 

Schenck  explained  that  more  than 
14,000  film  theatres  and  scores  of  le- 
gitimate theatres  participated  in  the 
campaign  and  that  more  than  65,000,- 
000  individual  donations  were  made, 
mostly  in  pennies,  nickels  and  dimes. 

Schenck  paid  public  tribute  to  the 
generosity  of  American  theatre-goers 
and  to  the  work  put  into  the  drive  by 
the  thousands  of  theatre  owners,  man- 
agers and  their  staffs,  who  organized 
and  carried  out  the  campaign. 

In  the  industry's  total  is  included 
$80,260  contributed  by  Hollywood 
studio  workers  and  players. 


Los  Angeles  Faces 
Additional  Taxes 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  5. — Presenta- 
tion to  the  City  Council  of  revenue 
and  taxation  committee  chairman 
Meade  McClanahan's  proposal  .for  a 
five  per  cent  levy  on  theatre  grosses 
was  delayed  here  yesterday  when 
Councilman  John  C.  Holland,  mem- 
ber of  the  three-man  committee,  re- 
fused to  sign  the  proposal  and  asked 
for  a  week's  delay.  Holland  plans  to 
complete  within  that  time  an  over-all 
tax  survey  which  he  contends  will 
show  the  McClanahan  measure  to  be 
unwarranted. 

Simultaneously,  McClanahan  re- 
vealed he  plans  other  measures  to  tax 
all  public  amusements  and  sports. 


20th  Starts  Drive 
For  Tom  J.  Connors 

The  20th  Century-Fox  sales  depart- 
ment's testimonial  drive  in  honor  of 
Tom  J.  Connors,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  is  well  under 
way,  William  J.  Kupper,  general 
sales  manager,  reports,  adding  that 
reports  from  sales  managers  W.  C. 
Gehring,  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  Herman 
Wobber  and  Harry  G.  Ballance,  all  in 
the  field  at  present,  disclose  that  all 
exchanges  are  already  geared  for  full 
participation  of  their  entire  personnel. 


Camacho  Plan  May 
End  Union  Strife 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

for  next  Monday  unless  17  leading 
Mexican  producers  and  distributors 
grant  a  50  per  cent  wage  increase. 

Indications  are  that  PPU  will  ac- 
cept the  suggestions  by  tomorrow, 
the  deadline  the  President  has  set,  but 
NCIWU  is  reluctant  to  do  so.  The 
latter  is  willing,  however,  to  accept 
the  wage  boost  on  a  non-contract 
basis. 

Meanwhile,  the  strike  against  eight 
U.  S.  distributors  goes  on,  with  the 
Federal  Board  of  Arbitration  and 
Conciliation  continuing  conversations 
in  an  effort  to  end  it. 

Sources  close  to  the  Attorney  Gen- 
eral believe  the  loss  of  several  films 
about  which  Warners  and  Universal 
complained  last  week  points  to  profit- 
able pirating  on  the  part  of  provin- 
cial exhibitors  who  would  be  forced 
to  close  first  because  of  the  dearth  of 
new  pictures,  as  caused  by  the  strike. 


British  Deride  Plea 
For  U.  S.  Film  Ban 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

tion's  flouting  of  his  recent  election 
demands  for  an  Empire  fiscal  union. 

Gordon's  claim  that  the  British  stu- 
dios produce  enough  films  to  satisfy 
Eritish  exhibitors'  demands  is  consid- 
ered by  the  trade  to  reveal  either  his 
ignorance  of  the  studios'  inadequacy  or 
else  is  deliberate  maladroitness. 


Producer  Harry  Grey 
Resigns  at  Republic 

Hollywood,  Sept.  5. — Harry  Grey, 
Republic  producer,  has  resigned  as  a 
result  of  differences  with  management 
regarding  picture  properties  assigned 
him.  Films  on  Grey's  agenda  have 
been  turned  over  to  Robert  North. 


G.  H.  Boothby  Dies 

George  H.  Boothby,  veteran  news- 
paper reporter  and  one  time  editor 
here  for  20th-Fox  Movietone  News, 
died  here  at  the  weekend  after  an  ill- 
ness of  a  month.  Surviving  are  a 
widow,  Mrs.  Mary  Hastings  Boothby, 
and  a  son,  George  H.  Boothby,  Jr., 
both  of  Brooklyn. 


Films  to  Aid  U.  S. 
Selling  Abroad 

Washington,  Sept.  5.  —  Plans  fc.j 
the  use  of  motion  pictures  by  Amer  | 
can  manufacturers  and  distributor  - 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  were  ou 
lined  yesterday  by  Nathan  D.  Goldeij 
chief  of  the  motion  picture  unit  of  th 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domest  j 
Commerce,  as  a  contribution  to  tl  j 
large-scale  production  and  full  enj 
ployment  necessary  for  postwar  pro:! 
perity. 

Already  laid  before  and  given  tn 
approval  of  16mm.  producers,  the  pla! 
calls  for  motion  pictures  and  fill 
strips  by  which  a  manufacturer  migl 
explain  and  demonstrate  his  produij 
to  production  employees,  sales  forc<| 
and  potential  customers. 

Specifically,  a  series  of  five  pictunj, 
is  suggested :  A  training  film  for  she] 
employees  on  how  to  make  the  prow 
uct ;  a  demonstration  film  for  sahj 
forces  explaining  the  product  and  em 
phasizing  selling  points;  a  similar  fill 
for  retailers ;  a  film  for  service  peopl  | 
showing  how  to  service  and  repair  tl  j 
item,  and  a  consumer  picture  designc  f 
to  create  demand. 

Golden  suggested  that  since  nearlJ 
every  American  Embassy  now 
equipped  for  showing  16mm.  picture] 
some  plan  might  be  worked  out  will 
the  State  Department  to  have  til 
pictures  screened. 


DeMille  Foundation 
Articles  Are  Filed 

Sacramento,  Cal.,  Sept.  5.  —  Tl 
DeMille  Foundation  for  Politic 
Freedom  has  filed  articles  of  inco 
poration,  setting  forth  its  principles  : 
follows :  "To  defend  the  politic; 
rights  of  the  individual  and  oppo: 
political  coercion  in  any  form  fro 
any  source." 

The  Foundation's  incorporators,  wl| 
also  make  up  the  original  board  ( 
directors,  include :  William  M.  Jeffer 
president  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rai 
road,  president ;  Cecil  B.  DeMille ;  D 
Lloyd  C.  Douglas,  clergyman  and  atj 
thor ;  Y.  Frank  Freeman;  Victor  I 
Rossetti,  banker ;  Samuel  M.  Haskin,; 
attorney;  Frank  P.  Doherty,  atto 
ney ;  Willard  M.  Keith,  insurance  e:{ 
ecutive,  and  Neil  S.  McCarthy,  atto 
ney. 


K.  M.  Young  Namec 
President  of  PRC 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

board  of  directors  of  Producers  R' 
leasing  Corp.,  which  in  1944  was  r' 
organized  as  PRC  Pictures,  In 
Fromkess  became  president  of  PR 
in  1944,  succeeding  O.  Henry  Brigg 
Fromkess  had  also  headed  PR 
production,  in  Hollywood,  and  tho: 
duties  were  taken  over  by  Reevi 
Espy,  with  the  departure  of  the  forn 
er.  Espy  was  subsequently  name 
production  vice-president. 


Dale  Joining  Lawrence 

Jerry  Dale,  formerly  publicity  an 
advertising  director  for  Benedict  Be 
geaus  Prod.,  is  joining  the  Jock  Law 
rence  Organization,  American  put 
licity  representative  for  J.  Arthu 
Rank.  Ed  Scofield,  formerly  with  th 
Lawrence  Organization,  has  resigne( 
presumably  to  set  up  his  own  enter 
prise. 


Thursday,  September  6,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


ore 


llll' 


N.  Y.  to  Insist  on 
Television  Licenses 

New  York  license  commis- 
sioner Paul  Moss  disclosed 
here  yesterday  that  the  mun- 
icipal ordinance  requiring  li- 
censes and  license  fees  for  the 
public  exhibition  of  motion 
pictures  will  be  applied  to  the 
public  exhibition  of  television, 
such  as  telecasts  in  cabarets, 
department  and  other  stores, 
restaurants  and  other  places. 

The  law,  said  Moss,  de- 
scribes a  motion  picture  as: 
"A  display  on  a  screen  or 
other  device,  of  pictures  or 
objects  in  motion  ..." 


rid 


Jap  Reel  Ready, 
Another  Is  Coming 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

oday,  offer  other  highly-prized  mate- 
ial  emanating  from  Japan  in  the  ac- 
ounts  of  the  U.  S.  Fleet  in  Japanese 
vaters  and  the  landings  of  seaborne 
nd  airborne  occupation  troops  on  the 
aps'  homeland.  All  five  reels  had  ac- 
ess  to  the  same  material. 

The  new  films,  as  typically  shown 
ii  the  new  RKO  Pathe  reel,  depict 
nany  stirring  scenes,  some  of  which 
hould  evoke  spontaneous  applause 
mong  theatre  audiences.  The  Ameri- 
an  flag  planted  on  the  vanquished 
nemy's  homeland,  the  top  men  who 
ed  the  Allies  to  victory :  MacArthur, 
^limitz  and  Halsey — sullen-faced  Japs 
uiding  American  ships  through  mine- 
aden  home  waters — these,  and  other 
cenes,  make  the  current  reels  worthy 
if  extra  promotional  efforts  on  the 
'art  of  exhibitors. 

Also  seen  are  the  Third  Fleet,  led 
W  the  Missouri,  steaming  toward 
apan,  glimpses  of  the  naval  com- 
nanders  ;  amphibious  landings  by  the 
Marines;  11th  Airborne  planes  taking 
'ff  from  heavily  scarred  Okinawa 
nd  landing  near  Yokahama  where 
he  American  flag  is  raised  in  tri- 
rniph,  General  MacArthur  stepping 
rom  his  plane,  a  dramatic  sequence 
tor  the  cameramen,  and  infantrymen 
aking  over  Jap  territory,  prepared 
lor  resistance  which  did  not  develop. 
I  all  adds  up  to  newsreel  material  of 
op  importance.  G.  A. 


French  Deadlock  Is 
lifted  for  7  Films 


See  Johnston  in 
MPPDA  Next  Week 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

||ives  of  the  American  film  companies 
I  France  to  secure  the  licenses. 
I  The  proposal  that  the  French  admit 
ipeent  American  films   dealing  with 
Re  Pacific  aspect  of  the  war,  for  the 
urpose   of   acquainting   the  French 
eople  with   our    Pacific  operations, 
as  made  early   this   year  by  Phil 
ieisman,  RKO  Radio  foreign  distri- 
™   ution  head  and  other  company  heads 
fed  by  OWI  representatives. 
Indications  are,  however,  that  the 
even  films  might  represent  the  bulk 
f  new   American   films    in  French 
i'leatres  during  the  coming  year,  even 
current     negotiations     with  the 
Tench  government  for  the  admission 
Ji  American  films  are  successful,  be- 
'jause,  following  custom,   French  ex- 
hibitors are  understood  to  have  con- 
ceited with  French  distributors  and 
fliers  for  most  of  their  playing  time 
|or  their  current  season. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

as  a  member,  of  Mobilization  Direc- 
tor Snyder's  Reconversion  Committee 
and  could  not  be  reached  for  com- 
ment. 

Will  H.  Hays,  who  is  slated  to  be- 
come chairman  of  the  board  of 
MPPDA,  was  at  the  White  House 
today  at  the  invitation  of  President 
Truman,  with  other  industrial,  social 
and  civic  leaders,  for  a  conference 
preliminary  to  organization  of  the 
Franklin  D.  Roosevelt  Memorial 
Commission,  and  likewise  could  not  be 
reached  for  comment. 

A  spokesman  for  Johnston  at  the 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  while 
declining  to  comment  on  the  report, 
said  that  Johnston  is  arranging  to  go 
to  New  York  some  time  next  week, 
and  expressed  doubt  that  any  an- 
nouncement would  be  made  in  ad- 
vance of  the  trip. 

MPPDA  Meet  Advanced 

To  September  12 

The  next  quarterly  meeting  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America,  has  been  advanced  to  next 
Wednesday,  Sept.  12.  Principally  on 
the  agenda,  it  is  understood,  will  be 
the  formal  ratification  of  a  contract 
with  Eric  Johnston  as  new  president. 
Will  H.  Hays,  present  president, 
would  become  chairman  of  the  board. 


Depinet  to  Preside 
At  Canadian  Meet 

(Continued  from  page  I) 
and  Robert  Mochrie,  Harry  J. 
Michalson,  S.  Barret  McCormick,  M. 
G.  Poller  and  A.  A.  Schubart.  James 
Mulvev  will  represent  Samuel  .Gold- 
wyn  Productions,  A.  W.  Schwalberg 
will  be  present  for  International  Pic- 
tures, while  Walt  Disnev  Produc- 
tions will  be  represented  by  Leo  F. 
Samuels  and  Charles  Levy. 

Heading  the  Canadian  delegation 
will  be :  Leo  M.  Devaney,  Canadian 
division  sales  manager,  with  the  fol- 
lowing branch  managers  in  atten- 
dance :  Reg  Doddridge,  Calgarv ;  H. 
F.  Taylor,  Montreal ;  H.  H.  McAr- 
thur,  St.  John;  M.  Plottel,  Toronto: 
W.  S.  Jones,  Vancouver ;  J.  H. 
McPherson,  Winnipeg.  Sales  person- 
nel from  the  Canadian  exchanges  will 
a' so  be  on  hand.' 

This  is  the  fifth  and  final  sales 
meeting  scheduled  by  RKO  Radio  for 
the  new  season,  previous  regional 
sales  meetings  having  already  been 
held  in  New  York,  Cincinnati,  Chica- 
go and  Los  Angeles. 


Propaganda  Film  Debate 

A  debate  on  "Should  Hollywood 
Make  Pictures  Designed  to  Influence 
Public  Opinion?"  will  be  held  on  the 
Render's  Digest  forum  over  station 
WJZ  tonight,  with  Constance  Bennett 
and  Robert  Riskin  taking  the  affirma- 
tive side;  Ben  Hecht  and  Donald 
Crisp,  the  negative. 


$20,000  Coast  Fire 

Hollywood,  Sept.  5. — Fire  follow- 
ing an  explosion  of  undetermined  ori- 
gin caused  an  estimated  $20,000  dam- 
age to  the  Lindo  Lea  Theatre,  inde- 
pendent, owned  by  William  Kay,  in 
downtown  Los  Angeles. 


Restrictions  Still 
On  Printed  Matter 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

countries  to  which  mail  of  the  printed 
matter  classification  still  cannot  be 
sent  are :  Esthonia,  Finland,  Italy, 
Latvia,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Vatican 
City,  Bulgaria,  Rumania  and  Czecho- 
slovakia. 

Whereas,  before  the  war,  postal 
regulations  on  the  sending  of  printed 
matter  abroad  was  limited,  generally, 
to  four  pounds,  six  ounces,  per  week 
for  the  recipient,  at  present  that  limit 
applies  to  only  seven  European  coun- 
tries, including  Sweden,  Russia,  En- 
gland, Ireland,  Portugal,  Spain  and 
Turkey. 

The  weekly  weight  limit  at  present 
for  Belgium,  France,  Greece,  Luxem- 
burg, the  Netherlands,  Switzerland, 
Norway,  Denmark  and  Yugoslavia 
was  set  at  one  pound  with  the  lifting 
of  war-time  mailing  restrictions  to 
those  countries. 

Printed  matter  packages  weighing 
more  than  the  stipulated  poundage  set 
for  the  country  for  which  it  is  des- 
tined must  be  sent  parcel  post. 

The  weight  limit  for  all  Central  and 
South  American  countries,  unaffected 
by  wartime  restrictions,  varies  between 
11  and  22  pounds,  depending  upon  the 
country  to  which  the  printed  matter 
is  sent. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


"Palestine  Question" 

(20th-P ox— "March  of  Time") 

To  the  Palestine  question,  long  a 
seething  one,  March  of  Time  editors 
have  thrown  a  searching  light.  In 
smooth,  swift  fashion,  the  film  story 
of  the  crisis  unfolds  comprehensively, 
from  1917,  when  Lord  Allenby  con- 
quered the  Holy  Land,  to  the  present 
day  in  which  a  Free  Palestine  is  part 
of  the  new  British  Labor  Party's  plat- 
form. Presented  graphically  and  re- 
liably are  the  Zionist  demands  for  the 
establishment  of  an  independent  Jew- 
ish state,  and  the  strident  opposition 
of  the  Arabs. 

In  vivid  photography,  Jewish  ac- 
complishments in  Palestine  are  re- 
vealed, from  the  restoration  of  arid 
desert  wastes  to  fertility,  to  the  cul- 
tural progress  and  medical  and  scien- 
tific achievements.  As  timely  as  a  late 
news  bulletin  and  enhanced  by  crisp, 
information  narration,  the  subject 
seems  assured  of  widespread  interest. 
Running  time,  I6V2  minutes. 


Chust  to  MPS  A  Staff 

Hollywood,  Sept.  5.  —  Robert 
Chust,  Brazilian  producer,  has  joined 
the  staff  of  the  Motion  Picture  So- 
ciety for  the  Americas  as  a  consult- 
ing specialist. 


'Glory'  Premiere  Tonight 

The  New  York  National  War  Fund, 
as  the  opening  gun  in  its  'Advance 
Gifts  Campaign'  is  sponsoring  the 
American  premiere  tonight  at  the  Vic- 
toria Theatre  here,  of  General  Eisen- 
hower's film  history  of  the  Battle  of 
Western  Europe,  "The  True  Glory." 

Mayor  LaGuardia  will  introduce 
Gen.  Omar  N.  Bradley,  who  will  ad- 
dress an  invited  audience  of  military, 
theatrical  and  civilian  guests. 


the  gal  who  kept  her  head  by 
telling  one  tall  tale  after  another.  That  may  be 
a  way  to  hold  yourself  together  —  but  we  prefer  to 
leave  tall  tales  to  others.  All  we  like  to  talk  about  are 
the  thousands  of  Altec  contracts  now  protecting  theatres 
everywhere.  The  three  famous  Altec  services  are  being 
used  by  smart  exhibitors  because  they  know  that  good 
booth  performance  is  essential  to  good  "box  office."  If 
you're  interested  in  this  modern  wayto  theatreefficiency. 
we  have  a  story  for  you.  Write  or  phone  today. 

ATLANTA    .  BOSTON    .  CHICAGO    .  CINCINNATI    .  DALLAS 
DETROIT   .  LOS  ANGELES    .  NEW  YORK    .  PHILADELPHIA    .  SEATTLE 

THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


X 

u 

g 
o 

o 

PQ 

w 

pa 

D 

H 

O 

E 

o 

H 
O 


33     T3  3 

A 


A 


ui,0 

■a-  en 

— < 


3=3.1  £ 

A<  S  S£ 

MI«T> 


Szgw£Q 

2<«  4>J= 
CO"!  >.  " 


< 

m 

W 

W 

> 
i— i 

D 


OH  5  S2-* 

381-2  £>- 


«e'1  ~ 

A  »  SU  ■»£ 
^        iu  3  ^ 

„  O  -dH  « 

20  2  HS 

3  o 


22  3  5:3  Ik 
I*  «  2  tt  . 

<  Sq™Qa 


35*  o 


o  a 


A 

A  t 


«5 


^A 


MS; 

limn 


o 

2  W  o 


3  «  o 


A 


33  d  5 
33j= 


50 

o 
►J 


„AO  "  £> 
SAA^  _ 

8™ 


HM     i  i — i 


Q  -a 

H  O  £ 


1  -J  .h  ^ 

&  o  SQ« 


?hS  jjPQ  En 


2^ 


pi  c  Pa 
H  u  CD  I 


Q  c 

S  d^Ia 
2  j3.-2» 


re , 

2^ 

w 


c  i 

o  , 


o  «o 


o 
pq 


33  <  «V 

«  <  £  3  Q  ' 
2AgH 


X 

o 

EC 
H 


Oh 

o  «;i5 
HOE? 
,2.2  o 

^  til  o  o 

<  °-1 

Q 


bo  m 


"■St  u 
Q 


2>^^3  ^j-  <u 


W33-S-sS^ 
33<CT  £ 


A  U 


2  «  H  a  7  >' 

w    &A  t3  1) 


A 


u  ^ 


6  c 


1  w  c  £  ?  oi^ 
)h.5J«!<- 

<H  u<33goo 


hS  as 

33  cn>iJ 


P 
< 

o 


5  J 


O  as  -i  _ 
33  J 


o 

O'H 


a 


Ha     h  3 


5 


w  ; 

33  c 
H  5 

00 

H  a, 

s? 

5  c 


>  g 

jS«  a! 

a 


O  W  <  %  13  „•  2} 

AHQQ33.S^ 


o  ,-, 

mh  (0  rt  ^  * 

2  2  o 

A  2  I  g 

oo  M 


2  o.=  B  > 

•-7  a)     ^  a; 

o  A 


<"  hoa; 
H<  c  g 

<H0.5M 

2*  S S  S  > 

A    A  i 


^33  .5- 

'(2  2s- 

S°?A 


o 

I— I 


o 

K 
CM 


<  °  C 

3J  2  2  id* 
w  £  B  c  n 
2^^ 

oi!j  I  > 

00  CO  -Q  cs  fV 


o 

r  .     Tn  Tj"  LO 

y   ^  .Q  y  A 


35 


o5  8  o: 

°  «1. 

u  « 

A  H  - 


a 


Sz 


<J  T3  S 


g  A  ' 


U 


oo 

aQ  c4J; 
-   <  u  s 
'oo 


-  oo  i-i ,  ; 
HQ  ' 


Ifl  H  , 

*  n  s 
<!  A  3  ^  1 


<W<A 
HZ  -a- 

WA 


S33Q3 

ST  > 


o  oo  ^ 
^:  " 

i-l  ,  >>30 
A  H  S3  g  7  ■ 
OD S3  |  J 


H 


pa  - 


OA 


oo  tu 
i-i  A  iJ '  (< 

0W  J3M 

««<  B 
W33  «  S 

2H  3  cs 

<So  u 


A  « 
° 

A  A  M  B  S 


A  f£)  S3  ^  ^ 
2SV*o 
aa^ho 


A  u 

o  .  S!  E 

^A£3^ 
oS-o  Q 
2w!3S 
<H-g  S 

oo  A1-* 


>   1  ^  o  — 

"J15«S  .S 

S^JS  Ovo 

<  A 

S  I 
o 


A  A  2  o  a  oo 


OOO  CD 

S^o 

A-3  > 
AM  « 


3  c 

.s"s 

A 


< 
Oh 


O 
2 
O 


o 


O 

o 


00  o 

■a  33 


a,  A        OS  j^S  <2 


A 


A0< 


Q 


^A 

S33 
'»H 
A  A 
"^O 
2 


Q  S3 

ha  o.^-: 

Oo,  g- 

s  o 


A 
O 

A  B 
w  « 

►H  I— 1  " 

33 

H  £ 


B^ 


m  a      c  jr 

A  A    >>  2  rH   >  O 

HPA^-pjj  j 


•3  «o 


A 
A 

Hoo^£  =■ 
'^A  3  &7 


33  —  ^ 


WHM  > 

z<^.s- 

<cvaS  S 

h?  a.tl 

A-g  I  - 


A  -  22 
A  Q  m 

1-K;2  coS 

Q  A  >,  S 
<«  8*  > 
ma  B-  C 
MA,  I  A 
O" 


w  .a  S3 
Qaa'7 


-cy]         >,  is -S 
.2  A  33     33  n 

CD  O  2  C- 

ft-  M  0*010^ 

•  u%  O  n  -3  7 


S,<  3  S  « 

<A  c  So' 

n  ° 

r.,o™«u; 


izA 


S  > 


Hc 

S  J3  '  I 

13  3  I 


"O 


AQ 
A  • 
>  a 

o  s 


A  c  e 
wpMn s 

g,gA0Ai>,^ 
^H^  -Wg^ 

33  SA 


w  C3  " 
2<  A 

n  -S 
P  n)  ra 

33w5 


3  '-o 
ON 

QA 


00  ^ 

gA 3  Ss* 
A"c5tS^ 

Eh  cn  -cj-  oo 
K,A  g  c  i  - 


2  A 
^O  3 


X330  B9-, 

ShaR  WZA^i7  >'  z  ~"  E  £-f  >    «       c  £  =  "  - 
M0OOA  ft!<A^ocl)^  <2^SQA  wWjg^rt,1 


1-1    ,  C3 

S3  (a<lrl 

oo  A& 


i5  c  £° 

«J3  <M 
O  o  > 
u  1-1CN  r^ 

be  3 
3  ™ 


H5c 


HQ 


2  A 


Z  A  °  SC 
A«!3 
>  A  -o  M 

<  s 


«  3 
<W  <„  1 
Q-gS 

A<  g-S 
> 

A°S-Si 
S  A 


33<3 


"HW  |J 

aw* 


A 

SAA2HS 
v  S  O  5  A  A 

■A  5  h  5  o;  m 
2oo<oa 
Y  q^za 
o 


Woo  o  c 

Hog  I 

.  *A  rj  *oJ 

Otd  M  ' 


33z 
102  H 

2n  A 


A  « 
"00 
<  c 

H-2 


5? 


< 


en 


on 


•Oh 
W 
OO 


A 


00 


o 


o 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


IOL.  58.  NO.  48 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  7,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


1  Films  Drew 
Top  Receipts 
n  15  Cities 


'Anchors  Aweigh'  Led  in 
Peak  Holiday  Business 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 


Theatres  in  many  sections  had 
he  best  Labor  Day  weekend  busi- 
less  in  their  histories,  aided  by 
trong  product  and  generally  favor- 
ble  weather  conditions,  receipts  at 
irst-runs  in  15  key  cities  running  to 
>eak  proportions  during  the  past  sev- 
n  days,  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
ure  Daily  correspondents  indicate. 
"Anchors  Aweigh"  was  the  undis- 
uted  leader  of  11  films  which  brought 
Dp  receipts,  with  "Incendiary  Blonde," 
Wonder  Man"  and  "Over  21"  also 
rawing  high  above  average.  The 
ther  seven  toppers  were :  "Captain 
•Mdie,"  "You  Came  Along,"  "Lady 
n  a  Train,"  "Pride  of  the  Marines," 
.Christmas  in  Connecticut,"  "Along 
lanie  Jones"  and  "The  Story  of  G.I. 
fee." 

I  Circuit  executives   cited  the  same 
jlms,  with  the  addition  of  "A  Thou- 
 (and  and  One  Nights,"  "A  Bell  for 

{Continued  on  page  10) 


Leserman  to 
foin  Hughes 


Resignation  of  Carl  Leserman  as 
eneral  sales  manager  of  United  Ar- 
sts  has  been  submitted  and  is  ex- 
acted to  be  acted  upon  momentarily, 
t  is  understood  that  Leserman  will 
ecome  associated  with  Howard 
lughes  in  an  executive  and  sales  ca- 
acity  immediately  upon  leaving  UA. 

There  was  no  indication  late  yes- 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


Montague  to  Lead 
I  Sales  Sessions 


Columbia  Pictures  will  hold  its  an- 
fual  sales  convention  in  four  zone 
meetings,  it  was  announced  here  yes- 
■irday  by  A.  Montague,  general  sales 
lanager.  The  meetings  have  been  set 
*  Chicago,  Sept.  11-13;  New  York, 
lept.  19-21;  New  Orleans,  Sept.  26- 

Los  Angeles,  Oct.  2-4. 
All  four  meetings  will  be  directly 

{Continued  on  page  12) 


Dane  Clark  Top  Choice  in 
'Stars  of  Tomorrow' Poll 


Dane  Clark,  'wise-cracking'  actor 
in  several  of  this  season's  war  films, 
including  the  current  "Pride  of  the 
Marines,"  is  the  first  choice  of  both 
circuit  and  independent  exhibitors  for 
elevation  to  stardom,  it  is  reported  in 
Motion  Picture  Herald's  fifth  annual 
"Stars  of  Tomorrow"  poll,  to  be  pub- 
lished today. 

Runners-up  in  the  combined  vote, 
in  the  order  named,  are :  Jeanne 
Crain,  Keenan  Wynn,  Peggy  Ann 
Garner,  Cornel  Wilde,  Tom  Drake, 
Lou  McAllister,  Diana  Lynn,  Mari- 
lyn Maxwell  and  William  Eythe, 
with  independent  exhibitors,  separate- 
ly, including  Peggy  Ryan  among  their 
top  10  in  place  of  Miss  Maxwell. 

Many  winners  of  previous  polls, 
among  them  Sonny  Tufts,  William 
Bendix,  Van  Heflin  and  Laraine  Day, 
quickly  became  top  Hollywood  names. 

The  nation's  critics,  polled  sep- 
arately on  their  choices  for  "Stars  of 
Tomorrow,"  agreed  with  seven  out  of 
the  10  exhibitor  selections.  Peggy 
Ana  Garner,  fourth  on  the  exhibitors' 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Para.  Will  Retire 
$2,000,000  Issue 


The  board  of  directors  of  Para- 
mount yesterday  authorized  the  im- 
mediate pre-payment,  at  par,  of  $2,- 
000,000  of  its  three  per  cent  deben- 
tures, due  1955-56.  After  making  this 
payment,  the  interest-bearing  obliga- 
tions of  the  company  will  aggregate 
$10,000,000,  consisting  of  $8,000,000  of 
notes  and  debentures,  due  1947-1954, 
and  $2,000,000  of  debentures,  due  1951. 

Debt  reduction  of  the  company  and 

{Continued  on  page  10) 


Production  Code  Is 
Adopted  in  Italy 

A  Production  Code,  based  on  the 
document  adopted  15  years  ago  by  the 
organized  American  industry,  has 
been  accepted  by  Italian  film  producers 
and  distributors,  it  was  learned  here 
yesterday. 

Renefits   to   the   American  motion 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


Truman  Commends 
Industry  War  Work 

President  Truman,  in  a  tele- 
gram to  the  War  Activities 
Committee,  here,  commends 
the  industry  for  its  war  work, 
as  follows: 

"I  have  been  told  about  the 
plans  being  projected  by  the 
motion  picture  industry  in 
support  of  the  Treasury's  Vic- 
tory Loan.  Knowing  and  ap- 
preciating what  the  theatres, 
exchanges,  studios  and  Holly- 
wood stars  have  done  through- 
out the  war,  I  commend  you 
for  the  enthusiam  with  which 
your  entire  industry  is  tack- 
ling this  remaining  big  job." 


6IA'  Charters  Fifth 
New  Local  in  Strike 


Hollywood,  Sept.  6. — The  IATSE 
climaxed  the  otherwise  static  26th 
week  of  the  studio  strike  by  charter- 
ing Studio  Mechanics  Local  No.  468, 
which  Roy  Brewer,  IATSE  vice- 
president  told  Motion  Picture  Daily 
will  not  be  made  up  entirely  of  re- 
placement people  but  will  absorb 
workers  who  don't  quite  belong  prop- 
erly in  our  other  locals." 

Brewer  pointed  out  that  the  "IA" 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


Only  Limited  Tax 
Relief:  Truman 


Washington,  Sept.  6. — President 
Truman  today  called  on  Congress  to 
provide  tax  reductions  for  the  calen- 
dar year  1946  but  warned  that  only 
limited  relief  can  be  extended  in  view 
of  an  estimated  $30,000,000,000  deficit 
for  the  current  fiscal  year. 

However,  the  President  said,  the 
tax-relief  bill  should  be  followed  by 
modernization   of   the   tax  structure 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


1945 


570fi 


Fabian,  Other 
Drive  Heads 
To  Handle  8th 


Victory  Drive  Will  Be 
WAC's  Last  War  Job 


S.  H.  Fabian,  head  of  Fabian 
Theatres,  and  chairman  of  the  The- 
atres Division  of  the  War  Activi- 
ties Committee,  will  head  the 
industry's  com- 
mittee for  the 
'Victory  Loan' 
campaign,  Oct. 
29  to  Dec.  8. 

The  cam- 
paign, the 
Eighth  and  final 
war  loan  drive, 
will  be  conduct- 
ed by  the  regu- 
lar   WAC  or- 
ganization, and 
will  be  the  final 
task  of  the  war 
emergency 
agency  w  h  ich 
terminates  its  work  on  Dec.  31. 
Fabian  will  be  assisted  by  a  'strategy 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


S.  H.  Fabian 


New  Arthur 
Organization 


Harry  C.  Arthur,  Jr.,  head  of  the 
St.  Louis  Amusement  Co.,  will  hold  a 
meeting  in  Los  Angeles  about  Nov.  1 
to  accelerate  the  establishment  of  a 
new  national  distributing  organization 
backed  by  key  city  franchise  holders 
who  operate  first-run  and  other  thea- 
tres. 

Arthur  has  had  the  new  organiza- 
tion in  mind  for  some  time  but  war- 

(Continued  on  page  12) 


National's  Deafl  for 
Mexico  Circuit  Set 


National  Theatres,  subsidiary  of 
20th  Century-Fox,  which  has  long 
contemplated  expansion  of  its  theatre 
holdings  to  Latin-America,  has  vir- 
tually completed  negotiations  for  the 
acquisition  of  a  theatre  circuit  in 
Mexico,  it  was  learned  here  yesterday. 

Agreement  has  been  reached  be- 
tween National  and  the  Mexican  prin- 

(Continned  on  page  10) 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  September  7,  1945 


Truman,  Hays  Talk 
Foreign  Situation 

Washington,  Sept.  6.— Will 
H.  Hays,  MPPDA  president, 
visited  the  White  House  this 
morning  on  an  appointment 
with  ■  President  Truman.  The 
President  and  Hays  discussed 
the  industry's  international 
situation  generally  "and,  of 
course,  the  potential  useful- 
ness of  motion  pictures  in  the 
period  ahead  all  over  the 
world,"  Hays  disclosed. 


All  Coast's  Reds 
Not  in  Hollywood 

Washington,  Sept.  6. — Officials  of 
the  House  Committee  on  Un-Ameri- 
can Activities  today  refused  to  con- 
firm published  reports  that  investiga- 
tions in  Hollywood  had  revealed 
enough  evidence  of  Communist  activity 
to  support  charges  made  by  commit- 
tee members,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
indicated  that  more  Communism  was 
found  by  its  investigators  in  other 
parts  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

"The  word  'Hollywood'  has  been 
used  entirely  too  loosely,"  it  was  ex- 
plained in  committee  circles.  "When 
we  say  'Hollywood'  we  appear  to  in- 
dict a  lot  of  people  who  never  should 
be  smeared.  Those  distortions  are  go- 
ing to  cause  poor  relations  between 
those  who  would  like  to  have  the  af- 
fair cleared  up  and  those  who  are  try- 
ing to  clean  it  up." 

It  was  declared  that  the  published 
reports  were  based  on  information  se- 
cured from  outside  the  committeee, 
which  as  yet  has  made  no  disclosures 
as  to  the  results  of  its  preliminary  in- 
quiries. Reports  have  been  prepared 
by  investigators,  who  this  Summer 
spent  a  considerable  time  on  the  Paci- 
fic Coast,  it  was  admitted,  and  these 
reports  will  be  considered  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  committee,  now  tenta- 
tively scheduled  for  Sept.  12. 


Personal  Mention 


Pope  Urges  Radio  Be 
Used  Only  for  Good 

"Like  every  human  invention,  the 
radio  can  be  used  as  an  instrument 
of  evil  as  well  as  good ;  it  has  been 
used,  it  is  used  to  disseminate  calum- 
nies, to  mislead  simple,  uninformed 
folk,  to  disrupt  peace  within  nations 
and  between  nations,"  Pope  Pius  XII 
declared  Wednesday,  in  addressing  a 
group  of  American  radio  executives, 
according  to  press  dispatches  reaching 
here  yesterday  from  Rome. 

"This  is  an  abuse  of  a  gift  of  God; 
and  it  is  for  the  responsible  directors, 
as  far  as  possible,  to  check  and  elimi- 
nate it. 

"Let  the  good  accomplished  by  the 
radio  always  outrun  the  evil  until  the 
evil  becomes  wary  and  falls  by  the 
wayside.  Is  that  too  much  to  hope 
for?  Certainly  it  is  a  noble  goal, 
worthy  of  men's  best  efforts,  and  it  is 
Our  fervent  prayer." 

His  Holiness  thanked  the  executives 
for  the  "many  courtesies  extended  by 
the  American  broadcasting  systems  to 
Our  Vatican  radio  station." 


NATE  BLUMBERG,  president  of 
Universal,  arrived  in  Chicago 
yesterday  on  his  way  to  Milwaukee 
and  will  leave  for  New  York  tomor- 
row. 

• 

Harry  C.  Kopf,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  NBC  Central  di- 
vision, was  married  to  Helen  Hogue, 
former  account  executive  of  the  Rus- 
sell M.  Seeds  advertising  agency,  last 
Saturday. 

• 

Roy  Rogers,  Republic  player,  will 
leave  Hollywood  Sunday  for  Philadel- 
phia on  the  first  lap  of  a  personal  ap- 
pearance tour  at  Army  and  Navy 
hospitals  and  rodeos. 

• 

Lauritz  Melchior  will  arrive  in 
New  York   Sunday  from  California 
en  route  to  Berlin  to  entertain  Amer- 
ican Army  of  Occupation  forces. 
• 

E.  C.  Grainger,  president  of  Shea 
Theatres,  will  leave  New  York  today 
for  Pittsburgh,  Columbus  and  Zanes- 
ville. 

• 

Tom  J.  Connors,  20th  Century- 
Fox  vice-president  and  distribution 
chief,  has  arrived  on  the  Coast  from 
New  York. 

• 

R.  M.  Savini,  president  of  Astor 
Pictures,  left  here  yesterday  to  visit 
Southern  exchanges. 

• 

Joseph   H.   Seidelman,  Universal 
International  president,  will  arrive  in 
New  York  today  from  Hollywood. 
• 

Al  Finestone  has  arrived  on  the 
Coast  from  New  York  to  join  the 
Paramount  studio  publicity  staff. 

Lena  Horne  will  leave  New  York 
for  Hollywood  tomorrow. 


PHIL  REISMAN,  RKO  Radio 
vice-president  in  charge  of  for- 
eign distribution,  will  leave  for  Europe 
next  week. 

• 

George    McKenna    and  Charles 
Wright  of  the  Basil  Circuit,  Buffalo, 
visited  here  with  E.  K.  (Ted)  O'Shea. 
M-G-M's  Eastern  sales  manager. 
• 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  Warners' 
assistant  treasurer,  is  due  back  at  the 
home  office  from  Coast  conferences 
with  Harry  M.  Warner. 

• 

William. B.  Levy,  Disney  Produc- 
tions' foreign  sales  head,  is  due  back 
in  New  York  on  Monday  from  a  six 
weeks'  trip  to  Europe. 

Ruth  Hoffman,  secretary  to  Illi- 
nois Allied  president  Jack  Kirsch, 
will  return  to  Chicago  today  from  a 
vacation. 

Leo  Katcher,  Disney  Productions' 
Eastern  talent  and  story  head,  will 
leave  New  York  for  Hollywood  to- 
day. 

Betty  Hutton  and  Ted  Briskin, 
who  were  married  in   Chicago  last 
Sunday,  have  left  there  for  Florida. 
• 

Dorothy  Dee  of  M-G-M's  home 
office  publicity  department,  will  leave 
New  York  today  for  a  vacation. 
• 

Leon'  Britton,  RKO  Radio's  Ar- 
gentina manager,  will  leave  Buenos 
Aires  today  for  home  office  conferences. 
• 

Mrs.  Jack  L.  Warner  has  arrived 
here  from  Beverly  Hills,  and  is  stay- 
ing at  the  Waldorf-Astoria. 


Donovan  Resignation 
From  OSS  Is  Offered 

Washington,  Sept.  6.— Major  Gen- 
eral William  J.  Donovan,  director  of 
the  Office  of  Strategic  Services,  has 
offered  his  resignation  to  President 
Truman,  suggesting  that  it  become  ef- 
fective Jan.  1. 


General  Donovan's  New  York  law 
firm,  Donovan,  Leisure,  Newton  and 
Lumbard,  was  counsel  for  Radio- 
Keith-Orpheum  Corp.  during  its  re- 
organization in  the  courts  in  the  1930's 
and  subsequently  was  retained  as 
RKO  counsel  in  the  Government's 
anti-trust  suit  against  eight  distribu- 
tors, an  assignment  which  the  firm  still 
holds. 


Luncheon  for  Wyler 

Director  William  Wyler,  now  visit- 
ing New  York  from  the  Coast,  will 
be  guest  at  a  press  luncheon  given  by 
the  Samuel  Goldwyn  Eastern  staff  at 
the  Waldorf  Astoria  Towers  on 
Monday. 


Herzbrun  Reelected 

Hollywood,  Sept.  6. — Bernard  Herz- 
brun has  been  reelected  president  of 
the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Art  Di- 
rectors. 


Stoltz  Named  PRC 
Ad-Publicity  Head 

Arnold  T.  Stoltz  has  been  appoint- 
ed advertising-publicity  director  of 
PRC,  effective  immediately,  taking  the 
post  left  vacant  recently  by  the  resig- 
nation of  Don  McElwaine,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  Harry 
Thomas,  vice-president  and  general 
sales  manager. 

In  another  appointment,  Robert 
Goodfried  has  become  assistant  to 
Stoltz  and  liaison  between  the  West 
Coast  and  New  York.  Goodfried  ar- 
rived in  Los  Angeles  yesterday. 

Previous  to  joining  PRC,  s^x 
months  ago,  Stoltz  held  various  pub- 
licity and  exploitation  posts.  In  1941, 
while  operating  the  New  Park  Thea- 
tre, Woonsocket,  R.  I.,  he  was  the 
winner  of  the  Quigley  Silver  Grand 
Award  for  exploitation  and  following 
this  he  joined  United  Artists  as  ex- 
ploitation manager.  He  also  managed 
jobs  in  Warner  and  Loew  theatres. 


Siritzkys  to  Buy 

Siritzky  Brothers,  whose  Ambassa- 
dor Theatre  here  opened  as  a  film 
house  for  the  first  time  last  Saturday, 
are  reported  planning  to  purchase  the 
Majestic  Theatre  in  Brooklyn,  which 
they  now  operate  on  a  lease. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  .   Rockefeller  Center 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes" 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


laS^OON  SCREEN 

JAMES 

CAGNEY 

SYLVIA  SIDNEY 

BLOOD  ON 
THE  SUN' 


IN  PERSON 

ED  SULLIVAN 

HARVEST 


rs 


DANCE  WINNERS 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 


11 


DUFFY'S  TAVERN 


Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICE8 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


Gary  Cooper    Loretta  Young 

"ALONG  CAME  JONES" 

INTERNATIONAL  PICTURE  RELEASED 
BY  RKO 


Dana  Jeanne  Dick  Vivian 
ANDREWS     CRAIN      HAYMES  BLAINE 

RODGBRS  and  HAMMEBSTEIN'S 

"STATE  FAIR" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  In  Technicolor 
PLUS  ON  STAGE  — CONNEE  BOSWELL 
CONDOS  BROS.  Extra!  GENE  SHELDON 
Buy  More  Y 


Bonds 


50th  St. 


Reception  for  Anstey 

Edgar  Anstey,  British  documentary 
producer,  who  arrived  in  New  York 
this  week  from  London,  will  be  the 
guest  of  the  British  Information  Ser- 
vice film  division,  here,  at  a  reception 
at  the  Hotel  Gotham,  this  afternoon. 
Thomas  Baird  heads  the  division. 


Pavone  to  Monogram 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  6. — John  Pavone 
has  been  installed  as  manager  of  Mon- 
ogram's New  Haven  exchange,  Steve 
Broidy,  vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager,  announces. 


•!"''  I  O.N  J'ICTX'RE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sher  win  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quiglev 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
I'n  Sq.,  J^jndon  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Mr, don  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


. .  .  that  terrific  guy  from  "Laura" 


.  . .  that  singing  star  from  "Diamond  Horseshoe 


Motion  Picture  Daily  Sept.  7,  1945 


,  that  Cherry  Blonde  from  "Nob  Hill 


Motion  Picture  Daily  Sept.  7,  1945 


Charles  Winninger  Fay  Bainter 

Donald  IWeek  -  Frank  IVlcHugh  -  Percy  Kilbride  -  Henry  Morgan 

Produced  by  Music  by  [_yrjcs  by 

Walter  Lang  •  William  Perlberg  •  Richard  Rodgers  •  Oscar  Hammerstein 


Friday,  September  7,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


9 


Review 

"Shady  Lady" 


( I  nk'crsal ) 

WITH  Charles  Coburn  settling  his  ample  girth  into  a  juicy  role  and 
emerging  with  another  of  his  droll  characterizations  that  have  made 
him  a  solid  marquee  name,  coupled  further  with  the  assets  of  Ginny  Simms, 
Robert  Paige  and  Alan  Curtis,  and  a  slickly-fashioned  screenplay  which  has  the 
added  benefit  of  appropriate  direction  and  all  of  the  production  accoutrements 
necessary,  there  is  no  apparent  reason  in  the  world  why  "Shady  Lady"  should 
not  do  handsomely  at  the  boxoffice. 

As  a  charming  rascallion  of  a  card  sharp  who  passes  himself  off  to  the  un- 
suspecting as  a  Kentucky  colonel,  Coburn  speaks  his  lines  with  obvious  relish 
and  continuously  elicited  salvos  of  laughter  from  a  responsive  preview  .audi- 
ence panicked  by  the  execution  of  the  business  associated  with  card  trickery. 
Escorted  out  of  one  state  which  did  not  approve  his  digital  dexterity, 
Coburn  is  forced  to  depend  upon  Ginny  Simms,  his  niece,  a  singer  at  the  night 
club  of  Alan  Curtis.  Curtis  is  conducting  many  lucrative  shady  enterprises 
on  the  side,  for  which  Robert  Paige,  state's  attorney,  is  'itching'  to  secure 
evidence. 

When  he  does,  he  is  stymied  from  pushing  the  case  to  its  conclusion  because 
Paige's  sister,  Martha  O'Driscoll,  formerly  infatuated  with  Curtis,  has  been 
unlucky  enough  to  be  caught  in  a  compromising  photograph  with  the  gang- 
ster. Coburn.  who  has  been  following  the  straight  and  narrow,  with  only 
occasional  and  reluctant  lapses  into  his  old  practices,  teams  up  with  Miss 
Simms  to  win  a  gigantic  poker  game  and  the  negative  of  the  all-important 
photograph  from  Curtis. 

That's  all  there  is  to  the  plot,  embellished,  however,  by  several  side  ro- 
mances, including  Coburn's  as  a  lover  who  strikes  a  romantic  fire  with  Kath- 
leen Howard.  Paige  and  Mis>  Simms,  after  the  usual  rocky  romantic  prelude, 
so  beloved  of  Hollywood  writers,  find  true  love.  Miss  Simms,  in  addition  to 
playing  her  dramatic  role,  also  calls  her  capable  equipment  as  a  vocalist  into 
play  and  scores  effectively  in  three  numbers :  "Cuddle  Up  a  Little  Closer,"  an 
'oldie';  "Xango,"  in  the  Latin  vein,  by  George  Waggner  and  Edgar  Fair- 
child,  and  "In  Love  with  Love,"  by  Waggner  and  Milton  Rosen.  Joe  Frisco 
is  precious  in  a  comedy  bit,  and  rates  plaudits  for  his  sequence. 

Production  and  direction  were  efficiently  handled  by  Waggner;  Joe  Gersh- 
enson  was  executive  producer,  and  Curt  Siodmak,  Gerald  Geraghty  and 
M.  M.  Musselman  fashioned  the  original,  with  Monty  Collins  contributing 
additional  dialogue. 

Running  time,  93  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  Sept.  6. 

Charles  Ryweck 


Hollywood 


Scepticism  Greets 
Spain  Quota  Plan 

Foreign  department  spokesmen  here 
were  sceptical  yesterday  in  their  re- 
actions to  reports  contained  in  press 
dispatches  from  Madrid  that  the  Min- 
ister of  Commerce  and  Industry,  Juan 
Antonio  Suances,  is  receiving  a  plan 
trom  Spain's  distributors  to  have  that 
country  permit  the  United  States  65 
per  cent  of  all  pictures  imported.  They 
pointed  out  that  the  65  per  cent  figure 
was  meaningless  since  the  number  of 
films  to  be  imported  was  not  speci- 
fied. 

The  plan,  which  Suances  is  expect- 
ed to  present  to  a  committee  of  U.  S. 
producers  expected  in  Madrid  in  a 
few  weeks,  calls  for  'abolition  of  the 
prohibitive  import  license  and  similar 
fees,  averaging  about  $20,000  per  pic- 
ture, and  a  new  apportionment  of  film 
imports.  The  latter  proposal  gives 
the  U.  S.  65  per  cent,  England  15 
per  cent  and  the  remaining  20  per 
cent  to  all  other  countries. 

The  plan  further  proposes  that  the 
Spanish  film  industry,  which  hereto- 
fore received  import  fees  as  subsidiza- 
tion, henceforth  be  subsidized  directly 
by  the  government. 

Jn  negotiations  with  the  Spanish 
government,  it  is  understood,  a  U.  S. 
proposal  provides  for  the  entry  of  180 
American  pictures  a  year  into  Spain 
and  for  relief  from  excessive  taxes 
and  onerous  requirements  which  have 
been  imposed  on  Hollywood  films. 

OWI  Will  End  Film 
Work  in  Europe 

The  Office  of  War  Information's 
overseas  film  bureau,  now  being  ab- 
sorbed into  the  State  Department,  will 
soon  relinquish  its  control  of  film  ac- 
tivities in  all  European  countries  with 
the  exception  of  former  Axis  nations, 
Louis  Lober,  chief  of  the  bureau,  told 
a  meeting  of  foreign  department  ex- 
ecutives here  yesterday. 

Lober,  who  recently  returned  from 
a  three  months'  trip  to  Europe,  re- 
viewed the  situation  existing  there 
and  sketched  the  tentative  policy  for 
Germany  and  Austria. 

Stockpiling  of  Hollywood  entertain- 
ment films  in  Germany  for  exhibition 
in  the  U.  S.  Zone  of  Occupation  has 
started,  and  the  pictures  will  be  shown 
at  the  propitious  moment,  it  is  under- 
stood. Brig.  Gen.  Robert  A.  McClure, 
chief  of  the  Information  Control  Divi- 
sion of  the  U.  S.  zone,  will  handle  the 
product  of  all  companies. 

'Glory'  Makes  Formal 
Debut  in  New  York 

An  invitation  audience,  including 
Gen.  Omar  X.  Bradley  and  Mayor 
LaGuardia,  attended  the  premiere  of 
"The  True  Glory,"  General  Eisen- 
hower's documentary,  at  the  Victoria 
here  last  night.  The  picture,  directed 
by  Garson  Kanin  and  Carol  Reed, 
is  being  distributed  by  Columbia 
through  the  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee. 

The  opening  ceremonies,  w  h  i  c  h 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  "Ad- 
vance Gifts  Campaign"  of  the  New- 
York  Xational  War  Fund  drive,  in- 
cluded talks  by  Carl  W'hitmore,  chair- 
man of  the  Fund;  Bradley  and 
LaGuardia.  A  'military  parade,  ap- 
pearance of  the  U.  S.  Army  band 
and  a  rendition  of  "The  Star  Spagled 
Banner"  by  Lucy  Monroe  also  were 
on  the  program. 


RKO  Gets  French 
Permits  for  Four 

RKO  Radio  disclosed  here  yester- 
day that  it  has  secured  special  licenses 
to  exhibit  four  of  its  films  in  France- 
dealing  with  the  Pacific  theatre  of  the 
war ;  they  are :  "Behind  the  Rising 
Sun,"  "Back  to  Bataan,"  "First  Yank 
Into  Tokyo"  and  "Betrayal  from  the 
East." 

Motion  Picture  Daily  reported 
yesterday  that  special  licenses  had  been 
secured  from  the  French  government 
for  the  distribution  of  seven  other 
American  films  dealing  with  the  Pa- 
cific theatre  in  the  first  break  in  the 
deadlock  which  has  prevented  the  en- 
trance of  new  American  films  into 
France  commercially  since  the  end  of 
the  war  in  Europe.  The  seven  are : 
"Destination  Tokyo,"  "30  Seconds 
Over  Tokyo,"  "Gung  Ho,"  "Guadal- 
canal Diary,"  "Winged  Victory," 
"Objective  Burma"  and  "The  Eve  of 
St.  Mark." 

Surplus  Film  to  Go 
Direct  to  Consumer  • 

Washington,  Sept.  6. — Surplus 
Government  photographic  film  and 
other  goods  that  can  be  used  by  civil- 
ian consumers  will  be  disposed  of 
through  the  ordinary  channels  of 
trade,  under  plans  worked  out  by  the 
office  of  surplus  property  of  the  Com- 
merce Department. 

These  stocks  will  be  channeled 
through  sales  to  jobbers,  wholesalers 
and  retailers  on  a  fixed-price  basis. 
The  prices,  it  was  indicated  by  W.  S. 
Bradley,  director  of  the  office,  will  be 
set  at   'attractive  levels,' 


SOPEG  Pacts  Set, 
But  Raises  Delayed 

Although  contracts  between  the 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild,  covering  over  2,000 
'white  collar"  workers  in  Loew's, 
RKO  Radio,  20th  Century-Fox,  Para- 
mount and  Columbia  home  offices, 
have  been  signed,  salary  increases  re7 
suiting  therefrom,  and  retroactive 
wage  pavments  will  not  be  made  until 
Oct.  25,  it  was  learned  here  yesterday, 
following  a  meeting  of  personnel 
representatives  of  the  companies. 

The  reason  for  the  delay,  as  ex- 
plained by  representatives  of  film  com- 
panies involved,  is  the  complicated 
bookkeeping  entailed  in  figuring  out 
retroactivity  under  the  last  year  of  the 
old  contract,  which  expired  in  July, 
1945,  and  to  make  adjustments  under 
the  new  contract  which  became  ef- 
fective as  of  July. 

The  contract  sets  up  an  estimated 
150  job  classifications  with  minimum 
and  maximum  wage  increases  and  also 
provides  for  a  five  per  cent  general 
wage  increase. 


Kyser  Heads  MPTO 
Of  New  York  State 

Buffalo,  Sept.  6.  —  Merritt  A. 
Kyser,  manager  of  the  Aurora  Thea- 
tre, East  Aurora,  has  succeeded  A. 
Charles  Hayman,  who  died  recently, 
as  president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  of  XTew  York'  State, 
Inc. 

Kyser,  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors,  was  the  organization's  vice- 
president  prior  to  assuming  the  presi- 
dency. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Sept.  6 
''JEALOUS  HOUSE,"  novel  by 
•J  Clarence  Budington  Kelland, 
has  been  acquired  by  Warner  as  a 
starring  vehicle  for  Eleanor  Parker. 
.  .  .  Frank  Strayer,  who  directed  the 
"Blondie"  series  for  Columbia,  has 
been  signed  by  PRC  to  direct  "I  Ring 
Doorbells."  .  .  .  Director  John  Berry 
has  had  his  Paramount  contract,  ex- 
tended. 

• 

Lenore  Ulric  will  return  to  the  screen 
in  one  of  the  top  roles  in  M-G-M's 
"Time  for  Two,"  which  zvill  star  Lu- 
cille Ball  and  John  Hodiak.  .  .  . 
Mischa  Auer  is  set  for  the  leading 
comedy  role  in  20th-Fox's  "Sentimen- 
tal Journey."  .  .  .  Kay  Williams  has 
been  signed  to  a  term  contract  by 
RKO. 

• 

Osa  Massen  has  been  selected  by 
Paramount  producers  Pine  and 
Thomas  for  the  leading  role  in  "To- 
kio  Rose."  .  .  .  Marie  Wilson  will 
have  one  of  the  principal  parts  in 
the  forthcoming  M-G-M  comedy, 
"No  Leave,  No  Love."  .  .  .  Frank 
Douglas,  New  York  stage  actor,  has 
been  signed  by  Warners  to  a  term 
contract. 

• 

"Daisy  Kenyon,"  novel  by  Elizabeth 
Janeway,  scheduled  for  Fall  publica- 
tion, has  been  acquired  by  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox ;  Otto  Preminger  will  pro- 
duce and  direct  the  film  version.  .  .  . 
Ralph  Edwards,  master-of-ceremonies 
of  the  "Truth  or  Consequences"  radio 
show,  has  been  cast  in  one  of  the  top 
roles  in  RKO  Radio's  "The  Bamboo 
Blonde."  .  .  .  Joan  Winfield  has  been 
engaged  for  an  important  part  in 
Paramount's  "Take  This  Woman." 
.  .  .  Sarah  Padden  has  been  added  to 
the  cast  of  "Dakota,"  now  in  work  at 
Republic. 

Benton  Will  Setup 
Temporary  Agency 

Washington,  Sept.  6.  —  The  first 
matter  of  importance  to  be  taken  up 
by  William  Benton,  who  succeeds 
Archibald  MacLeish  as  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  State,  will  be  the  job  of 
setting  up  a  temporary  informational 
agency  which  will  handle  the  dissemi- 
nation of  information  abroad  about  the 
United  States,  pending  the  working 
out  of  a  permanent  organization  which 
the  President  instructed  Secretary  of 
State  Byrnes  to  develop  by  the  end  of 
the  year. 

While  the  work  taken  over  from  the 
OWI  and  OIAA,  transferred  to  the 
State  Department  last  week,  deals  pri- 
marily with  the  dissemination  of  in- 
formation and  will  not  compete  with 
the  motion  picture,  news  or  radio  in- 
dustries, under  the  plans  announced 
by  the  President,  it  is  understood  also 
to  include  the  general  direction  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Society  for  the  Amer- 
icas, formerly  in  the  OlAA. 


Valentine  Film  Series 

New  York's  Police  Commissioner 
Lewis  J.  Valentine  has  resigned  to 
make  a  series  of  short  crime-preven- 
tion films,  being  planned  by  the  Wil- 
liam Morris  Agency,  and  to  become 
"chief  investigator"  on  the  American 
Broadcasting  Co.'s  "Gang  Busters" 
program,  it  was  announced  yesterday. 


10 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  September  7,  1945 


Fabian,  Other 
Drive  Heads 
To  Handle  8th 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


11  Films  Drew  Heavily  in 
Holiday  Week  in  15  Keys 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Clark  Leader 
In  Star  Poll 


committee'  of  all  previous  industry 
war  bond  chairmen,  including  L.  C. 
Griffith,  Oklahoma  City,  who  headed 
the  Third  campaign,  featured  by  the 
"Cavalcade  of  Stars"  ;  Charles  Skour- 
as,  Los  Angeles,  headed  the  Fourth 
drive,  the  objective  of  which  was 
selling  "A  Bond  for  Every  Seat" ; 
Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  Dallas,  whose 
organization  was  labelled  "The  Fight- 
ing Fifth"  with  a  concentrated  _  na- 
tionwide group  meeting  campaign; 
Harry  Brandt's  campaign  was  "The 
Smashing  Sixth,"  and  Samuel  Pi- 
nanski,  Boston,  headed  "The  Show- 
men's Seventh." 

Fabian  directed  the  first  industry 
campaign  to  assist  the  Treasury  in  the 
sale  of  bonds  and  throughout  the  war 
he  has  been  a  permanent  representa- 
tive in  the  Treasury  Department  on  a 
$1  a  year  basis.  That  was  in  Sept., 
1942,  when  a  nationwide  tour  of  "Stars 
Over  America,"  was  used  for  promo- 
tion. The  industry  was  not  a  part 
of  the  Second  war  loan,  June,  1943. 
The  other  campaigns  were:  Third, 
Sept.,  1943 ;  Fourth,  Jan.,  1944 ;  Fifth, 
June,  1944;  Sixth,  Nov.,  1944,  and 
Seventh,  May,  1945. 

To  Name  Committeemen 

Fabian  will  name  other  executives 
of  his  committee  at  a  later  date. 

The  campaign  chairman  •  and  mem- 
bers of  the  strategy  committee  will 
meet  soon  in  Washington  with  Ted  R. 
Gamble,  director  of  the  War  Finance 
Division  of  the  Treasury  Department, 
and  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Fred 
M.  Vinson. 

Fabian  and  Gamble  will  go  to 
Hollywood  next  week  to  confer  with 
studio  heads,  the  WAC  branch  there 
and  the  Hollywood  Victory  commit- 
tee, to  discuss  the  participation  of  the 
studios  in  the  drive. 

A  two-reel  "Hollywood  Victory 
Caravan"  is  nearing  completion  on  the 
Coast.  A  Bob  Hope  sequence  was 
held  up  until  Hope  returned  from  Eu- 
rope a  few  days  ago.  In  the  picture, 
Bing  Crosby,  accompanied  by  the 
Carmen  Cavallaro  orchestra,  sings  a 
new  number,  "We've  Got  Another 
Bond  to  Buy,"  by  Jimmy  McHugh 
and  Harold  Adamson.  The  Maritime 
Service  Training  Station  choir  from 
Avalon  also  assists  Crosby.  Also  fea- 
tured in  the  film  are :  Robert  Bench- 
ley,  Humphrey  Bogart,  Joe  Carioca, 
William  Demarest,  Donna  Drake, 
Betty  Hutton,  Alan  Ladd,  Paul  Lee, 
Noreen  Nash,  Franklyn  Pangborn, 
Olga  San  Juan,  Barbara  Stanwyck, 
Marjorie  Weaver,  Virginia  Wells. 
The  director  is  William  Russell,  with 
Louis  Harris  as  producer  and  Bernard 
Luber  supervising,  from  a  script  by 
Melville  Shavelson.  Tom  Baily,  WAC 
coordinator  in  Hollywood,  assisted  in 
producing  the  film,  at  Paramount  stu- 
dios. 


Adano"  and  "Naughty  Nineties"  as 
top  grossers  in  their  theatres  for  the 
week. 

The  15  keys  covered  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily's  reports  were:  Los 
Angeles,  San  Francisco,  Denver,  Kan- 
sas City,  Omaha,  Chicago,  Cleveland, 
Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburgh, 
Philadelphia,  Buffalo,  Boston,  Balti- 
more and  Toronto. 

The  reports  gave  "Anchors  Aweigh" 
a  tremendous  $201,500  for  nine  engage- 
ments in  seven  cities  where  par  is 
$133,000.  It  continued  outstandingly 
in  fifth  weeks  in  three  Los  Angeles 
theatres  and  in  a  moveover  in  San 
Francisco,  and  initial  weeks  in  Kansas 
City,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Baltimore 
and  Indianapolis  were  of  record  pro- 
portions. The  film  drew  $28,000, 
against  a  house  average  of  $14,000  in 
Kansas  City ;  $34,000,  against  an  av- 
erage of  $19,000  in  Cleveland;  $20,000, 
against  an  average  of  $9,000  in  Cin- 
cinnati ;  $24,000,  against  a  $15,000  av- 
erage in  Baltimore,  and  $18,500, 
against  an  average  of  $11,500  in  In- 
dianapolis. 

"Incendiary  Blonde"  rolled  up  $245,- 
000  in  reports  of  10  engagements  in 
nine  cities,  where  par  is  $207,800 ;  it 
was  still  strong  with  a  stage  show 
headed  by  Charlie  Spivak  and  his  or- 
chestra in  a  fourth  week  in  Chicago, 
in  third  weeks  in  two  Los  Angeles 
theatres,  with  the  best  initial  week's 
receipts  being  counted  in  San  Fran- 
cisco as  a  dual. 


"Wonder  Man"  brought  a  strong 
$103,800  in  reports  from  five  theatres 
in  five  cities.  It  was  outstanding  in  an 
11th  week  in  Chicago  and  in  a  third 
week  in  San  Francisco,  with  the  best 
initial  week's  receipts  being  drawn  in 
Kansas  City.  "Over  21"  drew  $96,- 
825  in  six  theatres  in  four  cities  with 
best  receipts  counted  in  initial  weeks 
in  two  Denver  theatres  and  in  Buf- 
falo. 

"Captain  Eddie"  drew  $167,600  in 
reports  from  14  engagements  in  six 
cities ;  "You  Came  Along"  brought 
$38,500  in  three  holdovers  in  three 
cities;  "Lady  on  a  Train"  accounted 
for  $47,800  in  four  spots;  "Pride  of 
the  Marines,"  $152,000  in  eight  thea- 
tres in  six  cities ;  "Christmas  in  Con- 
necticut," $65,300  in  four  engage- 
ments ;  "Along  Came  Jones,"  $91,000 
in  outstanding  first  weeks  in  two  Los 
Angeles  theatres,  and  a  big  fifth  week 
in  Chicago,  while  "The  Story  of  G.I. 
Joe"  got  $69j?50  in  eight  theatres  in 
five  cities. 

"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  brought  stand- 
out business  in  an  initial  week  in  Phil- 
adelphia. Dick  Haymes,  combined 
with  "The  Falcon  in  Hollywood"  drew 
a  sensational  $50,000  at  the  RKO  Pal- 
ace in  Cleveland  for  a  new.  house 
record  and  almost  doubled  par  of  $25,- 
400.  "George  White's  Scandals"  drew 
strongly  for  initial  weeks,  with  stage 
shows,  in  San  Francisco  and  Cincin- 
nati. "Her  Highness  and  the  Bell- 
boy" was  good  in  an  initial  week  in 
Philadelphia.- 


Para.  Will  Retire 
$2,000,000  Issue 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


consolidated  subsidiaries  since  Jan.  1, 
1945,  aggregates  approximately  $6,- 
000,000,  including  the  above  prepay- 
ment. All  domestic  consolidated  sub- 
sidiaries are  now  free  of  funded  or 
bank  debt.  Debt  of  foreign  consoli- 
dated subsidiaries  aggregates  approxi- 
mately $5,300,000  which  is  owed  by 
Paramount's  Canadian  theatre  subsidi- 
ary. 


National's  Deal  for 
Mexico  Circuit  Set 


,  (Continued  from  page  1) 


cipals  and  only  the  approval  of  the 
Mexican  government  is  now  required, 
it  is  understood.. 

Bertram  V.  Sturdivant,  National's 
Mexico  City  executive,  will  leave  New 
York  for  Mexico  City  on  Sunday  or 
Monday  to  complete  arrangements. 


Only  Limited  Tax 
Relief:  Truman 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


with  the  objective  of  "encouragement 
of  business  incentives  and  expansion 
of  consumer  purchasing  power." 

Truman's    views    on    taxes  were 
made  known  in  an  18,000  word  mes 
sage  to  Congress,  in  which  he  also 
called   for   speedy   demobilization  of 
the  Armed  Forces,  quick  cancellation 
and  settlement  of  war  contracts,  con 
tinued  price  control  until  danger  of 
inflation  passes,   including  the  hold 
ing  of  wages  in  line,  and  the  removal 
of  all  possible  wartime  controls. 

"The  main  objective  is  to  reestab- 
lish an  expanded  peacetime  industry 
trade  and  agriculture,  and  to  do  it  as 
quickly  possible,"  he  said. 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


list,  was  first  with  the  critics,  who 
named  Wynn  second  and  Clark  third 
and  also  included  Wilde,  Eythe,  Miss 
Lynn  and  Miss  Crane  among  their 
top  10.  High  bracketed  by  the  re- 
viewers alone  were  Angela  Lansbury, 
Gail  Russell  and  Mark  Piatt.  The 
critics  and  showmen,  always  substan- 
tially in  agreement,  displayed  unus- 
ual unanimity  this  year. 

Miss  Russell  was  in  11th  place  on 
the  exhibitors'  ,  list,  followed,  in  the 
order  named,  by  Miss  Ryan,  Phil  Sil- 
vers, Bob  Hutton,  Eve  Arden,  Bar- 
bara Britton,  Faye  Emerson,  Virginia 
Mayo,  Ann  Miller,  Alan  Marshall, 
Yvonne  De  Carlo,  Cass  Daley,  Bonita 
Granville,  Stanley  Clements  and 
Joyce  Reynolds.  Although  not  rating 
mention  in  the  combined  vote,  Jane 
Frazee  and  the  Wilde  Twins  appear  in 
the  independent  exhibitors'  secondary 
list. 

Canadian  exhibitors,  polled  separ- 
ately, followed  the  U.  S.  lead  in  giv- 
ing first  place  to  Clark.  Their  second 
through  10th  selections,  in  the  order 
named,  were:  Wilde,  Miss  Lynn,  Sil- 
vers, Miss  Britton,  McAllister  and 
the  Misses  Russell,  Garner,  Ryan  and 
Emerson. 


Expect  30-Feature 
Drop  in  1945-46 

Between  429  and  448  features  are 
promised  by  or  indicated  as  coming 
from  H  companies  in  1945-46,  com- 
pared with  462  to  479  indicated  for 
1944-45,  according  to  an  analysis  of 
production  prospects  which  will  ap- 
pear in  Motion  Picture  Herald  today. 
The  expected  30-picture  drop  in  total 
production,  however,  is  seen  as  being 
compensated  for  with  "bigger  and  bet- 
ter" features  for  1945-46,  with  greater 
emphasis  on  color,  music,  comedy  and 
romance,  and  very  little  war  material. 
Sales  officials  in  New  York,  accord- 
ing to  the  analysis,  are  of  the  opinion 
that  the  end  of  the  war  with  Japan 
and  the  nation's  transition  from  war 
to  peacetime  economy  will  not  be  felt 
at  the  box  office  for  at  least  a  year,  if 
at  all. 


'Morgan*  Show  Oct.  2 

M-G-M  will  tradeshow  "The  Great 
Morgan"  in  all  exchange  centers  on 
Oct.  2.  The  national  release  date  has 
not  been  set  as  yet. 


'92nd  St:  Showings  Set 

Tradeshowing  of  "The  House  on 
92nd  Street,"  20th  Century-Fox  film, 
will  be  held  in  all  of  the  company's 
exchanges  on  Sept.  14,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  yesterday  by  William 
J.  Kupper,  general  sales  manager. 


'Bataan' Premiere  Sept. 12 

"Back  to  Bataan,"  RKO  Radio,  will 
have  its  Broadway  premiere  at  the 
Palace  Theatre,  here,  on  Wednesday, 
Sept.  12. 


Proposes  Federal 
Tax  Be  Continued 

Perpetuation  of  the  Federal  tax  on 
theatre  tickets  to  help  pay  the  'freight' 
of  municipalities  which,  he  says,  are 
"without  adequate  means  to  support 
their  services,"  is  proposed  by  Dr. 
William  Anderson  of  the  University 
of  Minnesota,  it  was  learned  here 
yesterday.  He  suggests  that  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  tax,  less  the  costs  of  ad- 
ministration, be  allocated  directly  to 
cities,  villages,  towns  and  boroughs. 

Anderson  points  out  that  the  Fed- 
eral tax  on  amusements  amounted  to 
$205,000,000  for  the  year  ended  June 
30,  1944.  He  estimates  that  in  the 
fiscal  year  1945  total  collections  may 
be  $275,000,000  or  $300,000,000. 


Gerard  with  Lesser 

Robert  Gerard,  until  recently  head 
of  the  film  section  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information's  U.  S.  Information  Ser- 
vice in  Paris,  has  arrived  in  New 
York  and  will  join  Sol  Lesser  Produc- 
tions as  an  associate  producer,  on 
Oct.  1. 

Gerard  plans  a  brief  vacation  in 
Colorado  before  reporting  in  Holly- 
wood. He  had  succeeded  Lacy  Kast- 
ner  in  the  OWI  film  post  in  Paris. 


'Eddie'  on  Stage,  Screen 

Atlanta,  Sept.  6. — Capt.  Eddie  is 
coming  to  town  both  in  person  and 
on  the  screen.  "Captain  Eddie,"  re- 
leased through  20th  Century-Fox  and 
based  on  the  adventures  of  ace  Capt. 
Eddie  Rickenbacker,  will  have  its  At- 
lanta premiere  at  the  Paramount  The- 
atre on  Sept.  13,  and  Capt.  Eddie  will 
be  here  for  the  first  showing  that 
day. 


JUST  A  ROLL 
OF  FILM? 


THERE  is  a  difference  between  Ansco 
negative  films  and  other  negative  films  . .  . 
And  that  difference,  in  competent  hands,  means 
better  photography! 

Part  of  that  difference  lies  in  the  superbly 
sensitive  response  of  Ansco  films  —  the  deli- 
cate nuances  of  their  l^o-n-g  gradation  scale. 

Part  lies  in  the  way  it  combines  excellent  color 
balance  with  high  speed;  and  the  high  resolv- 
ing power  made  possible  by  its  fine  grain.  And 
part  lies  in  the  indefinable  but  all-important 


character  that  cameramen  call  "quality." 
Specify  Ansco  Supreme  for  your  next  production. 


Ansco 

A  DIVISION  OF  GENERAL  ANILINE 
A  FILM  CORPORATION 

BINGHAMTON  •  HOLLYWOOD  •  NEW  YORK 


KEEP    YOUR    EYE    ON    ANSCO  —  FIRST    WITH    THE  FINEST 


12 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  September  7,  194: 


New  Arthur 
Organization 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

time  conditions  prevented  its  crystali- 
zation.  He  told  Motion  Picture 
Daily  here  yesterday  that  efforts  are 
being  made  to  line  up  distributors  with 
first-run  outlets  in  the  remaining  40 
per  cent  of  the  country,  the  organiza- 
tion already  having  tentative  commit- 
ments from  franchise  holders  and 
theatre  owners  in  60  per  cent  of  the 
country,  Arthur  added. 

He  said  that  his  new  organization 
will  in  no  way  affect  the  participation 
of  the  St.  Louis  exchange  of  his  com- 
pany in  the  recently-established  Screen 
Guild  Productions,  which  will  also  dis- 
tribute. -  SGP  will  hold  a  meeting  of 
its  stock  and  franchise  holders  here 
Sept.  20-22. 

Membership  in  Arthur's  new  or- 
ganization will  be  confined  to  fran- 
chise holders  with  first-run  outlets 
with  the  exhibitors  controlling  poli- 
cies, Arthur  stressed.  Arthur  plans 
to  remain  in  New  York  until  Oct.  1 
before  returning  to  St.  Louis  and  set- 
ting final  details  for  the  November 
meeting  in  Los  Angeles. 

He  said  that  his  appeal  to  the  U.  _S. 
Supreme  Court  from  the  recent  dis- 
missal of  his  action  by  the  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court  in  St.  Louis  has  been  pre- 
pared by  his  attorney,  Russell  Hardy. 
Arthur  is  seeking  to  upset  a  ruling  by 
the  St.  Louis  Arbitration  tribunal, 
which  reduced  clearance  for  his  thea- 
tres in  favor  of  a  competitor.  He  ques- 
tions the  constitutionality  of  the  St. 
Louis  tribunal's  action  and  the  system 
of  arbitration  as  established  under  the 
consent  decree. 


Clearance  Complaint 
Is  Filed  in  Boston 

Boston,  Sept.  6. — Allen  F.  Stough- 
ton,  operator  of  the  Fryeburg  Theatre, 
Fryeburg,  Me.,  has  filed  a  clearance 
complaint  in  the  Boston  tribunal 
against  Loew's,  20th  Century  -  Fox, 
Warners,  Paramount  and  RKO  Radio. 

The  complainant  alleges  that  the 
defendants  had  licensed  films  to  him 
with  provision  of  30  days'  clearance 
after  Conway,  N.  H,  where  Leon  C. 
Bolduc  operates  the  Majestic  and  the 
Conway  in  North  Conway,  N.  H. 
Stoughton  alleges  that  the  Conway 
usually  exhibits  films  on  or  before 
their  exhibition  in  the  Majestic.  Be- 
cause of  such  operation  the  Conway 
has  virtual  clearance  of  not  less  than 
30  days  over  the  Fryeburg,  he  claims, 
which  is  unreasonable  and  for  which 
he  is  penalized  for  excessive  periods 
in  exhibiting  defendants'  pictures. 
Complainant  asks  that  clearance  be 
eliminated. 


Legion  Ratings  for 
4  Additional  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
has  given  an  A-I  classification  to 
"Fighting  Bill  Carson,"  PRC,  and 
"Follow  That  Woman,"  Paramount. 
Listed  as  A-II  are  "Love,  Honor  and 
Goodbye,"  Republic,  and  "San  An- 
tonio," Warners. 


Miami  House  Approved 

Miami,  Sept.  6. — The  War  Produc- 
tion Board  has  issued  a  clearance  or- 
der to  A.  M.  Cohen,  of  Miami,  for  a 
new  $70,000  theatre  in  Atlanta. 


Critic's  Quotes  .  .  . 

•  "DUFFY'S  TAVERN"  (Paramount) 

...  no  mure  disappointing  than  one  might  expect  .  .  .  appearances  of 
Crosby,  Benchley,  Barry  Fitzgerald,  Eddie  Bracken,  Betty  Hutton,  Sonny 
Tufts,  Veronica  Lake,  Alan  Ladd,  Cass  Dailey  and  the  brilliant  Victor  Moore, 
to  mention  only  a  few  of  the  stars  in  the  production,  will  make  it  a  big 
success. — Hozvard  Barnes,  Nezv  York  Herald. 

Hilarious  entertainment  .  .  .  you'll  find  the  picture  grand  fun. — Rose  Pels- 
wick,  New  York  Journal-American. 

One  of  the  funniest  of  the  season. — Lee  Mortimer,  New  York  Daily  Mirror. 

It  is  one  of  the  best  morale  builders  I've  seen  cm  the  screen  in  months. — 
Kate  Cameron,  New  York  Daily  Nezvs. 

"Duffy's  Tavern"  has  now  been  glamorized  from  a  one-man  "ham  sandwich" 
to  a  supercolossal  institution. — John  T.  McManus,  PM  (Nezv  York). 

Gargantuan  feast  of  fun. — Archer  Winsten,  New  York  Post. 

...  a  jumble,  sometimes  funny,  more  often  dull. — Eileen  Creelman,  New 
York  Sun. 

Take  it  for  what  it  is,  a  hodge-podge  of  spare-time  clowning  by  the  gang, 
including  a  large  hunk  of  Archie,  and  you'll  find  "Duffy's  Tavern"  fair  enough. 
— Boslcy  Crowther,  New  York  Times. 

It  is  a  wild,  disorderly,  rowdy  and  generally  amusing  revue. — Alton  Cook, 
New  York  World-Telegram. 


Production  Code  Is 
Adopted  in  Italy 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 


picture  are  seen  as  accruing  from  this 
action  immediately  that  American 
films  are  again  in  commercial  distribu- 
tion in  Italy.  Up  to  the  present, 
American  films  in'  the  Italian  market 
are  said  to  have  faced  the  competition 
of  films  deliberately  produced  for 
salacious  appeal.  Application  of  the 
Italian  Code  is  expected  to  lessen  the 
number  of  such  pictures  and  at  the 
same  time  to  increase  the  public  status 
of  motion  pictures  to  the  end  of  bet- 
tering the  market  for  all  films  of 
legitimate  entertainment  value. 

Early  this  year  the  idea  of  the  Code 
was  proposed  to  the  Italian  industry 
by  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  of  the  staff  of 
Quigley  Publications,  and  he  assisted 
in  the  drafting  of  the  document.  A 
number  of  experts  cooperated  in  the 
translation  and  adaptation  of  the 
American  Code  for  Italian  industry 
purposes,  including  Eitel  Monaco,  law- 
yer for  the  new  Association  of  Italian 
Producers  and  Distributors,  which  will 
administer  the  Code. 


Leserman  Leaving 
UA  for  Hughes 

( Continued  from  page  1 ) 


terday  of  a  successor  to  Leserman. 

Leserman  assumed  his  UA  post  in 
1941,  going  to  the  company  from 
Warners  with  GradwelK  Sears,  who 
relinquished  the  general  sales  man- 
agership of  that  company  to  become 
vice-president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager of  UA.  Leserman  was  assistant 
general  sales  manager  of  Warners, 
under  Sears,  from  1936  until  the  two 
joined  UA. 

At  one  time  Leserman  was  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager 
of  Grand  National  and  before  that 
he  was  Western  sales  manager  for 
Warners. 


James  Roder  Services 

Chicago,  Sept.  6. — Funeral  services 
for  James  Roder,  70,  owner  of  the 
Astor  Theatre  in  the  Loop  for  23 
years,  were  held  here  yesterday.  Roder 
came  to  Chicago  from  Greece  in  1905. 
Surviving  are  two  brothers,  Harry 
and  Christ. 


'IA'  Charters  Fifth 
New  Local  in  Strike 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


has  identical  locals  in  New  York  and 
Chicago. 

Local  468  is  the  fifth  local  chart- 
ered by  the  "IA"  since  the  outbreak 
of  the  strike  and  comes  into  existence 
in  face  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  executive  council's  recent  di- 
rective ordering  cancellation  of  the 
four  charters  previously  issued  to 
cover  carpenters,  painters,  machinists 
and  art  craftsmen.  Brewer  said  that 
the  formation  of  the  fifth  local  will  in 
no  way  affect  the  continuing  operation 
of  the  four  previously  chartered. 
Picketing  Progress 

Meanwhile,  the  Strike  Strategy 
Committee,  encouraged  by  reports 
from  its  picket  captains  concerning 
the  effect  of  theatre  picketing  on  at- 
tendance, has  set  up_  a  separate  thea- 
tre-picketing headquarters  under  the 
painters'  international  organizer,  Min- 
nie Selvin,  and  has  sent  three  repre- 
sentatives to  organize  theatre  picket 
lines  in  the  San  Francisco  region,  and 
another  to  cover  Seattle,  Portland  and 
Tacoma.  It  is  also  disclosed  that  Rog- 
er McDonald  is  enroute  to  New  York 
to  assist  in  working  out  legal  means 
of  picketing  Broadway  theatres.  The 
committee  expressed  confidence  that 
Wednesday  night's  peak,  when  27  Los 
Angeles  and  Hollywood  houses  were 
picketed,  would  be  surpassed  this 
weekend. 


IATSE  to  Meet  Sept.  24 

The  IATSE  executive  board  will 
convene  in  New  York  Sept.  24  to  con- 
sider the  American  Federation  of  La- 
bor's executive  council  order  that  the 
IATSE  withdraw  charters  issued  to 
painters,  carpenters,  machinists  and 
others  during  the  studio  strike  of  Con- 
ference of  Studio  Union  affiliates. 
Other  business  to  be  taken  up  will  in- 
clude current  problems  of  individual 
IATSE  locals. 


Chinese  Films  Here 

China's  first  official  government  films 
have  arrived  here,  and  will  be  shown 
to  the  press  on  Monday  afternoon. 
The  pictures,  photographed  by  Warren 
Lee,  Chinese  photographer  attached  to 
the  Chinese  Ministry  of  Information, 
include :  "The  Road  to  Victory",  "The 
Voice  of  China"  and  "China's  Pattern 
for  Peace." 


■t 

Montague  to  Lead 
4  Sales  Sessions 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


tied-in  with  the  launching  of  "Kis 
and  Tell,"  "She  Wouldn't  Say  Yes 
and  "Pardon  My  Past."  At  the  sam 
time,  operational  plans  for  the  futur 
will  be  discussed.  Col.  Curtis  Mitcf 
ell,  USA,  will  address  all  of  the  meel! 
ings  in  connection  with  Columbia 
distribution  of  "The  True  Glory. 
General  Eisenhower's  film  record  c 
the  Armies  of  the  Western  Front. 

Home  office  executives,  departmei 
heads  and  top  sales  personnel  wh 
will  attend  the  Chicago  meeting,  1  j 
be  held  at  the  Hotel  Drake,  include  ; 
Montague,   who   will   preside ;  Rut] 
Jackter,  Louis  Weinberg,  Louis  A:( 
tor,  M.  J.  Weisfeldt,  George  Joseph  j 
H.  C.  Kaufman,  Maurice  Grad,  Set 
Raisler,  Irving  Sherman,  Vincent  B< 
relli,  Joseph  Freiberg,  Sydney  Singe: 
man   and   William   Brennan.  Als 
present  in  Chicago  will  be  manage) 
and  entire  sales  personnel  of  branch 
under  supervision  of  Central  divisic'i 
manager   Carl   Shalit  and   Midwes  i 
ern  division  manager  B.  C.  Marcu 
Branches  to  be  represented  are:  A 
bany,  Buffalo,  Chicago,  Des  Moine 
Detroit,    Indianapolis,    Kansas  Cit 
Milwaukee,  Minneapolis,  Omaha  at  j 
St.  Louis. 

Exchange  Personnel 

Exchange  personnel  at  the  Nje 
York  meetings,  to  be  held  at  the  Hot 
Warwick,  will  include  managers  ai 
sales  staffs  of  branches  headed  1 
New  York  division  manager  N 
Cohn ;  Mideastern  division  manag< 
Sam  Galanty ;  New  England  divisi< 
manager  I.  H.  Rogovin,  and  H.  I 
Weiner,  division  manager  for  Easte: 
Pennsylvania  and  Southern  New  Je 
sey.  Branches  to  be  present  at  tl 
New  York  meeting  are :  Boston,  Ci 
cinnati,  Cleveland,  New  Haven,  Ne 
York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh  ai 
Washington. 

Home  office  executives  present 
the  New  Orleans  meetings,  set  for  t 
Hotel  Roosevelt,  are :  Montague,  Jac 
ter,  Weinberg,  Josephs  and  Kaufma 
Branch  personnel  present  will  inclu 
those    from    exchanges  headed 
Southeastern  division  manager  R. 
Ingram    and    Southwestern  divisi' 
manager  Robert  Underwood ;  these  a 
Atlanta,  Charlotte,  Dallas,  Memph  j 
New  Orleans  and  Oklahoma  City,  i 

The  home  office  delegation  at  t 
Los  Angeles  gathering,  set  for  t 
Hotel  Ambassador,  will  include  Mo 
tague,  Jackter,  Josephs  and  Kaufmsj 
Branch  representatives  present  w 
include  those  of  exchanges  compr 
ing  Jerome  Safron's  division  :  Denvi 
Los  Angeles,  Portland,  Salt  La 
City,    San   Francisco   and  Seattle. 


Services  for  Capt.  Burl 

Mobile,  Ala.,  Sept.  6.  —  Servic 
were  held  here  this  week  for  Cai 
Owen  Burke,  brother-in-law  of  A 
'hur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of  Mon 
gram  Southern  Exchanges,  who  cat 
here  from  Atlanta  with  Mrs.  Broi 
berg  for  the  funeral. 


Services  for  Gutman 

Hollywood,  Sept.  6. — Funeral  ser 
ices  were  held  here  today  for  Artlr 
Gutman,  54,  Viennese  orchestra  co 
ductor  and  member  of  the  M-G- 
studio  music  staff  in  recent  years,  wl 
died  here  Tuesday  after  a  long  illne> 


Out  Today 


THE  STARS  OF 
TO  MORE  OW" 


The  annual  authoritative  poll  of  the 
judgment  of  the  exhibitor  showmen 
of  the  United  States. 

With  an  analysis  by 

William  R.  Weaver,  Hollywood  editor. 


in 


MOTION  PICTURE  HERALD 


*****  II 


Behind 


featuring 

LYNNE  ROBERTS- PETER  C00KS0N 

and 

JEROME  COWAN  •  ESTHER  DALE  •  WILLIAM  TERRY 
VICTOR  KILIAN  •  MORONI  OLSEN  •  WILLIAM  FORREST 

Directed  by  JOHN  ENGLISH  •  Screen  Play  by  RICHARD  WEIL 
Adaptation  by  GERTRUDE  WALKER 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 


lio 


1 


Lights 


Keep  your 

FOX  Off& 

on  Republic's 


ey< 


10th  Anniversary  Pictures 


OL.  58.  NO.  49 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK.  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  10,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


[].  S.  Dispels 
L  6mm  Worries 
1  }f  Exhibitors 


■urplus  Equipment  Not 
■  Theatrical  Usage 


or 


f  Washington,  Sept.  9. — Worries 
J  thousands  of  exhibitors  through- 
it  the  country  that  surplus  16nun 
juipment  and  films  to  be  disposed 
I  hy  the  Armed  Forces  following  the 
Jose  of  the  war  would  fall  into  the 
hnds  of  traveling  competition  to  regu- 
jr  theatres,  appear  to  be  groundless, 
ith  the  announcement  by  the  Surplus 
■Dperty  Roard  that  when  unneeded 
Inis  and  equipment  are  made  avail- 
He  they  will  be  sold  at  low  cost  to 
ihools  unable  to  afford  them  at  re- 
jil  prices. 

No  distribution  of  motion  pic- 
ture equipment  to  educational 
I  institutions  whose  financial  re- 
sources would  permit  them  to 
buy  from  regular  suppliers  is 
contemplated,  the  SPB  declared. 

This  program  is  in  accordance  with 
le  Surplus  Property  Act,  which  au- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


iift  Films  to 
ind  Oct.  31 


3f 


The  industry's  gift  of  16mm  prints 
both  features  and  short  subjects  for 
owing  to  members  of  the  Armed 
Drees  overseas  will  be  officially 
initiated  on  Oct.  31. 
Army  and  Navy  officials  will  soon 
art  negotiations  with  individual  film 
mpanies  to  buy  prints  thereafter, 
fth  a  general  overall  policy  of  pay- 
Tit  still  to  be  determined.  Either  a 
pulated  fee  for  each  foot  of  film 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


lay  Set  Date  of 
Nuisance  Tax  End 


'Washington,  Sept.  9. — A  date  for 
>e  termination  of  the  war  for  the 
:rpose  solely  of  permitting  the  lift- 
g  of  the  wartime  admission  tax  and 
iher  levies  written  into  the  law  to 
n  until  six  months  after  such  termi- 
tion  may  be  a  feature  of  the  tax- 
lief  legislation  which  Congress  is  to 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Mexico  Strike 

Settled  by 
Compromise 


Mexico  City,  Sept.  9. — With 
both  sides  agreeing  to  a  32  per  cent 
wage  increase,  in  place  of  the  50 
per  cent  originally  demanded,  the 
National  Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union's  month-old  strike 
against  eight  U.  S.  distributing  com- 
panies was  settled  at  the  weekend,  and 
American  product  was  again  made 
available  to  1,035  Mexican  theatres 
which  had  been  deprived  of  it  during 
the  dispute. 

Simultaneously  with  the  financial 
adjustment,  all  other  'embarrassing 
conditions'    demanded   by    the  union 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Japs'  Surrender  in 
Today's  Newsreels 


Probably  the  most  dramatic  scenes 
of  an  historical  event,  the  signing  of 
Japan's  surrender,  aboard  the  USS 
Missouri  in  Tokyo  Bay,  last  Sunday, 
appear  in  all  five  newsreels  received 
by  thousands  of  theatres  over  the 
weekend,  and  arriving  at  remaining 
houses  today.  If  ever  a  newsreel  rated 
high  marquee  billing,  this  is  it. 

Cameramen  of  all  the  Armed  Ser- 

(Continucd  on  page  3) 


Smith  Predicts  40% 
Drop  in  3  Months 

Chicago,  Sept.  9.  —  Frank 
Smith,  Western  division  man- 
ager for  RKO  Theatres,  has 
returned  from  a  swing  around 
his  territory,  and  predicts 
that  theatres  in  his  regions — 
Chicago,  Kansas  City,  Des 
Moines  and  Denver — will  see 
a  drop  of  40  per  cent  in  busi- 
ness within  the  next  three 
months. 

He  believes  the  biggest 
drop  will  be  among  Negroes, 
the  'bobby-sox'  brigade  and 
older  patrons. 


Press  Liberalizing 
Theatre  Ad  Space 


Hundreds  of  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines throughout  the  country  have  be- 
gun a  general  easing  up  on  adher- 
ence to  the  rationing  program  for  film 
advertising  by  borrowing  on  paper  in- 
ventories in  anticipation  of  the  elimi- 
nation of  paper  rationing  within  the 
next  few  months,  it  is  reported  here 
by  film  account  executives  for  ad- 
vertising agencies.  The  general  trend 
is  for  publications  to  "slowly  get  back 
to  normal  strides"  on  the  film  and  all 
other  advertising. 

One  outstanding  example  is  the 
New  York  Times,  which  has  con- 
sistently maintained  a  rigid  policy  so 
far  as  film  space  was  concerned,  and 
which  has  made  a  50  per  cent  rise  in 
film  allocations,  effective  immediately. 


Newsreel  Rota  to  Stay; 
French  Lift  Ban  on  Reels 


60%  Veterans  Among 
New  '306'  Members 

Almost  60  per  cent  of  the 
178  new  members  admitted  in 
the  past  year  into  IATSE 
New  York  operators  Local  No. 
306  are  World  War  II  vet- 
erans, according  to  Herman 
Gelber,  president.  The  local 
has  modified  its  physical  ex- 
aminations for  veterans. 

The  local  has  2,358  members 
with  120  still  in  the  Armed 
Forces.  Gelber  estimates  that 
there  will  be  approximately 
300  members  unemployed 
when  all  members  in  the 
Armed  Forces  return. 


Transportation  problems  and  the 
lack  of  other  facilities  rule  out  the 
possibility  of  an  early  discontinuance 
of  the  pooling  arrangement  of  the 
newsreels  whereby  each  of  the  five 
reels  has  access  to  all  the  material 
shot  abroad. 

This  was  brought  out  at  a  press 
conference  Friday  with  the  newsreel 
editors  who  returned  from  an  Army- 
sponsored  tour  of  North  Africa  and 
Europe  last  week.  Edmund  Reek, 
Fox  Movietone ;  Richard  de  Roche- 
mont,  March  of  Time;  Albert  J. 
Richard,  Paramount ;  Walton  C. 
Ament,  RKO-Pathe;  Michael  D.  Clo- 
fine,  M-G-M  News  of  the  Day,  and 
Thomas  Mead,  Universal,  comprised 
the  group,  which  met  the  press  at  the 
Harvard  Club  here. 

It  was  announced  that  the  French 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


End  More  Bans 
On  Theatre, 
Set  Building 

May  Soon  Approve  New 
Theatre  Construction 


Washington,  Sept.  9. — With 
the  exception  of  the  ban  on  new 
construction,  expected  to  be  lifted 
within  a  period  of  days,  the  indus- 
try now  is  free  of  all  restrictions  on 
theatre  building  operations. 

Successive  relaxations  of  construc- 
tion order  No.  L-41  by  the  War  Pro- 
duction Board  have  removed  all  con- 
trols on-  alterations  and  repair  work 
not  involving  exterior  additions,  the 
rebuilding  of  theatres  destroyed  by 
fire,  flood  and  tornado  since  April  8, 
1942,  and  the  construction  of  tempo- 
rary or  permanent  studio  sets. 

Theatre   construction    is  definitely 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Griffith  Case! 
Up  Today 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  9.— The 
Department  of  Justice's  anti-trust  suit 
against  the  various  Griffith  circuit 
companies  will  be  resumed  in  West- 
ern Oklahoma  Federal  District  Court 
here  tomorrow  with  Government  at- 
torneys expecting  to  complete  their 
side  of  the  case  within  the  first  day 
or  so  of  the  trial. 

Henry  Griffing,  Griffith  chief  coun- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Percentage  Aid  to 
Para,  in  Argentina 


Paramount  has  profited  greatly  by 
adopting  percentage  selling  in  Argen- 
tina this  year,  with  preferred  playing 
time  helping,  John  Nathan,  the  com- 
pany's managing  director  and  super- 
visor for  Paramount  in  Argentina, 
Uruguay,  Paraguay  and  Chile,  said 
here  on  Friday.  A  government  decree 
which  requires  that  native  product  be 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "First  Yank  Into 
Tokyo"  appears  on  page  6. 


I 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Monday,  September  10,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


Newsreel 
Parade 


CHARLES  D.  PRUTZMAN,  Unk 
.versal  vice-president  and  general 
counsel,  is  expected  back  in  New  York 
today  from  the  Coast. 

Tom  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion; W.  C.  Gehring,  Central-Cana- 
dian sales  manager,  and  Morris  Cap- 
lan,  branch  coordinator,  will  return 
to  New  York  this  week  from  the 
Coast. 

• 

William  B.  Levy,  world-wide  dis- 
tribution supervisor  of  Walt  Disney 
Productions,  will  return  from  England 
tomorrow,  after  six  weeks  abroad. 

Harry  Green  man,  Loew  theatre 
manager  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Edgar  J. 
Doob  of  Wilmington,  were  New  York 
visitors  late  last  week. 

• 

Herman  Goldberg,  Warner  Bros, 
purchasing  agent  and  maintenance 
head  of  exchanges,  will  leave  here  to- 
morrow for  Cincinnati. 

James  R.  Grainger,  president  and 
sales  head  of  Republic,  has  returned 
to  New  York  from  the  Coast  and 
Mexico. 

• 

Herman  Weiner,  construction  en- 
gineer for  Loew's  International  the- 
atre division,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  Colombia,  South  America. 
• 

Nate  Blumberg,  president  of  Uni- 
versal, is  expected  in  New  York  from 
Chicago  today. 

Morey  Goldstein,  Eastern  division 
manager  for  Monogram,  has  returned 
to  New  York  from  Philadelphia. 

E.  Z.  Walters,  comptroller  of  Altec 
Service,  left  New  York  Friday  for 
the  Coast. 

A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  20th  Century- 
Fox  Eastern  sales  manager,  is  visiting 
exchanges  under  his  supervision. 
• 

Joel   Levy,   Loew   circuit  out-of- 
town  booker,  left  here  over  the  week- 
end for  a  vacation  near  Liberty,  N.  Y. 
• 

John  Cicero  of  the  Paramount  ad- 
vertising department  will  return  today 
from  vacation. 

Henry  Lartigue,  M-G-M's  manag- 
ing director  in  France,  has  delayed  his 
arrival  here  another  few  days. 
• 

Irving  Shiffrin  of  RKO  Radio's 
home  office  publicity  department,  has 
returned  from  a  vacation. 

• 

Frank  Articola  of  M-G-M's  sales 
auditing  department,  has  arrived  here 
from  Chicago. 

Jules  Fields,  20th  Century-Fox 
home  office  publicity  manager,  has  re- 
turned from  a  New  England  vacation. 


A   RE  the  trade  edicts  issued 
by  Mussolini,  which  caused 
the  withdrawal  of  American  film 
companies  from  Italy  in  the  late 
1930's,  still  in  existence? 

Francis  C.  De  Wolfe  of  the 
U.  S.  State  Department,  Wash- 
ington, said  last  Spring,  on  the 
basis  of  reports  received  from 
Rome,  that  there  were  indica- 
tions that  the  Mussolini  edicts 
had  been  suspended.  Recently, 
however,  industry  representa- 
tives returning  from  Europe  said 
that,  as  of  late  July,  the  edicts 
still  were  on  the  books. 

• 

In  endeavoring  to  learn  the 
facts  of  the  case,  Motion -Pic- 
ture Daily  discovered  that  the 
State  Department  is  not  sure, 
even  now,  whether  the  Mussolini 
film  edicts  have  or  have  not  been 
suspended.  It  has  been  necessary 
for  the  Department  to  request 
its  representatives  in  Rome  for 
definite  information  on  the  cur- 
rent status  of  the  Fascist  film 
laws  by  way  of  a  complete  re- 
port on  the  subject. 

• 

It  was  admitted  at  the  De- 
partment that  there  is  consider- 
able confusion  as  to  the  exact 
situation,  even  though  it  had 
supposed,  last  Spring,  that  the 
Mussolini  edicts  had  been  abol- 
ished and  that  new  negotiations 
were  to  be  undertaken  at  once 
for  new  regulations  which  would 
restore  the  rights  of  American 
companies  operating  in  Italy.  It 
is  hoped  that  the  report  from 
Rome  now  requested  by  the  State 
Department  will  serve  to  clear 
up  the  confusion  which  prevails. 

It  would  seem  preposterous 
that  the  Fascist  laws  may  still 
exist  at  this  late  date.  It  is  equal- 
ly difficult  to  believe  that,  if  the 
adverse  laws  have  been  liqui- 
dated, as  the  industry  was  led 
to  believe  for  more  than  four 
months  past,  that  the  negotia- 
tions for  fair  laws  to  replace 
them  presumably  have  not  been 
very  far  advanced  in  all  'that 
time. 

Disconcerting,  too,  that  the 
State  Department  has  so  little 
information  on  either  subject 
that  it  must  confess  to  the  exis- 
tence of  considerable  confusion 
as  to  the  exact  situation  and 
must  request  an  obviously  tardy 
report  from  its  representatives  in 
Rome  to  clear  .up  that  confusion. 
•  • 


Seems  to  be  fairly  definite 
that  Will  H.  'Hays  will  sign  a 
new  five-year  contract,  if  he  has 
not  already  done  so.  The  new 
contract  would  be  effective  with 
the  expiration  of  Hays's  current 
pact,  next  March,  which  sug- 
gests the  possibility  that  Hays 
might  not  become  chairman  of 
the  board  of  MPPDA  until  the 
regularly  scheduled  annual  elc- 
tion  of  officers  of  the  organiza- 
tion six  months  hence. 

There  is  no  suggestion  that 
such  an  eventuality  would  pre- 
clude Eric  Johnston's  becoming 
active  with  the  MPPDA  imme- 
diately. 

•  • 

Some  television  authorities, 
while  admitting  that  the  West- 
inghouse  plan  to  overcome  dis- 
tance limitations  of  telecasting 
through  the  use  of  broadcasting 
planes  cruising  above  large  pop- 
ulation centers  is  practicable, 
foresee  some  difficulties  which 
they  say  may  seriously  handicap 
any  extensive  use  of  the  idea. 

For  example,  it  is  pointed  out 
that  broadcasting  planes  cruising 
for  long  periods  over  populous 
centers  conceivably  might  be  a 
hazard  to  new  transcontinental, 
stratosphere  passenger  plane 
flights,  some  of  which  have  been 
authorized  already  and  more  of 
which  are  likely  to  be  within  the 
next  six  months.  The  question  is 
raised  in  some  television  circles 
whether  the  aeronautical  tele- 
casting would  receive  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Civil  Aeronautics 
Bureau  under  the  circumstances. 

•  • 

At  hand  is  one  of  the  first 
issues  of  the  Shanghai  Times, 
dated  Aug.  28,  to  come  out  of 
that  city  since  its  liberation  from 
the  Japs.  Among  the  advertise- 
ments in  the  issue  is  that  of  the 
Lyric  Theatre,  which  offers  Re- 
public's "Wagons  Westward"  as 
the  first  Hollywood  picture  pro- 
duced since  1941  to  be  exhibited 
in  Shanghai. 

• 

It  is  understandable  that  the 
claim  might  be  good  for  the 
Lyric's  business,  but  unfortu- 
nately for  its  accuracy  the  pic- 
ture was  reviewed  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily  early  in  1940, 
which  would  appear  to  indicate 
that  it  could  not  very  well  have 
been  made  "since  1941." 

Russian  newsreels,  but  no 
American  reels,  were  featured  in 
the  theatre  advertising. 


ormal  signing  of  the  Jap- 
anese  surrender  documents  aboard 
the  U.  S.  S.  Missouri  make  up  the 
latest  newsreels  to  the  exclusion  of 
virtually  all  else.  Side  shots  feature 
President  Truman  and  'inside  Tokyo' 
scenes.  Contents  of  the  current  issues 
follow: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  3.— Surrender 
of  Japan.  Complete  pictures  of  official  end 
of  World  War  II.  President  Truman  hails 
dawn  of  a  new  world. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  201.— Japs 
sign  on  the  dotted  line.  President  Truman 
hails  dawn  of  peace. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  4.— First  pic- 
tures of  inside  Tokyo.  The  Ofuni  prison 
camp  outside  of  Tokyo.  Portrait  of  peace: 
Japs  surrender. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  6.— Inside  de 
feated  Japan.    Surrender  in  Tokyo  Bay. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  431.— 

First  pictures  of  formal  Jap  surrender. 

Commerce  Dep't  May 
Seek  Industry  Aid 

Washington,  Sept.  9. — The  motion^ 
picture  and  other  industry  advisory  < 
committees  which  served  the  War 
Production  Board  through  the  war 
period  may  be  called  in  to  help  the 
Department  of  Commerce  in  dealing 
with  problems  in  their  fields,  it  was 
disclosed  at  the  Department  Friday. 

A  spokesman  said  that  Secretary 
Wallace  already  had  broached  the 
plan  to  President  Truman,  pointing 
out  that  the  committees  could  be  of 
value  during  the  reconversion  period 
by  supplying  advice  on  supplies  of 
materials  and  parts,  new  processes, 
improved  production  methods  and  like 
matters. 

'Outlaw'  Revamping 
Is  Now  Under  Way 

United  Artists'  "The  Outlaw,"  pre-, 
viously  announced  for  Aug.  31  re- 
lease, is  being  delayed  for  revamping 
and  recutting  to  conform  to  certain 
objections  made  by  the  New  York 
State  censor  board  against  the  film. 

Produced  over  a  year  ago,  "The 
Outlaw"  had  its  premiere  in  San 
Francisco  but  received  no  showings 
thereafter. 


'Holiday'  Opens  Sept.  19 

"Strange  Holiday"  will  have  its 
world  premiere  at  Warners'  Ritz 
Theatre,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on  Sept.  19, 
followed  by  a  week  at  Warners' 
Lincoln,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  starting  Sept. 
28.  The  film  was  produced  by  Ed- 
ward Finney,  William  Hackel  and 
Max  King,  and  is  being  distributed 
independently  by  Mike  J.  Levinson. 


Einfeld  Awaits  1946 

Hollywood,  Sept.  9. — S.  Charles 
Einfeld,  who  resigned  last  Tuesday  as 
Warners'  vice-president  in  charge  of 
national  advertising,  told  Motion 
Picture  Daily  at  the  weekend,  in  an- 
swer to  current  rumors,  that  he  will 
make  no  affiliation  until  the  end  of  the 
year. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke.  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


'  Monday.  September  10,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Japs'  Surrender 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


rvices,  in  addition  to  regular  newsreel 
Itnsmeii,  recorded  the  story — 25,000 
Itet  of  coverage  was  made  available 
|te  the  newsreels — and  the  highlights 
are  now  depicted  on  the  screen.  Typi- 
cal of  all  five,  20th-Fox's  Movietone 
brcel  follows  the  sequence  of  events 
accurately  and  informatively. 

The  spotlight  is  focused  largely  on 
General  MacArthur,  who,  as  Supreme 
Commander,  guides  the  signing. 

MacArthur  is  shown  boarding  the 
tfissouri  and  is  greeted  by  Admirals 
Halsey  and  Nimitz.  The  Japanese 
emissaries  follow.  The  General  de- 
livers his  address  and  this  is  followed 
by  the  affixing  of  signatures.  A  brief 
rrlose-up  of  General  Wainwright,  as 
tc  and  Britain's  General  Percival  are 
summoned  to  receive  from  MacArthur 
wo  of  the  pens  which  the  latter  used, 
|s  an  important  sidelight. 

In  an  appropriate  conclusion,  Presi- 
Bent  Truman,  in  Washington,  hails  the 
pawn  of  peace  in  a  brief  message  to 
le  nation.  G.A. 


NBC  Television  Airs 
Jap  Surrender  Films 

First  pictures  of  the  surrender  cere- 
ironies  aboard  the  USS  Missouri. 
,3>wn  back  to  this  country  by  Major 
"\rthur  J.  Gaskill,  were  shown  on 
N'BC's  television  newsreel  over  sta- 
ion  WNBT,  last  night. 

Major  Gaskill,  who  was  in  charge 
of  all  Signal  Corps  cameramen  film- 
mg  the  event,  gave  an  eye-witness 
iccount  of  the  surrender  ceremonies 
]js  he  narrated  the  film.  Viewers 
vatched  Gen.  MacArthur  and  other 
ngh-ranking  American  officers. 


Rank  Publicity  Unit 
fs  Being  Rebuilt 

i  John  B.  Myers,  of  the  Royal  Air 
"orce,  has  obtained  his  release  to  be- 
ome  publicity  director  for  the  Rank 
enterprises  in  England,  jt  was  dis- 
losed  here  Friday  by  the  Lawrence 
Organization,  publicity  counsel  foi 
iank.  Myers,  known  in  the  U.  S.  and 
ormerly  publicity  director  for  Alex- 
nder  Korda  and  other  producers  be- 
ore  the  war,  will  work  with  Robert 
Montgomery,  representative  of  the 
.awrence  Organization  in  England. 

First  step  will  be  the  re-establish- 
nent  of  a  publicity  organization  in  the 
Various  studios. 

French  Will  Issue 
Import  Licenses 

Washixcton,  Sept.  9. —  In  the  first 
T>ve  toward  reopening  its  market  to 
i  rivate  commercial  channels,  the 
"rench  Provisional  Government  has 
r.nounced  it  will  issue  import  licenses 
a  very  limited  category  of  mer- 
handise,  it  was  reported  here  Fri- 
ay  by  the  Department  of  Commerce. 
.Iotiox  Picture  Daily  has  reported 
hat  1 1  special  licenses  have  been 
s^ued  for  U.  S.  films  of  the  Pacific 
Yar.  _ 


Donald  Gauld  Named 
Odeon  District  Head 

Toronto,  Sept.  9. — Formerly  super- 
ior of  theatres  in  the  Province  of 
)uebec.  Donald  Gauld  of  Montreal 
as  been  appointed  district  manager 
;f  Odeon  Theatres  of  Canada  for  a 
irge  section  of  Central,  Eastern  and 
Northern  Ontario. 


Social  Problems  a  Job  of 
Films:  Jack  L.  Warner 


Jack  L.  Warner,  vice-president  and 
executive  producer  of  Warner  Bros., 
said  in  an  article  in  the  New  York 
Herald  Tribune,  yesterday,  that  he 
believes  the  industry  has  a  definite  re- 
sponsibility to  make  films  dealing 
with  world  peace,  economic  stability, 
full  employment,  the  stamping  out  of 
intolerance,  and  other  social  problems. 
He  pressed  this  point  in  disagreement 
with  those  who,  from  Pearl  Harbor 
to  'V-J  Day,'  "kept  insisting  that 
the  public  did  not  want  to  see  war 
films  and  that  they  should  not  be  pro- 
duced." 

Warner  maintains  that  he  "could 
not  see  how  the  film-going  public 
could  fail  to  be  interested  in  a  sub- 
ject which,  at  the  time,  was  the  big- 
gest single  thing  in  their  lives."  As- 
serting that  there  are  still  hundreds 
of  social  problems  "still  on  the  pre- 
war agena,  with  some  new  ones  cre- 
ated by  the  war,"  he  holds  that  the 
industry  will  not  ignore  those  prob- 
lems just  as  it  did  not  ignore  the  war. 

"With  other  countries  swinging  into 
picture  production  and  marketing 
their  films  over  here,"  Warner  said, 
"the  American  film-goer  is  going  to 
become  increasingly  accustomed  to 
films  with  international  backgrounds." 
He  held  that  the  American  film  in- 
dustry will  have  to  "make  films  of 
broader  scope  ...  if  we  are  to  win 
important  foreign  markets." 


Radio  Forum  Debates 
Opinionated  Films 

Theatre  customers  can  decide  for 
themselves  whether  or  not  they  want 
entertainment  films  or  films  with  a 
"message,"  Donald  Crisp,  actor,  said 
on  an  America's  Town  Meeting  of 
the  Air  national  broadcast  on  the  sub- 
ject, "Should  Hollywood  Make 
Movies  Designed  to  Influence  Public 
Opinion?" 

Crisp  warned  that  Hollywood  pro- 
duction of  opinionated  films  would 
bring  about  a  "flood  of  censorship" 
and  said  "it  all  boils  down  to  whether 
we  believe  the  American  people  can 
decide  what  they  like  and  want." 

Constance  Bennett,  actress  and  pro- 
ducer, taking  the  affirmative,  urged 
that  films  be  used  as  a  medium  for 
influencing  public  opinion,  asserting 
that  such  an  aim  would  lead  to  both 
better  entertainment  and  international 
relations. 

James  K.  McGuinness,  M-G-M  pro- 
ducer, siding  with  Crisp,  argued  that 
"no  man  or  group  of  men"  should  be 
entrusted  with  the  power  of  in- 
fluencing public  opinion  through  con- 
trol over  film  production. 

Robert  Riskin,  former  OWI  film 
head,  supporting  Miss  Bennett,  said 
that  many  people  derive  their  impres- 
sions of  America  from  films  and  that 
the  films  should  be  "more  thoughtful, 
vital  and  imaginative." 


Columbia  Heads  to 
Chicago  Meeting 

Columbia  home  office  executives 
and  top  sales  personnel  will  leave  New 
York  ioday  for  Chicago  where  the 
first  of  a  series  of  four  regional  meet- 
ings will  be  held,  starting  tomorrow, 
through  Thursday,  at  the  Drake 
Hotel.  In  the  group  will  be  A.  Mon- 
tague, who  will  preside,  and  Rube 
lackter,  Louis  Weinberg,  Louis  As- 
tor,  M.  J.  Weisfeldt,  H.  C.  Kaufman, 
George  Josephs,  Maurice  Grad,  Irv- 
ing Sherman,  Seth  Raisler,  Vincent 
Borelli,  Sydney  Singerman,  Joseph 
Freiberg  and  William  Brennan. 

Eleven  branches  will  be  represented 
at  the  convention,  by  district  man- 
agers, branch  managers  and  sales 
staffs  from  Albany,  Buffalo,  Chicago, 
Des  Moines,  Detroit,  Indianapolis, 
Kansas  City,  Milwaukee,  Minneapolis, 
Omaha  and  St.  Louis. 

The  Chicago  meeting  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  others  in  New  York,  Sept. 
19-21 ;  New  Orleans,  Sept.  26-28,  and 
Los  Angeles,  Oct.  2-4. 


Odeon  Meeting  in 
Toronto  on  Today 

Toro  nto,  Sept.  9. — President  Paul 
L.  Nathanson  of  Odeon  Theatres  of 
Canada  has  called  the  first  general 
conference  of  district  managers,  circuit 
officials  and  partners  from  all  parts 
of  the  Dominion  following  the  signing 
of  the  partnership  agreement  with  J. 
Arthur  Rank  of  England.  The  meet- 
ing will  take  place  in  Toronto  on 
today  and  run  through  Thursday,  with 
policies  and  developments  announced 
and  discussed  before  immediate  promul- 
gation throughout  the  circuit.  Head- 
office  operation  executives  will  meet 
with  supervisors  and  partners. 


Reel  Rota  to  Stay 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Government  has  agreed  to  allow 
American  newsreels  to  operate  in 
open  competition  in  France  begin- 
ning Dec.  15.  Equal  operation  facili- 
ties and  raw  stock  will  be  afforded 
both  American  and  French  reels,  it 
was  said.  Paramount,  20th  Century- 
Fox  and  March  of  Time,  all  of  whom 
functioned  in  France  before  the  war, 
will '  resume  operations  there,  Clofine 
said.  News  of  the  Day  also  may 
operate  in  France. 

Pointing  out  the  necessity  of  con- 
tinuing the  rota  agreement,  Ament 
said  the  Army  has  made  known  that 
it  will  provide  transportation  and 
housing  facilities  to  commercial  cam- 
eramen equal  only  to  that  allowed 
during  the  war. 

The  newsreel  men  reported  an  in- 
clination on  the  part  of  the  Psycho- 
logical Warfare  Division  to  favor  the 
operation  of  local  companies  in  occu- 
pied Germany,  meanwhile  continuing 
its  ban  on  the  entry  of  American  out- 
fits, de  Rochemont,  Clofine  and  Reek 
agreed,  terming  it  a  refusal  to  give 
them  "an  even  break."  Before  the  war, 
free  competitive  trade  was  carried  on 
in  Germany  and  this  should  be  re- 
sumed, they  said. 

Ament  took  a  different  stand  on  the 
matter.  He  cited  the  mechanical 
problems  that  would  arise  in  handling 
transpoitation  and  distribution. 


Japs  Free  American 
Credits  and  Assets 

San  Francisco,  Sept.  9. — The  Jap- 
anese Finance  Ministry  has  lifted 
regulations  freezing  American  and 
other  foreign  credits  and  assets  in 
Japan. 


Pope's  Message  to 
Newsreel  Editors 


Text  of  the  message  given  by  Pope 
Pius  XII  to  members  of  the  Ameri- 
can newsreel  group  which  recently 
toured  Europe  as  guests  of  the  War 
Department  was  released  at  a  trade 
press  conference  with  the  newsreel 
editors  here  on  Friday. 

The  Pope's  message  follozus: 

"When  we  have  before  us  a  group 
of  newsreel  executives  representing 
as  you  do  the  most  influential  agen- 
cies in  that  field  of  information,  our 
thoughts  turn  at  once  to  reflect  on  the 
immense  strides  made  by  modern 
science  in  bringing  to  the  entire  world 
the  important  happenings  of  the  day. 
It  is  not  a  matter  of  reporting 
scenes ;  the  scenes  are  themselves 
presented  as  if  taking  place  before  the 
eyes.  People  in  your  own  vast  country 
see  just  what  is  being  done  around 
the  other  side  of  the  globe. 

"Is  that  altogether  true?  So  true 
that  sound  safe  judgments  may  be 
formed  on  the  information  given? 
The  camera  cannot  lie,  they  say.  No ; 
but  it  may  be  very  selective  in  what 
it  reproduces :  and  thus,  truthful  as 
it  is,  it  may  yet  be  turned  into  an 
effective  instrument  to  create  false 
impressions,  and  propagate  the  evil 
spirit  of  distrust,  enmity  and  hate. 

"Hence  there  rests  upon  you,  gen- 
tlemen, and  other  officers  of  your  pro- 
fession, the  not  light  responsibility  of 
safeguarding  and  defending  the  news- 
reel  against  men  of  little  conscience, 
who  might  wish  to  use  it  to  spread 
half  truths,  to  give  disproportionate 
and  unreasonable  prominence  to  cer- 
tain details,  barely  touching  and  omit- 
ting others,  so  that  those  who  view 
the  reels  will  almost  necessarily  be 
led  to  conclusions  that  are  unfair  and 
perhaps  disastrous  to  the  concord  that 
should  reign  between  all  members  of 
the  dear  human  family. 

"We  are  happy  to  avail  ourselves 
of  this  occasion  to  express  our  keen 
interest  in  your  work  and  to  renew 
our  prayer  that  divine  assistance  may 
enable  you  to  do  much  good  for  the 
peace  and  prosperity,  material  and 
spiritual,  of  your  fellow-men.  May 
God's  blessing  descend  copiously  on 
you  and  your  loved  ones  at  home." 


Selection  of  New 
Censor  Here  Delayed 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  9. — The  exam- 
ination for  director  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture division  of  the  State  Education 
Department,  a  post  from  which  Irwin 
Esmond  retired  on  Mar.  1,  due  to 
reaching  the  statutory  age  of  70,  will 
not  be  held  until  late  Fall.  In  June,  it" 
was  said  the  test  would  probably  be 
given  early  in  the  Fall! 

The  test,  to  be  conducted  by  the 
Civil  Service  Commission,  will  be 
open,  competitive,  and  state-wide,  ac- 
cording to  the  understanding  here. 
First  reports  were  that  it  would  be  a 
promotion  examination,  open  only  to' 
Education  Department  workers.  Dr. 
Irwin  A.  Conroe,  assistant  commis- 
sioner in  charge  of  higher  education, 
has  been  acting  director  of  the  motion 
picture  section  since  Mar.  1.  He  is  not 
a  candidate  for  the  censor  post. 


Frank  Yerke  Passes 

Scranton,  Pa.,  Sept.  9. — Frank 
Yerke,  with  Comerford  Theatres  for 
the  past  30  years,  died  suddenly. 


6 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  September  10,  1945 


Review 


"First  Yank  into  Tokyo" 

(RKO  Radio} 

T"  HIS  production  keeps  up  with  the  headlines  with  newly  added  references 
to  the  atomic  bomb.    The  timeliness  in  title  and  theme  gives  it  consider- 
able weight  as  a  promotional  picture  for  the  showman. 

An  abundance  of  excitement  is  engendered  as  the  central  character,  an  Army 
pilot  who  had  been  reared  in  Japan,  steals  into  Tokyo  for  the  purpose  of  learn- 
ing a  secret  formula  from,  or  freeing,  an  American  engineer,  whose  identity  is 
unknown  by  the  Japs,  and  who  is  interned  there. 

Coincidences  in  story  twists  are  liberally  employed.  A  Jap  colonel  is  'the 
pilot's  former  roommate  of  college  days  and  his  fiancee,  an  Army  nurse, 
whom  he  thought  had  been  killed,  and  whom  he  finds  caring  for  the  ailing 
engineer,  Marc  Cramer  (Barbara  Hale  is  the  nurse).  After  a  series  of  in- 
credible incidents,  Kramer  and  Miss  Hale  escape  from  Japan  while  Neal 
is  killed  fighting  off  pursuing  Japs.  A  couple  of  flashbacks,  montage  and 
stock  shots  are  used.  Richard  Loo,  Keye  Luke,  Leonard  Strong  and  Michael 
St.  Angel  are  in  the  support.  J.  Robert  Bren  produced  the  film,  while  Gordon 
Douglas  directed. 

Running  time,  82  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  not  set. 

Gene  Arneel 


U.  S.  Dispels 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

thorized  distribution  of  surplus  goods 
for  health  and  educational  use  on  the 
basis  of  community  need  and  public 
benefit.  The  U.  S.  Office  of  Education, 
Federal  Security  Agency,  is  the  agency 
responsible  for  determining  what  com- 
munities have  greatest  need  and  best 
plans  for  use  of  surplus  visual  educa- 
tion equipment. 

How  many  films  and  projectors  will 
eventually  become  surplus  is  not 
known  at  present.  Approximately 
40,000  16mm  sound  projectors  were 
ordered  bv  the  militarv  services — 14,- 
000  by  the  Navy,  9,000  by  Army  Air 
Forces  and  about  17,000  by  Army 
Ground  Forces — but  many  have  been 
lost  in  action,  captured  by  the  enemy, 
or  damaged  in  use  and  transit.  Others 
will  be  needed  for  rehabilitation  of 
veterans  and  postwar  military  training. 
Many  of  the  projectors  that  are  de- 
clared surplus  will  require  servicing 
and  repairs. 

The  number  of  film  prints  to  be 
turned  over  for  civilian  use  is  another 
factor  that  could  be  determined  now 
only  by  taking  a  cumbersome  and 
costly  world-wide  inventory,  SPB 
said. 

Both  projectors  and  film  prints  will 
undoubtedly  be  declared  surplus  in 
small,  continuous  lots,  rather  tha'n  in 
large  lots,  SPB  said.  Some  films  are 
held  now  by  the  Office  of  Surplus 
Property  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce, disposal  agency  for  all  film 
equipment,  but  cannot  be  distributed 
until  legal  restrictions,  such  as  copy- 
right releases,  are  cleared. 

'War  Secrets'  to  Be 
Heard  at  SMPE  Meet 

The  Society  of  Motion  Picture  En- 
gineers will  hold  its  58th  semi-annual 
Fall  conference,  its  first  session  since 
the  war  ended,  at  the  Hotel  Pennsyl- 
vania, here,  Oct.  15-17,  it  has  been 
announced  by  W.  C.  Kunzmann,  con- 
vention vice-president.  A  dinner-dance 
will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  Oct.  16,  .at 
which  the  'Journal  Award'  will  be 
presented  to  the  author  of  the  best 
paper  published  in  the  SMPE  Journal 
during  1944. 

Being  the  first  meeting  since  the 
end  of  the  war,  it  is  anticipated  that 
many  motion  picture  engineers  and 
executives  who  had  been  engaged  in 
confidential  activities  for  various 
branches  of  the  Government  will  dis- 
cuss wartime  developments  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  field  and  their  possible 
commercial  applications. 

Barton  Kreuzer  is  chairman  of  the 
papers  committee. 

Business  Unhurt 
By  Press  Strike 

St.  Louis,  Sept.  6. — The  St.  Louis 
newspaper  strike,  now  in  its  19th  day, 
still  has  not  had  any  appreciable  effect 
on  box  office  receipts,  St.  Louis  theater 
managers  report.  Radio  stations  are 
broadcasting  announcements  of  theater 
programs. 


LaVine  Is  Transferred 

Harry  LaVine  has  been  transferred 
from  Monogram's  New  Haven  man- 
agership to  manage  sales  in  Northern 
New  Jersey,  working  out  of  the  New 
York  exchange.  He  was  succeeded  in 
New  Haven  by  John  Pavone,  as  pre- 
viously reported. 


Finish  Plans  to 
Handle  U.S.  Films 

Washington,  Sept.  9. — Plans  for 
peacetime  handling  of  the  Govern- 
ment's non  -  theatrical  films  were 
whipped  into  shape  Friday  at  a  meet- 
ing of  representatives  of  the  various 
interested  departments  and  agencies, 
for  presentation  tomorrow  to  mem- 
bers of  the  industry  at  the  first  of 
several  days  of  meetings  with  16mm 
producers  and  distributors. 

As  developed  by  the  informal  com- 
mittee which  has  been  studying  the 
matter  for  many  weeks,  the  plan  calls 
for  centralization  of  distribution  ac- 
tivities in  the  Library  of  Congress 
and  also  contemplates  establishment 
of  a  committee  to  give  Government 
agencies  advice  on  scripts,  contracts 
and  other  matters  involved  in  the 
production  of  films. 

Following  consideration  of  the  plan 
by  the  industrv  groups  which  will 
meet  this  week,  Taylor  Mills,  Direc- 
tor of  the  Motion  Picture  Bureau  of, 
the  Office  of  War  Information  will 
submit  it  to  the  Budget  Bureau  for 
Approval.  No  difficulty  is  anticipated 
in  securing  Bureau  support,  since 
representatives  have  been  sitting  in  on 
the  conferences  at  which  it  was  de- 
veloped. 


More  Bans  Are  Ended 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


kept  within  the  scope  of  the  construc- 
tion order  by  a  specific  provision  re- 
leasing all  restrictions  on  "establish- 
ments producing  motion  pictures,  in- 
cluding construction  of  temporary  or 
permanent  motion  picture  sets,  but  not 
including  theatres." 

Exhibitors,  however,  may  now  un- 
dertake alterations  and  repair  work 
without  any  restriction  on  the  type  of 
work  or  cost.  Formerly,  alterations 
were  considered  as  new  construction 
and  were  subject  to  the  same  limita- 
tions, and  repair  work  was  permissible 
only  to  keep  a  structure  in  sound 
working  condition,  and  restrictions 
were  imposed  on  the  money  that  could 
be  expended. 


King  in  Army  Post 

Corp.  Ed  King,  former  NBC  radio 
Producer  in  New  York  and  Chicago, 
has  been  named  chief  producer  for  the 
Army  Forces  network  in  the  United 
Kingdom. 


Gift  Films  to  End 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


bought  will  be  set,  as  in  the  case  of 
35mm  prints,  or  the  Army  and  Navy 
will  pay  on  the  basis  of  attendance. 
Arrangements  will  cover  showing  of 
the  films  throughout  the  world  at 
Army  and  Navy  installations  and 
aboard  Navy  ships. 

The  industry  has  donated,  without 
any  charge  to  the  Armed  Forces,  37,- 
703  narrow-gauge  prints  of  features 
and  31,321  prints  of  shorts,  through 
the  War  Activities  Committee.  Men- 
tion of  the  gift  was  made  and  still  ap- 
pears on  the  final  frames  of  most  fea- 
tures released  in  theatres  in  the  U.  S. 

During  the  height  of  hostilities 
there  were  an  estimated  3,500  show- 
ings of  the  gift  films  daily,  to  an  esti- 
mated daily  attendance  of  1,450,000 
service  men  and  women.  While  the 
Army  has  started  to  replace  16mm 
projectors  with  35mm  equipment  in 
the  European  Theatre,  l6mm  is  ex- 
pected to  be  continued  in  use  else- 
where for  some  time. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  companies 
will  continue  to  make  the  prints  avail- 
able in  advance  of  U.  S.  release  dates. 

Studio  Strike  Front 
Quieter  Than  Ever 

Hollywood,  Sept.  9. — Activity  in 
the  studio  strike  hit  new  low  at  the 
close  of  its  26th  week,  the  strikers 
concentrating  on  expansion  of  theatre 
picketing.  Roy  M.  Brewer,  IATSE 
vice-president,  in  charge  of  the  Holly- 
wood headquarters,  left  Friday  night 
to  attend  the  Nebraska  Central  Labor 
Council  convention,  expecting  to  re- 
main 10  days. 

Screen  Publicists  Guild  members 
who  have  returned  to  work  in  de- 
fiance of  the  guild's  orders  to  observe 
the  picket  lines  met  to  plan  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  union,  tentatively  called 
the  Motion  Picture  Studio  Publicists 
Association,  and  announced  their  in- 
tention to  seek  a  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  election  to  obtain  bar- 
gaining rights. 

Production  continued  at  the  rate 
maintained  during  the  past  three 
weeks. 


Biddell  to  Columbia 

Hollywood,  Sept.  9. — Columbia  Pic- 
tures has  engaged  Sidney  Biddell  as  a 
producer.  He  formerly  was  executive 
assistant  to  Cecil  B.  DeMille. 


Mexico  Strike 


(Continued  from-  page  1) 


were  dropped,  a  spokesman  for  the 
companies  said. 

The  walkout  of  Aug.  13,  second  in 
11  years  against  the  U.  S.  distributors, 
resulted  in  the  threatened  withdrawal 
of  the  American  film  industry  from 
Mexico  when  the  companies,  after 
offering  a  20  per  cent  wage  increase, 
stated  that  50  per  cent  was  more  than 
the  traffic  would  bear. 

A  week  after  its  outbreak,  the 
strike  was  ruled  legal  by  the  Federal 
Board  of  Conciliation  and  Arbitration 
on  the  strength  of  a  finding  that  nearly 
all  the  employees  favored  the  walkout. 
Such  a  ruling  normally  implies  that 
the  employers  must  pay  the  wage  de- 
manded, plus  full  wages  during  the 
strike. 

During  the  labor  tie-up,  Warners 
and  Universal  complained  of  the  loss 
of  a  number  of  prints,  and  sources 
close  to  the  Attorney  General  ex- 
pressed the  belief  that  this  pointed  to 
profitable  pirating  on  the  part  of  pro- 
vincial exhibitors  who  would  have 
been  forced  to  close  first  because  of 
the  dearth  of  new  product. 

National's  50  per  cent  raise  demand 
has  also  been  directed  against  17 
Mexican  producers,  with  a  strike 
threatened  unless  they  comply  ■  by  to- 
morrow. The  production  labor  situa- 
tion has  been  further  complicated  by 
a  jurisdictienal  dispute  between  Na- 
tional and  the  recently-formed  Pic- 
ture Production  Union,  and  President 
Manuel  Avila  Camacho  has  suggested 
that,  to  avoid  this  strife,  the  latter 
group  attend  exclusively  to  making 
feature  films,  with  the  former  concen- 
trating on  newsreels  and  short  sub- 
jects. 

Mexican  Films  for 
Canada  Goodwill 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  9. — Hector  G. 
Boulay  of  the  Pan  American  League 
of  Canada,  is  here  to  contract  for  six 
Mexican  pictures  with  English  titles 
for  exhibition  in  the  Dominion.  The 
League  estimates  that  their  exhibition 
will  draw  Mexico  and  Canada  closer 
together.  Boulay  will  also  obtain 
Argentinian  and  Chilean  pictures  for 
exhibition  in  his  country. 


Nuisance  Tax  Date 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


enact  this  year,  it  was  indicated  Fri- 
day by  Chairman  George  of  the  Sen- 
ate Finance  committee. 

George  said  he  did  not  intend  to 
call  for  earlier  repeal  of  the  super- 
taxes but  that  he  thought  a  termina- 
tion date  should  be  fixed,  giving 
notice  to  the  Treasury  that  it  would 
lose  that  additional  income  six  months 
later. 

The  senate  tax  leader  forcast  a 
$5,000,000,000  cut  in  Federal  taxes 
next  Jan.  1,  with  $2,000,000,000  com- 
ing off  the  tax  bills  of  corporations 
and  $2,500,000,000  to  $3,000,000,000 
saved  to  individuals,  with  the  remain- 
der used  to  eliminate  one  or  two  of 
the  nuisance  excise  taxes. 


Aiken  Joins  Columbia 

Atlanta,  Sept.  9.  —  William  C. 
Aiken,  formerly  manager  of  Loew's 
Grand  Theater,  Atlanta,  who  recent- 
ly resigned,  is  now  with  Columbia  Pic- 
tures and  will  be  assigned  to  North 
Georgia  and  Tennessee. 


Monday.  September  10,  1945  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  7 


Lober,  State  Dept. 
To  Confer  on  Films 


Critics 9  Quotes 


"THE  TRUE  GLORY"  (Eisenhower  Documentary-WAC-Columbia) 

Unless  you  yourself  were  one  of  those  uniformed  figures  struggling  through 
"The  True  Glory,"  you  can't  afford  to  miss  it. — Otis  L.  Guernsey,  Jr.,  New 
York  Herald  Tribune. 

Here  is  a  brilliant,  electrifying  camera  record  of  battle  and  victory  in 
Europe.  .  .  .  Go  see  it. — Rose  Pelszvick,  New  York  Journal- American. 

Easily  the  most  comprehensive  document  on  war,  and  probably  the  finest. — 
Dorothy  Masters,  Arezc  York  Daily  Aretvs. 

Tired  of  war  pictures?  This  is  one  of  which  those  who  fought  and  those 
wlw  waited  at  home  should  never  tire.  .  .  .  Top  rating. — John  T.  McManus. 
PM  (New  York). 

It  is  a  great,  broad  and  living  survey  of  recent  battle  history.  —  Archer 
ll'instcn,  New  York  Post. 

One  of  the  best  .  .  .  tells  sharply  and  dramatically  what  the  invasion  really 
was  like. — Eileen  Creelnian,  New  York  Sun. 

.  .  .  overwhelming  eloquence  .  .  .  brilliantly  composed  screen  tribute  to  the 
courage  and  perserverance  of  our  fighting  men. — Boslcy  Crowtker,  New  York 
Times. 


"OUR  VINES  HAVE  TENDER  GRAPES"  (M-G-M) 

...  a  good  try,  which  should  prove  very  popular,  but  it  doesn't  come  off 
as  a  distinguished  motion  picture. — Howard  Barnes,  New  York  Herald- 
Tribune. 

.  .  .  the  actors,  scripters  and  director  work  very  hard  to  show  the  gentle, 
leisurely  and  even  idyllic  existence  of  Norwegian-descended  farmers  in  Wis- 
consin.— Rose  Pclsw'ick,  New  York  Journal-American. 

It's  a  bucolic  masterpiece,  as  beautiful  as  a  September  sunset  over  a  cow 
pasture — and  as  exciting. — Lee  Mortimer,  New  York  Daily  Mirror. 

.  .  .  begins  on  a  sweet  and  natural  note,  but  as  the  story  moves  along  its 
charming,  rustic  way,  it  suddenly  goes  off  key,  winding  up  completely  out  of 
tune. — Kate  Cameron,  New  York  Daily  News. 

A  sentimental  idyll,  at  once  tenderly  amusing  and  emotionally  affecting  . 
a  most  satisfying  picture. — Archer  Winstcn,  New  York  Post. 

A  refreshing,  sincerely  emotional,  out-of-the-ordinary  story  of  kindly 
people. — Eileen  Creclman,  New  York  Sun. 

Splendid  entertainment. — Nciv  York  Times. 


Discussions  will  be  held  soon  be- 
tween Louis  Lober,  chief  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information's  overseas  film 

(  bureau,  now  in  process  of  absorption 

'  by  the  State  Department,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  latter  agency,  to  ar- 

;  range  for  the  transfer. 

Lober  will  confer  with  the  Depart- 
ment on  three  functions  of  the  bureau 
which  currently  are  its  principal  ac- 
tivities, the  production  of  OWI  docu- 
mentaries, non-theatrical  distribution 
and  the  stockpiling  of  films  for  Ger- 
many, Austria  and  Japan.  The  over- 
seas film  bureau,  and  other  foreign 
OWI  functions,  are  scheduled  to  be- 
come the  Interim  International  Infor- 
mation Service  on  Sept.  IS. 

Francis  Harmon,  coordinator  of  the 
industry's  War  Activities  Committee. 

'.  is  reported  to  have  conferred  at  the 
weekend  with  Taylor  Mills,  OWI  film 
iiead,  with  reference  to  the  theatrical 
distribution  which  it  has  set  up  in 
cooperation  with  OWI  for  the  balance 

)  of  the  year. 

Fletcher  Shifted  by 
Warners  to  Trinidad 

Herbert  E.  Fletcher,  former  mem- 
f  her  of  the  Warner  sales  staff  in 
Omaha,  has  been  promoted  to  man- 
ager of  the  company's  branch  office 
in  Trinidad,  with  headquarters  in 
Port  of  Spain.  He  succeeds  Irvin 
Coval,  who  is  returning  to  this  coun- 
try on  account  of  ill  health. 

Following  conferences  in  New  York 
with  foreign  department  vice-presi- 
!  dents  J.  J.  Glynn  and  Karl  Macdon- 
ald,  Fletcher  left  for  Trinidad  over 
the  weekend. 

Wolfe  Cohen,  vice-president  of  War- 
mer International,  in  charge  of  Latin- 
America,  stopped  off  in  Port  of  Spain 
last  week  on  his  tour  of  South  Amer- 
ica. He  is  due  in  Rio  dc  Janeiro  today. 

15,000~L  aid  Off  by 
Western  Electric 

i  With  many  of  Western  Electric's 
war  contracts  cancelled  and  others  re- 
duced, leaving  unfilled  war  orders  at 
only  40  per  cent  of  the  total  on  hand 
i  Aug.  1.  the  company  has  reduced  its 
forking  force  by  15,000  to  a  total  of 
tfO.OOO  now  on  the  job,  C.  G.  Stoll. 
president,  announced  at  the  weekend. 

Reconversion,  however,  was  under- 
taken immediately  after  "Y-J  Day." 
-with  every  available  mechanic  en- 
gaged on  a  seven-day  basis  to  shorten 
:he  period,  and  indications  point  to  a 
substantially  larger  volume  of  busi- 
ness than  was  enjoyed  in  the  years 
just  before  the  war,  Stoll  added. 


Seldes  Resigns  CBS 
Video  Program  Post 

Gilbert  Seldes,  director  of  CBS 
elevision  programs,  has  resigned, 
ffective  Sept.  28,  according  to  a  joint 
innouncement  by  Seldes  and  CBS 
N'ew  York  television  station  WCBW. 

Seldes  will  work  independently  in 
ihe  television  programming  field  and 
s  expected  to  do  special  work  for 
.BS  beyond  television  programs. 

Divan  to  Republic 

Hollywood,  Sept.  9. — Republic  has 
igned  Allan  Dwan  to  a  long-term 
;ontract  as  a  producer,  writer  and  di- 
ector. 


Paramount  Aided 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

played  on  percentage  caused  the  ma- 
jority of  American  companies  to  sell 
on  a  similar  basis,  he  said. 

American  companies,  from  January 
through  August  of  this  year,  released 
a  total  of  109  features,  compared  to 
only  12  Argentine,  12  Mexican,  10 
Russian  and  only  one  French  feature, 
Xathan  said. 

An  agreement  between  the  distrib- 
utors and  Argentine  exhibitors  has 
eliminated  triple,  quadruple  and  even 
quintuple  features,  and  the  maximum 
number  of  films  for  a  program  is  now 
two,  Nathan  pointed  out. 

Argentine  film  censorship  from  an 
ideological  viewpoint  has  been  lifted 
almost  completely,  Paramount's  Ar- 
gentine managing  director  said,  with 
the  exception  of  the  company's  "For 
Whom  the  Bell  Tolls."  The  ban  on 
the  film  was  instituted,  he  said,  be- 
cause the  Franco  government  request- 
ed it.  Argentina,  Nathan  stated,  is  the 
only  country  in  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere where  the  picture  has  not  been 
exhibited. 

About  50,000,000  admissions  are 
paid  into  Argentina's  1,354  theatres 
annually,  Nathan  estimated. 


Field  Files  for  FM 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  9.  —  Marshall 
Field's  Buckeye  Broadcasting  Co.. 
which  some  months  ago  purchased  sta- 
tion WSAI  here  from  the  Crosley 
Corp.,  has  filed  application  with  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission 
for  a  permit  to  construct  an  F-M  sta- 
tion for  coverage  of  at  least  18.000 
square  miles,  it  was  announced  here 
by  E.  K.  Bauer,  WSAl  business  man- 
ager. Construction  will  require  six 
months  to  a  year. 


Griffith  Trial  On 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


sel,  does  not  expect  the  defense  to 
consume  more  than  three  weeks  in  re- 
buttal, thus  indicating  that  the  case 
will  be  completed  before  the  start  of 
the  Government's  New  York  film 
anti-trust  suit.  The  eight  depositions 
taken  by  Griffing  in  New  York  and 
elsewhere  during  the  recess  are  to  be 
read,  as  well  as  a  written  interroga- 
tory from  Neil  Agnew,  former  Para- 
mount general  sales  manager,  who 
was  unable  to  give  deposition  in  New 
York. 

The  bulk  of  the  Government's  Sher- 
man Act  contentions  against  Griffith 
Amusement  Co ,  Wes-Tex  Theatres, 
Consolidated  Theatres,  and  R.  E. 
Griffith  Theatres,  was  heard  by  Judge 
Edgar  S.  Yaught  during  a  three-week 
trial  period  last  May. 

P.  T.  Kime  and  M.  A.  Kallus  are 
the  two  anti-trust  division  attorneys 
here  who  are  handling  the  Govern- 
ment's case,  with  C.  B.  Cochrane  and 
Griffing  representing  Griffith  in  the 
seven-year-old  action  from  which  dis- 
tributors were  dismissed  last  year. 


PRC  Sells  4  Circuits 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  9. — Circuits  in 
this  territory  sold  by  PRC  include 
Fabian,  Warners,  Schine  and  Kallet, 
Joseph  Miller,  new  PRC  district  man- 
ager, reports.  Miller  was  in  the  Cleve- 
land zone  last  week ;  he  has  charge  of 
the  Albany,  Buffalo,  Cleveland  and 
Cincinnati  branches. 


New  PRC  Albany  Office 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  9.  —  W.  W. 
Farley  will  start  excavation  this 
week  for  a  one-story  exchange  build- 
ing on  North  Pearl  St.,  to  be  occu- 
pied by  PRC.  He  hopes  to  complete 
the  job  in  60  days. 


Memorial  Hospital 
Exclusively  Blanks' 


Variety  Clubs  of  America  requested 
on  Friday  clarification  of  its  recent 
announcement  that,  if  the  Des  Moines 
Variety  Tent  Club  was  reorganized, 
A.  H.  Blank  would  change  the  name 
of  the  Raymond  Blank  Memorial 
Hospital,  there,  to  the  Raymond 
Blank  Variety  Club  Memorial.  This, 
Variety  now  points  out,  was  a  mis- 
understanding on  its  part  since  Blank 
and  Mrs.  Blank  desire  to  support  and 
perpetuate  the  memorial  to  their  son 
entirely  on  their  own,  without  any 
outside  aid. 

Now  that  the  Des  Moines  tent  has 
definitely  decided  to  reorganize,  Blank 
will  lend  his  full  support,  Variety 
Clubs  of  America  added.  The  reor- 
ganized tent  already  has  over  60 
members  pledged  and  expects  100  by 
Dec.  15,  when  its  first  meeting  will 
be  held.  The  return  of  the  Des 
Moines  tent  was  described  as  another 
step  by  Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  national 
barker,  and  the  national  officers  to 
achieve  the  peacetime  expansion  dis- 
cussed at  the  national  meeting  in 
Washington  last  November. 

The  new  Canadian  tent,  headed  by 
John  J.  Fitzgibbons,  is  expected  to  get 
started  this  Fall.  Meanwhile,  organi- 
zation of  a  tent  in  Mexico  City  is 
well  underway  and  application  for  a 
charter  is  expected  within  60  days. 
Additional  new  tents  are  also  in 
process  of  organizing  in  several  of 
the  remaining  exchange  centers,  with 
the  ultimate  goal  being  from  eight  to 
12  new  tents  and  with  several  new 
ones  abroad  resulting  in  the  Variety 
Clubs  of  America  eventually  changing 
over  to  International  Variety  Clubs. 

Collins  Houses  Sold 
To  Winfield  Snelson 

Atlanta,  Sept.  9.— W.  J.  Collins, 
has  announced  the  sale  of  his  eight 
theatres  to  Winfield  Snelson,  formerly 
branch  manager  here  for  Republic 
Pictures.  Theatres  included  in  the  deal 
are  two  in  Atlanta,  and  one  in  the 
following  towns :  Toccoa,  Lavonia, 
Cornelia  and  Clarksville,  all  in  Geor- 
gia, and  Clayton  and  Franklin  in 
North  Carolina. 

Collins  plans  to  return  to  California 
to  re-enter  the  film  business. 

Goldberg  Will  Make 
8  All-Negro  Films 

Hollywood  Pictures,  here,  plans  at 
least  eight  all-Negro  features  for 
1945-46,  according  to  producer  Jack 
Goldberg.  First  will  be  "Harlem  On 
Parade"  with  Lena  Home,  followed 
by  "Negro  Boys  Town,"  based  on  a 
town  near  Pittsburgh  that  is  operated 
and  governed  by  boys. 


Meighan  in  New  Post 

Howard  S.  Meighan,  Eastern  sales 
manager  of  radio  spot-sales  for  Colum- 
bia Broadcasting  since  1939,  has  been 
promoted  to  the  post  of  network  di- 
rector of  station  administration,  ac- 
cording to  Frank  Stanton,  vice-pres- 
ident and  general  manager. 


Wolff  Setting  Two  Films 

Roy  Wolff,  Fanchon  and  Marco 
executive,  is  in  New  Yorft'to  set  story 
details  with  Ralph  M.  McGowan  on 
two  films,  "Johnny  Torrio"  and 
"Music  Hall  Varieties,"  which  Wolff 
will  produce  for  PRC  Pictures. 


H£  PA1Z£  BAB* 

shall  CBSIO  the 


You  can  count  on  the  PRIZE  BABY  to  be  out  in  front.., 
beating  a  path  to  your  Box  Office... rain  or  shine  *  *  * 
He's  known,  for  Twenty  Five  Years,  that  your  SCREEN  is 
your  most  potent  advertising  medium  ...  and  he's 
PROVING  it  all  the  time  *  *  *  He  knows  that  some- 
times it's  difficult  to  decide. ..which  of  your  advertising 
media  is  bringing  in  your  business . . .  BUT . . .  when  your 
other  media  is  STOPPED...and  the  crowd  keeps  COMIN' 
...  you  can't  HELP  but  know . . .  Where  the  PRIZE  BABY 
Leads...  the  crowd  Follows  *  *  *  Thats  WHY  he's  known 
as  The  PRIZE  BABY"  *  *  * 


\_J  Pft/ZfffPBV  < 


SERVICE 

of  me/nousmy 


First  in 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


•OL.  58.  NO.  50 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  11,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


leat  Fails  to  Allport  Seeks 


)ent  Grosses 
)£  NY  1st  Runs 


ieavy  $115,000  Given 
Duffy'  at  Paramount 

New  arrivals  are  in  the  lead  at 
jew  York's  first  runs,  with  very 
farm  weather  failing  to  make  any 
•preciable  dent.  Grosses  generally 
eitinue  strong,  but  with  some  fall- 
c  from  the  previous  week. 
"Duffy's  Tavern"  and  a  stage  bill 
turing  the  Andrews  Sisters  are  giv- 
the  Paramount  its  best  receipts 
ce  the  record-breaking  business  of 
dy  in  the  Dark,"  over  a  year  ago; 
combination  is  headed  for  a  ter- 
c  $115,000  for  an  initial  week  to 
ce  right  behind  the  S  123,00  record 
"Lady"  in  Feb.,  1944. 
'Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes" 
a  stage  show  at  Radio  City  Music 
11  are  also  in  the  outstanding  class, 
th  a  heavy  $78,000  recorded  for  the 
it  four  days  and  a  big  $125,000  ex- 
ited for  the  full  week. 
True  Glory"  at  the  Victoria  is 
wing  strongly  with  a  good  $21,000 
ected  for  its  first  week,  while  "Isle 
the  Dead"  is  exceptionally  strong 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


ebaron  and  Morris 
t  New  Company 

Hollywood.  Sept.  10.  —  William 
'baron  and  Boris  Morris  today  filed 

orporation  papers  at  Sacramento  for 
•deral  Films,  an  independent  produc- 
company  which  will  also  take  in 
television   field.   Both  producers 

-g  important  story  properties,  pre- 

usly  acquired,  into  the  new  set-up. 
deral  is  leasing  quarters  at  the  Cali- 

nia  Studios. 


.  E.  Young  Named 
IRC  Studio  Head 


Hollywood,  Sept.  10. — Raymond  E. 
ung,  PRC  studio  business  manager, 
-  been  appointed  general  studio 
nager  by  Reeves  Espy,  PRC  vice- 
sident. 

Treasurer  and  a  director  of  Mono- 
km  when  Pathe  Laboratories  held 
ancial  interest  in  that  company, 
ung  left  Monogram  when  Pathe 
hdrew  its  affiliation.  He  resigned 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Spain  Entry 


London,  Sept.  10—  Fayette  W.  All- 
port.  European  executive  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America,  is  en  route  to  Spain 
in  the  hope  of  clearing  up  all  out- 
standing trade  difficulties  there. 

As  reported  Friday  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily,  spokesmen  of  foreign  de- 
partments in  New  York  have  been 
skeptical  in  their  reactions  to  press 
dispatches  from  Madrid  to  the  effect 
that  Spain's  distributors  are  putting 
forth  a  plan  to  permit  the  U.  S.  60 
per  cent,  England  15  per  cent  and 
other  countries  20  per  cent  of  all  pic- 
tures imported.  They  pointed  out  that 
these  figures  were  meaningless  since 
the  number  of  films  to  be  imported 
was  not  specified.  A  U.  S.  proposal  is 
understood  to  provide  for  the  entry  of 
180  American  films  per  year. 

The   new   percentage   plan,  which 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Wyler  Says  Liberty 
Will  Make  3  a  Year 


Liberty  Pictures,  new  Frank  Capra- 
William  Wyler-Sam  Briskin  company, 
will  make  three  pictures  a  year  for 
three  years,  releasing  through  RKO 
Radio,  Wyler  said  yesterday  at  a 
luncheon  for  trade  press  representa- 
tive at  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel. 

Wyler  and  Capra  each  will  make 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Call  N.  Y.  Meeting 
On  Strike  Support 

Hollywood,  Sept  .  10. — Rep- 
resentatives •  of  New  York 
locals  affiliated  with  striking 
Hollywood  unions  will  meet 
at  the  Roosevelt  Hotel  there 
Wednesday  afternoon  to  act 
on  a  resolution  committing 
the  memberships  to  support 
the  strike.  The  resolution, 
submitted  by  Roger  McDon- 
ald, Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  envoy,  will  censure 
the  producers  for  "continuing 
defiance  of  War  Labor  Board 
and  National  Labor  Relations 
Board  directives"  and  will  call 
for  the  immediate  enlistment 
of  union  members  for  picket 
duty  in  front  of  New  York 
theatres. 


Price  Arrives  in 
Berlin  for  Truman 


Byron  Price,  until  recently  head  of 
the  Office  of  Censorship  and  now  hold- 
ing President  Truman's  assignment  to 
take  charge  of  motion  picture,  press 
and  radio  matters  in  the  American 
zone  of  Germany,  has  arrived  in  Ber- 
lin from  Washington  to  assume  his 
new  duties. 

The  appointment  of  Price  was  made 
last  week  by  Truman  with  the  speci- 
fication that  Price  will  be  Presidential 
representative.  That  designation  is  in- 
terpreted as  another  definite  indication 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


U.S.  Central  Film  Agency 
Approved  by  16mm  Group 


Chicago  Amusement 
Space  Still  Tight 

Chicago,  Sept.  10.  —  Local 
newspapers  are  continuing  to 
operate  under  wartime  news- 
print restrictions,  and  any 
improvement  in  the  tight 
amusement  space  situation  is 
a  long  way  off,  according  to 
newspaper  amusement  adver- 
tising managers  here. 

Roy  Steffens,  manager  of 
Chicago  Tribune's  amusement 
advertisements,  explains  that 
all  theatre  accounts  will  con- 
tinue to  run  about  10  per  cent 
short  of  normal  space. 


Washington,  Sept.  10/ — Alembers 
of  the  Office  of  War  Information's 
16mm  advisory  committee  today  gave 
their  approval  to  plans  worked  out 
by  Taylor  Mills,  director  of  the  do- 
mestic branch  motion  picture  bureau, 
and  representatives  of  other  agencies 
to  handle  all  postwar  Government 
non-theatrical  distribution  through  a 
central  agency,  probably  in  the  Library 
of  Congress.  The  committee  acted 
after  morning  discussions  with  educa- 
tional and  labor  organization  repre- 
sentatives and  afternoon  conferences 
with  the  Government  group. 

Mills  will  submit  the  plan  this  week 
to  the  Budget  Bureau,  which  also  will 
determine  whether  the  central  distribu- 
tion office  is  to  be  in  the  Library  of 
Congress  or  elsewhere,  although  it  is 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


FEA  to  Keep 
Control  of 
Stock  Export 

Nations  Unfair  to  U.S. 
Could  Be  Cut  Off 


Washington,  Sept.  10. — Ex- 
ports of  35mm  raw  stock  will  be 
retained  under  control  of  the  For- 
eign Economic  Administration 
until  the  domestic  supply  situation  has 
cleared  up,  it  was  announced  today  by 
Stanley  B.  Adams,  director  of  the 
War  Production  Board  Consumers 
Hard  Goods  Bureau. 

Decision  to  retain  control  over  film 
shipments,  Adams  disclosed,  was 
reached  at  a  meeting  of  the  joint  com- 
mitte  on  export  controls  last  Friday, 
called  at  his  request  to  reconsider 
an  earlier  decision  to  eliminate  re- 
strictions in  the  near  future. 

Adams  said  FEA  will  not  be  given 
a  formal  quota  of  raw  stock  for 
fourth  quarter  export,  but  individual 
exporters  will  have  to  secure  licenses 
before  any  film  can  leave  the  country. 

Purpose  of  the  move  is  to  -enable 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Exhibitors'  Decree 
Committee  Named 


Washington,  Sept.  10. — The  spe- 
cial committee  of  the  Conference  of 
Independent  Exhibitors  on  the  Con- 
sent Decree,  which  is  to  follow  the  trial 
of  the  Government  suit  against  the  dis- 
tributors and  to  cooperate  with  Gov- 
ernment counsel  in  such  ways  and  to 
such  extent  as  may  be  agreeable,  has 
now  been   completed,   Allied  States' 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Griffiths'  Defense 
May  Start  Today 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  10.— Ex- 
pansion practices  of  the  Griffith  the- 
atre interests  in  Hobart  and  Clinton, 
Okla.,  and  Brady,  Tex.,  were  re- 
viewed in  Western  Oklahoma  Federal 
District  court  today  as  the  Govern- 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Love,  Honor  and 
Goodbye"  appears  on  page  6. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  11,  194 


Commends  QP  Work 
On  War  Activities 

"I  have  intended  to  tell  you 
for  some  time  that  the  Quig- 
ley  Publications  have  done  an 
unusually  fine  job  through 
their  participation  in  the 
great  war  effort  of  the  motion 
picture  industry,"  Walter  T. 
Brown,  publicity  director  of 
the  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee, writes  to  Martin  Quigley. 
"It  was  one  of  the  essential 
factors  in  furthering  the  Gov- 
ernment's information  pro- 
gram and  the  Treasury's  War 
Bond  Campaigns,"  Brown  con- 
tinues. 

"In  the  days  ahead,  I  know, 
the  Quigley  Publications  will 
continue  to  serve  national  in- 
terest and  the  world  desire 
for  freedom  and  peace,"  the 
letter  concludes. 


Leahy  Named  Disney 
Production  Manager 


Hollywood,  Sept.  10. — Fred  Leahy, 
veteran  studio  executive,  today  was 
named  production  and  studio  manager 
of  Walt  Disney  Productions,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  by  Disney. 
Leahy's  appointment  is  in  line  with 
the  expanded  activities  planned  by 
Disney  in  the  feature  field,  involving 
as  it  will  a  greater  use  of  "live-action" 
in  combination  with  cartoons. 

Leahy,  who  assumes  his  Disney  post 
immediately,  was  connected  with  the 
Paramount  Studio  for  15  years,  hold- 
ing the  position  of  production  control 
manager  when  he  left  the  organization. 
He  later  spent  three  years  at  M-G-M, 
after  his  Paramount  association. 

Disney's  feature  activities  include 
two  currently  in  production,  "Make 
Mine  Music,"  which  is  largely  car- 
toon, and  "Uncle  Remus,"  which  will 
be.  about  80  per  cent  "live-action." 
Other  features  on  the  program  include 
"Midnight  and  Jeremiah,"  the  Sterling 
North  book ;  "The  Little  People,"  by 
Maurice  Geraghty,  and  several  others 
which  have  not  yet  been  announced. 


Personal  Mention 


de  Rochemont  Fetes 
Press,  Telenews  Men 

Richard  de  Rochemont,  March  of 
Time  producer,  was  host  to  Cleveland 
film  critics  and  Telenews  Theatres 
executives  at  a  dinner  last  night  at  the 
Harvard  Club  here.  Attending  were 
Ward  Marsh,  Omar  Ranney  and  Van 
Meter  of  the  Cleveland  Press,  visiting 
here  as  Telenews  guests ;  Charles 
Burris,  Sylvan  Goldfinger  and  Milton 
Weisman,  of  Telenews  ;  John  R.  Wood 
and  Phil  Williams,  March  of  Time, 
and  William  J.  Clark,  short  subject 
sales  manager  for  20th  Century-Fox. 


'Tokyo'  Premiere  Today 

RKO-Radio's  "First  Yank  Into 
Tokyo"  will  have  its  world  premiere 
at  the  Golden  Gate  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, this  evening.  Tom  Neal,  Barbara 
Hale,  the  film's  principals,  will  make 
persona!  appearances. 


HD.  HEARN  of  Exhibitor's  Ser- 
•  vice,  Charlotte,  will  arrive  in 
New  York,  today,  remaining  through 
Friday. 

Win  Barron,  commentator  of  Ca- 
nadian Paramount  News  and  promo- 
tion manager  of  Paramount  Film 
Service,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  is  in  St.  Mi- 
chael's Hospital,  that  city,  with  pneu- 
monia. 

• 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Goodman  of 
Washington,  announce  the  marriage 
of  their  daughter,  Harriet  Ann,  to 
T/S  Abram  Samuels,  son  of  Irving 
Samuels,  president  of  Automatic  De- 
vices Co. 

• 

Eddie  Rosenbaum,  Columbia's  ex- 
ploitation representative  in  Philadel- 
phia, has  been  released  from  Price 
Hospital,  that  city,  and  is  recuperat- 
ing at  his  home  there  from  illness. 
• 

Mike  L.  Simons,  editor  of  the  Dis- 
tributor  and   of   Lo,  Loew-M-G-M 
house   publications,   will   leave  New 
York  tomorrow  on  a  midwest  tour. 
* 

Vivian  Brown,  publicity  manager 
for  Loew's  Theatre,  Richmond,  Va.,  is 
in  New  York  on  vacation. 

H.  M.  Bessey,  Altec  vice-presi- 
dent, will  leave  New  York  today  for 
Chicago. 

• 

Clyde  Blasius  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  Salt  Lake  City  exchange  is  en 
route  to  San  Francisco. 

• 

Jules  Ziegler  of  Cocalis  Theatres, 
operating  locally,  became  the  father 
of  a  son  recently. 

Louis  Black,  manager  of  the  War- 
ner Theatre,  Wilmington,  is  recover- 
ing' from  an  attack  of  sciatica. 


T    CHEEVER  COWDIN,  Univer- 
•J  •    sal  board  chairman,  and  Nate  J. 
Blumberg,  president,  arrived  in  New 
York  yesterday  from  the  Coast. 
• 

Sgt.  John  D'Amato,  former  assist- 
ant manager  of  Warners'  Embassy, 
New  Britain,  Conn.,  has  returned  home 
from  Porto  Rico  and  announces  his 
engagement  to  Grace  Altiparkis  of 
Warners'  Strand,  New  Britain. 

Guy  Graves,  Schenectady  city  man- 
ager for  Fabian  Theatres,  has  com- 
pleted an  assignment  as  captain  of  a 
team  in  a  drive  for  funds  for  a  local 
hospital. 

• 

I.  Cohen,  formerly  Philippine  man- 
ager for  M-G-M,  who  returned  to  the 
U.  S.  as  an  exchange  prisoner  of  the 
Japs,  is  in  Detroit  preparatory  to  go- 
ing back  to  the  Philippines. 

• 

A.  L.  Pratchett,  Paramount  Latin 
American  division  manager,  is  ex- 
pected to  arrive  at  the  home  office 
from  Mexico  City  tomorrow. 

• 

Nat  Wolf,  Cleveland  zone  mana- 
ger for  Warner  Theatres,  and  Tony 
Stern,  buyer  and  booker  there,  are  in 
New  York. 

• 

Mel   Morganstern,   recent  Army 
dischargee,  has  rejoined  Loew's  book- 
ing department  at  the  home  office. 
• 

Charles  K.  Stern,  Loew's  assis- 
tant treasurer,  will  leave  New  York 
for  Washington  on  Sept.  14. 

Joan  Crawford,  Warner  star,  will 
arrive  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
at  the  end  of  the  month. 

• 

Ruben  Joyner  has  returned  to 
Warners'  Atlanta  exchange  from  Chi- 


Arthur  Arbitration 
Case  Under  Study 

Washington,  Sept.  10. — Appeal  of 
Harry'  C.  Arthur,  Jr.,  from  the  re- 
cent dismissal  by  the  Federal  District 
court  of  his  suit  to  upset  a  ruling  by 
the  St  Louis  arbitration  tribunal, 
which  reduced  clearance  for  his  the- 
atres in  favor  of  a  competitor,  may 
be  carried  to  the  Federal  Circuit  Court 
of  Appeals,  instead  of  directly  to  the 
Supreme  Court  in  Washington,  it  was 
said  here  today  by  Russell  Hardy, 
Arthur's  attorney. 

Hardy  explained  that  he  was  study- 
ing the  procedure  which  must  be  fol- 
lowed in  making  the  appeal  and  that 
it  appeared  that  the  proper  course  was 
through  the  Circuit  court  and  then, 
if  necessary,  to  the  Supreme  Court. 

The  Supreme  Court  already  has  a 
petition  involving  the  question  of  ar- 
bitration, filed  by  Hardy  on  behalf 
of  Arthur  last  Spring,  and  is  expected 
to  announce  whether  it  has  jurisdic- 
tion in  the  case  when  it  reconvenes 
next  month  for  the  1945-46  term.  The 
petition  was  based  on  the  action  of 
the  New  York  Federal  District  court, 
rejecting  Arthur's  application  for  au- 
thority to  intervene  in  the  consent  de- 
cree case. 


Lift  Additional  Press 
Censorships  Abroad 

Press  censorship  on  outgoing  mate- 
rial from  the  Mediterranean  Theatre, 
and  between  India  and  the  United 
Kingdom  and  India  and  the  United 
States  has  ended,  according  to  press 
dispatches  received  here  from  abroad. 

The  Italian  press  also  is  free  of 
censorship  except  in  the  Northern 
provinces,  which  still  are  administered 
by  the  Allied  Military  Government. 
Representatives  of  the  Allied  Publica- 
tions Board  have  power  to  invoke  cen- 
sorship if  publications  'get  out  of  line,' 
but  utilization  of  these  powers  has  not 
yet  been  found  necessary. 


Press  Photo  Exhibit 

The  tenth  annual  exhibit  of  the 
Press  Photographers  Association  of 
New  York  will  open  Sept.  29  at  the 
Museum  of  Science  and  Industry  in 
Radio  City,  to  continue  through  Oct. 
28.  Prize-competing  pictures  to  be 
on  display  will  deal  with  such  sub- 
jects as  the  war,  spot  news,  sports, 
personalities,  and  others.  Many  pho- 
tographers from  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry are  members  of  the  organiza- 
tion. 


STRICTLY  A  FAMILY  AFFAIR  .  .  . 

WHAT  A  FAMILY  .  .  .  .  ! 
WHAT  AN  AFFAIR  .  .  .  ! 

LOVE,  HONOR 
and  GOODBYE 

Starring 

VIRGINIA       a  EDWARD 
BRUCE       ^  ASHLEY 

Featuring  Victor  McLagien 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 

Directed  by  ALBERT  S.  ROG  ELL 
Associate  Producer  HARRY  GREY 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


GOTHAM 


B'WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  •  Rockefeller  Center 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes' 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro- Gold wyn- Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

JAMES 

CAGNEY 

SYLVIA  SIDNEY 

BLOOD  ON 

gjj  THE  SUN' 


IN  PERSON 

ED  SULLIVAN 

HARVEST 
MOON 

DANCE  WINNERS 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 

"DUFFY'S  TAVERN' 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 
In 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST(JR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICE8 


PALACE 


B'WAY  < 
47th  St 


Starts  Tomorrow 

"BACK  TO  BATAAN" 

Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINN 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


 WALT  DISNEY'S  

WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

pmoccnio 

«atureg,tnh  TECHNICOLOR 


Distributed    by    RKO    Radio    Pictures,  ln( 

4 th  fun  nrnimi  in  B'way  5lst  S1 
w'eleled  REPUBLIC  d»-t 


8:30  A.M. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quig 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  "Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigl 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Seer  etary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertis 
Manager;  Chicago  Eureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bure; 
4  Golden  S'j.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theati 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscript 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


FROM  THE  RDXY  W  NEW  YORK  EITY  TO 
THE  GRANB  IN  REH  DAK,  IOWA— RIG  EITIES, 
SMALL  TOWNS  ARE  SMASHING  ALL  REEORBS! 

RODGERS  &  HAMMERSTEIN'S 


Century-Fox 


Rodgers  and  Hammerstein's  "STATE  FAIR"  starring  DANA  ANDREWS  •  JEANNE  CRAIN  •  DICK 
HAYMES  •  VIVIAN  BLAINE  with  Charles  Winninger  •  Fay  Bainter  •  Donald  Meek  •  Frank  McHugh 
Percy  Kilbride  •  Henry  Morgan  •  Directed  by  WALTER  LANG  •  Produced  by  WILLIAM  PERLBERG 
Technicolor  •  Music  by  Richard  Rodgers  •  Lyrics  by  Oscar  Hammerstein  II  •  Screen  Play  by 
Oscar  Hammerstein  II  •  From  a  Novel  by  Philip  Stong  •  Adapted  by  Sonya  Levien  and  Paul  Green 


If  fur  wffeSd^l  Let's 
pretend  Jtn  MrS-kohdld  fegan,' 

you  Say  ; 


..Mi  if  your  lA/rfe  mrt? 

ihm  ygu  Say  .* 


...Wow/         husband colMsl^f3^ 


gMer  belMrS'  Joel  Prefcthdh 
what  MQu  Sdij  IS' 


...I  kear  JjO"  todrted  fo be  a  Jochrf    f^uSyd^)  ■ 

Navy  doc-tor  »oiv 


IS  A  FEATURE  APPEARING  ONLY  IN       MORON  PlCTUf*£  MAGAZ'N£         EACH  MONTH 

• "Let's  Pretend"  is  good  fun,  as  it  always  has  been.  In  this  great  game.  No  other  screen  magazine  has  any  feature  so  original, 

exclusive,  exciting  series,  every  reader  of  Motion  Picture  be-  Why  didn't  some  other  magazine  think  of  this?  Because  Motion 

comes  a  Hollywood  wife  every  month  .. .  learns  intimate,  thrilling  Picture  Magazine  always  tons  started  things  .  .  .  it's  the  first  of  all 

things  about  the  stars  . . .  steps  right  into  the  stars'  shoes . . .  it's  a  screen  magazines. 


o  you  Waht  10 


crazy  dboutred,iAeij  +el/tne{  Grade  Aliens  one  of  your  ..ijour  name's  Jane  IVyman, 

belt  friends/         and  I  ttmfc  tjoure  Cute  / 


-ketof^reU^ ,  ..iW^wj^/  „aM6>,  Ge»eTierne<],3nd  your 


■  W  *U  mi  vou  did  in       •••  a««'t  there  aoy  electee  <*^~ 


FAWCETT  PUBLICATIONS,  INC. 
World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Magazines 


beautifully 

QliudeMeQothert 


1501  Broadway,  New  York  18,  N.  Y. 
295  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 
8555  Sunset  Blvd.,  West  Hollywood  46,  Calif. 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  11,  1945 


New  Screen  Journal 
To  Appear  Oct.  1 


Hollywood,  Sept.  10. — The  first  is- 
sue of  the  Hollyzvood  Quarterly,  spon- 
sored jointly  by  the  University  of 
California  and  the  Hollywood  Writers 
Mobilization,  will  be  published  on  Oct. 
1,  Emmet  Lavery,  chairman,  an- 
nounced yesterday.  The  journal  will 
deal  with  the  creative  and  technical 
problems  of  the  screen,  radio  and  tele- 
vision.  It  is  non-commercial. 

Articles  scheduled  for  the  first  issue 
will  include  one  by  Morris  Cohn,  at- 
torney, and  Lester  Cole,  screen  writ- 
er, contrasting  the  rights  of  author- 
ship in  Europe  and  Hollywood ;  "Men 
in  Battle,"  an  analysis  of  war  films  by 
Dudley  Nichols ;  one  by  Alexander 
Knox  on  the  problems  of  portraying 
Woodrow  Wilson  on  the  screen.  Wil- 
liam Dieterle  and  Irving  Pichel  will 
consider  some  screen  problems,  and 
Robert  Nathan  will  discuss  the  trans- 
fer of  a  novel  to  the  screen. 

In  addition,  Dr.  Franklin  Fearing, 
professor  of  psychology  at  University 
of  California,  will  write  on  normal 
and  neurotic  outlooks  among  return- 
ing service  men,  and  there  will  be  arti- 
cles on  the  testing  of  radio  audiences, 
on  radio  music  and  reviews  of  notable 
radio  scripts. 


Plans  Park  Ave.  House 

Walter  Reade,  independent  circuit 
owner,  has  purchased  the  Anderson 
Art  Galleries  building  at  Park  Ave- 
nue and  59th  Street,  here,  which  he 
plans  to  convert  into  a  700-seat  mo- 
tion picture  house.  Central  Savings 
Bank  was  the  seller.  Price  is  re- 
ported to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$600,000  and  Reade  intends  to  spend 
an  additional  $600,000. 


Review 


'Love,  Honor  and  Goodbye" 


(Republic) 

REPUBLIC  has  an  engaging  romantic  farce,  fortified  with  two  substantial 
marquee  names,  Virginia  Bruce  and  Victor  McLaglen.  Co-starring  with 
Miss  Bruce  is  British  newcomer  Edward  Ashley,  who  has  plenty  of  what  it 
takes  for  setting  feminine  hearts  aflutter.  Rounding  out  the  cast  are  Nils 
Asther,  Helen  Broderick,  Veda  Ann  Borg,  five-year-old  Jacqueline  Moore, 
and  others,  all  of  whom  function  excellently.  It  was  this  all-around  good  cast, 
plus  Albert  S.  Rogell's  able  direction  which  converted  a  thread-bare  plot  into 
a  delightfully  entertaining  production. 

The  story,  in  a  background  of  ultra  modern  settings,  concerns  the  mixups 
of  a  married  couple,  the  Baxters,  charmingly  portrayed  by  Miss  Bruce  and 
Ashley.  He  is  a  wealthy  lawyer ;  she  aspires  to  be  an  actress.  He  knows  she 
can't  act  and,  in  order  that  she  may  learn  the  truth,  he  backs  a  play  in  which 
she  stars  and  which  fails  on  its  opening  night.  Mrs.  Baxter  is  then  satisfied 
to  forego  an  acting  career.  But  her  erstwhile  leading  man,  a  role  nicely 
'hammed'  by  Nils  Asther,  reveals  to  her  that  her  husband  was  responsible  for 
closing  down  the  play.  Angered,  she  leaves  Ashley  but  later,  suspecting  him 
of  infidelity,  returns  to  her  household  to  get  'evidence'  disguised  as  a  French 
governess  to  take  care  of  little  Miss  Moore  whom  Ashley  has  given  a  home, 
and  who  she  thinks  is  really  Ashley's  child.  On  to  her  ruse  from  the  start,  he 
plays  along  with  her  until  finally  the  resultant  comic  situation  rights  itself  and 
the  couple  are  happily  rejoined.  Whenever  comedy  threatens  to  falter,  McLaglen, 
as  a  slow-witted  tatoo  artist,  is  injected  into  the  proceedings  for  laughs. 
The  screenplay,  by  Arthur  Phillips,  Lee  Loeb  and  Dick  Irving  Hyland,  is 
from  an  original  by  director  Rogell  and  Art  Arthur.  Harry  Grey  was  asso- 
ciate producer. 

Running  time,  87  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  Sept.  IS. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Indians  Touring  to 
Buy  New  Equipment 

Chicago,  Sept.  6. — R.  K.  Shorey, 
producer-director  of  Shorey  Pictures 
in  India  and  a  member  of  the  Northern 
India  Film  Producers  Association, 
heads  a  delegation  of  film  industrialists 
from  India  visiting  local  theatre  equip- 
ment manufacturers.  The  delegation  is 
touring  the  country  to  obtain  equip- 
ment for  needed  replacements  in  India. 


*  BIGGEST  BRIDGE  IS  SAN 


FRANCISCO-OAKLAND  BRIDGE  * 


BIGGEST 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED... 


* 


Petitions  Challenged 
In  Sunday  Films  Row 

Harrisbueg,  Pa.,  Sept.  10. — Charg- 
ing that  some  names  on  petitions  col- 
lected by  Harrisburg  theatres  request- 
ing the  placing  of  the  question  of  Sun- 
day theatre  operations  on  the  Novem- 
ber ballot  are  not  bona  fide,  local  Sun- 
day School  classes  have  taken  it  upon 
themselves  to  check  on  the  legality  of 
all  signers. 

Theatre  managers  here  are  annoyed 
at  the  procedure,  feeling  they  carried 
out  their  part  of  the  program  in  good 
faith.  Each  house  had  stationed  a  sig- 
nature-taker in  the  lobby,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  see  that  all  signers  were 
legal  voters  in  the  city. 

Meanwhile,  opposition  to  the  plan  to 
legalize  Sunday  films  is  growing,  with 
the  latest  attack  coming  from  Bishop 
George  Leo  Leech. 


Rud  Lohrenz  Holds 
Midwest  UA  Meeting 

Chicago,  Sept.  10. — Rud  Lohrenz, 
Midwest  district  manager  for  United 
Artists,  held  a  regional  meeting  at  the 
Blackstone  Hotel,  here,  at  the  week- 
end in  the  interest  of  the  current  Grad 
Sears  drive.  In  attendance  were  the 
following  branch  managers  :  Sid  Rose, 
Chicago ;  R.  E.  Allen,  Milwaukee ; 
Ralph  Cramblet,  Minneapolis ;  Elmer 
Donnelly,  Indianapolis ;  William  E. 
Truog,  Kansas  City ;  B.  J.  McCarthy, 
St.  Louis,  and  D.  V.  McLucas,  Omaha. 


Legion  Honors  DeMille 

Cecil  B  DeMille  will  receive  from 
Wall  Street  Post  1217  of  the  Ameri- 
can Legion  its  1945  gold  Americanism 
Medal,  "for  his  courage,  sacrifice  and 
non-temporizing  struggle  for  the  liber- 
ties of  all." 


Feist  Sets  His  Second 

Felix  Feist,  turned  independent  pro- 
ducer, plans  a  musical  comedy  based 
on  "Hadrian's  Wall,"  which  he  wrote. 
It  will  be  filmed  in  color.  His  first 
will  be  "One  of  Ten,"  a  psychological 
murder  mystery  by  Aleen  Leslie. 


Production  Is 
Steady,  with 
48  on  Stages 


Hollywood,  Sept.  10.  —  Production 
maintained  a  shooting  level  of  48  fea- 
tures for  the  third  consecutive  week, 
with  studios  finishing  eight  and  start- 
ing eight  others ;  the  production  scene 
follows : 

Columbia 

Finished':  "Phantom  of  the  Desert,' 
"Hit  the  Hay." 

Started:  "Gilda,"  with  Rita  Hay- 
worth,  Glenn  Ford,  George  Macready 
Joseph  Calleia. 

Shooting:  "Life  With  Blondie,' 
"Song  of  Broadway,"  "Tars  and 
Spars,"  "Hail  the  Chief." 

M-G-M 

(j  Shooting:  "Holiday  in  Mexico,' 
"The  Green  Years,"  "Up  Goes  Mai- 
sie,"  "The  Yearling,"  "What  Next 
Corporal  Hargrove,"  "Boys'  Ranch,' 
"Bad  Bascomb,"  "The  Hoodlun 
Saint,"  "Two  Sisters  from  Boston,' 
"The  Postman  Always  Rings  Twice, 
"This  Strange  Adventure." 

Monogram 

Started:  "Charlie  Chan  in  Mexico, 
with  Sidney  Toler,  Mantan  Moreland 
Benson  Fong ;  "Cherokee  Trail,"  wit! 
Jimmy  Wakely,  Lee  (Lasses)  White 
John  James. 

.Shooting:  "Black  Market  Babies. 
Paramount 

Finished:  "Hot  Cargo." 

Shooting:  "Blue  Skies,"  "The  Brid 
Wore  Boots,"  "To  Each  His  Own." 
PRC 

Finished:  "Strangler  of  the  Swamp.' 
Started:    "Buster   Crabbe   No.  1,' 
with  Buster  Crabbe,  Al  St.  John. 

Republic 

Finished:  "Dakota." 

Started:  "Sun  Valley  Cyclone,"  witl 
Wild  Bill  Elliott,  Little  Beaver,  Alia 
Fleming. 

Shooting:  "Murder  in  the  Music 
Hall,"  "Along  the  Navajo  Trail,' 
"Concerto." 

RKO  Radio 

Started:  "Bamboo  Blonde,"  witl 
Frances  Langford,  Russell  Wade,  lis 
Adrian. 

Shooting:  "All  Brides  Are  Beauti- 
ful," "Some  Must  Watch,"  "The  Kid 
From  Brooklyn"  (Goldwyn),  "Heart 
beat  (Hakim-Wood),  "Tarzan  and  the 
Leopard  Man"  (Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Started:  "Centennial  Summer,"  with 
Cornel  Wilde,  Jeanne  Crain,  Con- 
stance Bennett,  Linda  Darnell,  Wil- 
liam Eythe,  Dorothy  Gish,  Barbara 
Whiting. 

Shooting:  "Sentimental  Journey," 
"Doll  Face,"  "Smoky." 

United  Artists 
Finished:    "Diary   of   a  Chamber-: 
maid"  (Bogeaus). 

Shooting:  "Tom  Breneman's  Break- 
fast in  Hollywood"  (Golden). 
Universal 
Finished:  "Gun  Town,"  "The  Fugi- 
tive." 

Shooting:  "Canyon  Passage,"  "Be- 
cause of  Him,"  "The  Daltons  Ride 
Again,"  "Scarlet  Street." 

Warners 

Started:  "The  Verdict,"  with  Syd- 
ney Greenstreet,  Peter  Lorre,  Joan' 
Lorring,  Paul  Cavanagh. 

Shooting:  "Never  Say  Goodbye", 
"The  Man  I  Love,"  "Confidential 
Agent,"  "Her  Kind  of  Man." 


Tuesday,  September  11,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


NBC  Films  Arrival 
Of  Gen.  Wainwright 

NBC's  television  station 
WNBT  in  New  York  last 
night  televised  films  taken  in 
Washington  earlier  in  the  day 
of  the  arrival  of  Gen.  Jona- 
than M.  Wainwright,  hero  of 
Bataan. 


3  Documentaries 
3n  China  at  War 


Chinese  natives  putting  their  primi- 
tve  facilities  into  the  support  of  the 
gar  makes  the  subject  matter  for  three 
ocumentary  shorts  imported  here  for 
reneral  showing.  The  films,  two  of 
4'liem  made  for  the  Chinese  Ministry 
f  Information  and  one  for  the  Chinese 
«Ie\vs  Service,  are  the  property  here 
I  Sun  Dial  Films.  Negotiations  for 
iitribution  are  said  to  be  under  way. 
The  films  show  the  background  of 
he  nation  at  war.  American  commen- 
tators thereupon  translate  the  scenes 
s  typical  of  the  nation's  manpower 
.►utting    its    shoulder    to    the  wheel 
.gainst  tremendous  odds  and  with  an 
ye  to  future  peace  and  prosperity. 
jThis  commentary,  of  the  forceful  type, 
jeems  to  be  slightly  out  of  key  with 
Be  filming  which  is  marked  by  sim- 
plicity.  However,  the  overall  result, 
.rhile  not  entirely  new,  is  fairly  ab- 
orbing  material  for  the  serious  fan. 
The  close  of  the  war  has,  of  course, 
etracted  some  from  its  timeliness. 
■  "The   Road   to    Victory,"  running 
line  minutes,  deals  with  transporta- 
*<>n.  It  shows  camel  trains  toting  war 
laterial,  planes  spanning  the  "hump" 
rnd  then  gives  a  large  share  of  atten- 
•on  to  the  construction  of  the  famous 
•tillwell  Road.  "The  Voice  of  China," 
tinning  10  minutes,  is  a  16  mm.  record 
Diicerning  mainly  the  ancient  methods 
A  tilling  the  soil  and  harvesting.  "The 
load  to  Victory"  is  available  in  35 
am.  as  is  the  last,  "China's  Pattern 
)r  Peace,"  which  offers  an  account  of 
"hina's  transition  to  a  healthier  and 
ldustrial  nation.  G.  A. 


Rosyl  Trust  Action 
Reaches  Settlement 

fThe  Rosyl  Amusement  Co.,  operat- 
fcg  the  Cameo  Theatre,  Jersey  City, 
~Bs  settled  its  anti-trust  suit  against 
3  defendants,  including  the  eight  ma- 
or  companies,  subsidiaries  and  five 
circuits,  for  its  alleged  inability  to 
^et  product. 

|  The  settlement  will  involve  product 
nd  better  runs  for  the  Cameo,  but 
ie  Fulton  Theatre  will  have  seven 
ays'  clearance  over  the  Cameo. 


9 


ara.  Will  Promote 
*te-dialogued  Films 

l  A  campaign  to  build  up  re-dialogued 
lollywood  pictures  in  Latin  America 
as  been  launched  by  Paramount,  ac- 
ording  to  George  Weltner,  president 
t  Paramount  International  Films. 
The  campaign  is  designed  to  coun- 
=ract  negative  publicity  previously 
iven  Spanish  dubbing  in  certain 
-atin   American  quarters. 


Wee  Kauser  Dies 

Alice  Kauser,  play  broker  and  au- 
iors'  agent  here  for  nearly  SO  years, 
■led  yesterday  at  Roosevelt  hospital. 


Critics'  Quotes  .  .  . 

"THE  STORY  OF  G.  I.  JOE"  (Lester  Cowan-United  Artists) 

All  that  war  is,  told  simply,  without  bombast  .  .  .  honest  realistic  and 
convincing,  it  is  straightforward,  human  and  warm  .  .  .  Burgess  Meredith 
does  the  Ernie  Pyle  role  quietly,  unassumingly — one  of  his  best. — W.  E.  J. 
Martin,  Buffalo  Courier-Express. 

.  .  .  like  attending  a  heart-shaking  memorial  service  for  both  the  living 
and  the  dead  U.  S.  Infantrymen  .  .  .  resonant  with  deep  emotion  and  pert 
with  unforced  American  humor  .  .  .  comes  the  closest  to  challenging  the 
staggering  reality  of  the  newsreel  as  a  faithful  pictorial  record  of  how 
men  in  combat  look,  talk  and  behave.  Producer  Lester  Cowan  set  up  his 
cameras  inside  the  heart  of  the  infantryman. — Ethel  Hoffnuin,  Buffalo  Eve- 
ning News. 


Mexico  Business  Up 
As  Strike  Ends 


Mexico  City,  Sept.  10. — Resump- 
tion of  work  by  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Cinematographic  Industry 
Workers  Union  at  offices  of  the  eight 
U.  S.  distributing  companies,  after  set- 
tlement of  their  month-old  strike  was 
accompanied  by  soaring  theatre  busi- 
ness as  exhibitors  once  more  had 
American  pictures  made  available  to 
them.  .. 

Meanwhile,  a  strike  scheduled  for 
today  against  17  Mexican  producers 
and  distributors  by  National  to  en- 
force its  demand  for  a  50  per  cent  pay 
rise,  was  averted  by  the  Federal  Board 
of  Conciliation  and  Arbitration.  This 
settlement  was  arranged  on  a  basis  of 
a  32  per  cent  increase,  similar  to  that 
granted  by  the  American  companies, 
on  the  part  of  eight  major  Mexican 
companies,  while  nine  smaller  com- 
panies granted  a  26  per  cent  rise. 

The  association  of  producers  and 
distributors  of  Mexican  pictures 
thanked  Manuel  Avila  Camacho,  presi- 
dent of  Mexico,  in  front-page  adver- 
tisements for  the  use  of  his  offices  in 
averting  the  strike. 


200  Sponsors  for 
Jack  (John  Dinner 

More  than  200  in  the  motion  pic- 
ture and  entertainment  fields  are  now 
among  the  sponsors  of  the  testimonial 
dinner  to  be  given  to  Jack  Cohn,  ex- 
ecutive vice-president  of  Columbia 
Pictures  on  Thursday,  Sept.  27,  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  here,  in  behalf 
of  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal,  it  was 
announced  by  Barney  Balaban,  honor- 
ary chairman,  and  Nate  B.  Spingold, 
Chairman. 

The  dinner  will  highlight  the  1945 
campaign  of  the  industry  to  support 
the  Joint  Defense  Appeal,  which 
makes  possible  the  combined  activities 
of  the  American  Jewish  Committee 
and  the  Anti-Defamation  League  of 
B'nai  B'rith  in  fighting  anti-Semitism 
and  in  safeguarding  the  American  way 
of  life. 


L.  H.  Walters  Heads 
Cine  Supply  Co, 

Cleveland,  Sept.  10. — Lou  H.  Wal- 
ters, former  National  Theatre  Supply 
manager,  here,  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Cine  Supply  Co.,  recently- 
formed  supply  company  to  operate  in 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Wis- 
consin. He  will  make  his  headquarters 
here. 

Dave  Dewey  of  Chicago  Theatre 
Supply  was  elected  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  Cine,  with  head- 
quarters in  Chicago. 


File  for  a  Vote  of 
Office  Workers 


The  LTnited  Office  and  Profession- 
al Workers  of  America,  Local  No.  1, 
CIO,  which  includes  the  Screen  Of- 
fice and  Professional  Employes  Guild, 
has  filed  a  petition  with  the  New  York 
State  Labor  Relations  Board  for  an 
election  to  determine  the  collective 
bargaining  representative  of  some  750 
"white  collar"  workers  at  Columbia 
Broadcasting,  in  New  York. 

IATSE  Motion  Picture  Home  Of- 
fice Employes  Union,  Local  No.  863, 
which  has  contracts  covering  home  of- 
fice workers  at  Warners  and  Univer- 
sal, has  filed  a  SLRB  petition  to 
represent  the  "white  collarites"  at 
CBS  television  offices  who  are  includ- 
ed in  the  group  which  UOPWA  seeks 
to  represent. 


Smith  to  Arbitrate 
Wage  Rise  Dispute 

Chicago,  Sept.  10. — Frank  Smith, 
RKO  Theatres'  Western  division 
manager,  was  appointed  arbitrator  by 
the  local  projectionists'  union  and 
some  20  to  30  small  Allied  neighbor- 
hood houses  which  claim  that  the  new 
pact  between  the  union  and  exhibi- 
tors will  force  them  out  of  business. 
Smith  will  hear  the  story  on  each 
theatre  individually  and  both  parties 
have  agreed  to  abide  by  his  decisions. 


25 ,000 ,000  Radio 
Sets  Needed  Now 

At  least  25,000,000  radio  sets  are 
needed  to  meet  the  present  demand  in 
the  U.  S.  alone,  and  the  first  of  these 
new  sets,  greatly  improved  in  tone, 
power,  selectivity  and  appearance 
"should  be  coming  over  the  assembly 
lines  within  the  next  30  to  60  days," 
John  Ballantyne,  president  of  Philco, 
said  in  a  radio  address  at  the  weekend 
over  Mutual  Broadcasting. 


ABC  to  Honor  Valentine 

American  Broadcasting  and  Water- 
man Pens  will  hold  a  reception  for 
New  York  Police  Commissioner  Lew- 
is J.  Valentine  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf 
Astoria  here  today.  Commissioner 
Valentine  has  resigned  as  New  York 
police  head  to  become  associated  with 
the  "Gang  Busters"  air  show. 


R.  V.  LaSueur  Is  Dead 

Toronto,  Sept.  10.— Richard  Vryling 
LeSueur,  64,  a  director  of  General 
Theatre  Corp.  and  Odeon  Theatres, 
Ltd.,  and  chairman  of  the  board  and 
president  of  Imperial  Oil,  Ltd.,  and 
of  International  Petroleum  Co.,  died 
here  late  last  week. 


Columbia  Meetings 
Will  Start  Today 


Chicago,  Sept.  10. — Columbia  Pic- 
tures will  start  the  first  of  a  series  of 
four  sales  meetings  tomorrow  at  the 
Drake  Hotel.  More  than  65  dele- 
gates, comprising  home  office  execu- 
tives and  members  of  the  sales  staffs 
of  11  branches  will  be  present  at  the 
three-day  convention ;  A  Montague, 
general  sales  manager,  will  preside. 

Among  home  office  executives  and 
top  sales  personnel  who  are  present, 
in  addition  to  Montague,  are  Rube 
Jackter,  Louis  Astor,  Louis  Wein- 
berg, M.  J.  Weisfeldt,  George  Jo- 
sephs, H.  C.  Kaufman,  Maurice 
Grad,  Seth  Raisler,  Irving  Sherman, 
Vincent  Borelli,  Joseph  Freiberg, 
Sydney  Singerman  and  William  Bren- 
nan. 


Lloyd  Suit  Against 
Bruckman  on  Trial 

Los  Anceles,  Sept.  10. — Harold 
Lloyd's  suit  against  Universal  direc- 
tor and  writer  Clyde  Bruckman  for 
$400,000  damages  for  alleged  plagiar- 
ism of  scenes  from  his  "Movie  Crazy" 
in  Universal's  "So's  Your  Uncle" 
went  to  trial  here  today  before  Judge 
Ben  Harrison,  who  is  hearing  it  with- 
out a  jury.  Both  pictures  will  be 
screened  for  him  tomorrow. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT- 
SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood^  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK :  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


g 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Tuesday,  September  11,  194 


FEA  Control 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

WPB  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  the 
export  situation,  Adams  said.  As 
new  information  on  supply  becomes 
available,  the  controls  may  be  tight- 
ened or  abandoned,  as  necessary  to 
meet  the  situation. 

Although  Adams  explained  that  the 
purpose  was  to  assure  that  domestic 
consumers  secured  adequate  supplies 
of  film,  there  were  suggestions  in 
other  quarters  that  the  administra- 
tion is  anxious  to  have  some  strings 
on  exports  so  that  supplies  can  be 
cut  off  from  countries  which  do  not 
treat  our  distributors  equitably. 

No  time  limit  was  set  on  the  export 
control,  but  the  joint  committee  will 
meet  again  Oct.  15  to  review  the 
situation. 

Adams  expressed  the  opinion  that 
consumption  of  raw  stock  would  reach 
new  high  records  in  the  postwar  per- 
iod and  pointed  out  that  distributors 
already  have  sharply  increased  the 
number  of  prints  made  of  some  of 
their  films.  He  said  that  statistics  for 
1941,  show  that  the  industry  used 
about  360,000,000  feet  a  quarter  for 
features,  class  C  producers  used  about 
10,000,000  feet,  newsreels  about  65,000,- 
000  feet  and  all  others  about  30,000,- 
000  feet.  This  total  of  460,000,000 
feet,  plus  Army  and  Navy  use,  left 
less  than  100,000,000  feet  for  export. 

Fewer  Production  Facilities 

Currently,  Adams  pointed  out, 
world  facilities  for  35mm  production 
are  less  than  before  the  war,  even 
though  domestic  production  has  been 
pushed  to  the  limit.  For  the  coming 
quarter,  he  said,  the  Army  and  Navy 
will  require  from  25,000,000  to  30,000,- 
000  feet,  as  compared  with  more  than 
15,000,000  feet  taken  quarterly  during 
the  war.  But  more  exact  figures  will 
be  submitted  about  Oct.  10.  By  push- 
ing  the  domestic  manufacturers  to  the 
limit,  production  has  been  boosted 
from  595,000,000  to  600,000,000  feet  a 
quarter.  To  satisfy  the  present  needs 
of  foreign  countries  probably  150,- 
000,000  feet  would  be  required,  which 
is  not  likely  to  be  available  in  view 
of  the  heavily  increased  domestic  de- 
mand. In  fact,  it  was  disclosed,  it 
has  been  recommended  that  foreign 
countries  be  given  the  same  allocation 
as  heretofore,  about  40,000,000  feet. 

Future  of  Committee 

Adams  diclosed  that  consideration 
is  being  given  the  future  of  the  indus- 
try advisory  committee.  It  is  expected 
that  the  film  manufacturers'  and  mo- 
tion picture  producers'  committees  will 
be  continued  on  an  "on  call"  basis, 
but  it  is  probable  that  the  advertising 
and  commercial  producers'  committee 
may  be  disbanded. 

A  personal  letter  of  appreciation 
has  been  sent  by  Adams  to  every 
member  of  the  advisory  committees 
over  which  he  has  presided,  thanking 
each  "for  the  help  and  contribution 
you  have  made,  not  only  as  a  member 
of  the  advisory  committee,  but  also 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  your  indus- 
try during  these  hectic  war  years. 

"During  my  four  years  with  the 
WPB,"  he  said,  "I  have  had  the  op- 
portunity to  deal  with  probably  the 
greatest  part  of  the  many  segments 
of  American  industry.  No  group  has 
been  more  understanding  and  patient, 
and  has  cooperated  to  a  greater  ex- 
tent, than  your  industry.  You  have 
done  an  outstanding  job. 

"Now  that  you  are  free  from  war 


Wyler 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

one  picture  a  year  and  the  third  will 
be  made  by  an  outside  producer  and 
will  be  supervised  by  them.  Wyler 
will  leave  here  for  the  Coast  at  the 
end  of  the  week  to  make  a  final  pic- 
ture under  an  unexpired  contract  with 
Samuel  Goldwyn,  the  screenplay  for 
which  is  now  being  written  by  Robert 
Sherwood  from  Mackinlay  Kantor's 
story,  "Glory  for  Me."  He  will  re- 
port to  Liberty  thereafter. 

Capra's  first  for  Liberty  will  be  "It 
Happened  on  Fifth  Avenue." 

Wyler's  final  picture  for  the  Army 
Air  Corps,  "Thunderbolt,"  a  story  of 
fighter  pilots,  with  a  running  time  of 
40  minutes,  will  be  in  Washington  in 
about  two  weeks,  he  said.  Wyler  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  it  would  be 
made  available  to  theatres  and  widely 
circulated.  He  has  suggested  that  the 
War  Department  sell  the  picture  out- 
right to  a  distributor  for  commercial 
handling,  exactly  as  other  surplus 
Army  property  is  disposed  of,  but  no 
action  has  been  taken  on  the  sugges- 
tion as  yet. 


Byron  Price 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

that  the  Office  of  War  Information 
will  not  long  continue  operation  in 
Germany.  The  President  emphasized, 
however,  that  Price's  appointment  in 
no  wise  indicates  dissatisfaction  with 
the  current  handling  of  public  relations 
by  our  occupation  forces. 

Price  is  regarded  as  having  full 
comprehension  of  the  potential  value 
of  motion  pictures  in  public  relations 
and  on  the  reeducation  of  defeated 
Germany.  One  important  question 
which  he  will  probably  be  called  upon 
to  discuss  is  the  advisability  of  press- 
ing the  showing  of  Hollywood  films  to 
the  Germans. 


U.  S.  Agency 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

expected  that  Mills'  suggestion  of  the 
library  will  be  accepted. 

In  the  final  development  of  the  plan, 
the  committee  rejected  the  proposal  to 
set  up  a  central  clearance  and  review 
unit  to  aid  the  various  agencies  on 
production  problems,  but  agreed  to 
bring  in  a  group  of  technical  special- 
ists to  advise  and  consult  with  from 
time  to  time. 

Purpose  of  the  plan  is  to  avoid  a 
return' to  the  prewar  system  of  catch- 
as-catch-can  distribution  which  pre- 
vailed until  President  Roosevelt  set  up 
the  U.  S.  film  service  under  Lowell 
Mellett. 


regulations  and  we  are  entering  an 
era  of  peace  which  we  all  hope  will 
last  for  many  decades,  I  would  like  to 
point  out  that  in  my  opinion  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry,  because  of  its 
unique  position  with  respect  to  all  the 
other  countries  of  the  world,  bears  a 
responsibility  far  greater  than  that  of 
any  other  part  of  the  American  econ- 
omy. 

"Your  industry  can  do  more  than 
any  other  to  present  to  the  world  at 
large  the  American  people  and  the 
American  way  of  life.  It  is  your  op- 
portunity, as  I  see  it,  to  lead  the  way 
and  teach  the  world  the  benefits  of  the 
American  way,  which  is  the  path  to 
peace  and  happiness." 


Griffiths'  Defense 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ment's  anti-trust  trial  of  H.  J.  and 
L.  C.  Griffith  and  their  four  compa- 
nies was  resumed. 

Justice  department  attorneys  said  a 
review  of  Griffith  Amusement  Co.  de- 
velopments in  Norman  and  Elk  City, 
Okla.,  Tuesday,  would  complete  the 
Government's  evidence.  The  trial  is 
likely  to  see  the  first  defense  witness 
before  Tuesday's  session  adjourns. 

Charles  H.  Mahone,  operator  of  the- 
atres in  Hobart  between  1933  and 
1938,  testified  under  long  examination 
by  M.  A.  Kallus,  a  Government  at- 
torney, that  he  was  not  offered  RKO 
"A"  product  for  the  '37-'38  season  be- 
cause the  distributor  decided  to  deal 
solely  with  Griffith,  which  began  op- 
erating a  theatre  there  in  1934. 

Other  witnesses  were  Mrs.  Myrtle 
Guthrie,  independent  operator  in  Clin- 
ton, and  Aubrey  Morgan  of  Grand 
Prairie  and  Fort  Worth,  Tex.  The 
former  contended  she  had  been  un- 
able _  to  get  first-run  product  because 
of  circuit  buying,  while  the  latter  tes- 
tified that  Jack  Pickens,  later  a  Wes- 
Tex  executive,  had  tried  to  purchase 
a  house  in  Brady  in  1936,  repre- 
senting himself  as  interested  in  "lin- 
ing up  some  theatres  against  the  Grif- 
fiths." 

First  Griffith  witness  is  likely  to  be 
C.  B.  Akers,  assistant  to  the.  general 
manager  of  Griffith  Amusement. 


No  N.  Y.  Case  Delay 

Washington,  Sept.  10.— Justice  de- 
partment officials  today  anticipated 
that  the  Griffith  Amusement  Co.  trial, 
which  resumed  today  at  Oklahoma 
City,  will  be  concluded  before  Oct.  8, 
when  the  consent  decree  suit  in  New 
York  is  scheduled  to  open. 

However,  it  was  explained  by  Rob- 
ert L.  Wright,  Special  Assistant  to  the 
U.  S.  Attorney  General  in  charge  of  the 
film  unit,  if  the  Oklahoma  City  case  is 
not  concluded  when  the  New  York 
trial  starts  the  Government  will  ask 
a  continuance. 


Decree  Committee 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

headquarters  discloses,  as  follows : 
Jesse  L.  Stern,  moderator  of  the  con- 
ference and  president  of  the  Unaffili- 
ated Independent  Exhibitors  of  New 
York ;  Robert  H.  Poole,  executive  sec- 
retary of  the  Pacific  Coast  Conference 
of  Independent  Exhibitors ;  Nathan 
Yamins,  chairman  of  Independent  Ex- 
hibitors, Inc.,  New  England;  Sidney 
E.  Samuelson,  general  manager,  Allied 
Independent  Theatre  Owners  of  East- 
ern Pennsylvania ;  Irving  Dollinger, 
Eastern  regional  vice-president,  Allied 
States  Association ;  Maxwell  Alder- 
man, secretary,  Allied  Theatres  of 
Connecticut ;  Abram  F.  Myers,  general 
counsel  of  Allied  and  of  the  CIE. 


Allport 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Juan  Antonio  Suances,  minister  of 
commerce  and  industry,  is  expected  to 
present  to  a  committee  of  U.  S.  dis- 
tributors who  are  expected  in  Madrid 
within  a  few  weeks,  is  said  to  call  for 
the  abolition  of  the  prohibitive  import 
license  and  similar  fees,  averaging 
about  $20,000  per  picture. 


N.  Y.  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

at  the  Rial  to  with  a  heavy  $12,000  ex 
pected. 

"State  Fair"  at  the  Roxy,  "Anchor 
Aweigh"  at  the  Capitol,  and  "Lov. 
Letters"  at  the  Rivoli  are  oustandin; 
in  the  holdover  class.    "State  Fair, 
combined  with  a  bill  headlining  Con 
nee  Boswell  and  the  Condos  Brother.* 
is  expected  to  bring  a  splendid  $95." 
000  for  a  second  week  at  the  Roxy 
following  an  initial  week's  $123,000< 
"Anchors  Aweigh"  and  a  stage  bili 
featuring  Paul  Whiteman  and  his  or 
chestra  and  Lionel  Kaye  and  Johnni' 
Johnston,  are  headed  for  a  big  $79,00  \ 
for  an  eighth  week,  following  a  sev 
enth's  $90,000  gross.    "Love  Letters' 
is  expected  to  bring  an  excellent  $62,  j 
000  for  its  third  week  at  the  Rivol 
following  an  outstanding  second  week'i 
$70,000  and  an  initial  week's  $76,000. 

Holdovers 

Long-run  holdovers,  "Wonder  Man,1' 
at  the  Astof ;  "Rhapsody  in  Blue,"  ai 
the  Hollywood,  and  "Along  Cam 
Jones,"  at  the  Palace,  are  continuing 
strongly.  "Wonder  Man"  is  expecte 
to  bring  a  heavy  $39,000  for  a  14t 
week  at  the  Astor.  "Rhapsody"  wi: 
bring  $23,000  for  an  11th  week  at  th 
Hollywood,  with  "Saratoga  Trunk, 
set  to  follow  next  month..  "Alon 
Carrie  Jones"  will  conclude  an  eight ! 
and  final  week  at  the  Palace  tonigh 
with  $14,000,  to  give  it  the  longest  ru  \ 
at  the  theatre  under  present  operatin;, 
policy;  "Back  to  Bataan"  will  ope. 
there  tomorrow  as  the  week's  Ion/ 
entry. 

"Pride  of  the  Marines,"  combine  J 
with  a   stage  bill  featuring  Charli 
Barnet  and  his  orchestra,  is  holding  ui 
strongly  at  the  Strand,  with  a  goo 
$60,000  expected  for  a  third  weel 
"The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle  Harry' 
is  expected  to  bring  $24,000  for  a  thir 
week  at  the  Criterion ;  it  will  hold  fo  i 
a  fourth.    "The  Southerner"  is  head 
ed  for  a  good  $15,500  for  its  thir  | 
week  at  the  Globe,  following  a  secon 
week's  $18,000.    "The  Story  of  G.: 
Joe"  is  set  to  open  at  both  the  Glob  ; 
and  Gotham  on  Oct.  6.    "Love,  Hono ' 
and  Goodbye"  is  expected  to  bring 
quiet  $8,500  for  an  initial  week  at  tfrj 
Gotham,  but  will  hold. 

The  re-release  of  "The  Wonderft 
Adventures  of  Pinocchio"  is  continv. 1 
ing  to  draw  strongly  at  the  Republii 
with  $17,500  expected  for  its  fourt! 
week,  following  a  $19,200  gross  for 
third. 


R.  E.  Young 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

from  Pathe  Laboratories  in  1941  t 
become  Monogram  general  manage! 
He  has  been  studio  business  manage 
of  PRC,  a  Pathe  Laboratories  affili 
ate,  for  the  past  six  months. 

Don  McElwaine,  who  had  agreei 
to  remain  pending  the  selection  of 
successor  after  resigning  from  th 
company  in  union  with  Leon  From 
kess,  former  president,  on  Saturdaj 
re-accepted  his  studio  advertising 
publicity  post. 


Bandits  Get  $1,700 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  10. — T\v< 
masked  bandits  last  night  held  up  Mis 
Wanda  Mitchell,  assistant  manager  o 
the  Tower  Theatre  here,  and  escapei 
with  $1,700,  the  week's  receipts.  The; 
were  still  at  large  today. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

[DAILY 


to  the  JVVqtion 
Picture 
Industry 


OL.  58.  NO.  51 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  12,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Crosses 


for  5 


W eeks  are  the 
3est  for  1945 


iig  Jump  in  Receipts 
'or  Late  Summer  Period 


l^te  Summer  and  early  Autumn 
ive  brought  a  sensational  jump  in 
isiness  at  key-city  first-run  thea- 
ies  throughout  the  country,  it  is 
sclosed  in  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
jke  Daily  field  correspondents  cov- 
ing as  many  as  147  key  houses. 

Strong  film   attractions,  of- 
fered to  coincide  with  the  pre- 
school-opening rush  just  prior 
to  Labor  Day  and  with  the  re- 
turn of  vacationists,  aided  also 
by  some  cool  and  wet  weather, 
made  the  five  weeks  just  ended 
the  most  consistently  lucrative 
period  of  1945  to  date. 
Average  grosses  per  week  for  key- 
tv  houses   in  the  past   five  weeks 
ifiged  between  $18,334  and  $19,350. 
wo  of  these  weeks  have  not  been 
ipped  since  the  seven  days  that  in- 
uded    the    always-unbeatable  New 
lear's  Eve.  and  none  of  them  have 

(Continued  on  pane  7) 


Export  Corp. 
leady  to  Go 


Planning  neared  a  climax  yester- 
ay  for  the  Motion  Picture  Export 
o.,  Inc.,  to  launch  its  initial  opera- 
ons  in  Holland,  at  a  meeting  here  of 
Ticers  and  members  of  the  industry 
>reign  trade  organization. 

Indications  also  developed  that  Ger- 
many will  be  the  second  European 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


War  Time  Probably 
Ended  on  Sept.  30 

Washington,  Sept.  11.— Re- 
peal of  Wartime  Daylight 
Saving  at  the  end  of  this 
month  was  voted  unanimously 
today  by  the  House  Interstate 
Commerce  Committee,  which 
passed  on  the  legislation  with- 
out public  hearing  and  will 
send  a  bill  to  the  House  fljor 
providing  for  return  to  Stand- 
ard Time,  turning  the  clock 
back  one  hour  at  two  a.m. 
Sunday,  Sept.  30. 


Mussolini's  Film  Edicts 
Have  Not  Been  Repealed 


Johnston  Election  Is, 
Delayed  a  Few  Days 

Announcement  of  the  elec- 
tion of  Eric  Johnston  to  the 
presidency  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America  is  not  likely 
to  come  from  today's  MPPDA 
quarterly  meeting,  but  will 
probably  be  delayed  for  a  few 
days  for  an  adjourned  meet- 
ing to  permit  Johnston  to 
formally  submit  his  resigna- 
tion as  president  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Chamber,  in 
Washington,  tomorrow. 


Loew's  Sets  World 
Regional  Control 


Loew's  International  Corp.  has  set 
up  in  New  York  a  system  of  regional 
directors,  each  charged  with  supervis- 
ing and  servicing  the  foreign  terri- 
tories under  respective  supervisions. 
The  plan  contemplates  fuller  service 
to  field  men  through  the  New  York 
regional  directors.  Morton  A.  Spring, 
Loew's  International  vice-president, 
yesterday  announced  the  following  ap- 
pointments in  line  with  this  new 
policy  : 

Samuel  X.  Burger,  formerly  home 
office  representative,  has  been  named 
regional  director  for  Latin  America, 

(Continued  on  page  ~) 


Although  democratic  film  laws  have 
been  promulgated  for  the  film  industry 
in  Italy,  they  have  remained  unsigned 
up  until  now,  thus  permitting  the  fas- 
cist decrees,  which  forced  the  U.  S. 
distributors  to  abandon  that  territory 
when  they  found  it  impossible  to  func- 
tion under  them,  to  retain  the  force  of 
law,  Louis  Lober,  chief  of  the  Office 
of  War  Information  overseas  film  bu- 
reau, in  process  of  absorption  by  the 
State  Department,  said  here  yester- 
day. This '  statement  refutes  a  decla- 
ration by  the  Department  last  Spring 
that  the  fascist  laws  had  been  re- 
pealed. 

Lober  expressed  surprise  at  the  de- 
lay on  the  part  of  the  Italian  govern- 
ment in  not  issuing  the  new  decree,  a 
delay  which  occurred,  he  said,  despite 
a  promise  by  an  Italian  government 
official  that  the  new  decree  obviating 
the  fascist  laws  would  be  signed  in  a 
week.  The  official  excused  the  delay, 
Lober  said,  on  the  grounds  that  the 
government's      reorganization  had 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Rules  Suspended 
In  Griffith  Trial 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  11. — Charac- 
terizing "75  per  cent  of  the  testimony 
that  has  been  introduced"  in  the  Gov- 
ernment's anti-trust  suit  against  the 
H.  J.  and  L.  C.  Griffith  circuits  as 
"wholly  incompetent  according  to  the 
rules  of  evidence,"  Federal  Judge  Ed- 
gard  S.  Yaught,  nevertheless,  allowed 
almost  all  testimony  to  proceed  as  the 
trial  here  this  morning  entered  its  sec- 
ond day  following  a  summer  recess. 
"Why  keep  the  facts  out  of  this  case?" 
he  said  when  M.  A.  Kallus,  prosecut- 
ing attorney,  objected  to  some  defense 
closs-examination.  "The  court  has 
opened  the  gates  so  you  can  develop 
your  theory  fully." 

Principal  U.  S.  witness  today  was 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Report  PRC  Post 
Offered  to  Broidy 


Hollywood,  Sept.  11. — It  is  report- 
ed here  and  in  New  York  that  the 
presidency  of  PRC  has  been  offered 
to  Steve  Broidy,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  sales  for  Monogram.  Ques- 
tioned concerning  the  reports,  Broidy 
would  neither  confirm  nor  deny  them. 

If  true,  the  reports  would  indicate 
that  the  recent  election  of  Kenneth 
Young  to  the  PRC  presidency  was  a 
temporary  arrangement  to  fill  the  post 
until  a  permanent  successor  to  Leon 
Fromkess,  who  resigned  recently,  was 
chosen. 

Broidy  had  the  backing  of  a  group 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Green  Calls  Sept.  19 
Meeting  on  Strike 


Hollywood,  Sept.  11.  —  William 
Green,  president  of  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Labor,  has  called  a  meeting 
of  the  six  international  presidents  of 
the  unions  involved  in  the  studio  strike 
here,  to  be  held  in  Washington  Sept. 
19,  presumably  with  IATSE  president 
Richard  F.  Walsh  also  in  attendance. 

L.  P.  Lindelof,  Painters  Interna- 
tional president,  will  be  accompanied 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


38,500,000 
Film  Gift  to 
Armed  Forces 


Stimson  and  Gen.  Byron 
Commend  the  Industry 


Monetary  value  of  the  16mm  gift 
films  turned  over  by  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry  to  the  Armed  Forces 
for  showings  abroad  during  the  war 
was  placed  yesterday  at  $38,500,000, 
by  the  War  Activities  Committee. 

Some  43,306  features  and  33,- 
236  short  subjects,  requiring  ap- 
proximately 150,000,000  feet  of 
raw  stock,  were  made  available 
by  the  industry.  "These  enter- 
tainment pictures  have  consti- 
tuted one  of  the  outstanding 
contributions  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  morale  of  our 
fighting  forces,"  Secretary  of 
War  Henry  L.  Stimson  has  de- 
clared. 

Deliveries  of  the  gift  films  will  be 
completed  on  Oct.  31,  Francis  S.  Har- 
mon, WAC  chairman,  declared  yester- 
day, verifying  the  deadline  date  pub- 
lished in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
Monday.     Harmon    stated   that  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Disneys  Shift 
Top  Duties 


Walt  Disney,  at  the  next  company 
board  of  directors  meeting,  will  re- 
sign as  president  of  Disney  Produc- 
tions to  become  board  chairman,  while 
Roy  O.  Disney  will  step  up  to  the 
presidency  and  will  devote  most  of 
his  time  to  broad  sales  and  marketing 
policies  and  other  company  matters. 
Walt  Disney  stepped  into  the  board 
chairmanship  to  enable  him  to  devote 
his  full  time  to  production  matters. 

Succeeding  Roy  Disney  as  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  as 
well  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors, will  be  John  F.  Reeder,  who 
has    resigned   as    vice-president  and 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "The  House  on 
92nd  Street"  appears  on  page 
4;  "River  Gang,"  "Flaming 
Bullets,"  5. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  September  12,  1945 


Cinema  Lodge  Will 
Honor  Jack  Cohn 


Cinema  Lodge,  B'nai  B'rith  will 
honor  Jack  Cohn,  executive  vice-pres- 
ident of  Columbia  Pictures,  at  the 
testimonial  dinner  which  will  be  giv- 
en to  him  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf  As- 
toria, here,  on  Thursday  evening,  Sept 
27,  by  the  entertainment  industry  di- 
vision of  the  1945  Joint  Defense  Ap- 
peal drive,  Albert  A.  Senft,  Cinema 
president,  announces.  The  dinner  will 
highlight  the  entertainment  industry 
division's  participation  in  JDA's  drive 
for  the  Anti-Defamation  League  of 
B'nai  B'rith  and  the  American  Jew- 
ish Committee. 

Cinema's  "honor  scroll"  will  be  pre- 
sented to  Cohn  for  his  pioneering  in 
•  Anti-Defamation  League  work  in 
New  York.  Barney  Balaban,  presi- 
dent of  Paramount,  will  make  the  pre- 
sentation for  Cinema.  A  biography 
of  Cohn's  career  will  be  written  and 
presented  by  Jack  H.  Levin,  Cinema 
vice-president. 

Previous  recipients  of  the  Cinema 
"honor  scroll"  are  Balaban,  Harry 
Brandt  and  Samuel  Rinzler.  The  din- 
ner will  help  spearhead  Cinema's  drive 
for  a  membership  of  1,000  in  the  en- 
tertainment industry. 


Ban  on  Conventions 
To  Be  Lifted  Oct  1 

Washington,  Sept.  11. — All  re- 
strictions on  conventions,  trade  shows 
and  group  meetings  will  be  lifted  Oct. 
1,  it  was  announced  here  today  by  J. 
M.  Johnson,  director  of  Defense 
Transportation,  who  pointed  out,  how- 
ever, that  transportation  is  still  un- 
certain and  declared  the  lifting  of  the 
ban  is  not  an  invitation  to  travel. 

Shortly  after  the  Japanese  surren- 
der approval  was  given  to  state-wide 
meetings  attended  by  delegates  within 
the  state  and  a  limited  number  of 
guests  from  outside  the  state. 


Wolcott  Resigns  as 
MOT  Manager 

James  Wolcott  has  resigned  as 
March  of  Time  production  manager, 
effective  Sept.  15,  MOT  producer 
Richard  de  Rochemont  disclosed  here 
yesterday. 

Wolcott  joined  MOT  in  March, 
1939,  going  directly  from  Hollywood 
where  he  was  head  of  the  test  depart- 
ment for  20th  Century-Fox.  During 
his  six  years  with  March  of  Time, 
Wolcott  acted  as  production  manager 
on  feature  product,  as  well  as  the  short 
releases. 


Hollywood  to  Meet  on 
Victory  Loan  Plans 

Hollywood,  Sept.  11.  —  Plans  for 
Hollywood's  participation  in  the 
Eighth  Loan  drive  will  be  made  to- 
morrow afternoon  when  Ted  Gamble, 
S.  H.  Fabian  and  Francis  Harmon, 
arriving  in  the  morning,  will  meet  with 
Hollywood  Victory  Committee  chair- 
man Kenneth  Thompson,  Screen  Act- 
ors Guild  president  George  Murphy 
and  production  company  heads  at  the 
M-G-M  studio. 


Personal  Mention 


TAMES  A.  FITZPATRICK  is  due 
«J  to  arrive  in  New  York  from  En- 
gland on  the  Aquitania  Friday. 
• 

Hall  Baets,  Fox  Intermountain 
Theatres  district  manager,  is  in  Mon- 
tana from  Salt  Lake  City ;  Si  Saun- 
ders, his  assistant,  is  vacationing  in 
Denver. 

• 

Jay  Gove,  head  of  M-G-M  sales  de- 
velopment, is  recuperating  at  his  home 
from  a  recent  illness  and  plans  a  va- 
cation before  returning  to  his  post. 
• 

Phil  Dow,  assistant  to  Harry  L. 
Gold,  United  Artists  Eastern  sales 
manager,  is  confined  to  his  home  with 
the  grippe. 

• 

Mort  Blum  en  stock,  Warner  Bros. 
Eastern  advertising  and  publicity  head, 
has  an  article,  "Gettin'-Even  Day,"  in 
the  September  issue  of  "Go." 

• 

Mrs.  Peter  Strahl,  chief  telephone 
operator  at  the  20th  Century-Fox 
home  office,  became  the  mother  of  a 
girl,  Jane  Ann,  last  week. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M '  Southern 
sales  manager,  is  in  Washington  from 
New  Orleans  recovering  from  an  eye 
operation. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  dis- 
tribution vice-president,  now  plans  to 
leave  New  York  for  Hollywood  on 
Sept.  21. 

o 

Charles  Brown  of  San  Antonio, 
Tex.,  brother  of  Abe  Brown,  is  visit- 
ing the  latter  on  Atlanta's  Film  Row. 
• 

Bernard  Seaman,  manager  of  the 
Hippodrome,  Baltimore,  is  spending  a 
few  days  in  New  York. 

9 

Morey  Goldstein,  Monogram  East- 
ern division  manager,  left  here  yester- 
day for  Washington. 

• 

Arthur    Mayer   will    leave  New 
York  next  week  for  the  Far  East  on 
an  American  Red  Cross  mission. 
• 

Harry  Mersay  is  back  at  the  20th 
Century-Fox  home  office  following  his 
discharge  from  the  service. 

• 

J.  T.  Sheffield  of  Sheffield  Repub- 
lic exchanges,  is  in  a  Seattle  hospital 
with  an  infected  foot. 

• 

William  Richardson,  head  of  As- 
tor  Pictures,  Atlanta,  is  visiting  in 
Alabama. 

• 

Charles  Deesen  of  the  M-G-M 
home  office,  is  vacationing  in  upstate 
New  York. 

• 

Sid    Blumenstock   is    in  Atlanta 
from  20th  Century-Fox's  home  office. 
• 

Harry  Katz,  PRC  vice-president  in 
Atlanta,  is  visiting  in  Charlotte. 


Frank  Morgan  is 
from  Hollywood. 


in  New  York 


Dorothy  Day  of  M-G-M  is  on  a 
vacation. 


LESTER  COWAN,  United  Artists 
producer,   arrived  in  New  York 
from  Hollywood  yesterday. 

• 

Tom  Connors,  20th  Century-Fox 
vice-president  in  charge  of  distribu- 
tion, returned  to  the  home  office  today 
from  .San  Francisco,  accompanied  by 
W.  C.  Gehring,  Central-Canadian 
sales  manager,  and  Morris  Caplan, 
branch  coordinator. 

• 

Benjamin  Proulx,  distribution  of- 
ficer of  the  National  Film  Board,  Ot- 
tawa, is  enroute  to  Hong  Kong,  China, 
to  meet  his  wife  and  two  sons  who 
have  just  been  liberated  there. 
• 

Wolfe  Cohen,  Warner  Brothers 
International  vice-president,  has  ar- 
rived in  Rio  de  Janerio  and  will  leave 
there  for  Buenos  Aires  in  about  three 
weeks. 

• 

Sir  Alexander  Korda  is  scheduled 
to  arrive  here  from  London  tomorrow 
or  Friday  for  conferences  with  Loew's 
home  office  executives  and 'a  vacation. 
• 

Harry  C.  Kopf,  vice-president  and 
general  manager  of  NBC'S  Central 
division,  and  Helen  Hogue,  were  mar- 
ried in  Chicago  last  weekend. 

• 

Lt.  (j.g.)  Buddy  Ebsen,  stage  and 
screen  dancer,  was  married  this  week 
at  Seattle  to  Nancy  McKeown,  a 
Spar  from  Winnetka,  111. 

• 

Major  Reginald  Baker,  president 
of  Kinematograph  Renters  Society  of 
London,  will  leave  New  York  for  En- 
gland today. 

• 

Mel  Gold,  National  Screen's  home 
office  advertising-publicity  director, 
will  have  a  tonsillectomy  performed 
on  Friday. 

• 

Jerry  Keyser,  Warners'  home  of- 
fice foreign  department  publicity  man- 
ager, will  return  here  today  from  a 
vacation. 

Robert  M.  Savini,  president  of 
Astor  Pictures,  New  York,  has  ar- 
rived in  New  Orleans,  en  route  to 
Dallas. 

• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Eastern  division 
sales  manager  for  Warner  Brothers, 
is  on  a  trip  to  Cleveland  and  Pitts- 
burgh. 

• 

Max  Friedman,  buyer  and  booker 
for  Warner  Theatres  in  the  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  zone,  is  in  New  York  for  a  few 
days. 

• 

Sidney  G.  Alexander,  Columbia 
advertising  manager,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  Philadelphia. 

• 

Edward  M.  Schnitzer,  United 
Artists  home  office  executive,  will 
leave  for  Toronto  today. 

• 

Monroe  Greenthal  left  here  for 
Hollywood  yesterday  on  vacation. 
• 

Benedict  E.  Bogeaus  is  en  route  to 
New  York  from  the  Coast. 

• 

Stephin  Fetchit,  stage  and  screen 
player,  is  in  Atlanta. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


O  CENES  of  the  havoc  wrought  oi, 
*J  Jap  cities  by  atomic  bombings 
Gen.  Waimvright's  homecoming ,  ana 
Miss  America — 1945,  claim  most  oj 
the  latest  newsreel  footage.  Also  fea- 
tured are  miscellaneous  items  of  cur- 
rent interest,  including  sports.  Con 
tents  of  the  current  reels  follow: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  4.  —  Genera 
Wainwright  home  at  last.  Utter  dc-struc 
tion  of  Japanese  cities  by  atomic  bombs 
Sports  items:  tennis,  football  and  auto  rac 
ing.    Miss  America  of  1945. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  202.— Damag, 
from  the  air  to  Jap  cities.  Men  who  de 1 
livered  the  first  atomic  bomb.  Nation  hon 
ors  General  Wainwright.    Miss  America. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  5.— $3,000,00 
shipyyard  fire.  President  goes  to  basebal 
game.  Miss  America,  1945.  Japan  bombe> 
and  "atomized."    The  heroes  come  home. 

RKO  PATHE  NEWS,  No.  7.— Burm. 
Japs  surrender.  Atom  bomb  aftermath 
President  goes  to  ball  game.  Gen.  Wain 
wright  welcomed  home. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  432.r 

Nation  gives  Gen.  Wainwright  a  hero' 
welcome.  Limited  wrecked.  Fire  sweep 
shipyard.  British  film  star  arrives.  Magi 
eye  checks  "G.  I."  souvenirs.  Miss  an, 
Mrs.  America,  1945.    Atom  bomb  havoc. 


Foeldes  Named  (U 
Europe  Sales  Head 

Louis  Foeldes  has  been  promote< 
to  the  newly-created  post  of  Univer 
sal  International  Corp.  general  sale 
manager  for  Europe,  under  Harry  No 
vak,  Continental  supervisor ;  he  wil 
make  his  headquarters  in*  Paris,  J.  H 
Seidelman,  president  of  "U's"  foreigi 
affiliate,  disclosed  here  yesterday. 

Foeldes  joined  Universal  in  1938 
as  supervisor  for  the  Scandinaviai 
countries,  Holland,  Central  and  East 
ern  Europe,  a  post  he  held  until  th 
advent  of  the  war.  He  entered  thL 
industry  in  1925,  with  Paramount! 
working  its  New  York  foreign  divi 
sion  and  later  as  territorial  and  disj 
trict  manager  in  Europe  and  the  Fa| 
East. 


Allot  Space  for  NBC 
Video  in  Congress 

Washington,  Sept.  11. — Televisio 
has  entered  the  Halls  of  Congres 
with  the  granting  by  the  House  c 
Representatives  of  the  first  _  definitely 
assigned  position  for  television  can- 
eras  to  National  Broadcasting. 

NBC's  cameras  will  include  bot 
television  and  motion  picture  and  hav 
been  granted  the  same  position  ac 
corded  film  companies  in  the  Hous 
gallery. 


Eugene  Burr  Joins 
WB  as  Story  Scout 

Eugene  Burr,  former  drama  edito 
and  critic  of  Billboard,  and  for  th 
past  few  years  associated  with  Bill 
Rose,  has  been  added  to  Warner: 
Eastern  staff  as  story  scout,  it  is  ar 
nounced  by  Jacob  Wilk,  Eastern  pre 
duction  manager. 

Burr  will  specialize  in  play  materia 
covering  both  Broadway  production 
and  out-of-town  theatricals,  for  bot 
talent  and  scripts. 


Published,  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Qui&le. 
7-3100.     Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin .  Qm&ej 


'  ION   PICTURE   DAILY,   Martin    Quigley,   Editor-in-Chief   and    Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor. 

Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.     Telephone  Circle  ,-   ■    .  , 

lent;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  hecke,  Adveitisin 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  isureai 
'  ,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."    Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald  better  1  lieatre. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.     Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  187y.  bubscriptio 
rate*  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


NEW  YORK'S  NEWEST 

Gucssi^a  Game 

"How  many  weeks 
will  MrG-M's  Technicolossal 
'ANCHORS  A  WEIGH'  play 
at  the  Capitol  Theatre 
where  it  is  breaking 
records  week  after  week." 


Tip  to  all  play-dates:  "Double  your  estimates  of  extended  run 


4 


Motion  picture  daily 


Wednesday,  September  12,  194 


Review 


"The  House  on  92nd  Street" 

(20th  Century-Fox) 

HOW  the  FBI  painstakingly  guarded  America's  top  military  secret  of  the 
war — the  atomic  bomb — from  wily  Nazi  operatives  in  the  U.  S.,  is 
told  with  tense  excitement,  taunt  suspense  and  teeming  interest  and  timeliness 
in  "The  House  on  92nd  Street,"  an  excellently-made  melodrama  produced  by 
Louis  de  Rochemont  for  20th  Century-Fox.  Brilliantly  combining  the  effec- 
tiveness of  the  documentary  technique  with  a  fictional  story  which  purports 
to  come  from  FBI  material,  it  is  at  the  same  time  a  grand  tribute  to  the 
FBI  in  World  War  II  and  an  immensely  entertaining  and  exciting  film,  with 
top  box  office  possibilities. 

'Process  97,'  now  revealed  through  the  film  as  the  development  of  the  atomic 
bomb  and  an  elusive  Nazi  agent,  'Mr.  Christopher,'  assigned  by  the  Nazis 
to  ferret  out  its  secret,  are  the  top  attractions.  Featured  are  Lloyd  Nolan 
as  an  FBI  invesigator,  Wiliam  Eythe,  as  a  Nazi-trained  spy  in  league  with 
the  FBI,  and  Signe  Hasso  as  the  elusive  Christopher.  Henry  Hathaway's 
direction  is  splendid  in  maintaining  keen  suspense  from  start  to  finish,  and 
de  Rochemont  has  done  a  brilliant  job  in  fusing  commentary  and  documentary 
of  actual  events  with  fictional  sequences. 

Barre  Lyndon,  Charles  G.  Booth  and  John  Monks,  Jr.,  all  had  a  hand 
in  the  neatly  woven  and  compact  screenplay,  from  a  story  by  Booth.  Actual 
scenes  of  FBI  operations  in  maintaining  a  close  surveillance  of  Nazi  agents 
in  the  U.  S.  even  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  lead  into  the  story  of 
the  bomb's  development.  The  FBI  maintains  contact  with  Eythe  from  the 
moment  he  leaves  the  Nazi  spy  school  in  Hamburg'for  the  U.  S.  There  are 
no  histrionics  in  their  operations.  They  are  patient  and  deft  in  all  their 
moves  and  with  their  aid,  Eythe  goes  far  with  his  Nazi  masters.  The  stakes 
are  big  once  the  FBI  discovers  that  the  Nazis  have  gained  access  to  informa- 
tion about  the  development  of  the  bomb.  It  takes  considerable  time  to  un- 
cover the  elusive  Christopher  in  the  person  of  Miss  Hasso. 

There  is  little  gunplay  and  less  intrigue  in  this  straightforward  account. 
Emphasis  is  on  the  details  of  the  FBI's  painstaking  job.  Gene  Lockhart, 
as  the  thief  of  the  atomic  secrets,  is  conveniently  gifted  with  a  rare  photo- 
graphic memory,  while  Leo  G.  Carroll,  as  a  trader  in  useful  and  secret  in- 
formation, is  convincing  without  being  over-dramatic.  In  the  faithful  repro- 
duction of  actual  scenic  backgrounds,  the  film  takes  on  added  authenticity. 
Others  in  the  cast  include  Lydia  St.  Clair  and  William  Post. 

"The  House  on  92nd  Street"  is  an  excellent  and  timely  spy  melodrama 
which  should  draw  heavily  at  the  box  offices. 

Running  time,  88  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  To  be  released 
in  October.  Milton  Livingston 


Depinet  Concludes 
RKO  '46  Meetings 

Montreal,  Sept.  11. — Fifth  and 
final  sales  meeting  in  a  series  of  1945- 
46  regionals  conducted  by  RKO  Radio 
in  the  U.  S.  and  Canada  will  be  con- 
cluded here  tomorrow,  following  this 
evening's  reception  in  the  Windsor 
Hotel,  where  guests  included  many 
Canadian  exhibitors. 

The  sales  meetings  began  on  Mon- 
day and  were  presided  over  by  Ned 
E.  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  president, 
and  Robert  Mochrie,  general  sales 
manager.  Headquarters  are  in  the 
Windsor  Hotel  and  business  sessions 
were  punctuated  by  special  screenings 
of  "The  Spanish  Alain"  and  "The 
Bells  of  St.  Mary's,"  at  the  York 
Theatre. 

Branch  manager  Hatton  Taylor  ac- 
cepted the  first  prize  in  the  "Ned  De- 
pinet Sales  Drive,"  awarded  to  his 
Alontreal  exchange.  Second  place 
was  taken  by  Herman  McArthur's  St. 
John  contingent,  with  third  place 
awarded  to  the  Vancouver  office.  Leo 
M.  Devaney,  general  manager  of 
RKO  Radio  Canadian  Company  won 
a  prize  in  the  11  districts  comprising 
the  U.  S.  and  Canada,  with  a  special 
prize  going  to  George  Degnon  of  the 
Canadian  exploitation  staff.  Meyer 
Nackimson  of  the  Toronto  office  was 
awarded  a  prize  as  best  salesman  in 
all  Canadian  branch  offices. 

Home  Office  Delegation 

The  RKO  home  office  delegation 
here,  in  addition  to  Depinet  and 
Mochrie,  included  H.  J.  Michalson, 
short  subject  sales  manager;  S.  Bar- 
ret McCormick,  director  of  advertis- 
ing-publicity; M.  G.  Poller,  assistant 
to  Mochrie  and  A.  A.  Schubart, 
manager  of  exchange  operations. 

The  Canadian  delegation  was  head- 
ed by  Devaney  and  included  W.  S. 
Jones,  manager  at  Vancouver ;  Reg 
Doddridge,  manager,  and  Joseph  Ber- 
mack,  salesman,  Calgary ;  J.  S.  Mc- 
Pherson,  manager,  and  Robert  Ra- 
dis,  salesman,  Winnipeg;  Mark  Plot- 
tel,  manager,  and  Meyer  Nackimson 
and  Murray  Devaney,  salesmen,  Tor- 
onto ;  H.  F.  Taylor,  manager ;  Harry 
Decker  and  Joseph  Dorfman,  sales- 
men, Montreal,  and  H.  H.  McArthur, 
manager  at  St.  John.  Ted  Carey, 
Toronto  head  office  accountant ; 
George  Degnon  of  Terry  Turner's 
staff,  and  Harry  Cohen,  Montreal 
booker,  also  attended. 


Weltner  on  F-P  Board 

George  Weltner,  president  of  Para- 
mount International,  has  been  elected 
to  the  board  of  directors  of  Famous 
Players  Canadian  Corp.,  Toronto. 
Barney  Balaban  and  Austin  C. 
Keough  are  other  Paramount  execu- 
tives on  the  board. 


'C  Theatres  Clause 
In  Operators*  Pact 

Chicago,  Sept.  11. — Daniel  Carmell, 
attorney  for  the  Chicago  Moving  Pic- 
ture Operators  Union,  Local  110 
(IATSE),  states  that  the  new  agree- 
ment reached  with  Chicago  area  ex- 
hibitors, and  reported  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  of  Aug.  30,  includes  an 
added  clause  for  'C  theatres.  It  pro- 
vides that  theatres  charging  less  than 
38  cents  admission  pay  increases  from 
the  present  scale  of  $1.80  to  $2.60  an 
hour,  to  a  new  scale  of  $2  to  $3.25  an 
hour,  based  on  the  number  of  seats. 
The  agreement  is  already  in  effect. 


Moviepix  Buys  Five 

Moviepix,  Inc.,  here,  has  acquired 
world  rights  to  "Half-Pint  Polly," 
two-reel  Western  comedy  as  yet*  unre- 
leased  in  either  16  or  35mm,  and  to 
following  one-reel  musicals :  "On  the 
Road  to  Mandalay,"  "Deep  South," 
"Voice  of  the  Sea,"  and  "Love's  Mem- 
ories." Previously,  the  company  had 
purchased  24  Pathe  features. 


R.  A.  Knoepfle  Dead, 
Cinema  ClubFounder 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  11.  —  Services 
were  held  here  yesterday  for  Rudolph 
A.  Knoepfle,  70,  Republic  salesman, 
who  died  in  his  home  following  a 
lingering  ilness.  Recently  reinstated 
as  president  of  the  Cinema  Club,  which 
he  founded,  and  of  which  he  was  pres- 
ident emeritus,  Knoepfle^  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  Variety  Club,  came 
here  from  New  York  in  1918  as  home 
office  representative  of  the  old  Fox 
Film  Corp.  He  subsequently  was 
manager  here  for  Vitagraph,  Educa- 
tional and  Gaumont-British. 

Knoepfle  is  survived  by  his  widow 
and  four  sons,  two  of  whom  are  Army 
officers  and  another  an  ensign  in  the 
Navy. 

$22,067  Benefits  in 
Loew  Security  Plan 

Loew's  company  financed  security 
program  for  personnel,  has  paid  a  total 
of  $22,067  in  death  benefits  in  32  cases 
since  the  plan  was  adopted  last  year. 
This  amounts  to  an  average  of  more 
than  $700  and  is  exclusive  of  benefits 
paid  in  most  instances  on  group  insur- 
ance policies.  Additionally,  the  plan, 
of  which  Jay  M.  Eisenberg  is  secre- 
tary, has  paid  $2,700  in  seven  instances 
of  disability. 

The  program  is  available  to  all  em- 
ployees without  cost  upon  completion 
of  five  years  with  the  company. 


Buy  WNEW  Air  Time 

RKO  Radio  and  Loew's  New  York 
neighborhood  theatres  are  among  re- 
cent buyers  of  time  on  New  York 
radio  station  WNEW,  the  RKO  pur- 
chase being  for  "Back  to  Bataan." 


Short  Subject 
Reviews 


"Here  Come  the  Yanks 

(RKO  Radio — WAC) 

Combining  a  timely  portrayal  of 
series  of  episodes  awaiting  a  typic 
soldier  returning  from  the  wars  wil 
an  appeal  for  the  public's  support  i 
the  Community  War  Fund,  "Hei 
Come  the  Yanks"  is  an  interesting!; 
presented  10-minute  documentary. 

A.  soldier  is  greeted  by  his  wife  ar 
small  daughter  and  together  they  g 
to  his  long-awaited  goal — home,  ar 
visit  neighborhood  friends.  Flasl 
backs  depicting  the  plight  of  childn 
in  war-torn  countries  come  as  tl 
soldier  witnesses  healthy  Americj 
children  at  play,  and  serve  as  a  stror 
appeal  for  War  Fund  support.  Rui 
ning  time,  10  minutes. 


"Secret  Agent  X-9" 

( Universal  Serial) 

Universal  has  an  exciting  seri; 
based  upon  the  newspaper  cartoc 
strip.  There  are  13  chapters,  all  b 
the  last  of  which  culminate  wi 
Lloyd  Bridges  in  the  title  role,  co: 
fronted  with  almost  certain  death 
the  hands  of  Japs  whose  own  seer 
agents  he  has  been  pitted  against  1 
the  U.  S.  Each  subject  should  affo 
the  kiddies  highly  engrossing  ente 
tainment.  Deft  direction  by  Ray  Ta 
lor  and  Lewis  D.  Collins  has  a  stroi 
note  of  realism,  reliably  acted  by 
good  cast. 

The     Joseph  O'Donnell-Patric 
Harper  screenplay,  adapted  from 
original  by  O'Donnell  and  Harold 
Wire,  has  for  its  main  setting  a  tii 
Jap-dominated  island  off  the  coast 
China,  from  where  Miss  Home, 
leader  of  the  Black  Dragon  intel 
gence   service,   attempts   to  smugg 
a  Jap  agent  into  America  to  secu 
a  secret  formula  for  synthetic  fu 
Bridges,  who  has  been  sent  to  | 
island,  is  informed  of  the  plot  by  Mi 
Wiley,  posing  as  an  Australian  trait 
but  is  actually  a  spy  for  her  counti 
U.  S.  counter  espionage  is  the  foil,  1< 
by  Bridges.  Each  chapter,  of  two  ree 
is  available  weekly. 


"Old  Sequoia" 

(RKO  Radio— Walt  Disney) 

Donald  Duck  is  a  forest  ranger 
this  one.  Telephone  calls  to  his  watc 
tower  from  his  superior  and  a  coup 
of  beavers  who  are  making  short  wo: 
of  trees  by  the  dozens  keep  Ducl< 
temper  straining.  While  his  superi 
phones  warning  him  to  keep  'O 
Sequoia'  from  harm,  the  beavers  f 
to  work  on  the  tree.  His  efforts 
prevent  the  tree  from  toppling  a 
fruitless. 


Harry  Redmon  Dies 

St.  Louis,  Sept.  11.— Harry  Re<) 
mon,  69,  pioneer  East  St.  Louis  th 
atre  operator,  died  here  recently.  Re( 
mon  was  co-founder  of  the  Majest 
Theatre  in  East  St.  Louis,  in  191 
his  interest  in  which  he  sold  late 
He  returned  in  1933  as  manager, 
post  he  held  until  ill  health  force 
his  retirement  in  1941. 


Lou  Smith  Resigns 

Hollywood,  Sept.  11.— Lou  Smii; 
has  resigned  from  the  staff  of  tl 
Margaret  Ettinger  agency,  with  whic 
he  had  been  associated  some  1 
months. 


HELPFUL 


BANK  of  AMERICA  SERVICES 


Checking  Accounts  Business  Loans 

Savings  Accounts  Automobile  Loans 

Tenplan  Checking  Accounts  Personal  Loans 

Christmas  Club  Savings  Real  Estate  Loans 

Money  Orders  Escrow  Service 

Motion  Picture  Production  Loans 

The  Bank  of  the  motion  picture  industry.  .  . 
23  branches  in  the  Nation's  motion  picture  and  radio  center 

unk  of  Kmtvitzx 

NATIONAL  Ja  vSiTno s  ASSOCIATION 

AAEMBER  FEDERAL  DEPOSIT  INSURANCE  CORPORATION 

When  you  travel  carry  Bank  of  America  Travelers  Cheques 


Wednesday,  September  12,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


LB  Denies  Appeals 
[n  St.  Louis  Case 


St.  Lolis.  Sept.  11. — The  National 
ar  Labor  Board  has  denied  the  ap- 
ils  of  both  the  St.  Louis  theatres 
d  IATSE's  local  union  from  the 
ling  of  the  Regional  Labor  Board 
nded  down  in  Kansas  City  last  May. 
le  theatres  alleged  the  ruling  was 
fair  and  asked  that  if  a  retroactive 
ige  provision  is  enforced,  the  order 
Jucing  the  number  of  stage  hands 
each  of  five  first-run  theatres  also 
made  retroactive,  returning  the 
laries  paid  to  discharged  stagehands 
ice  Jan.  15,  1944. 

Stagehands'  Hours 

The  union  asked  for  a  review  of  the 
ard*s  decision  increasing  the  hours 
stagehands  at  first-run  theatres  to 
hours  per  week,  from  49  hours. 
Following  receipt  of  the  NLRB's 
cision,  negotiations  have  been  opened 
r  the  incorporation  of  the  provisions 
the  decision  in  the  new  contract, 
iter  one  preliminary  discussion  the 
gotiations  were  adjourned  until  next 
.ek.    Elmer  Moran,  business  agent 
the  local,  said  the  union  is  seeking 
in  a  one-year  contract,  instead  of 
six-year  pact  as  was  recently  signed 
ith  local  projectionists.    The  union 
insisting  that  the  wage  increase  of 
per  cent  as  well  as  a  vacation  pro- 
sion,  be  made  retroactive  to  Jan., 
'44. 

Sixty-six    stagehands   are  affected 
the  negotiations  in  41  theatres.  Ne- 
>tiations  on  the  union's  demands  have 
en  pending  since  Aug.  1943. 


Reviews 


"River  Gang" 

(Universal) 

GLORIA  JEAN  performs  adequately  in  this,  one  of  her  last  for  Universal. 
"River  Gang"  will  hold  interest  both  for  youthful  audiences  arid  will 
attract  many  adults  by  virtue  of  the  skillful  production  and  direction  of 
Charles  David. 

Miss  Jean's  interest  in  fairy  tales  and  other  nebulous  beings  is  fostered 
by  her  uncle,  John  Qualen,  proprietor  of  a  pawnshop,  to  keep  her  from  his 
real  business  as  a  'fence'  for  stolen  goods.  When  a  murder  is  committed 
and  a  valuable  violin  stolen,  the  loot  is  secreted  in  Qualen's  shop.  Keefe 
Brasselle,  a  neighborfiood  boy,  becomes  suspicious  when  he  stumbles  upon 
the  priceless  instrument  and  launches  a  search  for  the  possible  murderer. 
Brasselle  is  snatched  away  by  the  gang  until  his  chums  descend  on  the 
hideout,  scatter  the  crooks  and  assist  in  the  apprehension  of  the  pawnbroker, 
who  is  their  leader.  Lester  Charteris  wrote  the  screenplay  derived  from  the 
story,  "Fairy  Tale  Murder,"  by  David  and  Hugh  Gray,  which  Dwight  V. 
Babcock  adapted. 

Running  time,  64  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  Sept.  21. 

Charles  Ryweck 


"Flaming  Bullets" 

(PRC) 

A NOVEL  plot,  Tex  Ritter  and  Dave  O'Brien  are  the  principal  assets  of 
"Flaming  Bullets."  A  gang  of  thugs  is  engaged  in  the  unique  business 
of  engineering  the  escape  of  outlaws  from  jail  only  to  return  their  defunct 
bodies  to  the  law  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  posted  rewards.  They  find 
themselves  opposing  Ranger  O'Brien,  who  assumes  the  identity  of  a  notori- 
ous highwayman.  That  the  latter  bears  a  strong  resemblance  makes  it  con- 
venient. It  works,  but  the  gang  is  brought  to  book. 

"Flying  Bullets"  offers  a  return  in  entertainment  values  in  proportion  to 
iu  production  endowments.  Extra  players  are  noticeably  absent,  particularly 
in  the  barroom  scenes  and  shots  of  the  Western  town.  The  action  is  plenti- 
ful although  not  always  too  well  staged.  The  performances  meet  require- 
ments generally.    There  are  two  songs  by  Ritter. 

Ar  hur  Alexander  is  the  producer  and  Harry  Fraser  the  director.  Sup- 
porting players  are  Guy  Wilkerson,  Patricia  Knox,  Charles  King,  Jr.,  and 
Stanford  Jolley. 

Running  time,  59  minutes.  Release  date,  Oct.  15,  1945.  General  audience 
classification.  Gene  Arneel 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollytvood,  Sept.  11 

CARMEN  MIRANDA  has  signed 
a  contract 'with  Skirball-Manning 
Productions,  under  the  terms  of  which 
she  will  make  two  pictures  annually 
for  that  company.  Her  first  appear- 
ance under  the  new  deal  will  be  in  a 
musical,  "Sunny  River,"  which  will 
be  filmed  in  Technicolor  and  released 
through  Universal.  .  .  .  Lawrence 
Tierney,  who  scored  in  the  Mono- 
gram melodrama,  "Dillinger,"  is  set 
for  the  stellar  role  in  "Deadlier  Than 
the  Male,"  mystery  novel  by  James 
Gunn,  purchased  by  RKO  Radio. 
• 

Busby  Berkeley  is  to  direct  M-G- 
M's  "  "Til  the  Clouds  Roll  By,"  life 
story  of  Jerome  Kern,  in  which  Kath- 
ryn  Grayson  and  Robert  Walker  will 
be  co-starred.  .  .  .  Richard  Basehart. 
star  of  the  Broadzvay  play,  "The 
Hasty  Heart,"  has  been  signed  to  a 
long-term  contract  by  IVarners.  .  .  . 
Eight-year-old  Sharyn  Moffctt  has 
had  her  RKO  contract  extended,  and 
■will  be  starred  in-  "Child  of  Divorce," 
from  a  plav  by  Leopold  Atlas. 
• 

Lloyd  Nolan  has  been  selected  for 
a  featured  role  in  M-G-M's  "Time 
for  Two,"  which  will  star  Lucille 
Ball  and  John  Hodiak.  .  .  .  Rudy 
Vallee  has  been  engaged  for  the 
role  of  a  newspaperman  in  "I  Ring 
Doorbells,"  scheduled  to  start  soon 
at  PRC. 


ANOTHER  CHILLER-DILLER  IN  THE  BEST  SELLING 
MYSTERY  SERIES  ON  THE  SCREEN  TODAY! 

"PLENTY  OF  EXCITEMENT  AND  SUSPENSE!"- Film  Daily 


w 


MONOGRAM  PICTURES  presents 

m  SIDNEY  TOIER- 

mantan  koreumo  behsoh  fOHG 


rodueed  by  JAMES  S.  BURKETT     •  Directed  by  PHIL  KARLSON  •  Story  by  CEORCE  CALLAHAN  •  Screenplay  by  CEORCE  CALLAHAN  and  CEORCE  WALLACE  SAYRE 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  September  12,  19' 


Critics'  Quotes  .  .  . 


"CHRISTMAS  IN  CONNECTICUT"  (Warner  Brothers) 

.  .  .  peppered  with  expert  gags  and  amusing  confusions  .  .  .  Morgan  works 
the  slow-crooked  smile  and  easy-does-it  manner  overtime  .  .  .  Miss  Stanwyck 
is  a  competent,  if  not  too  flexible,  farceuse.  Better  direction  would  have 
have  rationed  her  shrugs.  Greenstreet  is  required  to  do  and  say  shallow 
and  capricious  things  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  an  important  publisher, 
but  his  sincerity  saves  the  role. — Ethel  Hoffman,  Buffalo  Evening  News. 

Generally  amusing,  though  highly  implausible  ...  its  cast  is  exceptional 
.  .  .  has  an  exceptional  idea  for  entertainment. — W.  E.  J.  Martin,  Buffalo 
Cornier-Express. 

A  somewhat  heavy-footed  and  overdone  farce  of*  the  bedroom  variety, 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut''  has  compensation  in  the  way  of  star  power,  occa- 
sional funny  lines  and  some  excellent  performances.  It  is  a  photoplay  of  con- 
tradictions, full  of  tinsel  glamor,  and  what  passes  in  Hollywood  for  sophistica- 
tion, with  some  unusual  situations  and  some  banal  ones,  and  clinches,  cliches 
and  cleverness  mixed  without  much  rhyme,  or  reason. — Donald  Kirkley,  The 
Sun,  Baltimore. 

It's  a  farce  with  a  far-fetched  plot,  some  funny  lines  and  situations,  some  old 
gags,  a  bit  of  double  entendre,  a  cast  of  charming,  expert  players.  All  of 
which  makes  "Christmas  in  Connecticut"  an  amiable,  amusing  cantata  of  light- 
weight variety. — Norman  Clark,  Baltimore  News-Post. 

"Only  a  few  discrepancies  keep  the  picture  from  being  almost  a  humdinger 
...  it  is  a  delightful  comedy." — Ray  P.  David,  Evening  Sun,  Baltimore. 

"OUT  OF  THIS  WORLD"  (Paramount) 

.  .  .  broad  and  genial  satire  about  crooners  and  bobbysockers  ...  by  dub- 
bing in  Crosby's  voice  every  time  Bracken  opens  his  mouth,  a  synthetic 
male  with  high  entertainment  value  has  been  created  .  .  .  there  are  hilarious 
and  not-so-bright  sequences. — Ethel  Hoffman,  Buffalo  Evening  News. 

Imaginative,  ingenious  and  delightfully  funny  .  .  .  it's  entertainment  plus.  .  .  . 
Veronica  is  in  and  out,  in  a  role  scarcely  worth  her  talents  .  .  .  use  of  Bing's 
baritone  adds  immensely  to  the  fun. — W.  E.  J.  Martin,  Buffalo  Courier- 
Express. 

"JUNIOR  MISS"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

You  may  have  seen  it  as  a  stage  play  and  recall  how  amusing  it  was.  Well, 
it's  just  as  delightfully  laughable  in  its  present  form.  .  .  .  Peggy  Ann  Garner  is 
tops  in  the  chief  role.  .  .  . — Norman  Clark,  Baltimore  News-Post. 

The  movie  version  loses  none  of  the  flavor  of  the  Broadway  production. 
Peggy  Ann  Garner  is  a  natural  for  the  role  of  the  lovable,  irrepressible  Judy. 
— Bonnie  Gay,  Baltimore  Evening  Sun. 


Film  Gift 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

films  now  in  Overseas  Motion  Picture 
Service  exchanges  will  play  out,  a 
process  which  may  require  four  to 
six  months  after  new  deliveries  cease. 

One-third  of  150.OOQ.000  feet  of  raw 
stock  used  was  donated  by  Eastman 
Kodak  and  the  Photo  Products  Divi- 
sion of  E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours 
Co. ;  the  balance  was  purchased  by  the 
donor  companies.  •  Laboratories  proc- 
essing the  film  waived  all  profits. 

The  monetary  value  of  $38,500,000 
was  only  as  of  Sept.  1  and  included 
cash  spent  for  raw  stock,  raw  stock 
contributions,  laboratory  profits, 
Technicolor's  contribution  and  the  es- 
timated copyright  value  of  five  cents 
per  man  for  an  attendance  exceeding 
700,000,000. 

Stimson  Order 

Secretary  of  War  Stimson  had  ad- 
vised the  WAC  that  he  was  instruct- 
ing Army  officers  to  proceed  with  the 
changeover  from  gift  films  to  regular 
Army  rental  payments.  , 

The  original  gift  of  80  16mm  prints 
was  made  in  a  ceremony  at  WAC 
headquarters  a  few  weeks  after  Pearl 
Harbor  when  Gen.  Frederick  H.  Os- 
born,  who,  later,  returning  from  an 
overseas  inspection,  declared  that  films 
represent  80  per  cent  of  the  overseas 
recreation  program,  and  called  films 
"the  number  one  morale  factor  in  the 
service." 

The  whole  matter  of  print  deliv- 
eries was  handled  by  a  WAC  sub- 
committee, headed  by  William  D.  Kel- 
ly of  Loew's,  as  chairman,  with  mem- 
bers including :  W.  Brennan,  G.  Rob- 
erts, S.  Kramer,  R.  Hilton,  M.  Stok- 
er, C.  J.  (Pat)  Scollard,  P.  Abra- 
hams, E.  Seifert,  Mrs.  N.  Witting  and 
Miss  J.  Rosenthal.  Laboratory  repre- 
sentatives were :  A.  Freedman,  R.  Alt- 
schuler,  F.  LaGrande,  J.  Spray,  N. 
Tronolone,  S.  Solow,  S.  Tulpan,  J. 
Goetz  and  J.  E.  Tucker.  Eastman 
Kodak  was  represented  by  W.  J.  Ger- 
man and  E.  I.  du  Pont  .by  N.  F 
Oakley. 

Last  Prints  Ordered 

This  week  the  last  order  of  1,000 
prints  of  new  pictures  was  sent  to 
laboratories  by  the  WAC,  for  Navy 
use  on  small  craft.  The  Navy, 
throughout  the  war,  has  relied  on  35- 
mm  films  as  its  primary  source  of  en- 
tertainment, and  the  removal  of  black- 
out restrictions  at  se^  enables  the 
Navy  now  to  resume  deck  showings 
with  standard  equipment. 

Similarly,  the  Army  Motion  Pic- 
ture Service  during  the  war  operated 
nearly  1,200  35mm  theatres  in  Army 
camps  in  the  U.  S.,  Alaska,  Hawaii, 
and  the  Canal  Zone  for  admission 
showings  of  rented  films.  While  the 
number  has  decreased  in  the  last  few 
months,  more  than  1,000  Army  thea- 
tres still  give  daily  exhibitions  to  re- 
turnees and  domestic  installations. 

Recently,  the  Army  Motion  Picture 
Service  took  over  responsibility  also 
for  a  35mm  circuit  in  Europe,  which 
now  has  more  than  150  requisitioned 
theatres  in  operation. 

The  industry's  joint  committee  in 
charge  of  the "  changeover  from  gift 
films  to  16mm  and  35mm  rented  prod- 
uct consists  of  Ben  Kalmenson,  Abe 
Montague,  Charles  M.  Reagan  and 
William  F.  Rodgers,  for  the  distribu- 
tors, and  Arthur  M.  Locw,  Philip 
Reisman,  Joseph  A.  Seidelman  and 
Murray  Silverstone  for  the  foreign 
managers'  division. 

The  morale  value  attached  to  the 


Strike  Meeting 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

at  the  meeting  by  strike  strategy  com- 
mittee representative  Roger  McDon- 
ald, now  in  New  York,  and  D.  T. 
Wayne,  Machinists'  local  head,  who 
will  go  from  here. 

On  receiving  the  report,  strike  leader 
Herbert  Sorrell  said :  "We  will  be 
pleasantly  surprised  if  ■  anything  is 
done  at  the  meeting  to  simplify  our 
problems  in  the  studios,  but  we  are  not 
counting  on  it." 


Disneys  Shift 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

contact  supervisor  for  the  Young  and 
Rubican  Advertising  Agency,  to  join 
the  Disney  organization,  at  the  Coast 
studio,  about  Oct.  1st. 

The  meeting  of  the  Disney  board  of 
directors  will  be  held  in  Hollywood 
on  a  date  which  has  not  yet  been  de- 
termined. 


'Pierce'  Tradeshow  Set 

Warner  Brothers'  "Mildred  Pierce" 
lias  been  set  for  national  tradeshowing 
on  Oct.  1,  the  company  announces. 


16mm  gift  to  the  Armed  Forces  has 
also  been  voiced  by  Gen.  Joseph  W. 
Byron,  director  of  the  Army's  Special 
Services  Division,  who  declares :  "I 
can  personally  testify  that  the  soldiers 
have  the  highest  regard  for  this  enter- 
tainment. .  fiir...  It  is  a  pleasure  to  re- 
port this  .  .  .  and  to  thank  the  indus- 
try, through  your  War  Activities 
Committee,  for  .  .  .  great  cooperation 
and  generosity." 


Export  Corp. 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

country  where  the  Export  Co.  will 
serve  as  a  medium  for  the  resumption 
of  the  distribution  of  Hollywood-made 
films  on  a  commercial  scale,  under 
U.  S.  Army  supervision. 

It  was  learned  following  the  meet- 
ing that  United  Artists,  which  had 
previously  decided  to  remain  out  of 
the  Export  Co.  is  now  studying  the 
advisability  of  becoming  affiliated  with 
the  organization. 

Also,  Donald  M.  Nelson,  president 
of  the  Society  of  Independent  Motion 
Picture  Producers,  speaking  for  inde- 
pendents, recently  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  that  there  is  a  willingness 
on  the  part  of  the  independents  to 
join  with  the  distributors,  even  in  the 
Export  Corp.,  to  form  a  common 
front  to  fight  foreign  film  monopolies 
and  discriminatory  trade  practices. 

Yesterday's  discussions  of  Export 
Co.  members  and  executives  centered 
around  the  Holland  situation,  especial- 
ly in  view  of  protests  made  by  the 
Netherlands  government,  through  its 
Information  Bureau  in  New  York, 
that  a  government  film  monopoly  does 
not  exist  in  that  country.  Final  moves 
for  the  launching  of  the  Export  Co.  in 
Holland  are  expected  to  be  taken  be- 
fore the  end  of  this  week. 


PRC  Post 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  Monogram  franchise  holders  for  the 
presidency  of  that  company  at  the  last 
annual  meeting  in  Chicago  last  Spring. 
W.  Ray  Johnston,  however,  was  re- 
elected president  of  Monogram. 


WMC  Says  Ohio  Has 
38,238  Jobs  Open 

Cleveland,  Sept.  11.  —  Al- 
though 167,000  workers  have 
been  laid  off  in  the  eight  in- 
dustrial key  towns  of  Ohio 
since  the  end  of  the  war,  38,- 
238  jobs  in  these  same  areas 
are  still  open,  the  War  Man- 
power Commission  announces. 
Areas  affected  are:  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Toledo, 
Youngstown,  Warren,  Dayton, 
Springfield,  Canton  and  Ak- 
ron. 


Griffith  Trial 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

William  George  Underwood,  veter1 
Dallas  distributor  and  promoter,  frc 
whom  Government  attorneys  ; 
tempted  to  draw  testimony  whi 
would  show  a  close  bond  between  t 
Griffith  companies  and  the  distr' 
utors.  A  stockholder  in  the  no 
dissolved  Oklahoma-Texas  Enb 
prises,  organized  by  Paramount 
1920  as  a  holding  company,  Und' 
wood  said  that  in  1932  the  stockhold' 
had  bought  all  of  Paramount's  intere 
but  he  did  not  make  clear  the  eventi 
status  of  several  stockholders,  inch: 
ing  Sam  Dembow,  Jr.  and  Ned 
Depinet.  He  said  he  had  arram 
with  the  Griffiths  to  operate  so- 
of  the  circuit's  theatres  on  a  50'; 
basis  because  he  and  his  partners  w 
not  prepared  to  manage  them  succei 
fully. 

Another  witness,  T.  R.  Benedi 
attorney  for  Mrs.  Juanita  Bei 
owner  of  the  Oklahoma  Theatre 
Norman,  said  the  Griffiths  tried 
force  her  to  sell  them  her  house ' 
1936,  but  he  admitted  he  was  una 
to  identify  positively  either  of  the  s 
viving  Griffith  brothers  as  the  r 
who  came  to  his  office  that  year  ; 
made  the  alleged  threat.  R.  E.  Gf 
fith  has  since  died. 

Failure  of  several  witnesses  to  si 
up  delayed  completion  of  the  Gove 
ment's  case  today. 

NBC  Sets  'Parade 
Stars'  Promotions 

NBC's  fourth  annual  " Parade i 
Stars"  program  promotional  c; 
paign,  prepared  in  cooperation  v 
clients,  agencies  and  NBC  stars, 
the  network's  advertising  and  pro: 
tion  department,  under  the  supervi: 
of  Charles  P.  Hammond,  direc 
has  been  set  in  motion  with  the  m 
ing  of  material-filled  kits  to  the  i 
work's  155  stations. 


Delson  Back  to  Law 

Robert  Delson,  formerly  assoc 
general  counsel  for  Consolidated 
Industries  and  Republic  Pictures, 
been  honorably  discharged  after  n 
than  three  years  in  the  Army,  and 
joined  the  firm  of  Delson,  Levin 
Gordon,  to  specialize  in  law  on  mo 
pictures,  the  stage  and  radio. 


Setting  'Dimes'  Drive 

Howard  J.  London,  director  of 
tion  pictures  and  radio  for  the  Nat 
al  Foundation  for  Infantile  Parab 
has  left  New  York  for  a  three-w 
trip  to  San  Francicso  and  Hollyw 
to  set  radio  plans  for  the  1946  M; 
of  Dimes  campaign. 


ednesday,  September  12,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Suburban  Business 
Good  in  Tennessee 

Nashville,  Sept.  11.  —  There 
has  been  a  definite  and  stead- 
ily increasing  pick-up  in  sub- 
urban and  small  town  theatre 
attendance  since  the  lifting  of 
restrictions  on  gasoline,  Mid- 
Tennessee   managers  report. 


Regional  Control 


is 


(Continued  from  pacje  1) 


ith  Richard  Brenner,  formerly  man- 
ger of  Chile,  named  his  assistant ; 
avid  Lewis,  M-G-M  manager  for 
irazil,  who  heretofore  held  European 
psts  for  M-G-M,  has  been  appointed 
tting"  regional  director  for  Europe, 
I  rth  Africa,  Egypt,  Middle  East  and 
iear  East,  with  Louis  Lober,  form- 
Hy  M-G-M  manager  for  Egypt,  his 
i-sistant  when  relieved  of  his  duties 
chief  of  the  motion  picture  bureau 
I  the  Office  of  War  Information. 

O'Connor  for  Far  East 

Eddie  O'Connor,  formerly  M-G-M 
ianager  of  Cuba,  who  previously 
(presented  M-G-M  in  the  Far  East, 
ill,  when  relieved  of  his  duties  with 
je  Navy,  be  appointed  regional  di- 
ictor  of  the  Far  East ;  Charles  Gold- 
hith  who,  prior  to  his  work  with  the 
■rice  of  War  Information,  was  for 
&ny  years  assistant  to  Spring  in 
jew  York,  has  been  named  assistant 
lies  manager  and  co-ordinator  for  the 
•-itish  Empire,  including  India, 
Irigapore  and  Hongkong.. 
■  Spring  stated  that  the  regional  con- 
ol  plan  was  devised  "to  keep  abreast 
:«th  expanding  markets  and  problems 
'•erseas." 


:  Hew  England  Paces 
\JA's  Sears  Drive 

I  United  Artists'  New  England  dis- 

I'.ct  has  taken  the  lead  in  the  com- 
■my's  $100,000  "Grad  Sears  Drive," 
I  'lward  M.  Schnitzer,  home  office  ex- 
[fjtive  and  national  drive  captain  for 
[  2  contest,  announces.    Schnitzer  dis- 
osed  also  that  the  Eastern  district 
s  rolled  up  a  large  margin  in  sales 
individual  producer's  product  in  the 
.litest,  which  started  Aug.  4  and  will 
•ntinue  through  Dec.  4.    Both  dis- 
Jicts  are  headed  by  Sam  Lefkowitz, 
der  Harry  L.  Gold.  Eastern  sales 
Onager.    Other  districts  leading  in 
dividual  product  are :  Western,  Cen- 
il.  Prairie  and  Midwest. 
•Seven  districts  and  32  branches  are 
'mpeting,  with  the   Detroit  branch 
t  front  in  overall  standings  for  Au- 
■st.    Philadelphia,  Buffalo  and  Char- 
tte  follow,  with  Montreal  and  Van- 
uver  holding  fifth  and  sixth  places, 
^pectively. 


fenry,  Jap  'PW,  Safe 

Lieut.  Floyd  C.  Henry,  USNR, 
~mer  Paramount  manager  in  the 
lilippines,  who  had  been  a  prisoner 
war  since  May,  1942,  has  been 
and  alive  and  in  good  health  in 
lyama  Prison  Camp,  according  to 
»rd  received  here  by  George  Welt- 
,r!ijr-  Paramount  International  presi- 
It. 


istrom  to  International 

Hollywood,  Sept.  11.— Joseph  Sis- 
m.  Paramount  producer  for  the  past 
;e  years,  will  join  International  Pic- 
res  in  October. 


Record  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


been  equalled  otherwise  throughout 
1945  except  for  a  single  week  early  in 
March. 

The  comparable  late  Summer-early 
Fall  period  of  1944,  although  high  for 
that  year,  ran  way  behind  the  five 
weeks  just  ended.  The  strongest  sev- 
en days  at  that  time  brought  an  aver- 
age of  $18,775  per  theatre,  and  one 
week  during  August  of  last  year  was 
as  low  as  $15,913.  In  general,  the 
averages  are  now  running  well  over 
$1,000.  higher. 

Spearheading  this  drive  to  box- 
office  triumph  were  five  top-grossing 
pictures  :  "Thrill  of  a  Romance,"  "Out 
of  This  World,"  "The  Story  of  G.  I. 
Joe,"  "Anchors  Aweigh"  and  "Pride 
of  the  Marines." 

Other  leaders  included :  "The 
Naughty    Nineties,"    "Along  Came 


Jones,"  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  "A  Thou- 
sand and  One  Nights,"  "The  Valley 
of  Decision,"  "Back  to  Bataan," 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut,"  "Wonder 
Man,"  "Incendiary  Blonde,"  "You 
Came  Along,"  "Guest  Wife,"  "Cap- 
tain Eddie,"  "Junior  Miss,"  "Over 
21,"  "Lady  on  a  Train"  and  the  re- 
issue team,  "East  Side  of  Heaven" 
and  "Imitation  of  Life." 

Drawing  well  above  average  grosses 
were:  "Blood  on  the  Sun,"  "I'll  Tell 
the  World,"  "A  Medal  for  Benny," 
"Jealousy,"  "Rhapsody  in  Blue,"  "The 
Falcon  in  Hollywood,"  "George 
White's  Scandals"  and  "Her  Highness 
and  the  Bellboy." 

Composite  key-city  box-office  re- 
ports for  1945,  to  date,  compared  with 
the  corresponding  weeks  of  1944,  fol- 
low : 


H4s 

Week  No.  of  Total 

Ending  Theatres  Gross 

Tan.    5-i,    136  $2,828,300 

Tan.  12-13    133  2,393,400 

Tan.  19-20    136  2.289,400 

Jan.  26-27    149  2,543,400 

Feb.  2-3    148  2.534,300 

Feb.   9-10    144  2,506,700 

Feb.  16-17    141  2,491,800 

Feb.  23-24    143  2,448,000 

March  2-3    134  2,462,100 

March  9-10    144  2,448.700 

March  16-17    152  2,530,500 

March  23-24    144  2.248.900 

March  30-31    137  2,123,100 

April  6-7    129  2,293,900 

April   13-14    138  2,268,600 

April  20-21    123  1,893,700 

April  27-28    137  2,179,500 

May   4-5    132  2.141,000 

May  11-12    123  2,166.400 

May  18-19    141  2,390,000 

May  25-26    127  2.052,800 

June  1-2    119  1.902,700 

Tune  8-9    128  2,020,800 

Tune  15-16   -. .  136  2.266,600 

Tune  22-23  :   125  1,903.400 

Tune  29-30    119  1,952,800 

July  6-7    132  2,248,903 

July  13-14    143  2,586,800 

Tuly  20-21    131  2,271,300 

Tuly  27-28    123  2,156,100 

Aujr.  3-4    136  2,395,400 

Aug.   10-11    120  2,316,100 

Auk.   17-18    129  2.367,500 

Auk.   24-25    147  2,699.200 

Auk.  31-Sept.  1..  146  2,676.700 

Sept.  7-8    139  2,689.600 


Average 

Per 
Theatre 


$20,796 
17,995 
16,826 
17,069 
17.123 
17,407 
17,672 
17,118 
18,373 
17.000 
16,648 
15.687 
15.446 
17,782 
16,349 
15.395 
15,908 
16,219 
17,613 
16,950 
16.153 
15,989 
15,788 
16,666 
15,227 
16,410 
17,371 
18,089 
17.384 
17.529 
17,613 
19,300 
18,352 
18,362 
18.334 
19.350 


1944 

Week  No.  of  Total 
Ending                Theatres  Gross 

Jan.  7-8    117  $2,417,700 

Jan.  14-15  ........  134  2,040,700 

Jan.  21-22   '. .  149  2,311,400 

Jan.  28-29    147  2,365,200 

Feb.  4-5    153  2,S)2,200 

Feb.   11-12    137  2,220,000 

Feb.   18-19    155  2,459,800 

Feb.  25-26    161  2,760,100 

March  3-4    147  2,397,100 

March  10-11    147  2,463,400 

March  17-18    153  2,661,100 

March  24-25    150  2,487.700 

March   31-Apr.    1  152  3,025,000 

April  7-8    153  2,340,600 

April  14-15    143  2,506,800 

April  21-22  148  2,564,200 

April  28-29    130  2,090.900 

May   5-6    143  2,238,700 

May   12-13    146  2,338.700 

May    19-20    162  2.417.00O 

May   26-27    155  2,349,400 

Tune  2-3    143  2,242,500 

June  9-10    141  1,938,000 

June   16-17    135  1,934,400 

June  23-24    136  2,002,800 

Tune  30-July  1...  126  2,178,300 

July   7-8    145  2,490,900 

July    14-15    144  2.228,500 

July   21-22             .  148  2.321,400 

July   28-29    135  2,245,400 

Auk.  4-5    141  2,324,500 

Auk.   11-12    148  2,355,200 

Auk.   18-19    153  2,514,100 

Auk-  25-26    141  2,516.800 

Sept.  1-2    127  2,313,600 

Sept.  8-9    144  2,703.600 


Average 

Per 
Theatre 


$20,664 
15,229 
15,513 
16,090 
16,419 
16,204 
15,870 
17,144 
16,307 
16,758 
18,761 
16,585 
13,329 
15.298 
17,5.10 
17.326 
ii,.ns4 
15,655 
16.018 
14.926 
15,157 
15,683 
13,752 
14,322 
14.726 
17.288 
17,178 
15,478 
15,685 
16.632 
15,777 
15,913 
16,433 
17.850 
18,217 
18,775 


L.  A.  Tax  Decision  Is 
Off  Until  Sept  25 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  11. — The  city 
council  here,  following  a  brief  dis- 
cussion late  in  today's  session,  post- 
poned consideration  of  its  revenue  and 
taxation  committee's  report  on  a  pro- 
posed five  per  cent  tax  of  theatre 
grosses  until  Sept.  25  and  instructed 
committee  chairman  Meade  McClana- 
han,  sponsor  of  the  tax,  to  meet  in 
meantime  with  a  citizens'  committee. 

The  committee  will  include  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, business  organizations,  labor 
unions  and  civic  groups,  which  had 
written  letters  opposing  the  proposal, 
and  will  include  one  representative 
each  of  the  exhibitors  and  producers. 


'Nobody  Lives'  Premiere 

World  premiere  of  Warner  Broth- 
ers' "Nobody  Lives  Forever,"  starring 
John  Garfield,  was  held  at  Kempten, 
Germany,  over  the  weekend  for  battle 
veterans  of  the  U.  S.  Army's  80th 
Blue  Ridge  Division. 


Spitzer  in  New  Post 

Antoinette  Spitzer  has  been  named 
publicity  director  of  the  Coiffure  Cre- 
ation Council.  Miss  Spitzer  was 
Eastern  publicity  director  for  Walt 
Disney  for  five  years. 


Camacho  to  Protect 
Mexico  Film  Workers 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  11. — President 
Manuel  Avila  Comacho  today  prom- 
ised protection  to  the  entire  Mexican 
film  industry  membership  when  some 
4,000  workers,  mostly  actors  affiliated 
with  the  Picture  Production  Union, 
paraded  outside  the  national  palace  in 
protest  against  the  Cinematographic 
Industry  Workers  Unions'  alleged 
maneuvering  to  make  PPU  extinct. 


Completing  Two  New 
Studios  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  11. — Studios  be- 
ing built  by  Howard  Randall,  Amer- 
ican sound  engineer  who  has  worked 
long  in  Mexico,  and  Theodore  Gildred, 
an  American  who  is  prominent  in  ex- 
hibition in  this  country,  are  to  be  com- 
pleted in  December  and  are  expected 
to  be  in  service  early  next  year. 


'Holiday'  Premiere 

First  pre-release  showings  of  the 
William  Hackel-Max  King-Edward 
Finney  production  of  "Strange  Holi- 
day" has  been  set  by  Mike  J.  Levin- 
son,  its  distributor,  for  Warners'  Ritz 
Theatre,  Albany,  on  Sept.  19,.,  and  the 
Lincoln,  Troy,  Sept.  28. 


Mussolini 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


caused  confusion  as  to  which  Ministry 
the  film  section  should  be  incorporated 
into. 

Voicing  the  hope  that  the  State  De- 
partment would  take  over  his  bureau's 
documentary  program  because  the 
"battle  of ;  propaganda  was  still  to  be 
won,"  Lober  added  that  motion  pic- 
tures could  do  the  job  in  this  respect. 
It  was  not  important,  he  said,  whether 
this  was  done  by  the  Government  or 
private  industry,  so  long  as  films  were 
produced  and  distributed  overseas,  non- 
theatrically. 

Lober  said  that  he  has  submitted  a" 
plan  to  the  State  Department,  details 
of  which  he  would  not  divulge,  for  the 
integration  of  his  bureau's  activities 
within  the  Department.  Main  purpose 
of  his  recent  trip  to .  Europe  was  to 
strengthen  .'the  non-theatrical  opera- 
tion of  the  OWL  He;  contacted  our 
embassies  and  legations  abroad,  and 
they  Were  anxious  to  "  see  this  func- 
tion strengthened  in  anticipation  of 
its  being  absorbed,  by  the  State  De- 
partment, Lober  declared. 

The  industry  has  been  advised, 
Lober  said,  .that  the  OWI  is  ready  to 
return  the  40  films  which  have  been 
used  in  its  program  for  the  liberated 
countries,  except  for  Germany,  Aus- 
tria and  Japan.  Distribution  in 
Rumania  is  through  Warners,  in  Bul- 
garia through  M-G-M,  and  in  most 
other  countries  the  distributors  have 
resumed  their  own  distribution.  The 
OWI  has  offered  its  facilities  to  the 
distributors  for  those  countries  which 
have  not  yet  been  entered  by  U.  S. 
films,  such  as  Poland.  Certain  films 
elected  for  the  Pacific  will  be  distrib- 
uted by  the  companies  with  the  aid  of 
OWI,  he  said. 

Czechoslovakia  Monopoly 

The  OWI  has  not  distributed  in 
Czechoslovakia  because  of  the  film 
monopoly  there,  Lober  asserted.  In 
Holland,  PWD  is  still  distributing, 
although  all  is  in  readiness  for  its 
transition  to  the  industry  when  a 
formula  has  been  worked  out  for  dis- 
tribution there. 

At  the  request  of  the  United  States 
Information  Service,.  Lober  went  to 
Belgium,  Italy  and  Switzerland  to  or- 
ganize non-theatrical  distribution  in 
preparation  for  PWD  abandonment  of 
its  operation  in  these  countries.  Non- 
theatrical  program  has  also  met  with 
a  favorable  reception  from  the  various 
countries'   Ministries  of  Information. 

OWI  documentaries  which  are  com- 
pleted or  nearing  completion,  are  :  "A 
Tuesday  in  November,"  "San  Fran- 
cisco Conference,"  "International 
Health,"  "Capitol  Story,"  and  "Cum- 
mington's  Story." 

"A  thirst  exists  in  all  countries  for 
films  on  America,"   Lober  said. 


Four  Para.  Trade  Shows 

Paramount  announces  trade  screen- 
ings of  four  pictures  which  will  consti- 
tute the  second  block,  as  follows : 
Thursday,  Oct.  4.  "Hold  That 
Blonde"  and  "Stork  Club" ;  Friday, 
Oct.  5,  "People  Are  Funny"  and 
"Kitty." 


New  Mono.  Managers 

Hollywood,  Sept.  11.  —  D.  Brick- 
man  will  replace  V.  Rackow  as  Mon- 
ogram manager  at  Winnipeg,  and  F. 
Scott  will  succeed  Max  Phillet  as 
manager  of  the  Calgary  branch,  it  was 
announced  here. 


OL.  58.  NO.  52 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK.  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  13,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


[Loan  to  Hinge 
>n  British 
rade  Policy 


own-to-Earth'  Talks 
egin  in  Washington 


Washington',  Sept.  12. — A  com- 
uttee  of  U.  S.  and  British  govern- 
lunt  officials  met  today  for  down- 
ij-earth  discussion  of  the  commer- 
il  policies  of  the  two  countries,  with 
5be  Americans  prepared  to  press  for 
iimination  of  all  artificial  barriers  to 
jju  tion  pictures  and  other  commodities 
ii  the  English  market. 

The  group  was  one  of  four  which 
Hll  work  out  the  preliminary  details 
|f  a  multi-billion  dollar  loan  to  En- 
and,  settlement  of  Lend-Lease  and 
5posal    of    surplus    war  property 
road  so  as  to  promote  world  trade 
velopment.      The  negotiations  are 
tpected  to  extend  over  a  period  of 
|?veral  weeks. 
Recalling  what  happened  to  the  bil- 

(Continued  on  page  18) 


State  Dep't  to  Aid 
Americans  in  Paris 


1  Washington,  Sept.  12. — The  U.  S. 
( .rmy  will  make  facilities  and  person- 
al available  to  the  State  Department 
ital  the  American  Embassy  in  Paris, 
here  necessary,  to  feed  and  house 
merican  businessmen  desiring  to  re- 
'tablish   and   make   new  distributor 
|  rrangements  in  Europe,  it  was  dis- 
eased today, 
t  The  action  of  the  Army  is  in  com- 
■i-iance    with    General  Eisenhower's 
{Continued  on  page  18) 


Strike  Halts  WJZ, 
WEAF  Programs 

Key  stations  WEAF  and 
WJZ  of  the  National  and 
American  broadcasting  com- 
panies went  off  the  air  from 
eight  to  15  minutes  at  6  P.M. 
yesterday,  and  their  full 
schedules  remained  disrupted 
until  8  o'clock  by  a  strike  of 
600  studio  technicians  affili- 
ated with  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Broadcast  Engi- 
neers and  Technicians  who 
walked  out  after  a  collective 
bargaining  conference  with 
officials  of  the  two  networks. 


CSU  Representative 
Asks  N.Y.  Unions 
To  Picket  Theatres 


Seeking  to  enlist  the  support  of  sev- 
eral New  York  American  Federation 
of  Labor  craft  unions  and  CIO  unions 
in  a  campaign  to  picket  New  York 
theatres  on  behalf  of  the  15  striking 
Hollywood  studio  unions  affiliated 
with  and  supporting  the  Conference  of 
Studio  Unions,  Roger  McDonald  of 
Studio  Set  Designers  Local  No.  1421 
met  with  representatives  of  the  unions 
at  a  closed  meeting  at  the  Hotel 
Roosevelt  here  yesterday. 

While  District  Number  Nine  of  the 
AFL  Brotherhood  of  Painters,  Deco- 
rators and  Paperhangers  is  under- 
stood to  have  indicated  an  intention 
to  picket  the  New  York  theatres,  it  is 
questionable  whether  they  will  be  able 
to  do  so  immediately  since  they  are 
(.Continued  on  page  18) 


Davis  Resigns  as 
OWI  Head  Saturday 


Washington,  Sept.  12. — President 
Truman  today  accepted  the  resigna- 
tion of  Elmer  Davis  as  head  of  the 
Office  of  War  Information,  effective 
Saturday. 

In  a  letter  to  Davis,  President  Tru- 
man commented  that :  "You  received 
more  than  your  share  of  brickbats," 
and  expressed  his  keen  appreciation  of 
the  service  of  the  OWI  chief. 

Neil   Dalton,  director  of  domestic 

{Continued  on  page  18) 


Production  and  Ad 
Codes  Are  Lauded 

The  uniform  opinion  that 
both  the  industry's  Produc- 
tion and  Advertising  Code 
Administrations  have  served 
well  in  the  war  and  will  be 
increasingly  valuable  in  peace 
was  expressed  at  the  quarter- 
ly meeting  of  the  MPPDA 
board  of  directors  here  yes- 
terday, the  Association  an- 
nounced. 

The  wartime  operations  of 
the  PC  A  and  ACA  were  re- 
viewed during  the  meeting. 
Both  were  subjects  of  pub- 
lished criticism  in  some  quar- 
ters during  recent  months. 


MPPDA  Prepares 
For  New  Officers 


Changes  in*  the  by-laws  were  ef- 
fected at  a  special  meeting  of  the 
MPPDA  here  yesterday  providing 
for  the  first  time  for  the  election  of 
one  or  more  vice-presidents  of  the 
Association.  Heretofore,  the  Asso- 
ciation has  had  one  vice-president, 
designated  by  resolution  of  the  board. 

These  changes  are  believed  to  have 
been  made  in  anticipation  of  Eric 
Johnston's  election  to  the  presidency 
of  the  MPPDA.  An  adjourned  meet- 
ing has  been  scheduled  for  next  Wed- 
nesday, at  which  time  the  new  pres- 
ident and  one  or  more  MPPDA  vice- 
presidents  may  be  elected. 

Subjects  discussed  at  yesterday's 
(.Continued  on  page  18) 


Building  Plans  Multiply  as 
End  of  Controls  Nears 


Spurred  by  further  relaxations  and 
revocations  of  War  Production  Board 
building  restrictions,  remodeling  and 
repair  regulations,  and  with  the  ex- 
pectancy that  all  controls  on  new  the- 
atre building  will  be  ended  by  WPB 
within  a  matter  of  days,  exhibitors  in 
all  sections  of  the  country  are  pro- 
ceeding with  new  building  plans. 

On  the  heels  of  the  undertakings 
listed  in  Motion  Picture  Daily  Aug. 
22,  additional  scores  of  remodeling  and 
building  plans  have  been  reported.  In 
the  previous  survey,  there  were  dis- 
closed at  least  18  building  projects, 
and  numerous  remodeling  jobs.  Cur- 
rently reported  are  approximately  34 
new  building  and  many  remodeling 
projects.  Following  are  some  of  the 
later  reports : 

Boston,  Sept.  12. — Film  executives 


in  New  England  say  that  thus  far 
there  has  been  no  substantial  confir- 
mation of  reports  that  new  theatres 
are  to  be  built  immediately  in  the 
area,  although  they  admit  that  some 
of  the  reports  have  considerable  foun- 
dation. They  admit  that  unquestion- 
ably by  next  Spring  some  new  the- 
atre projects  would  be  announced. 
None  of  these  had  taken  form.  It  is 
expected,  for  example,  that  the  E.  M. 
Loew  circuit,  the  Lockwood-Gordon 
circuit,  and  others  will  expand  here- 
abouts. 

In  the  meantime,  all  of  the  larger 
circuits,  including  M.  "and  P..  RKO, 
and  Marcus  Loew  theatres  will  're- 
juvenate' many  of  their  theatres  as 
soon  as  they  can  obtain  necessary  ma- 
terials. All  of  these  circuits  have  done 

(Continued  on  page  18) 


Para.  Surveys 
Its  Own  Video 
Network  Plan 


Weighs  Linking  Stations 
Of  Theatre  Partners 


Seeking-  the  most  inexpensive 
method  of  providing  inter-city  tele- 
vision links  for  network  broadcast- 
ing as  soon  as  feasible,  especially, 
the  linking  of  stations  planned  by  its 
theatre  partners,  Paramount  will  at- 
tempt to  develop  its  own  inter-city , 
television  links  via  radio  relay,  Paul 
Raibourn,  in  charge  of  Paramount's 
television  interests,  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  yesterday. 

Raibourn  said  that  he  has  not  beeii 
able  to  secure  any  satisfactory  esti- 
mates of  charges  which  would  be  made 
for  the  use  of  coaxial  cable  facilities 
which  are  contemplated  by  American 
Telegraph  and  Telephone  Co.  to  carry 
inter-city  television  programs. 

Paramount  has  already  filed  applica- 
tions with  the  Federal  Communica- 
tions Commission  for  permission  to 
construct  a  series  of  transmitters  and 
links  to  make  radio  relay  possible : 
(Continued  on  page  18) 


Griffith  Testimony 
On  Threats  Today 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  12. — Execu- 
tives of  the  H.  J.  and  L.  C.  Griffith 
circuits  ,  who  have  been  alleged  by  the 
Government  to  have  made  threats  or 
intimidations  against  independents  dur- 
ing their  expansion  program  will  be 
the  first  defense  witnesses  called,  to- 
morrow, in  the  Griffith  anti-trust  trial 
in  Federal  District  Court  here,  de- 
fense attorney  C.  B.  Cochrane  an- 
nounced today  after  M.  A.  Kallus  of 
the  Department  of  Justice  staff  said 
the  U.  S.  would  rest  its  case  follow- 
ing the  introduction  of  several  exhib- 
its at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Today's  session  was  devoted  to  an 
argument  over  the  procedure  to  be 
followed  in  handling  the  interrogator- 
ies of  Neil  Agnew  and  Paul  Lazaru^. 

(Continued  on  page  18) 


In  This  Issue 

Reviews  of  "Men-  in— Her 
Diary,"  "Come  Out  Fighting" 
appear  on  page  15.  Motion 
Picture  Daily's  Booking  Chart 
is  on  page  19. 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Thursday,  September  13,  1945 


Insider's  Outlook 

By  RED  KANN 


Personal 
Mention 

PHIL  REISMAN,  RKO  Radio  for- 
eign distribution  head,  will  leave 
New  York  by  Clipper  for  a  visit  to 
England  and  the  Continent  on  Sept.  16. 
• 

Joel  Bezahler,  home  office  assistant 
to  J.  E.  Flynn,  M-G-M  Western 
sales  manager  with  headquarters  in 
Chicago,  is  substituting  for  Carl 
Nedley,  Salt  Lake  City  branch  man- 
ager, who  is  on  vacation,  and  will 
visit  Denver  before  returning  to  New 
York. 

• 

Kenneth  M.  Young,  president  of 
PRC,  and  Reeves  Espy,  studio  pro- 
duction head,  are  scheduled  to  leave 
the  Coast  Sept.  21  for  conferences 
with  company  executives  here. 
• 

Arthur  Jeffrey,  International  Pic- 
tures' Eastern  publicity  manager"  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  Chicago 
yesterday,  postponing  a  scheduled  visit 
to  Hollywood  until  later. 

• 

Ed  Fisher,  Loew  Theatres  publicity 
manager  at  Cleveland,  and  his  wife 
and  daughter,  have  left  here  on  a  va- 
cation which  will  ultimately  take  them 
to  New  York. 

• 

Charles  Boren,  Paramount  studio 
manager,  was  resting  comfortably  in 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital,  Los  An- 
geles, last  night  following  an  abdom- 
inal operation. 

• 

Sam  Seidelman,  United  Artists 
Latin  American  supervisor,  was  sched- 
uled to  arrive  in  New  York  yesterday 
from  Mexico  City. 

• 

Charles  S.  Steinberg,  assistant 
Eastern  publicity  manager  for  War- 
ners, was  in  Philadelpia  from  New 
York  yesterday. 

• 

Bill  Kemp,  manager  of  Loew's 
State,  Memphis,  is  vacationing  at  At- 
lanta and  at  Athens,  Ga.,  his  home 
town. 

• 

Charles  K.  Stern,  Loew's  assis- 
tant treasurer,  will  leave  here  tomor- 
row for  Washington  and  will  return 
Monday. 

• 

Valentine  Williams,  M-G-M's 
London  story  department  head,  is  due 
to  arrive  in  California  today. 

• 

E.  K.  O'Shea,  M-G-M  Eastern 
sales  manager,  has  postponed  a  Bos- 
ton trip  because  of  illness. 

• 

Abe  I.  Goodman,  20th  Century-Fox 
ad  production  manager,  celebrated  a 
birthday  yesterday. 

• 

Joseph  Rosenfield,  head  of  a  West- 
ern circuit,  is  visiting  Salt  Lake  City 
from  Seattle. 

• 

Dave  A.  Epstein,  Hollywood  agent, 
is  due  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
tomorrow. 

• 

Louis  Nizer,  industry  attorney,  is 
on  vacation  in  New  Hampshire. 


VERY  interesting  plans  brew 
at  Universal.  Parts  are  slated 
to  make  their  weight  felt  begin- 
ning almost  immediately.  Others 
are  on  a  long-range  agenda 
which  means  two  years  may  pass 
before  they  reach  full  bloom.  It's 
like  this,  but  first  a  flyer  into 
necessary  background : 

The  current  administration 
under  Nate  Blumberg's  presi- 
dency took  over  at  the  dawn  of 
1938.  The  going  was  exceedingly 
rough.  When  the  studio  payroll 
was  in  sight,  there  were  those 
nip-and-tuck  uncertainties  about 
the  rest  of  the  outfit.  No  secrets 
are  involved  here ;  not  only  were 
the  facts  known,  but  Blumberg 
and  others  at  Universal  top  level 
have  recited  them  often  enough. 

The  company  had  had  a  long 
record  in  continuity  of  releasing 
performance.  This  had  to  be 
maintained,  and  was.  Faced  with 
financial  stringencies  and  badg- 
ered by  production  problems, 
those  days  were  more  often  grim 
than  otherwise.  There  were 
breaks,  'though.  Abbott  and  Cos- 
tello,  practically,  were  all  the 
breaks,  but  Deanna  Durbin,  al- 
ways a  strong  Universal  asset, 
likewise  was  around. 

What  with  this  and  that  de- 
vice— "idea"  pictures,  "horror 
bill"  combinations,  the  trend 
launched  by  the  Maria  Montez 
series  in  Technicolor — the  situa- 
tion improved,  as  all  and  sundry 
are  aware.  Or  should.  Then  came 
the  war,  booming  the  home  mar- 
ket to  pleasantly  swollen  propor- 
tions. It  went  very  well. 

■ 

Now  peace  has  broken  out  and 
with  it  have  broken  out  prob- 
lems. One,  common  to  all  com- 
panies, is  the  realization  the 
buggy  ride  won't  last  forever, 
meaning  the  public  unquestion- 
ably will  be  getting  fussier  about 
its  entertainment.  If  you  think 
competition  of  early  dates  and 
preferred  time  has  been  some- 
thing up  to  now,  you'll  be  wit- 
nessing astonishing  things  in 
about  six  months  and  from  there 
out. 

The  public  will  remain  gener- 
ally loyal  to  its  motion  pictures, 
but  distractions  are  setting  in. 
These  distractions  have  labels, 
such  as  automobiles  and  refrig- 
erators, radios  and  freezers,  new 
houses  and  new  furniture.  They 
add  up  to  a  race  for  theatre  pat- 
ronage and  this  means  the  pic- 
tures which  draw  will  be  the  pic- 
tures with  plenty  of  what  those 
audiences  want.  Better  stories, 
better    writers,    better  players, 


better  direction  and  better  pro- 
duction. It  spells  money. 
■ 

Pretty  much  everyone  knows 
this,  but  the  point  here  is  they 
know  it  at  Universal  as  well. 
They  knew  it  months  back  when 
their  plot  for  1945-46  began  to. 
take  shape  and  so  it  comes  about 
that  budgets  for  the  forthcoming 
season  have-  been  hiked  by  an 
additional  $10,000,000.  It's  not 
just  fancy  talk,  either.  They 
mean  it. 

They  mean  it  so  hard  that  five 
pictures  heading  marketward  be- 
tween October  and  approximate- 
ly February  will  cost  roughly 
$8,500,000,  which  gives  you  an 
idea.  They  are  "Night  in  Para- 
dise," "As  It  Was  Before," 
"Scarlet  Street,"  "Because  of 
Him"  and  "Buck  Privates  Come 
Home." 

■ 

Universal,  additionally,  is 
thinking — but  not  so  as  you  can 
hear  it — about  less  bulk  and 
more  quality.  The  changeover 
necessary  to  complete  such  a 
transformation  would  be  so  grad- 
ual as  to  be  almost  imperceptible. 
The  final  possibility  is  not  lack- 
ing, however,  that  the  point  will 
be  reached  where  the  determin- 
ing powers  there  will  settle  for 
two  releases  a  month  or  24  a 
year  in  a  final,  all-out  invasion 
of  their  competitors'  bastions. 
■ 

Footnote :  Matty  Fox^  Univer- 
sal vice-president  who  went  from 
WPB  into  the  service  the  hard 
way  and  rose  from  buck  private 
to  major,  saw  service  in  the  Eu- 
ropean theatre  and  became  the 
Army's  industrial  mobilizer  for 
liberated  France,  is  about  to  re- 
sume civilian  status.  He  will  re- 
turn to  his  former  duties,  of 
course ;  will  divide  time  between 
New  York  and  Hollywood  with 
emphasis  on  California. 

■  ■ 

About  a  project  that  never 
came  off : 

When  William  Wyler  was  a 
colonel  in  the  Army  Air  Forces, 
he  approached  J.  Arthur  Rank 
in  London  with  a  large-scale 
film  showing  American  and  Brit- 
ish airmen  as  comrades  in  arms. 
Wyler  to  Rank,  in  effect:  "I  pro- 
pose you  finance  it,  with  no  idea 
of  profit.  In  fact,  you  may  take 
a  loss." 

Rank:  "What's  your  interest? 
What'll  you  get  out  of  it?" 

Wyler:  "What  you  would." 

Rank :  "That's  what  I  thought. 
You're  on." 

Wyler  says  "what  with  one 


AMPP  Tackles  Vets' 
Employment  Plan 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12.— First 
official  industry  action  here 
toward  the  establishment  of 
machinery  for  systematic  re- 
employment of  returning  ser- 
vice men  was  taken  by  the 
Association  of  M.  P.  Pro- 
ducers at  its  monthly  meeting 
held  last  night. 

The  organization  passed  a 
resolution  authorizing  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  committee  to 
work  out  details  of  a  service 
men's  reemployment  program 
which  would  be  industry-wide 
in  scope.  Members  of  the 
committee  have  not  been 
named  yet. 


Mayer  Is  Hollywood 
Chairman  for  Eighth 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12.  —  Louis  B. 
Mayer  today  was  named  chairman  of 
a  special  committee  to  organize  Holly- 
wood participation  in  the  Eighth  Loan 
campaign.  Studios  and  guilds  pledged 
complete  cooperation  toward  fulfill- 
ment of  Ted  Gamble's  request  for  "the 
greatest  effort  yet  made  by  Hollywood 
personalities  in  the  national  interest." 

Starring  Role  for 
Herald  Poll  Winner 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12. — Warners  has 
acquired  the  original  screenplay,  "Guy 
from  Milwaukee,"  to  star  Dane  Clark, 
top  winner  in  Motion  Picture  Herald's 
fifth  annual  "Stars  of  Tomorrow"  poll, 
results  of  which  were  announced  last 
week. 

Clark  also  has  been  given  a  starring 
role  in  Warners'  "Jazz  Singer." 


KMT  A  Plans  Postwar 
Meeting,  Nov.  27-28 

Kansas  City,  Sept.  12. — The  board 
of  directors  of  the  Kansas-Missouri 
Theatre  Association  has  set  Nov.  27 
and  28  as  the  tentative  dates  of  the  or- 
ganization's first  postwar  convention. 
Committees  are  being  appointed  to 
make  arrangements. 


Benton  Approved 

Washington,  Sept.  12. — The  Sen- 
ate foreign  relations  committee  today 
approved  the  nomination  of  William 
Benton  to  succeed  Archibald  Mac- 
Leish  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  State 
in  charge  of  cultural  and  information 
programs.  The  committee  will  send 
the  nomination  to  the  floor  of  the 
Senate  when  it  meets  again  on  Friday. 


Daylight  Time  Advances 

Washington,  Sept.  12. — Without 
opposition,  the  House  today  passed  a 
resolution  to  return  the  country  to 
Standard  Time  Sept.  30.  The 
measure  now  goes  to  the  Senate, 
where  it  is  expected  to  be  acted  upon 
next  week. 


thing  and  another" — detail  not 
offered — the  scheme  ingloriously 
died. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo.  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Hureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
•  <j'A'l-  n  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  America's  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


A  challenge  already  met 
by  the  company  which  led  the  industry 
in  meeting  the  challenge 
of  war/ 


OLICY 


This  company  had  a  wartime  policy. 

In  brief,  it  was:  to  provide  the  kind  of  screen  enter- 
tainment that  would  best  serve  the  interest  of  our 
nation  at  war. 

This  policy  was  expressed  in  Warner  Bros,  pictures 
which  helped  inspire  tens  of  millions  of  Americans  to 
their  war-winning  tasks,  and  brought  new  prestige  to 
exhibitors. 

So  successful,  so  effective  was  this  policy  that  a  great 
newspaper  commended  us  editorially  for  our  "enviable 
record  for  combining  good  picture-making  with  good 
citizenship". 

We  are  proud  of  that  policy,  and  of  the  great  Warner 
pictures  that  made  it  so  meaningful. 


AMD  A 


LEDG 


Now  those  dark  and  fateful  days  are  passed. 

And  just  as  this  company  was  prepared  to  assume  in- 
dustry-leadership when  war  came,  so  we  were  prepared 
to  assume  the  same  leadership  when  peace  returned. 

We  shall  continue  to  combine  "good  picture-making 
with  good  citizenship"—  by  providing  glorious  enter- 
tainment for  millions  of  free  men  working  to  reap  the 
happy  fruits  of  victory. 

We  shall  continue  to  provide  entertainment  that  will 
bring  prestige  —  as  well  as  profit  —  to  exhibitors. 

Here  are  just  a  few  of  the  coming  productions  which 
shall  prove  that  Warners,  above  all  companies,  keys  its 
product  to  the  ever-changing  times  in  which  we  live. 

Here  is  our  pledge  of  continuing  leadership! 


f^*       Executive  Producer 


CONFESSIONS  OF 

a  nazi  spy 


his  new 


6^6 


\>eck  of  +ro*M 
it)o  much 
-fo  care 


( 


i*1 


SB? 


How/-  Wi^j/ 

pre-  release 


CO' 


to** 


<0S 


***** 


IS***? 


America's 
heart' 

1  3,  ro^n : 


\ 


\ 


6* 


3*" 


aooble  role- 
daring  lew 

\  / 


T 


Motion  Picture  daily 


15 


Reviews 


"Men  in  Her  Diary" 

THE  romantic  yearnings  of  a  little  stenographer,  played  by  Peggy  Ryan, 
who  compensates  for  a  rather  prosaic  real  life  by  sizzling,  and  imaginary, 
references  in  her  diary  to  men  whom  she  has  only  casually  met,  are  the  main- 
springs of  this  pleasant  little  comedy.  Jon  Hall  is  the  executive  harassed  by 
an  unduly  jealous  wife.  Louise  Allbritton.  whose  domestic  life  becomes  really 
turbulent  when  Miss  Allbritton  discovers  the  diary,  which  contains  entries  on 
Hall's  supposed  infatuation  for  Miss  Ryan.  In  a  divorce  suit,  the  males  men- 
tioned in  the  diary  are  paraded  in  court  and  through  clever  questioning  by 
plaintiff's  lawyer,  are  romantically  linked  with  Miss  Ryan.  Eventually  Hall 
and  Miss  Allbritton  are  reunited  and  Miss  Ryan  is  able  to  toss  her  diary  out 
the  window  when  she  finds  true  love  with  William  W.  Terry,  a  press  agent. 

In  addition  to  the  three  principals,  there  is  an  able  supporting  cast,  includ- 
ing such  dependable  players  as  Ernest  Truex,  Alan  Mowbray,  Eric  Blore, 
Maxie  Rosenbloom  and  Sig  Ruman.  Virginia  Grey  is  caught  in  two  songs, 
"Makin'  a  Million"  and  "Keep  Your  Chin  Up,"  by  Everett  Carter  and  Milton 
Rosen.  Charles  Barton,  associate  producer  and  director,  piloted  the  vehicle 
skillfully.  F.  Hugh  Herbert  and  Elwood  Ullman  wrote  the  screenplay  from 
an  original  by  Kerry  Shaw.  Lester  Cole  did  the  adaptation.  Howard  Welsch 
was  executive  producer. 

Running  time,  73  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Charles  Ryweck 


"Come  Out  Fighting" 

(Monogram) 

THE  East  Side  Kids  give  their  old  antics  another  workout  in  "Come  Out 
Fighting."  It's  a  city  boxing  tournament  which  the  boys :  Leo  Gorcey, 
Huntz  Hall,  Billy  Benedict,  et.  al. — are  concerned  with  this  time.  Gorcey, 
again  the  central  figure,  finds  an  opportunity  to  repay  police  commissioner 
Addison  Richards  for  his  kindness  by  saving  the  commissioner's  son  from 
being  caught  in  a  gambling  house  raid,  in  a  trap  set  by  gambler  George 
Meeker  in  order  to  discredit  the  commissioner.  In  the  melee,  Gorcey  himself 
is  taken  by  the  police,  is  disbarred  from  any  connection  with  the  boxing  tourna- 
ment, and  the  gang's  contender  for  the  crown  receives  an  injured  hand.  The 
commissioner's  son  substitutes  in  the  ring  for  the  injured  boxer  and  wins  the 
fight  to  the  joy  of  his  father  who  sees  to  it  that  Gorcey  is  publicly  vindicated. 

Directed  by  William  Beaudine,  from  Earle  Snell's  original  story  and  screen- 
play, this  one  runs  at  a  fast  pace,  with  the  usual  roughneck  shenanigans  in 
abundance,  to  delight  the  fans  of  the  East  Side  Kids.  Also  in  the  cast  are 
Johnny  Duncan,  June  Carlson,  Amelita  Ward,  Davidson  Clark,  and  others. 
Sam  Katzman  and  Jack  Dietz  produced. 
Running  time,  62  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  No.  1. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Transition  Impedes 
Od  eon  Building  Plan 


Toronto,  Sept.  12.— Because  of  fed- 
eral government  confusion  with  re- 
spect to  the  transition  from  a  wartime 
to  peacetime  economy,  Odeon  Thea- 
tres of  Canada's  construction  plans 
could  not  be  made  known  to  its  con- 
vention here  today.  The  delegates 
discussed  maintenance,  supplies,  book- 
ings, insurance  and  sound  and  pro- 
jection equipment,  under  the  direction 

!  of  headoffice  departmental  executives. 
Activities  of  the  convention,  closing 
tomorrow  night,  have  been  somewhat 
curtailed  because  president  Paul  L. 
Xathanson,  who  has  been  ordered  by 
his  physician  to  take  a  rest,  was  un- 
able to  preside.  With  vice-president 
J.  J.  Bragg  in  charge,  the  sessions 

I  are  being  held  behind  closed  doors. 
It  was  intimated,  however,  that  the 
circuit's  manpower  situation  presents 
no  obstacle  to  peacetime  expansion. 
Progressive  steps  taken  since  1941, 
despite  wartime  obstacles,  have  left 
Odeon  well  established,  according  to 
C.  J.  Appel,  Eastern  general  man- 
ager. 

Company  policies  were  discussed  by 
J.  Earl  Lawson  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. 



Wausau  Exhibitor  in 
Combination  Charge 

Sheldon  Grengs,  operating  the  Hol- 
lywood Theatre,  Wausau,  Wis.,  has 
filed  a  combination  clearance  and  some 
run  complaint  in  the  Milwaukee  trib- 
unal against  the  five  consenting  com- 
panies, the  American  Arbitration  As- 
sociation reported  here  yesterday. 

Grengs  stated  in  his  complaint  that 
clearance  on  Paramount  product  was 
"as  available,"  but  that  on  an  average 

i  his  theatre  obtained  pictures  120  days 
after  first  run  Wausau ;  Loew's  prod- 
uct was  "as  available,"  about  120  days 
after  first  run;  RKO  "as  available," 
90  to  120  days  after  first  run  ;  War- 
ners, "as  available,"  120  days,  and  20th 
Century-Fox.  150  to  180  days. 

!  In  addition  to  his  clearance  com- 
plaint against  20th-Fox,  Grengs 
charged  that  the  company  refused  to 
license  product  to  his  theatre  upon 
terms  and  conditions  which  are  not 
calculated  to  defeat  Section  6  of  the 
consent  decree.  As  relief,  he  asked 
that  an  award  be  entered  reducing 
clearance  of  all  five  companies  to  21 
days  after  first  run  Wausau  and  also 
that  20th-Fox  be  made  to  sell  him 
product  on  terms  and  conditions  not 
calculated  to  defeat  the  purpose  of 
Section  6. 


CBS  Promotes  Feiner 

Ben  Feiner,  Jr.,  program  assistant 
at  CBS's  television  station  WCBW, 
New  York,  for  the  past  15  months 
since  his  transfer  from  the  CBS 
shortwave  department,  has  been 
named  assistant  director  of  television 
programs  by  Worthington  Miner, 
Manager  of  CBS  television.  Feiner 
will  concentrate  on  the  development  of 
new  program  ideas. 


McElhinney  Safe 

Joseph  McElhinney,  Singapore 
manager  for  20th  Century-Fox  Inter- 
national, is  safe  in  Bombay  after  hav- 
ing been  interned  in  a  Japanese  con- 
centration camp  in  Singapore,  he  re- 
ported yesterday,  in  a  cable  to  Murray 
Silverstone,  president  of  the  company. 


Postpone  Action  on 
House  'Red'  Probe 

Washington,  Sept.  12. — Action  on 
the  investigtaion  of  subversive  activi- 
ties on  the  Pacific  Coast,  involving 
charges  of  Communism  in  the  film 
colony  in  Hollywood,  was  put  off  for 
at  least  two  weeks  today  by  the  House 
Committee  on  Un-American  Activities. 
A  report  on  the  studies  made  by  com- 
mittee investigators  has  been  prepared 
but  has  not  yet  been  submitted  to 
members. 


RKO  Will  Screen  2nd 
Group  Sept.  25-27 

RKO  Radio  has  scheduled  trade 
showings  of  its  second  group  of  1945- 
46  features,  as  follows :  Sept.  25, 
"Man  Alive"  and  "First  Yank  Into 
Tokyo" ;  Sept.  26,  "Isle  of  the  Dead" 
and  "The  Spanish  Main" ;  Sept.  27, 
"Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland." 

"First  Yank  Into  Tokyo"  will  not 
be  shown  in  Los  Angeles  and  New 
York,  where  it  has  already  been 
screened. 


Buchanan  Gets  Liberty 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12.  —  Liberty 
Films  today  closed  with  Buchanan 
and  Co.  for  advertising  representa- 
tion. The  Beverly  Hills  office  will 
handle  the  account. 


Young  Signs  with  RKO 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12. — RKO  Radio 
has  signed  Robert  Young  to  a  five- 
year  contract  calling  for  one  picture 
annually. 


Trial  Starts  in 
Lloyd's  'U'  Suit 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  12.— Harold 
Lloyd,  on  the  witness  stand  today  in 
his  'suit  against  Universal  Pictures 
asking  for  $400,000  damages  for  as- 
serted plagarism  of  scenes  from  his 
1932  production,  "Movie  Crazy,"  as- 
serted that  the  picture,  produced  for 
$650,000,  grossed  $1,500,000  and  has  a 
reissue  value  of  $100,000 ;  and  remake 
value  of  $200,000. 

Universal  counsel  argued  that  the 
material  Lloyd  claims  was  lifted  from 
his  picture  had  been  lifted  from  Fox 
and  MGM  pictures  by  Lloyd.  The 
trial  will  continue  tomorrow  with 
Mary  Pickford  among  the  witnesses 
expected  to  testify. 


Hoover  Screening  Host 

Washington,  Sept.  12. — J.  Edgar 
Hoover,  director  of  the  Federal  Bu- 
reau of  Investigation,  was  host  yes- 
terday to  newspaper  and  magazine 
editors  and  writers  at  a  special  screen- 
ing of  "The  House  on  92nd  Street," 
20th  Century-Fox.  The  group,  ac- 
companied by  Jules  Fields,  20th-Fox 
publicity  manager,  arrived  here  yes- 
terday from  New  York,  and,  to- 
gether with  Washington  correspond- 
ents, made  a  tour  of  FBI  headquar- 
ters, under  the  guidance  of  Hoover. 


WE  Sets  50c  Dividend 

At  a  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the 
Western  Electric  Co.,  held  Tuesday, 
a  dividend  of  50  cents  per  share  on 
its  common  stock  was  declared,  pay- 
able on  Sept.  28,  to  stockholders  of 
record  on  Sept.  21. 


CEA  in  Protest 
To  British  Censors 


London,  Sept.  12. — A  vigorous  pro- 
test against  the  classification  by  the 
British  censors  of  numerous  films  as 
suitable  for  adults  only  was  registered 
today  by  Henry  Simpson,  past  presi- 
dent of  the  Cinematograph  Exhibitors 
Association,  at  a  meeting  of  the  CEA 
general  council  here  today. 

Simpson  charged  that  many  of  the 
films  classified  as  for  adults  only  were 
American  pictures  which  already  had 
been  approved  for  general  audiences 
by  the  MPPDA.  Pointing  out  that 
the  British  censor's  procedure  is  hit- 
ting the  family  type  theatre  in  Britain 
very  hard,  Simpson  persuaded  the 
CEA  to  make  representations  on  the 
subject  to  the  British  Board  of  Film 
Censorship. 

The  CEA's  action  is  in  line  with 
views  of  others  here  expressed  earlier, 
particularly  those  of  J.  Arthur  Rank, 
who,  following  his  recent  visit  to 
America,  declared  that  a  closer  work- 
ing arrangement  between  the  BBFC 
and  MPPDA  on  censorship  is  neces- 
sary. 

Four  From  Rank  to 
Play  Winter  Garden 

Four  Eagle-Lion  films  will  play  the 
Winter  Garden,  United  Artists'  New 
York  showcase,  Capt.  Harold  Auten, 
Eagle-Lion  vice-president,  said  here 
yesterday.  Films  which  will  be  shown 
at  the  Winter  Garden,  Auten  said, 
are  "Blithe  Spirit,"  "Caesar  and 
Cleopatra,"  "Henry  V"  and  "Two 
Thousand  Women." 

Auten  predicted  that  "Caeser" 
would  be  the  biggest  boxoffice  success 
of  the  J.  Arthur  Rank  films  that  are 
scheduled  to  be  exhibited  in  America. 
"Henry  V,"  so  far,  is  the  only  one 
that  will  be  roadshown,  he  said. 

Distribution  plans  of  Eagle-Lion  in 
this  country  are  non-existent,  as  yet, 
Auten  stated,  and  are  awaiting  Rank's 
decisions. 

Any  increase  in  British  production, 
Auten  declared,  will  be  governed  by 
the  available  studio  space,  as  raw 
stock  is  becoming  increasingly  avail- 
able. It  may  be  a  year,  he  said,  be- 
fore big  studios  like  Pinewood  are  de- 
requisitioned. Rationing  of  clothes 
creates  a  big  problem  for  British  pro- 
ducers in  costuming  their  productions, 
Auten  said. 


Wainwright  on  Video 

Camera  crews  of  NBC  Television 
will  film  the  arrival  of  General  Jona- 
than M.  Wainwright  in  New  York 
today  and  the  pictures  will  be  shown 
over  NBC  New  York  television  sta- 
tion WNBT  tomorrow  under  the 
sponsorship  of  Esso  Marketers.  The 
camera  crew  and  production  of  the 
film  will  be  under  the  supervision  of 
Paul  Alley,  NBC  Television  News- 
reel  editor. 


Wainwright  in  Reels 

New  York's  official  reception  to  Lt. 
Gen.  Jonathan  M.  Wainwright  today 
will  be  covered  by  all  five  newsreels. 
The  material  will  be  included  in  the 
new  issues  being  made  up  tonight. 


S7l/ic  Loew  Dividend 

Directors  of  Loew's,  Inc.,  have  de- 
clared a  quarterly  dividend  of  37^4 
cents  on  the  company's  common  stock, 
payable  Sept.  29  to  stockholders  of 
record  on  Sept.  21. 


46 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  13,  1941' 


Educate  the  Japs 
Witli  Films:  Ullman 


Pointing  out  that  "there  is  no  bet- 
ter medium  than  the  motion  picture," 
Frederic  Ullman,  Jr.,  president  of 
RKO-Pathe  News,  urges  the  pro- 
duction in  Japan  under  American 
supervision  of  feature  documentaries 
on  the  true  causes  and  effects  of  the 
war  and  placing  these  films  in  a  com- 
pulsory education  program  .for  Japan- 
ese, children,  i, 

In  a  statement  issued  yesterday, 
Ullman  cites  news  reports  that  the 
J.aps  do  not  admit  their  defeat  and  in 
order  to  prevent  another  war  the 
.yQtfnger  generation  of  Japs  must  be 
made  to  realize  "the  guilt  of  the  en- 
tire nation  from  the  emperor  down." 

A  complete  film  record  of  Jap  ag- 
gression and  atrocities — millions  of 
feet  of  film — is  available  for  these 
documentaries  in  the  Japanese  langu- 
age, he  states,  adding,  that  films  show- 
ing the  democratic  way  of  life  in  this 
country  and  allied  countries  should  be 
-included  in  the  program.  He  concludes 
"that  the  program,  should  begin  with 
War  Department  documentaries  al- 
ready in  existence. 


Minneapolis  Weighs 
Billboard  Tax  Rise 

Minneapolis,  Sept.  12. — Ordinance 
'to '  hike  the  license  fee  and  annual 
space  charge  for  billboards  is  under 
'consideration  by  the  city  council. 
Meeting  to  discuss  the  measure  was 
postponed  .two  weeks,  after  a  hearing 
Wednesday. 

'  The  proposed  ordinance  provides  an 
annual  fee  of  $5  for  each  board,  with 
an  additional  charge  of  $1  for  every 
10  square  feet  of  the  board.  At  pres-; 
-erit  the  city  does  not  charge  an  annual 
fee,  but  receives  $2  for  each  installa- 
tion; plus  50  cents  for  each  square 
foot  of  the  board.  Minnesota  Amuse- 
ment Co.  and  film  companies  are 
-heavy  users  of  billboards,  and  the  in-: 
creased .  cost  advocated  by  the  coun- 
cil would  probably  divert  the  bill- 
board' expenditure   to   other  media. 


Experimenting  on 
New  35mm  Machine 

,  Chicago,  Sept.  12. — National  Mineral; 
Co.,  here,  manufacturers  of- beauty  par-, 
lor  equipment,  which  branched-  out  into: 
the  16mm  projector  field  during  the 
war,  is  conducting  experimental  work 
on  a  new. 35mm  projector.  Allan  Brill 
is  head  of  the  company's  enginee'ring 
department.  .. 


Canteen  to  Stay  Open 

1  liifxywooD,  Sept.  12. — The  Holly- 
■  '."'"I  Canteen,  originally  scheduled 
to  close  Oct.  1,  instead  will  remain 
bpen  through  Thanksgiving. 


THANK  YOU- 

GLOBE  customers  for  your 
patience  in  understanding 
our  problems  during  the  try- 
ing times  just  past. 

GLOBE  TICKET  CO. 

154  West  14th  Street,  New  York  City 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"DON  JUAN  QUILLIGAN"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

A  fair-to-middling  film  which  perhaps  will  soothe  the  escapist  but  leave  the 
wide  awake  moviegoer  a  little  bored.  .  .  .  Even  though  it  doesn't  live  up  to  ex- 
pectations with  its  complicated  plot,  you'll  still  like  William  Bendix's  per- 
lormance. — Mae  Tinee,  Chicago  Tribune. 

Provides  a  good  many-  complications  and  most  of  them,  we  think,  you'll 
rind  amusing. — Doris  Arden,  Chicago  Times. 

Might  have  been  a  funnier  picture  had  it  been  a  little  more  active.  .  ..  .  Mr. 
(Sid)  Silvers  is  the  funniest  element  in  the  show,  always  offering  sagacious 
advice  toi  his  superior  that  has  a  way  of  backfiring. — Henry  T.  Murdock, 
Chicago  Sun. 

Bill  Bendix's  deadpan,  daffy  characterization  makes  this  picture  extraordi- 
narily funny — so  if  you  aren't  a  Bendix  fan  we  don't  suppose  you'll  agree 
with  us.  .  .  .  If  you  are  in  a  silly  mood,  see  "Quilligan."  But  if  you  are  out 
for  more  impressive,  artistic  entertainment,  better  stay  away. — Ann  Marsters, 
Chicago  Herald- American. 

"ZIEGFELD  FOLLIES"  (M-G-M) 

Unquestionably  boxoffice  .  .  .  might  portend  the  advent  of  many  more  such 
pictures.  Beautiful  sets,  coloring,  photography.  Most  amazing  galaxy  of 
stars  ever  gathered  together  on  one  screen. — Eddie  Melvin,  Christian  Science 
Monitor,  Boston. 

Glowing,  stupendous,  magnificent.  All  of  these  adjectives  fit  the  latest 
M-G-M  hit,  "Ziegfeld  Follies." — Helen  Eager,  Boston  Trav.eler. 

Though  the  film  lacks  the  human  warmth  of  its  living  counterparts,  and 
badly  needs  an  intermission  such  as  those  "live"  "Follies"  had,  it  is  generally 
first-rate  entertainment.  The  color  is  startlingly  beautiful  and  the  dancing 
and  the  singing  are  great,  and  the  girls  are  more  beautiful  than  those  of  any 
Ziegfeld  troupe  which  I,  for  one,  can  remember. — Elliot  Norton,  Boston  Post. 

"MURDER  MY  SWEET"  (RKO  Radio) 

Dick  Powell's  fans,  accustomed  to  seeing  him  in  light  parts  will  hardly 
recognize  him  in  this  one. — Fred  Moon,  Atlanta  Journal. 


DC  Variety  Dinner 
For  Berger  Friday 

Washington,  Sept.  12.  —  Rudolph 
Berger,  Southern  division  sales  man- 
ager' for  M-G-M  with  headquarters 
in  New  Orleans,  and  former  chairman 
of  the  welfare  committee  of  Variety 
Club  here,  will  be  tendered  a  testi- 
monial dinner  by  industry  associates 
under  Variety  Club  sponsorship  Fri- 
day night  at  the  Hotel  Statler  here. 

Handling  the  program  are  Alvin 
Newmeyer,  toastmaster ;  Morton 
Thalheimer,  representing  independent 
exhibitors;  Jay  Emanuel,  and  Sam 
Galanty.  William  F.  Rodgers,  John 
Maloney,  John  Russell  Young,  Dan 
Holland,  A.  E.  Lichtman  and  Fred 
Kogod  are  among  those  slated  to  at- 
tend. 


Two  New  Film  Courses 

The  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York's  Institute  of  Film  Techniques 
will  offer  two  new  motion  picture 
courses  during  the  present  semester. 
The  new  courses  are  designed  as  basic 
training  for  those  who  use  films  for 
information,  education  or  public  rela- 
tions p~urposes  in  schools,  community 
service  organizations  or  industry. 


Legion  Ratings  for 
Five  More  Pictures 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
has  rated  as  Class  B  the  following 
films  :  "Blithe  Spirit,"  Cineguild  Prod.- 
Two  Cities  Films-United  Artists,  and 
"Men  in  Her  Diary,"  Universal. 
Classified  as  A-I  are  "The  Great. 
Morgan,"  M-G-M,  and  "The  Shang- 
hai Cobra,"  Monogram.  "And  Then 
There  Were  None,"  20th  Century- 
Fox,  received  an  A-II  classification. 


Clean  Slate  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  Sept.  12.  —  The  Chicago 
police  censor  board  passed  89  pictures 
during  August  without  any  rejections. 
It  classified  for  adults  "Dr.  Terror's 
House  of  Horrors"  and  "The  North- 
erner," the  latter,  a  Mexican-language 
feature. 


Revive  Johnson's  First 

Van  Johnson's  first  picture,  "Mur- 
der in  the  Big  House,"  is  being  re- 
issued in  some  spots  by  Warner  Bros., 
under  the  new  title  of  "Born  for 
Trouble."  A  Humphrey  Bogart-Ann 
Sheridan  revival,  "It  All  Came  True," 
is  also  being  reissued  by  Warners. 


Canada  Buildings  Ready 

Toronto,  Sept.  12. — New  buildings 
of  Warner  Bros,  and  Columbia  Pic- 
tures of  Canada,  here,  have  been  ap- 
proved by  the  Theatres  and  Cinemato- 
graphers  Branch  of  the  Ontario  gov- 
ernment and  are  scheduled  to  be  oc- 
cupied by  the  companies  in  October. 
New  regulations  of  the  government 
forbid  the  storage  of  films  in  a  build- 
ing occupied  by  other  than  film  com- 
panies, hence  the  necessity  of  removal 
from  the  Hermant  Building. 


Kruse  on  Bond  Work 

Chicago,  Sept.  12.— William  Kruse, 
director  of  the  motion  picture  division 
for  Bell  and  Howell,  has  been  named 
Central  States  chairman  of  the  Vic- 
tory War  Loan  Drive  for  the  Nation- 
al 16mm  Manufacturers  Association. 
Members  met  with  Treasury  officials 
here  recently  to  map  plans. 


Bausch  Left  $1,796,512 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  12.— Ed- 
ward Bausch,  former  chairman  of  the 
board  of  Bausch  and  Lomb  Optical 
Co.,  here,  left  a  net  estate  of  $1,796,- 
512  when  he  died  last  July  30,  accord- 
ing to  a  transfer  tax  appraisal  on  file 
in  Surrogate  Court  here. 


Wolheim  Joins  Columbia 

Omaha,  Sept.  12.— Robert  Wol- 
heim has  joined  Columbia  here  as  a 
salesman. 


Short  Subject 
Reviews 


''Hockey  Homicide" 

(RKO  Radio— Walt  Disney) 

In  this,  Goofy  is  tied  up  in  a  rough 
and  tumble  hockey  game  with  no  holde 
barred  and  involving  spectators  a; 
well  as  players.  Unconventionalitiee 
run  the  gamut  even  to  the  point  where 
a  hot  dog  is  mistakenly  used  as  z 
puck,  and  the  announcer  is  beside  him- 
self in  attempting  to  describe  the  hec- 
tic proceedings.  When  finally  the 
referee,  caught  in  the  melee,  spills  al 
his  pucks  to  the  consternation  of  the, 
players  the  spectators  pour  onto  the 
rink  and  while  they  riot  there  the 
players  comfortably  ensconce  them- 
selves on  the  stands,  eat  hot  dogs,  and, 
watch.  Running  time,  8  minutes.  Re 
lease  date,  Sept.  21. 


"Colorado  Rainbows" 

(RKO  Pathe  Sportscope) 

RKO  Pathe's  portscope  takes  audi 
ences  on  a  trout  fishing  trip  in  th 
heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  Colo 
rado.  An  editor  of  an  outdoor  maga 
zine  and  a  veteran  Colorado  sports 
man,    demonstrating   various  fishing 
techniques,  display  their  skill  in  catch- 
ing gamey  rainbows  in  the  mountain 
streams,  and  the  fish  provide  action 
aplenty  as  they  take  the  bait.  Thd 
cameraman   has   not  overlooked  thd 
beautiful  scenery  of  the  vicinity  in  re-^ 
cording  this  one  which  is  designed  td 
please  all  lovers  of  the  great  outdoors.] 
Running  time,  eight  minutes. 


"Campus  Mermaids'* 

(Paramount-Grantland  Rice) 

Featured   in   this   Grantland  Ric 
Sportlights  short  are  about  40  under 
graduates  at  Florida  State  Women' 
College  who  are  reputed  to  have  the 
best  organized  swimming  club  on  any 
campus  in  America.  The  girls  provide 
several  unusual  aquatic  formations,  dis- 
play swimming  techniques,  and  give 
spectacular  demonstrations  in  diving. 
Two  outstanding  performers  present  a 
specialty  number  accompanied  by  ryth- 
mic  music.    Filming   took   place  at 
Wakulla  Springs,  Florida.  Running- 
time,  nine  minutes. 


Feitel  Leaves  20th 

Chester  Feitel,  manager  of  the  na- 
tional promotion  department  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  has  resigned,  effective 
Sept.  22.  Feitel  will  make  known  a 
new  affiliation  soon.  Prior  to  joining 
20th-Fox,  he  was  with  the  New  York 
office  of  Kay  Kamen,  representing 
commercial  activities  of  Disney  Pro- 
ductions. 


'Art  Manheimer  Drive' 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  12.  —  National 
Screen  Service  is  conducting  an  'Art 
Manheimer  Drive,'  in  celebration  of 
Manheimer's  fifth  anniversary  as  lo- 
cal branch  manager.  Gold  embossed 
folders  containing  specially  printed 
order  pads,  and  a  special  issue  of  the 
company's  publication,  Mr.  Showman, 
have  been  mailed  to  all  exhibitors  here. 


S toner  Named  Manager 

Bryan  D.  Stoner,  veteran  film  ex- 
ecutive, has  been  appointed  manager 
of  the  San  Francisco  branch  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  it  has  been  announced 
by  William  J.  Kupper,  general  sales 
manager. 


MOVIE  STORY  introduces  1.500.000 
customers  to  your  pictures  every  month 


^rminr   ■  ow 

^^^^ 


-*o^Blcr  *-  -*  te-^  

»     ^c^w ■  „   ""***■  *««WC 

£11  />;„_.  "•"In,  „„j 

WfiiS   * 


^mascara  C'D"0vm*«':Ky. 


"*>  *«■  c™  2    ay   Do„°  „T°wn  mascara 


111 


W  *ff  fiV*  «  for" Lft  "7S 

,0»Wng  n„J?„a"  "TOssa™  £!'  ma„,'curc 
<™y  to  break",?"-,  N"ils  rta.T,""''0""- 
«n  Jlil "2l  shouV  be  worn  k     e  a  '«■<!■ 

"»»  n,gb,Ub*  .»'   or  Si  <£J?" 


•EAlrry  Uv  y°U«s 

-  

FOOD  A'  Tl"  C~ 


27 
101 


[«  MM,  „     -  « 


f »  "^"i       ■™Irtfi'  KSiJSiSS* »^l~foiJsrm' 


|OVIE  STORY,  by  publishing  the 

fictionizations  of  outstanding  new 
pictures  each  month,  pre-sells  your 

product  to  1,500,000  box  office 
istomers— 600,000  newsstand  purchases 
with  an  average  of  2  1/2  readers 
per  copy. 


....  man 

*  '«  Do?,  h    ev">  soap ,aS°fi'ra  s"ot,ld 

*  bast  /„  °     *Wld  sold.        waler  wasb. 

^     °«  «•  on,  of  .h*^ r»;'y  o™-«C 

r  creamy  l,,uios, 

Al""**  v„„a  P"  **  °»".^.  V. 
over  aXli  m'*ed  with  ™C0J<  m  ,»«.<)„ 


MOVIE  STORY 


MAGAZINE. 


Fawcett  Publications,  Inc.  World's  Largest  Publishers  of 
Monthly  Magazines,  1501  Broadway,  New  York  18,  N.  Y. 
295  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y.  8555  Sunset 
Boulevard,  West  Hollywood  46,  Calif. 


18 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  13,  1945 


Building  Plans 


{Continued  from-  page  1) 

an  excellent  job  during  the  war  and 
with  smaller  forces,  kept  their  the- 
atres up  to  standard,  but  there  are 
many  alterations  and  repairs  needed. 

Boston's  downtown  district  is  at 
present  well  supplied  with  first  runs. 
There  are  about  a  dozen,  so  there  is 
no  need  for  new  'de  luxers'  at  the 
moment.  In  addition,  Boston  has  at 
least  100  neighborhood  theatres,  some 
of  which  have  a  seating  capacity  as 
high  as  2,000. 


Friedl  Circuit  in  North 
Also  Has  Building  Plans 

Minneapolis,  Sept.  12. — Construc- 
tion of  new  theatres  at  Mankato. 
Minn.,  and  Minot,  N.  D.,  have  finally 
been  approved  by  WPB,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  by  John  J.  Friedl, 
president  of  Minnesota  Amusement 
Co.  Both  houses  will  have  a  seating 
capacity  of  1,000.  The  Minot  applica- 
tion had  been  rejected  before  the  Jap 
surrender,  but  later  granted  upon  ap- 
peal. 

Friedl  said  start  of  construction  on 
the  new  houses  would  depend  on  de- 
lays in  making  materials  available, 
adding  that  "the  plans  are  in  good 
shape"  and  that  long  delay  is  not 
anticipated. 

WPB  also  has  under  consideration 
applications  of  the  circuit  for  permits 
to  erect  new  houses  at  Eau  Claire, 
Wis.,  Rochester,  Minn.,  and  in  a  new 
suburb  north  of  the  midway  district 
in  the  Twin  Cities. 


New  2,000-Seater  Planned 
By  Kimmor  Amusement  Co. 

Cleveland,  Sept.  12. — A  new  2,000- 
seat  theatre  will  be  part  of  a  $300,- 
000  amusement  center  announced  by 
Kimmor  Amusement  Co.,  to  be  built, 
as  soon  as  restrictions  are  lifted,  on 
Kinsman  Road  in  Shaker  Heights,  a 
residential  suburb.  Plans  for  the  thea- 
tre were  prepared  by- George  Ebeling, 
local  architect. 


Loew's    Will    Build  a 
House  in  Connecticut 

Hartford,  Sept.  12. — Loew's,  Inc., 
will  build  a  1,400-seat  theatre  in  Nor- 
wich, while  others  have  set  plans  for 
theatre  construction  at  Walnut  Beach 
in  Milford,  Devon,  East  Norwalk,  and 
two  at  Stratford. 

Edward  Lord  has  purchased  the 
Strand,  Norwich,  and  will  completely 
remodel  the  theatre  at  a  cost  of 
$90,000. 


N.  G.  Shafer  to  Build 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  12.— Nicholas  G. 
Shafer,  associated  with  United  Thea- 
tres, and  operating  the  Shirley  and 
Family  Theatres,  at  nearby  Covington, 
Ky.,  has  acquired  a  site  in  the  Bel- 
mont section  of  Dayton,  O.,  on  which 
he  will  build  a  new  theatre. 


Interstate  Will  Build 

Dallas,  Sept.  12. — Interstate  Thea- 
tres will  construct  a  1,200-seat  house 
in  suburban  Dallas.  Ground  has  been 
broken,  and  building  will  start  within 
the  next  60  days.  The  theatre  will  be 
called  the  Lane. 


New  Colored  House 

Atlanta,  Sept.  12. — Martin  Davis 
Theatres  has  a  new  colored  theatre 
under  construction  in  Dothan,  Ala. 
The  house  is  scheduled  to  be  opened 
about  the  first  of  the  year. 


British 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

lions  of  dollars  loaned  to  foreign  gov- 
ernments after  the  last  war,  most  of 
which  was  defaulted,  many  members 
of  Congress  are  opposed  to  any  large 
advances  to  European  countries.  Much 
of  the  opposition  to  a  loan  to  Britain, 
however,  is  based  upon  the  socialistic 
policies  of  the  new  labor  government. 
There  is  considerable  opposition,  also, 
to  a  loan  to  .any  country  which  main- 
tains discriminatory  barriers  against 
U.  S.  trade,  and  the  State  Department 
has  been  urged  to  make  full  use  of  its 
bargaining  power  to  force  equitable 
treatment  of  American  business  as  a 
condition  to  any  advance.  It  is  point- 
ed out  that  motion  picture  distributors 
are  not  the  only  group  to  feel  the 
weight  of  British  discrimination,  but 
that  exporters  generally  suffer  from 
Empire  preferences,  the  sterling  area 
and  other  devices  which  England  has 
adopted  to  control  trade  over  a  large 
part  of  the  world. 

Policy  for  France 

The  State  Department's  policy  of 
tying  fair  trade  conditions  to  loans 
will  be  extended  to  France  and  other 
countries  which  are  seeking,  or  will 
seek,  financial  assistance.  The  French 
government  already  has  been  advised 
of  this  policy,  during  the  recent  con- 
ferences between  the  De  Gaulle  dele- 
gation and  Department  officials. 

At  a  press  conference  this  afternoon, 
Lord  Keynes,  economist  who  accom- 
panied Ambassador  Halifax  to  this 
country  for  the  negotiations,  made  it 
clear  that  elimination  of  British  trade 
restrictions  is  contingent  upon  the 
granting  of  aid  by  this  country  on 
terms  which  England  can  meet. 

Lprd  Keynes  declared  England  is 
faced  with  the  alternative  of  working 
out  her  salvation  alone,  doing  what  she 
can  with  such  resources  as  are  avail- 
able, importing  only  from  countries 
to  which  she  exports,  and  depending 
on  the  "defensive  trade  mechanisms" 
developed  by  war  controls. 


Griffith 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

which  were  not  completed  in  New 
York  in  August,  and  Judge  Edgar  S. 
Vaught  finally  issued  an  order  per- 
mitting the  Government  to  file  cross- 
interrogatories  against  the  two. 

The  trial  was  halted  at  midday 
while  Kallus  telephoned  to  Robert  L. 
Wright,  his  superior  in  Washington, 
"and  was  delayed  two  hours  in  the  af- 
ternoon while  the  judge  presided  at  a 
naturalization  ceremony.  When  the 
attorneys  became  involved  in  a  quarrel 
over  a  decimal  point,  Vaught  said,  "I 
want  to  get  this  case  tried  sometime. 
It's  been  filed  a  long  time."  The  suit 
was  brought  in  1938. 


State  Dep't 

{Continued  from  page  1) 

recommendation  and  was  taken  be- 
cause of  difficulties  experienced  by 
businessmen  in  obtaining  accommoda- 
tions in  Paris.  In  this  way,  it  was 
pointed  out,  our  businessmen  will  be 
placed  in  as  favorable  a  position  as 
those  of  other  countries,  who  have 
had  the  assistance  of  their  govern- 
ments in  obtaining  food  and  shelter. 

Facilities  will  be  provided  through 
the  Embassy,  and  the  plan  is  ex- 
pected to  go  into  effect  by  Oct.  1. 


CSU  Asks 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

scheduled  to  walk  out  on  their  own 
strike  this  morning. 

As  for  most  of  the  unions  repre- 
sented at  yesterday's  meeting,  their 
representatives  will  have  to  take  the 
proposition  back  to  their  respective 
unions  for  a  vote  of  their  memberships. 
AFL  craft  unions  represented  at  yes- 
terday's meeting  besides  the  painters 
were  officials  of  New  York  electrical 
workers,  plumbers  and  machinists  and 
others. 

CIO  unions  represented  included 
the  Screen  Office  and  Professional 
Employes  Guild  and  the  Screen  Pub- 
licists Guild.  McDonald  is  scheduled 
to  address  a  meeting  of  SPG  at  the 
Hotel  Piccadilly  here  tonight. 

Representatives  of  the  unions  who 
attended  yesterday's  meeting,  about 
20  of  them,  were  summoned  to  the 
meeting  by  telegram.  There  was  no 
indication  that  their  presence  at  the 
meeting  could  be  construed  as  a  sign 
that  they  would  be  willing  to  sub- 
scribe to  the  theatre  picketing  cam- 
paign which  the  CSU  is  seeking  to  in- 
voke against  the  film  companies  who 
have  continued  to  produce  films  dur- 
ing the  strike. 


Picket  California  Studio 

Hollywood,  Sept.  12.  —  Canifornia 
Studio,  last  of  the  rental  lots  ex- 
empted by  the  Hollywood  strike  strat- 
egy committee  because  it  was  used  by 
independent  producers,  today  was 
added  to  the  list  of  "struck  plants" 
when  the  management  notified  the 
strikers  the  facilities  had  been  leased 
to  RKO  for  60  days.  When  RKO 
trucks  drove  on  the  premises,  the 
strikers  established  picket  lines. 


MPPDA 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

meeting  included  the  recommendation 
of  the  Association's  committee  on  re- 
conversion and  reorganization,  which 
was  appointed  by  president  Will  Hays 
on  Dec.  1,  1944;  international  condi- 
tions, with  the  hope  expressed  that  all 
U.  S.  distributors  engaged  in  export 
would  avail  themselves  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Co.,  Inc. ;  continuing 
close  cooperation  during  the  period  of 
reconstruction  with  the  organizations 
and  individuals  interested  in  commun- 
ity problems  which  were  represented 
at  a  national  conference  with  indus- 
try leaders,  the  further  cooperation 
with  the  Commission  on  Motion  Pic- 
tures in  Education  and  the  report  of 
N.  Peter  Rathvon,  chairman  of  the 
special  committee  on  the  subject. 

The  regular  quarterly  meeting  of 
the  board  of  directors  was  convened 
after  the  members'  meeting  and  was 
adjourned  until  next  Wednesday. 

Board  members  present  were :  Bar- 
ney Balaban,  George  Borthwick,  Jack 
Cohn,  Earle  W.  Hammons,  Hays, 
Rathvon,  Nicholas  Schenck,  Spyros 
Skouras,  Austin  C.  Keough,  W.  C. 
Michel,  Carl  E.  Milliken,  J.  J. 
O'Connor  and  J.  Robert  Rubin. 


Davis  Resigns 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

operations,  was  named  by  the  Pres- 
ident to  succeed  Davis  for  the  purpose 
of  liquidating  the  agency.  _  The 
domestic  branch  will  be  virtually 
liquidated  by  Oct.  6,  and  Dalton  will 
devote  himself  to  the  mechanics  in- 
volved in  the  closing. 


Para.  Surveys 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

transmitters  would  be  located  in  the 
Peru  Mountain,  Vermont;  in  New 
York  City,  Buffalo,  Detroit,  Chicago, 
Des  Moines,  El  Paso  and  Los  Angeles. 
The  possibility  of  stratosphere  trans- 
mission such  as  contemplated  by  West- 
inghouse  through  the  use  of  airplanes 
cruising  over  key  cities  was  anticipat- 
ed early  this  year  by  Paramount  when 
it  proposed  the  use  of  balloons  or 
dirigibles,  but  the  idea  was  dropped 
as  a  result  of  unfavorable  reaction 
from  Government  agencies. 

Partners  Have  Filed 

Several  Paramount  theatre  partners 
have  already  filed  applications  for  per- 
mission to  construct  television  stations 
in  their  areas,  including  United  De- 
troit Theatres,  Detroit;  New  England 
Theatres,  Boston,  and  Interstate  Thea- 
tres, Dallas.  Balaban  and  Katz  al- 
ready operates  a  television  station  in 
Chicago  and  Television  Productions 
operates  one  in  Hollywood.  DuMont, 
in  which  Paramount  has  substantial 
holdings,  operates  a  station  in  New 
York.  E.  V.  Richards,  Paramount 
partner  in  the  New  Orleans  territory, 
is  planning  to  file  for  permission  to 
construct  a  station.  Other  Paramount 
partners  are  said  to  be  keeping  a  close 
watch  on  television  developments 
through  facilities  available  to  all  Para- 
mount affiliates  at-  the  Paramount 
home  office  here. 

Material  is  being  prepared  under  the 
supervision  of  Raibourn  on  the  num- 
ber of  television  sets  which  are  ex- 
pected to  be  bought  by  the  public  in 
the  key  cities  where  Paramount  part- 
ners plan  to  build  television  stations. 
These  estimates  are  intended  to  guide 
Paramount  affiliates  in  fixing  the 
amount  of  money  to  be  spent  on  sta- 
tion construction.  Raibourn  said  that 
Paramount  affiliates  who  have  filed 
for  station  permits  plan  to  operate 
them  as  regular  commercial  stations, 
telecasting  programs  to  home  sets 
rather  than  confining  their  activities 
to  providing  television  programs  in 
theatres. 

Experiments  Start 

Availability  of  materials  in  recent 
weeks  has  made  possible  the  start  of 
some  experimentation  on  radio  relay 
as  a  method  of  television  inter-city 
transmission,  Raibourn  pointed  out. 
He  indicated  that  experimentation  is 
being  confined  to  stations  being  op- 
erated in  New  York  by  DuMont,  in 
Chicago  by  Balaban  and  Katz,  and 
in  Hollywood  by  Paramount  Produc- 
tions. Raibourn  did  not  rule  out  the 
possibility  that  Paramount  might  not 
adopt  other  methods  of  inter-city 
transmission  if  these  methods  prove 
feasible  and  not  prohibitive  in  cost. 


Only  200  Chicago 
Homes  Have  Video 

Chicago,  Sept.  12. — A  survey  being 
conducted  by  the  Balaban  and  Katz 
circuit,  to  determine  the  number  of 
television  sets  to  be  installed  in  homes 
when  equipment  becomes  available, 
shows  that  at  present  only  200  home 
sets  are  located  in  this  area  and  only 
50  per  cent  of  these  are  in  working 
order. 

William  C.  Eddy,  general  manager 
of  the  B.  &  K.  video  station  WBKB, 
on  leave  during  the  past  three  years, 
will  be  back  at  his  post  next  month 
following  his  discharge  from  the 
Navy. 


WARNERS 

* 

(1945-'46) 
PRIDE  OF  THE 
MARINES 
John  Garfield 
Eleanor  Parker 
D — 120  mins. 
(Rev.  8/7/45) 

(1945-'46) 
RHAPSODY  IN 
BLUE 
Robert  Alda 
Joan  Leslie 
M — 139  mins. 
(Rev.  6/27/45) 

(1945-'46) 
DANGER 
SIGNAL 
Faye  Emerson 
Zachary  Scott 
D 

(1945-*46) 
MILDRED 
PIERCE 
Joan  Crawford 
Jack  Carson 
D 

UNIVERSAL 

UNCLE  HARRY 

George  Sanders 
Geraldine  Fitzgerald 
Ella  Raines 

D— 80  mins.  (9075) 
(Rev.  8/8/45) 

LADY  ON  A 

TRAIN 
Deanna  Durbin 
David  Bruce 
Ralph  Bellamy 
CD— 94  mins.  (9001) 
(Rev.  8/9/45) 

(1945-'46) 
SHADY  LADY 
Charles  Coburn 
Ginny  Simms 
Robert  Paige 
D— 93  mins.  (501) 
(Rev.  9/7/45) 

(1945-'46) 
MEN  IN  HER 

DIARY 
Louise  Albritton 
Jon  Hall 
Peggy  Ryan 
C  (173) 

(1945-'46) 
RIVER  GANG 
Gloria  Jean 
John  Qualen 

D — 64  mins.  (503) 
(Rev.  9/12/45) 

(1945-'46) 
THAT  NIGHT 
WITH  YOU 

Susanne  Foster 
Franchot  Tone 
Louise  Albritton 
D— (504) 

(1945-'46) 
STRANGE 
CONFESSION 
Brenda  Joyce 
Lon  Chaney 
D— (505) 

(1945-'46) 
SENORITA  FROM 
THE  WEST 
Alan  Jones 
Bonita  Granville 
M— (506) 

(1945-'46) 
NIGHT  IN 
PARADISE 

(Color) 
Merle  Oberon 
Turhan  Bey 

D— (507) 

(1945-'46) 
THE  FUGITIVE 

Basil  Rathbone 
Nigel  Bruce 

D— (508) 

< 

S3 

(1945-'46) 
CAPTAIN  KIDD 
(Borgeaus  Prod.) 
Charles  Laughton 

D — 89  mins. 
(Rev.  7/30/45) 

(1945-'46) 
PARIS 
UNDERGROUND 
(C.  Bennett  Prod.) 
Constance  Bennett 
D — 97  mins. 
(Rev.  8/20/4S) 

(1945-'46) 
SPELLBOUND 

(Selznick) 
Ingrid  Bergman 
Gregory  Peck 

o 

I 

X 

o 


°to 


CO 

<s  « 

o  ^ 


P 
< 

K 

O 
X 


H  h 


_  «  K  ^ 
Oz;  h  « 
H~5;  "is 

or!  ■    w  • 


<■  —  00 
„  c  £  ■ 
*  S  S 

I  w 
u 


KhOQ 
022  c 

o£o° 


rr  2 


I- 


O  £-g 


<      q  O 


m  >  < 
«  2  «i~ 

Ef  S  E  ^ 
Oo7« 


2°<  S  5  E  > 
to    to  J. 


£2^5 

M  00  ry 
to  |  £ 

U 


O 

H<  «j| 

f^to^l 
to  ('•uivosS 

H      5  I  w 


2 


o 


—  <  1/1' 

O  J  c^*  5 

H  12     |  . 
CCD 


£5 


2™  S 

m£  E  ZO  £ 

««  ] 
c/3 


I  S  l 

I 


oz  g 

!to  J  » 
HQ 
!"<  ^ 

:g« " 

^Z  c 

<U  3 
«  oo 
«K 
H 


be 


q:  to  ~ 

« 

Z«3 

°S  • 

o-= 
.o  B 

>Qoo 

OZ  I 


HZ.5 
<H  S 

I 

Q 


ZO       w  H 

w2  >>'= 

oo^O^ 

o 


PC<  so 

O  «>n 

-"-WrJoQ  Oso 

s  O 


5  *>  °, 

Ooo^"^oi"2 
<>-9 

ojo^.-c 

►J       >•«)  f~ 

tot-  s  a- 

ods.3  5 
<o  =£cas 

O0  < 


to04  u  E  g 


to  3 


«U  S  L.  » 

w>-n  u.s 
z^oiS^ 

toE«H^ 


00  ,     no  _ 

og|«.s^ 
us  <o  a  oo 

<2g|Q« 
Oh°>  w 


rl  cr" 

«2-3^.S5: 
WW  Co  go, 

QS0-CCS, 


Sw«.« 

to«  «H 


E« 


S 
■ 

o 

I 


KKOfc  5~so  > 


'OS 

z 


,2     IN  V 


O 

to 

zw, 
°S: 

CO 

X 
H 


3  2  5^ 

I^S-Ss^S^c 


ftoW. 

J«W> 

Sqh-^OjSooS 

5       W  r>os« 

S  s 


torf  °2m 

2<S.5i- 

<Sse: 

hs  c*  « 
ooO  c"pto 

to  .2,0 


Wf^^ 
WQ|-s 

>J  <       »i  IN 

GZP.SoS 

<to  S^.  > 

toy  Cm  u 

oo^  |'« 
o 


w.a  zz^2 

O  Sj  s 
?to  ».S-o 

Qtom7(S 


-3  oo >>b 
3toS  anc, 

2^lil>: 


5fZ 


toS« 


<  JSaZZ. 
>r"<!,0  o  — ■ 

Sk^Sc'SI 

z»  ^"l00 

<8  s  s S  >: 

00  M^Tfc; 


°2  g  «  . 

t^O  c  E  E 
3  "< 
OOc  S 
too 

M  o 


12  §^ 

vw^oi  "Si 
•gWcScSS 


to    c  c 
«w«  Sd7  > 

w  sw 


»2  g,  ^  Q2 
><  oa  »'«  aH 

<o 


O.S^ 
oo« 


WrlKjts3^9  goo 

2w||7>  z^ 

X 


OX 


a  t 


■-.GO 


Oto 


<0  S  S  g  2£ 

|1S|I|I| 

S  to<^  ^.^w 


COLUMBIA 

RUSTLERS  OF 
THE  BADLANDS 
Charles  Starrett 
Dub  Taylor 

O — 58  mins. 
(Rev.  8/21/45) 

OVER  21 
Irene  Dunne 
Alexander  Knox 

C — 105  mins. 
(Rev.  7/23/45) 

ADVENTURES 
OF  RUSTY 
Ted  Donaldson 
Margaret  Lindsay 
D 

I  LOVE  A 
BANDLEADER 
Phil  Harris 
Eddie  Anderson 

MC 

(1945-'46) 
OUTLAWS  OF 
THE  ROCKIES 
Charles  Starrett 

(1945-'46) 
CRIME 
DOCTOR'S 
WARNING 
SONG  OF  THE 
PRAIRIE 

TRUE  GLORY 
(WAC) 

83  mins. 
(Rev.  8/1/45) 

(1945-'46) 
GIRL  OF  THE 
LIMBERLOST 
Derinda  Clifton 
Ruth  Nelson 
D 

(1945-'46) 
BLAZING  THE 
WESTERN 
TRAIL 
Charles  Starrett 
O 

(1945-'46) 
WOMAN  IN  RED 

Nina  Foch 
Dame   Mae  Witty 

|o 

♦ 

•a  r> 
w 

C/5 

Sept. 
Id 

XT' 

Sept. 
21 

• 

C/5 

♦ 

U  IT) 

o 

t3  <^ 
O  ^ 

d  ~ 

ti  vo 

o  ^ 

Now  in  Production  . . 


WESLEY  RUCCLES 
LONDON  TOWN" 

Technicolor  Musical  introducing 

SID  FIELD  and  WESLEY  RUGGLES'  "ONE  DOZEN  and  ONE' 

SOUND       CITY,       SHEPPERTON,  ENGLAND 


and 

Impartial 


MOTION 


TURE 


VOL.  58.  NO.  53 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  14,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Grosses  Dip 
Slightly  in 
15  Key  Cities 

'Anchors  Aweigh'  Leads 
Films  Above  Average 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Reopening  of  schools,  tapering  off 
of  vacations,  and  warm  weather  in 
many  sections  of  the  country  over 
the  past  weekend  combined  to  send 
'•eceipts  at  first-run  theatres  off  the 
peak  pace  of  recent  weeks,  it  was  in- 
dicated by  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
r1  "re  Daily  correspondents  in  15  key 
tides  and  by  circuit  executives. 

"Anchors  Aweigh,"  in  holdover  en- 
gagements, continued  as  the  outstand- 
ing leader  for  the  second  consecutive 
*eek.  Eight  other  films  scoring 
above  average  in  the  15  key  cities 
were:  "Christmas  in  Connecticut." 
'Guest  Wife,"  "Captain  Eddie," 
'Along   Came  Jones,"   "Lady   on  a 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Johnston  to  Retain 
U.S.  Chamber  Post 


IE 


Washington,  Sept.  13. — Member> 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  will  gather 
I  ihere  tomorrow  for  their  regular  Fall 
cession,  but  an  informed  spokesman 
'lor  the  Chamber  said  today  that  Eric 
Johnston  would  not  resign. 

Johnston  is  expected  to  report  to 
the  Board  that  he  has  accepted  the 
presidency  of  the  MPPDA  but  will 
carry  on  as  head  of  the  Chamber  un- 
til the  expiration  of  his  term  next 
May,  becoming  the  first  Chamber  ex- 
ecutive to  serve  four  terms. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  neither  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Network  Strikers 
Return   to  Jobs 

Some  500  members  of  the 
National  Association  o  f 
Broadcast  Engineers  and 
Technicians,  who  went  on 
strike  Wednesday  evening, 
temporarily  disrupting  opera- 
tions of  the  National  and 
American  Broadcasting  com- 
panies, returned  to  work  last 
night  following  the  interven- 
tion of  U.  S.  labor  conciliator 
J.  R.  Mandelebaum.  Negotia- 
tions of  the  grievances  have 
been  resumed.  Some  350  sta- 
tions were  affected. 


RKO  Plans  16mm. 
Foreign  Program 

RKO  Radio  has  under  preparation 
a  program  for  distribution  of  16  mm. 
features  and  shorts,  which  will  be 
launched  first  in  the  China  and  India 
territories,  and  which  may  eventually 
be  expanded  to  other  territories,  Leon 
Hritton,  -the  company's  Far  Eastern 
supervisor,  said  in  an  interview  here 
yesterday.  The  company  thereby  be- 
comes the  second  major  company  to 
adopt  a  16  mm.  program,  as  Loew's 
International  Corp.  previously  had  an- 
nounced establishment  of  a  special  di- 
vision for  world  distribution  of 
M-G-M  product  on  16  mm.  film. 

Britton  revealed  that  he  would  head 
the  16  mm.  operation  in  China  and 
India.      RKO   Radio's  Far  Eastern 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


United  Nations  May 
Meet  for  Lowering 
Of  Tariff  Barriers 


Washington,  Sept.  13. — A  general 
United  Nations  Conference  on  the 
lowering  of  tariff  barriers  may  be  an 
outcome  of  the  economic  talks  current- 
ly going  on  between  American  and 
British  officials,  it  was  indicated  today 
by  Secretary  of  State  Acheson. 

Although  the  discussions  which  are 
preliminary  to  the  negotiation  of  a 
loan  of  several  billion  dollars  to  assist 
England's  economic  recovery  have  just 
started,  the  question  of  trade  discrimi- 
nations against  American  motion  pic- 
tures and  other  products  already  has 
been  brought  up,  with  Lord  Keynes, 
stating  flatly  yesterday  that  elimina- 
tion  of  what   he   termed  "defensive 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Recommends  16mm 
Distribution  for  UA 


Recommendations  for  16mm.  dis- 
tribution will  shortly  be  presented  to 
United  Artists  by  Sam  Seidelman,  the 
company's  Latin  American  supervisor, 
who  is  in  New  York  from  Mexico 
City. 

Seidelman  participated  in  the  nego- 
tiations which  resulted  in  the  recent 
settlement  of  the  Mexican  film  strike. 
He  said  "the  labor  problem  is  spread- 
ing fast  through  all  of  Latin  Amer- 
(Continned  on  page  7) 


Warner  Executives 
To  Studio  Parley 

Ben  Kalmenson,  general  sales  man- 
ager for  Warner  Bros. ;  Mort  Blum- 
enstock,  director  of  advertising  and 
publicity  in  the  East,  and  Samuel 
Schneider,  vice-president,  will  leave 
here  today  for  a  series  of  studio  con- 
ferences with  Harry  M.  and  Jack  L. 
Warner  on  forthcoming  product  and 
advertising  policies.  Indications  are 
administrative  direction  of  the  com- 
pany's advertising-publicity  department 
will  be  settled  at  the  conferences  in 
•consequence  of  the  recent  resignation 
lot  Charles  Einfeld. 


Studio  Strike  in  Sixth 
Month;  No  Peace  in  Sight 


By  WILLIAM  R.  WEAVER 

Hollywood,  Sept.  13. — Six  months 
after  its  start,  the  Hollywood  strike 
stands  securely  on  its  unresolved  issues 
as  a  continuing  threat  to  the  industry 
all  the  way  from  picket  line  to  pocket- 
book.  With  an  impending  NLRB  de- 
cision on  the  once  basic  issue  officially 
discounted  in  advance  by  both  of  the 
labor  factions  concerned,  the  situation 
today  stands  about  like  this : 

On  strike  or  observing  picket  lines 
— 14  AFL  locals  and  an  unaffiliated 
recruit. 

Opposing  the  strike  and  maintain- 
ing production — 17  AFL  locals,  five  of 
them  established  since  the  strike  started. 

In  the  line  of  cross-fire — 11  feature 
picture  studios,  two  cartoon  studios, 
three  auxiliary  services,  161  feature 
pictures  and.  potentially,  the  box  office. 

"In  the  middle,"  to  use  their  own  de- 


scription, which  was  quoted  humor- 
ously in  the  beginning  but  isn't  any 
more,  are  the  studios  in  which  some- 
thing like  90  per  cent  of  the  industry's 
gross  production  budget  is  expended 
annually. 

Coming  into  position  now,  in  support 
of  the  attacking  army  in  an  intra-AFL 
war,  are  the  forces  of  the  CIO,  de- 
claredly seeking  no  spoils. 

The  14  AFL  locals  striking  or  ob- 
serving picket  lines  are  aligned  with 
the  Brotherhood  of  Painters,  Decora- 
tors and  Paperhangers  of  America, 
and  the  17  AFL  locals  opposing  them 
are  members  of  the  IATSE. 

The  studios  picketed  are  Columbia, 
Samuel  Goldwvn,  M-G-M,  Paramount, 
RKO  Radio,  Republic,  20th  Century- 
Fox,  Universal,  Warner  Brothers. 
They  are  the  nine  against  which  the 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Solution  of 
French  Film 
Problem  Near 


Spain,  Italy  Barriers 
Also  To  Be  Removed 


Washington,  Sept.  13.— -A  sat- 
isfactory solution  of  the  French 
film  controversy  was  in  sight  today 
following  lengthy  discussions  be- 
tween French  Minister  of  Production 
Monet  and  top  officials  of  the  State 
Department. 

The  situation  in  France  has 
long  been  the  most  troublesome 
of  all  the  problems  confronting 
the  American  industry  in  its 
operations  in  Europe,  and  has 
been  a  cause  of  grave  concern 
also  to  the  department. 
Department  officials  refuse  to  dis- 
cuss the  tenor  of  the  negotiations  with 
the  French  Minister,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  last  month  with  Provi- 

' (Continued  on  page  7) 


Yugoslavs  Seize 
4  Companies'  Films 

Confiscation  by  the  Yugoslav  gov- 
ernment of  an  undetermined  number 
of  features  of  four  American  film 
companies  in  Belgrade,  was  revealed 
here  yesterday  by  George  Weltner, 
Paramount  International  president. 

The  four  companies,  Paramount, 
20th  Century-Fox,  Warners  and  M- 
G-M,  were  advised  of  the  confiscation 
by  official  government  sources,  which 
said  that  the  companies'  pre-war  rep- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Griffith  Threats  Are 
Denied  by  C.  B.  Akers 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  13. — C.  B. 
Akers,  assistant  general  manager  for 
the  Griffith  Amusement  Co.,  today 
denied  the  truth  of  testimony  given 
last  May  by  Government  witnesses  as 
he  became  the  first  defense  witness 
in  the  Griffith  anti-trust  trial  in  Fed- 
eral District  Court  here.  Akers  who 
"grew  up"  with  the  Griffith  circuits, 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reviewed  Today 

Reviews  of  "Fighting  Bill 
Carson,"  "Apology  for  Mur- 
der" appear  on  page  4;  "Th? 
Fall  of  Berlin,"  7. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  September  14,  19 


Jap  Sentiment  for 
U.  S.  Films:  Albeck 


Public  sentiment  in  Japan  will  per- 
mit exhibition  of  American  pictures 
there  in  the  very  near  future,  accord- 
ing to  a  cable  received  by  George 
Weltner,  Paramount  International 
president,  from  John  Albeck,  the  com- 
pany's Japan  manager,  who  yesterday 
established  his  first  contact  with  the 
home  office  since  the  war  began.  Al- 
beck, who  is  reported  suffering  from 
malnutrition  as  a  result  of  his  being 
held  in  Japan,  said  an  investigation 
has  been  started  to  determine  which 
stored  prints  have  escaped  bombings. 

Other  Paramount  Far  Eastern  men 
who  reestablished  contact  with  the 
company  are  Paul  Verdayne,  pre- 
war branch  manager  in  Singapore, 
and  Lt.  Floyd  C.  Henry,  former  man- 
ager in  the  Philippines,  who  was  lib- 
erated from  a  Japanese  prison  camp 
this  week.  From  London  the  company 
received  word  from  David  Rose,  man- 
aging director  in  Great  Britain,  that 
L.  J.  A.  Peuleve,  pre-war  branch  man- 
ager in  Java  and  now  hospitalized  in 
England,  will  be  able  to  rejoin  the 
company. 


Personal  Mention 


Joseph  Pollak  Rites 
To  Be  Held  Today 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  to- 
day for  Joseph  Pollak,  one  of  the 
founders  and  former  president  of  Na- 
tional Screen  Service  Corp,  at  River- 
side Memorial  Chapel,  here.  Pollak 
died  Tuesday  night  at  his  home  after 
a  brief  illness.  He  was  63.  NSS  will 
cease  activities  at  11  a.  m.  today  in  all 
its  exchanges  in  respect  to  Pollak. 

Pollak  came  to  the  U.  S.  from 
Germany  in  1914.  He  headed  NSS 
until  1929,  and  later  founded  "Thea- 
tre-on-Film,"  which  photographed 
theatrical  productions  on  16mm.  film 
for  national  distribution. 

He  is  survived  by  a  son,  James. 


Ambassador  to  Begin 
First-Runs  Sept.  22 

The  Ambassador  Theatre  will  in- 
augurate a  first-run  policy  Sept.  22 
with  Universal's  "Men  in  Her  Diary," 
"according  to  Joseph  Siritzky,  who 
operates  the  house  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Samuel. 

The  Ambassador  opened  Labor  Day 
weekend  and  is  currently  showing 
"Northwest  Mounted  Police,"  Para- 
mount reissue.  Siritzky  said  that  he 
and  his  brother  are  seeking  a  tie-up 
with  a  distribution  company  for  a 
continuing  supply  of  first-run  product 
for  the  house. 


Bogeaus  to  Tell  Plans 

Benedict  Bogeaus  and  Burgess 
Meredith  will  announce  their  produc- 
tion plans  for  release  through  United 
Artists  at  a  luncheon  for  trade  press 
representatives,  Sept.  18  at  the  "21" 
Club,  here,  U.  A.  reported  yesterday. 


JOSEPH  R.  VOGEL,  Loew's  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  out-of-town 
theatres,  is  in  Havana  on  business. 
• 

Rosemary  Carroll,  daughter  of 
Edna  R.  Carroll,  chairman  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Board  of  Motion 
Picture  Censors,  and  Pfc.  Stanley 
Farr,  were  married  in  Philadelphia 
last  week. 

• 

Edward  L.  Walton,  executive  aide 
to  James  R.  Grainger,  Republic 
world-wide  sales  chief,  will  leave  on 
Sunday  for  a  month's  tour  of  Western 
and  Midwestern  company  branches. 
• 

Dave  Horwitz,  assistant  manager 
of  Warners'  Mastbaum,  Philadelphia, 
and  Reba  Klassman,  chief  of  staff  at 
Warners'  Stanley  there,  were  married 
last  week. 

• 

Lum  and  Abner  (Chet  Lauck  and 
Tuffy  Goft)  are  in  Chicago  from 
Hollywood  and  will  return  to  Cali- 
fornia and  RKO  Radio's  studio  on 
Sept.  23. 

• 

Arturo  Gonzales,  PRC  distributor 
in   Central   America,  will   leave  the 
Coast  next  Tuesday  for  New  York. 
• 

Louis  Frisch  of  Randforce  Amuse- 
ment Co.,  Brooklyn,  has  ended  a  sea- 
son at  his  Neponsit,  L.  I.,  place. 
• 

Jack  Barrett,  Florida  representa- 
tive   for    Monogram    Southern  Ex- 
changes, is  visiting  in  Atlanta. 
• 

Marvin  Schenck,  M-G-M  Eastern 
talent   head,    will    return    here  next 
Wednesday  from  a  Coast  visit. 
• 

Buck  Wade,  Universal  exchange 
manager  in  Salt  Lake  City,  has  re- 
turned there  from  Nevada. 

• 

Oscar  Oldknow,  vice-president  of 
National  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  is  visit- 
ing in  Atlanta. 

• 

Bud  McKinney  is  leaving  his  post 
as  Capitol  Theatre  manager  in  Salt 
Lake  City  to  reside  in  California. 
• 

Carrol  Trowbridge,  United  Artists 
manager  at  Salt  Lake  City,  has  re- 
turned there  from  Wyoming. 

• 

Harry  Dashiel,  former  Paramount 
salesman,  is  covering  Georgia  terri- 
tory for  Republic. 

• 

Harry  Graham,  Universal  South- 
eastern district  manager,  visited  in 
Charlotte  recently. 

• 

Jack  Kirby,  Paramount  Southern 
district  manager,  was  a  recent  Char- 
lotte visitor. 

• 

Ted  Gamble  and  S.  H.  Fabian  left 
Hollywood  by  plane  for  the  East  yes- 
terday. 


RKO  $1.50  Dividend 

RKO  board  of  directors  yesterday 
declared  a  quarterly  dividend  of  $1.50 
per  share  on  the  six  per  cent  preferred 
stock,  payable*  Nov.  1  to  stockholders 
of  record  on  Oct.  20. 


H ERBERT  J.  YATES,  Republic 
president,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  the  Coast,  accompanied  by 
his  executive  assistant,  William 
Saal. 

• 

Cpl.  Norman  Rolfe,  manager  of 
the  Army  post  theatre,  Orlando,  Fla., 
and  formerly  Connecticut  district  man- 
ager of  the  Lockwood  and  Gordon 
circuit,  became  a  father  on  Tuesday, 
when  a  girl,  Janet  Rae,  was  born  to 
Mrs.  Rolfe  at  Braintree,  Mass.  The 
mother  was  formerly  manager  of  the 
Webb  Playhouse,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 
• 

Robert  Smeltzer,  Warner  district 
manager  with  headquarters  in  Wash- 
ington, and  William  G.  Mansell, 
Philadelphia  branch  manager,  were 
New  York  visitors  yesterday. 

• 

Bernard  K.  Kranze,  RKO  Cleve- 
land district  manager,  and  Elmer 
Lux,  Buffalo  branch  manager,  have 
been  visiting  the  Schine  Theatres 
main  offices  at  Gloversville,  N.  Y. 
• 

Richard  Morgan  of  the  Paramount 
legal  staff  has  returned  to  New  York 
after  several  weeks  in  Texas  in  con- 
nection with  trial  preparations  in  the 
New  York  anti-trust  suit. 

• 

Jac  Thall,  associated  with  Dona- 
hue and  Coe  on  film  accounts,  is  the 
father  of  a  baby  girl,  Marlene  Vic- 
toria, born  Tuesday  at  Long  Island 
College  Hospital 

• 

Maurice  Goodman,  20th  Century- 
Fox  branch  auditor  stationed  in  the 
home  office,  and  Mrs.  Goodman  this 
week  celebrated  their  golden  wedding 
anniversary. 

• 

Frank   Akticola   of  the  M-G-M 
auditing  department  is  the  father  of  a 
second  child,  Frank,  Jr.,  born  at  the 
Madison  Park  Hospital,  Brooklyn. 
• 

Ensign  Milford  Rydell  of  RKO, 
son  of  Sam  Rydell,  manager  of  the 
RKO  Jefferson,  New  York,  was  mar- 
ried recently  to  Harriet  Wolfson.  ■ 
• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg  and  P.  H. 
Savin  of  Monogram  Southern  Ex- 
changes, were  recent  visitors  in  Char- 
lotte from  Atlanta. 

• 

Sol  Strausberg,  vice-president  of 
Interboro  Circuit,  New  York,  is  back 
at  his  post  following  release  from  the 
Navy. 

• 

James  Judge  of  the  Philadelphia 
Arcadia  Theatre,  and  Mrs.  Judge, 
have  become  parents  of  a  son. 

• 

Bert    Levy,    head    of    the  Levy 
Vaudeville  Circuit,  was  in  Salt  Lake 
City  recently  for  a  few  days. 
• 

Fred  Mathews,  Motiograph  part- 
ner, will  return  to  Chicago  on  Monday 
following  a  vacation. 


Variety  Club  Gift 

Atlanta,  Sept.  13. — The  Variety 
Club  of  Atlanta  has  donated  $20,000 
for  the  construction  of  a  dormitory 
to  house  30  to  40  girls  permanently 
at  the  Mountain  View  Camp. 


Konkright  Promoted 

Hollywood,  Sept.  13. — C.  Roy  Konk- 
right, formerly  in  the  accounting  de- 
partment of  Monogram's  Hollywood 
studio,  has  been  appointed  head  of  the 
production  accounting  department. 


STRICTLY  A  FAMILY  AFFAIR 
WHAT  A  FAMILY 
WHAT  AN  AFFAIR  .  .  . 

LOVE,  HONOR 
and  GOODBYE 

Starring 

VIRGINIA       a  EDWARD 
BRUCE       ^  ASHLEY 

Featuring  Victor  McLagfen 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 

Directed  by  ALBERT  S.  ROGELL 
Associate  Producer  HARRY  GREY 


BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


GOTHAM 


B'WAY 
at  47th  St 


RADIO   CITY    MUSIC  HALli 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  •  Rockefeller  Cente 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes'! 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION! 


ON  SCREEN 

JAMES 

CAGNEY 

SYLVIA  SIDNEY 

'BLOOD  ON 
THE  SUN' 


IN  PERSON 


ED 

HARVEST 
MOON 

DANCE  WINNERS 


PARAMOUNT   Presents   ED    GARDNER'S  ! 

"DUFFY'S  TAVERN" 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  P  E RSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  SI 


CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  i 
47th  St 


"BACK  to  BATAAN" 

Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINN 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


Dana  Jeanne  Dick  Vivian 
ANDREWS     CRAIN      HAYMES  BLAINI 

RODGERS  and  HAMMERSTEIN'S 

"STATE  FAIR'" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  In  Technicolor 
PLUS    ON    STAGE  —  CONNEE  BOSWELI 
CARL   RAVAZZA.    Extra!  GENE  SHELDOI 
Buy  More       ff%  ^%  W  W        7th  Ave.* 

Bonds         K  W  A    I  50th  St. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher:  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigl. 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue.  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigl' 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertisii 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bure; 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatr 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscripti 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


"I'd  like  all  the  Circuit  and  Inde- 
pendent Exhibitors  of  this  coun- 
try and  Canada  to  know  how  much 
I  appreciate  their  voting  me  the 
"No.  1  Star  of  Tomorrow"  in 
the  Motion  Picture  Herald's 
poll.  I'm  mighty  indebted  to 
all  of  you  for  what  you've  done  to 
make  it  possible.  Thanks  a  lot." 


I 


i HE  "NO.  1  STAR  QF  TOMORROW 


IS  IN  THE  NO.  1  LOVE  STORY  OF  TODAY! 


JOHN  GARFIELD  DANE  CLARK  ■  ELEANOR  PAPKER 

PRl  DE  61=  ME  M/lie/NES 


4 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  September  14,  194 


Reviews 


"Fighting  Bill  Carson" 

(PRC) 

A    CONVENTIONAL  Western,  this  one  has  a  pre-defined  market  in  the 
many  theatres  around  the  country  where  fairly  convincing  outdoor  action 
is  tne  people's  choice. 

Buster  Crabbe,  likeable,  robust  and  at  ease,  makes  a  very  appropriate  hero, 
one  who  takes  it  upon  himself  to  bring  justice  to  a  small  town  teeming  with 
badmen.  Al  (Fuzzy)  St.  John  provides  the  familiar  Western  slapstick,  a 
known  asset,  and  Kay  Hughes,  who  is  on  the  scene  more  than  generally  is 
the  case,  has  the  feminine  lead  role.  Stan  Jolley  is  the  polished  chief  of  the 
outlaws  and  Kermit  Maynard,  Bob  Cason  and  John  L.  Buster  are  the 
'heavies.' 

The  film  rolls  along  according  to  formula,  offering  outdoor  excitement 
at  proper  times,  which  means  often,  as  'Bill  Carson'  investigates  the  wave  of 
stagecoach  robberies  and  finally  captures  the  gang  after  they  remove  the  cash 
from  St.  John's  bank.  In  a  novel  twist,  Miss  Hughes  turns  out, to  be  a  con- 
federate of  the  outlaws,  but  after  a  change  of  heart  is  killed. as  she  protects 
Crabbi  in  a  pistol  duel.  There  are  no  songs. 

Sigmund  Neufeld  produced,  Sam  Newfield  directed  and  Louise  Rousseau 
wrote  the  original  story  and  screenplay. 

Running  time,  55  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  in  October. 

Gene  Arneel 


"Apology  for  Murder" 

(PRC)  Hollywood,  Sept.  13 

DRODUCER  Sigmund  Neufeld  and  director  Sam  Newfield,  well  known  for 
*■  their  excellent  Western  pictures,  have  ventured  into  the  field  of  melodrama, 
and  come  up  with  a  tightly-knit,  suspenseful  feature  which  bears  a  close  re- 
semblance in  story,  characterization  and  technique  to  Paramount's  successful 
"Double  Indemnity." 

The  screenplay  and  the  original  story  are  credited  to  Fred  Myton.  The 
tale  concerns  a  mercenary  woman  and  her  weak-willed  lover,  who  together 
plot  a  'perfect  murder,'  whose  object  is  the  woman's  wealthy  husband.  Ann 
Savage  is  the  woman  in  this  case,  and  Hugh  Beaumont  her  lover,  a  newspaper- 
man addicted  to  the  use  of  alcohol.  Between  them  they  bungle  the  murder, 
and  an  innocent  man  is  convicted  of  it.  Beamont's  boss,  an  editor  with  a  flair 
for  detection,  becomes  suspicious  of  the  circumstances,  and  finally  breaks  the 
case,  though  unaware  of  his  employee's  guilt.  The  latter,  discovering  at  last 
the  true  nature  of  his  partner-in-crime,  kills  her,  after  she  has  first  shot  him. 
Mortally  wounded,  he  drags  himself  to  the  newspaper  office,  types  out  his  con- 
fession, and  dies.  Others  in  the  cast  include  Charles  D.  Brown,  Russell  Hicks, 
Pierre  Watkins,  Bud  Buster  and  Norman  Willis. 

Running  time,  66  minutes.  Adult  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Sept.  27.  Thalia  Bell 


16  Service  Deals 
Closed  by  Altec 


Jack  Gregory,  Seattle  district  man- 
ager of  Altec  Service  Corp.,  announces 
the  signing  of  service  agreements  with 
the  Navy  Welfare  and  Recreation  De- 
partment Receiving  Station  at  Tacoma, 
and  renewal  of  agreements  with  the 
Cooper  Foundation  for  eight  theatres 
in  Colorado  and  the  Plaza,  Weitsburg, 
Wash.,  and  Rex,  Scobey,  Mont. 

W  arren  Conner,  Cincinnati  district 
manager,  has  service  agreements  with 
the  Alpine  Circuit  of  14  theatres  in 
West  Virginia  and  Ohio ;  also,  the 
Roslyn,  Evarts,  Ky. ;  Scio,  Scio,  O.; 
Royal,  Chillicothe,  O. ;  and  Mullins, 
Clintwood,  Va. 

New  service  deals  reported  by  D.  A. 
Peterson,  Philadelphia  district  man- 
ager, include  the  Naval  Training 
School,  Richmond,  Va. ;  Park,  Wilkes- 
Barre ;  Midway,  Allentown;  Rialto, 
Plymouth,  and  Wyalusing,  Wyalusing, 
ail  in  Pennsylvania. 

R.  Hilton,  Chicago  district  manager, 
reports  deals  with  the  Roosevelt  Thea- 
tre, Kenosha,  Wis. ;  State,  Two  Har- 
bors, Minn. ;  Plaza,  Lumar,  Mo.,  and 
Forman,  Forman,  N.  D. 

Weitman  to  Arrange 
Cohn  Dinner  Talent 

A  talent  and  agencies  division  has 
been  organized  under  the  chairman- 
ship of  Bob  Weitman,  manager  of  the 
New  York  Paramount  Theatre,  for 
the  Jack  Cohn  testimonial  dinner  Sept. 
27  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf-Astoria,  in 
behalf  of  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal,  it 
was  announced  by  Barney  Balaban, 
honorary  chairman,  and  Nate  B.  Spin- 
gold,  chairman  of  the  event. 

Nat  B.  Kalcheim,  Harry  Levine, 
Charles  Miller  and  Harry  Romm  will 
serve  with  Weitman  in  promoting  at- 
tendance by  members  of  the  talent 
field.  Lou  Levy  and  Manie  Sacks 
will  be  co-chairmen  of  the  music  pub- 
lishers division,  while  Carl  Erbe  will 
head  the  night  club  section. 


Fairs  Draw  New  Highs 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  13. — Reports 
from  county  and  community  fairs  held 
in  Pennsylvania  during  August  indi- 
cate that  all  wartime  attendance  rec- 
ords were  broken  this  year,  according 
to  Miles  Horst,  Pennsylvania  State 
Secretary  of  Agriculture.  '  Twenty 
fairs  were  held  in  August  and  some 
reported  all-time  attendance  records. 
Thirty-two  of  the  63  county  and  com- 
munity fairs  listed  in  Pennsylvania  this 
season,  are  being  held  in  September 
Seven  community  farm  shows  are 
listed  for  October  and  three  for  No- 
vember. 


Ellis  Joins  Standard 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  13—  Frank- 
lin C.  Ellis,  public  relations  director 
of  Eastman  Kodak,  who  has  been  with 
the  firm  for  the  past  18  years,  has  re- 
signed to  take  a  similar  position  with 
Standard  Oil  of  Indiana.  He  will 
move  to  Chicago  with  his  family. 


Two  Join  Columbia 

Albany,  Sept.  13. —  Si  Feld,  for- 
merly with  Warner  Brothers  in  De- 
troit and  RKO  Radio  in  Cleveland, 
and  Charles  Dortic,  Warner  salesman 
in  Pittsburgh  since  1937,  have  joined 
Columbia  as  salesman  in  the  Albany 
territory. 


More  War  on  'Vets' 
Chicago  Film  Menu 

Chicago,  Sept.  13. —  The  national 
convention  of  the  Veterans  of  For- 
eign Wars,  which  opens  here  Oct.  2, 
first  post-war  meeting  here,  which  is 
expected  to  attract  some  2,000  dele- 
gates, will  find  a  deluge  of  war  pic- 
ture in  the  Loop's  first-run  houses, 
according  to   current  indications^ 

The  schedule  looks  something  like 
this:  Chicago,  "Over  21,"  Oriental, 
"Story  of  G.  I.  Joe";  State-Lake, 
"Love  Letters,"  United  Artists,  "An- 
chors Aweigh" ;  Roosevelt,  "Pride  of 
the  Marines" ;  Palace,  "Back  to  Ba- 
taan" ;  Apollo,  "Wilson." 


Toronto  Sales  Shifts 

Toronto,  Sept.  13.  —  Guy  Upjohn 
has  resigned  as  head-booker  at  the 
Toronto  RKO  branch  to  join  Famous 
Players.  Jack  Bernstein,  with  RKO 
since  1937,  is  promoted  to  Upjohn's 
place.  Lieut.  Murray  Devaney,  son  of 
General  Manager  L.  M.  Devaney  of 
Canadian  RKO,  has  rejoined  the 
RKO  sales  staff  after  service  with  tbp 
Royal  Canadian  Navy. 


To  Tradeshow  'Sisters' 

"The  Dolly  Sisters,"  20th  Century- 
Fox  Technicolor  musical,  will  be 
tradeshown  in  an  all  exchange  cen- 
ters on  Sept.  18.  The  picture  stars 
Betty  Grable  and  was  produced  by 
George  Jessel  and  directed  by  Irving 
Cummings. 


20th  to  Get  'Apley' 
At  $175,00  Price 

Film  rights  to  "The  Late  George 
Apley,"  John  P.  Marquand-George  S 
Kaufman  play  now  running  in  a  Max 
Gordon  production  here,  have  been 
acquired  for  $175,000  by  20th  Century 
Fox,  a  stockholder  in  the  play,  it  was 
confirmed  by  the  film  company  yes- 
terday. 

Newsprint  Curb  May 
Be  Lifted  by  Dec.  31 

Washington,  Sept.  13. — Prospects 
for  relaxation  of  the  War  Production 
Board's  restrictions  on  newsprint  on 
Oct.  1  and  revocation  of  all  controls 
by  the  end  of  the  year  appeared  favor- 
able today  after  both  moves  had  been 
recommended  unanimously  to  the 
agency  by  its  Newspaper  Industry 
Advisory  Committee. 


'U'  Names  Lombroso  . 

Henry  Lombroso,  for  the  past  two 
years  a  member  of  the  Universal 
home  office  staff,  has  been  named 
executive  assistant  to  Emmanuele 
Zama,  the  company's  general  manager 
for  Italy,  it  was  announced  yesterday 
by  Joseph  H.  Seidelman,  president  of 
'U'  International. 


Kirk  with  Monogram 

Omaha,  Sept.  13.  —  Earle  Kirk, 
former  operator  of  the  North  Star 
Theatre  here,  has  joined  Monogram 
as  booker-office  manager. 


Short  Subject 
Review 


"From  A  to  Zoo" 

( Paramount-] erry  Fairbanks ) 

Latest  in  Jerry  Fairbanks'  "Speak 
ing  of  Animals"  series,  this  one  offer 
a  nine-minute  trip  through  a  zo< 
under  the  guidance  of  narrator  Ke 
Carpenter  whose  commentary  on  eac 
of  the  animals  elicits  wisecracking  re 
partee  from  the  beasts  who  are  mad 
to  appear  to  talk  bacx;  by  animatioi 
As  part  of  the  laugh-provoking  pre 
ceedings,  a  greedy  vegetarian  hippo  i 
featured  in  a  running  gag  which  build 
through  the  film.  Running  time,  ninl 
minutes. 

Local  306  Conducts 
Small  Unit  Meets 

Pending  the  next  regular  negotia 
tion  meeting  for  a  new  contrac 
between  IATSE  New  York  Motio 
Picture  Machine  Operators  Unior' 
Local  No.  306,  and  representatives  c 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  first-run 
and  Loew's  and  RKO  circuits,  ex 
pected  to  be  held  some  time  nes 
week,  union  representatives  have  bee 
meeting  with  separate  groups  of  the 
atre  representatives  to  iron  out  speck 
problems  involving  these  groups. 

Local  306  is  seeking  to  institute 
new  classification  and  wage  scales  fc 
theatres  between  the  New  York  anj 
Brooklyn  first-runs  and  circuit  house: 
These  theatres  would  be  classified  a 
;emi-deluxe.  Projectionists  would  re 
ceive  higher  wage  scales,  than  i 
circuit  houses  but  lower  than  in  de 
luxe  houses. 

139,000,000  in  USC 
Show  Attendance 

USO  entertainers  have  played  to 
total  Armed  Forces  attendance  c 
i39,000,000,  according  to  latest  Wa 
Department  figures  cited  by  Jame 
Sauter,  chairman  of  the  United  The 
atrical  War  Activities  Committei 
speaking  at  a  New  \ork  Labor  Wa 
Chest  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Rooseve 
here.' 

The  shows  have  been  put  on  by  67 
units  with  3,997  paid  performers,  plu 
279  guests  artists,  making  14,000  aj 
pearances,  Sauter  said,  adding  that  m  j 
dividual  entertainers  made  82,911  af 
pearances  in  the  Eastern  part  of  th  | 
U.  S.  between  May  1,  1942  and  'V- 
Day.' 


Third  Wollensak  'E' 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  13. — Wol 
lensak  Optical  Co.  has  been  awardei 
a  third  star  for  its  Army-Navy  'E 
Award  pennant,  according  to  won 
received  from  Admiral  C.  C.  BlocI 
assistant  secretary  of  the  Navy  am 
chairman  of  the  Navy  Board  of  Pro 
duction  Awards.  Wollensak  produce 
lenses  for  all  types  of  motion  pictur 
work. 


Hoff  Joins  Ballantyne 

Omaha,  Sept.  13. — Robert  Ballan 
tyne,  owner  of  the  theatre  equipmen 
company  bearing  his  name,  announce 
that  J.  R.  Hoff,  former  lieutenant  u 
the  Navy,  who  was  discharged  oi 
Aug.  1  after  three  years  in  service 
is  the  firm's  new  office  manager.  Hoff 
son-in-law  of  Ballantyne,  practicee 
law  in  Chicago  for  eight  years  be 
fore  joining  the  Navy. 


eft' 


- 


SI  I 


°ne  of  a  series  of 
advertisements  by 
KODAK  testifying  to 
the  achievements  of 
the  movies  at  war 


Beneath  the  1 6-inch  turret  guns,  the  show 
goes  on.         — Official  U.  S.  Navy  Photo 

"VT'ou've  got  to  be  there  to  understand  how  tense  and  taut  men  get 
at  sea.  You've  got  to  be  there  to  realize  how  essential  it  is — 
from  the  morale  angle — that  men  be  relieved  of  this  terrific  strain. 

Yes,  and  you've  got  to  be  there  to  appreciate  what  an  important 
job  motion  pictures  are  doing  in  helping  to  send  officers  and  men 
back  to  bunks  or  battle  stations  relaxed,  refreshed,  and  blessedly 
restored.  Practically  every  unit  of  the  U.  S.  fleet  leaves  port  with 
projection  equipment  and  films  aboard;  and  the  16mm.  feature 
films  are  donated  by  the  motion  picture  industry. 

Eastman  Kodak  Company,  Rochester  4,  n.y. 


J.  E.  BRULATOUR,  INC.,  Distributors 


FORT  LEE 


CHICAGO 


HOLLYWOOD 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  September  14,  1945 


6 


Studio  Strike 


(Continued  front  page  1) 

strike  was  called.  There  are  also  RKO 
Fathe  and  General  Service,  to  which 
it  was  extended. 

The  auxiliary  services  picketed  are 
Technicolor,  National  Screen  Service 
and  Foote,  Cone  and  Belding,  all  de- 
clared "unfair"  by  the  strikers  since 
the  walkout  for  declining  to  shut  off 
service  to  "struck"  studios. 

Theatre  Picketing 

Under  the  strikers'  program  of  ex- 
panding their  campaign,  already  ap- 
plied in  Southern  California,  is  the 
threatened  picketing  of  theatres.  It  is 
on  this  flank  of  their  offensive  that  the 
strikers  are  using  the  numerical 
strength  of  their  CIO  re-enforcements. 

The  basis  of  CIO's  interest  in  the 
AFL  strike  was  expressed  in  a  resolu- 
tion adopted  by  the  organization's  Los 
Angeles  council  a  month  ago  and  is 
defined  as  a  sincere  interest  in  labor 
principles  which  are  considered  to  be 
jeopardized  in  the  Hollywood  strike. 
Following  passage  of  the  resolution, 
CIO  members  joined  the  then  token 
picket  lines  in  front  of  theatres  in  Hol- 
lywood and  established  picket  lines  of 
their  own  in  surrounding  towns.  Si- 
multaneously, copies  of  the  resolution 
were  dispatched  to  CIO  councils 
throughout  the  nation,  with  sugges- 
tion to  emulate  the  L.  A.  action.  And 
last  weekend  the  strike  strategy  com- 
mittee sent  speakers  North  to  address 
both  CIO  and  AFL  councils  in  the 
principal  cities  and  set  up  picketing 
machinery.  A  special  emissary  was 
dispatched  to  New  York,  with  orders 
to  find  a  way  to  circumvent  that  state's 
anti-secondary  picketing  law,  and  all 
these  arrangements  were  described  as 
first  steps  in  a  nationwide  program. 

This  development  in  the  strike 
places  the  exhibitor  in  jeopardy  for  a 
third  time  within  the  six  months  of  the 
conflict.  It  was  the  IATSE  which 
first  threatened  him  by  declaring  its 
projectionists  would  be  called  out  on 
strike  if  the  producers  granted  the 
original  demand  of  the  strikers.  Two 
months  later  the  strikers  started  a  box 
office  boycott-by-mail  which  is  still 
going  on,  with  an  undeterminable  ef- 
fect. The  purpose  of  all  three  under- 
takings has  been  acknowledged  by 
their  sponsors  to  be  the  bringing  of 
pressure  to  bear  upon  the  producers. 

Efforts  to  bring  peace  into  the  scene 
have  been  plentiful,  frequent,  futile, 
and  fall  into  three  classifications : 

Green  Procedure 

AFL  President  William  Green  be- 
gan by  ordering  the  strikers  to  call  it 
off,  which  they  didn't,  and  wound  up 
by  ordering  the  IATSE  to  dismantle 
four  studio  locals  established  to  re- 
place striking  locals  following  termina- 
tion of  their  contracts,  in  reply  to 
which  order  the  IATSE  established 
another  new  local.  The  international 
presidents  of  the  striking  locals  met 
with  IATSE  President  Richard  F. 
Walsh  early  in  the  conflict,  and  noth- 
ing came  of  that.  The  AFL  executive 
council  can't  enforce  its  directive  to 
Walsh  until  a  national  convention  is 
held,  and  the  one  for  this  year  has  been 
postponed  a  year. 

The  War  Labor  Board,  the  National 
Labor  Relations  Board,  the  War  Man- 
power Commission,  the  Department  of 
Labor  and  the  U.  S.  Conciliation  Ser- 
vice have  had  their*  innings  in  the  mat- 
ter, some  of  them  repeatedly,  and 
without  result. 

The  Screen  Writers  Guild,  the 
Screen    Directors    Guild,  Mayor 


Fletcher  Bowron  of  Los  Angeles, 
President  Donald  Nelson  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers,  and  Paul  Williams,  general 
counsel  of  the  Southern  California 
Theatre  Owners  Association,  have 
ventured  onto  the  field  of  struggle  with 
proposals  to  one  or  another  or  all  of 
the  parties  aimed  at  parleying  around 
the  peace  table,  and  once  or  twice 
everybody  sat  down,  but  they  got  right 
up  again. 

The  reasons  why  the  disputants 
don't  iron  it  all  out  were  relatively 
simple  and  clear  cut  in  the  beginning. 
They  are  not  now.  The  strikers  have 
added  two  basic  demands  to  their  orig- 
inal one,  and  present  all  three  as  mini- 
mum requirements  which  must  be  met 
before  a  strike  settlement  can  even  be 
discussed.  The  producers  say  it  is  not 
in  their  power  to  meet  these  demands. 
The  IATSE  says  flatly  that  it  has  no 
terms  at  all  for.  settlement  of  the  strike.' 


Unions  Ask  Truman 
.  robe  of  NLRB 

Hollywood,  Sept.  13. — Fifteen  un- 
ions participating  in  the  studio  strike 
telegraphed  President  Truman  last 
night  asking  his  investigation  of  the 
National  Labor  Relations  Board's  de- 
lay in  rendering  a  decision  in  the  set 
decorators'  jurisdictional  case. 

A  typical  one  of  the  telegrams  said : 
"We  respectfully  call  your  attention 
to  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  the 
program  of  labor-management  coop- 
eration in  the  postwar  reconversion 
period,  namely  the  NLRB  conduct  of 
the  set  decorators'  case  that  helped 
provoke  the  present  strike  directly  in- 
volving 7,000  Hollywood  workers. 

"The  case  has  been  in  various 
stages  of  processing  in  NLRB  for 
over  a  year,  and  after  numerous  hear- 
ings there  now  appears  to  be  deliber- 
ate delay  in  reaching  a  decision  on 
the  collective  bargaining"  election  held 
last  May.  This  delay  is  blocking  set- 
tlement of  the  six-months-old  Holly- 
wood strike,  and  we  urge  you  to  use 
your  good  offices  to  investigate  the 
situation  now  reflecting  discredit  on 
an  important  Government  agency." 

To  Invade  Washington 

Washington  theatres  are  next  in 
line  for  picketing  .  by  Hollywood 
strikers  and  resident  union  affiliates, 
according  to  the  Strike  Strategy  Com- 
mittee, which  today  disclosed  that  a 
first  contingent  of  four  representa- 
tives, headed  by  picket  captain  Walter 
Schaifel,  a  member  of  Painters  Local 
644,  had  left  for  that  city '  yesterday 
under  instructions  to  start  picketing 
operations  Sunday  night  and  expand 
them  as  rapidly  as  possible.  A  sec- 
ond contingent  of  two  left  today. 

Concentration  on  Washington  has 
two  special  objectives,  according  to 
the  strikers,  who  reason  that  Con- 
gressmen should  be  visibly  reminded 
of  the  six-months  old  Hollywood 
strike  and  that  theatre  picketing  will 
crystalize  the  situation  for  AFL  ex- 
ecutives who  meet  in  Washington  next 
week  at  the  invitation  of  William 
Green  to  undertake  a  settlement  of  the 
conflict. 

California  Studio,  struck  late  yes- 
terday, was  in  operation  behind 
picket  lines  today,  with  IATSE 
craftsmen  replacing  those  who  walked 
out. 


Plans  House  Expansion 

Memphis,  Sept.  13. — Memphis  Open 
Air  Theatre,  according  to  Manager 
Joseph  Cortese,  plans  an  enlarged 
shell  and  more  seating,  at  an  esti- 
mated cost  of  $100,000.  Furbringer  and 
Ehrman,  architects,  have  been  em- 
oloyed  to  prepare  plans. 


United  Nations 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

trade  mechanisms"  depends  upon,  the 
granting  of  assistance. 

Acheson  told  a  press  conference  to- 
day that  tariff  problems  are  being  dis- 
cussed but  no  definite  agreements  are 
being  planned  now. 

In  other  quarters,  however,  it  was 
said,  England  will  have  to  make  defi- 
nite commitments  of  more  equitable 
treatment  for  American  products  if 
Congress  is  to  approve  a  substantial 
loan. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  the  negotia- 
tions cannot  of  themselves  result  in  a 
loan  and  that  the  most  the  Adminis- 
tration can  do  is  to  recommend  to 
Congress  that  England  be  given  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  assistance"  Then,  it 
was  said,  Congress  will  want  to  know 
what  favors  England  will  give  in  re- 
turn. 

During  the  next,  four  weeks  or  so, 
economic  experts  of  the  two  govern- 
ments will  meet  frequently  for  discus- 
sion of  various  angles  of  the  trade 
situation  and  the  development  of  a 
program  which  will  insure  fair  treat- 
ment for  motion  pictures  and  other 
goods  in  the  English  market.  How- 
ever, the  question  of  tariffs  and  trade 
barriers  is  so  broad  that  it  is  possible 
a  general  conference  will  be  arranged 
at  which  all  the  United  Nations  can 
deal  with  the  problem  at  one  time. 


Yugoslavs 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

resentatives  in  Zagreb  were  forced 
to  turn  over  to  State  Film  Enterprise, 
Jugoslav  government  film  monopoly, 
all  pre-war  features  in  addition  to 
ew  ones  that  have  been  released  in 
Yugoslavia  since  liberation. 

Arnold  M.  Picker  of  the  Office  of 
War  Information  overseas  film  bu- 
reau, said  that  the  U.  S.  is  trying 
to  ascertain  how  many  films  were 
confiscated  and  their  titles.  The  ac- 
quisition of  the  features,  it  was 
learned,  was  not  by  sale. 

In  a  statement  denouncing  the  con- 
fiscation, Weltner  said : 

"The  seizure  is  a  real  shock  to  the 
companies  involved  because  it  is  ex- 
actly the  same  treatment  we  received 
in  Germany  and  Italy  before  the  war. 
This  form  of  confiscatory  fascism  hit- 
all  the  harder,"  he  said,  "coming  as  it 
does  after  the  war  has  been  fought." 


Johnston 

(Continued  from  page  1  ) 

Chamber  nor  the  film  post  is  neces- 
sarily a  full-time  job,  and  it  was  indi- 
cated that  for  the  next  eight  months 
Johnston  will  be  able  to  fill  his  Cham- 
ber duties  while  carrying  on  his  work 
in  the  MPPDA. 


De  Peep  Heads  Local 

SciiANTON,  Sept.  13. — John  De  Peep 
has  been  elected  president  of  Scranton 
Projectionist's  Local  No.  329.  Sam 
Kessler  was  reelected  to  his  14th  term 
as  business  agent,  and  Joseph  Nam- 
kita  to  his  13th  term  as  financial  sec- 
retary. 


Greek  Musical  Shooting 

The  Athenian  Motion  Picture  Co. 
is  producing  the  first  Greek  language 
film  to  be  made  in  this  country.  A 
musical,  the  film  is  nearing  completion 
in  New  York. 


Grosses  Dip 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Train,"  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  "Wondei 
Man"  and  "Out  of  This  World."  Twc 
others,  "Incendiary  Blonde"  an< 
"Pride  of  the  Marines"  brought  heav\ 
receipts  in  holdover  engagements.' 

Circuit  executives  cited  "Anchors 
Aweigh,"  "Incendiary  Blonde,' 
"Christmas  in  Connecticut,"  "Pride  ol 
the  Marines,"  "Wonder  Man,"  "Junior 
Miss,"  "Captain  Eddie,"  "A  Bell  for 
Adano,"  "The  Story  of  G-I  Joe," 
"Lady  on  a  Train,"  "Back  to  Bataan,' 
"First  Yank  Into  Tokyo"  and  "John- 
ny Angel"  as  being  the  biggest  attrac- 
tions  in  circuit  houses  for  the  past  sev- 
en days. 

The  15  key  cities  covered  in  Motion 
Picture  Daily  reports  were  Los  An- 
geles, San  Francisco,  Kansas  City 
Omaha,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Indianapo- 
lis, Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Pittsburgh 
Toronto,  Baltimore,  Buffalo,  Philadel- 
phia and  Boston. 

'Anchor.?'  I-Ieavy 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  brought  a  heavy 
$169,600  in  10  engagements  in  eight  o* 
the  cities,  all  of  them  holdovers  ex 
cept  at  St.  Louis,  where  it  led  in  ai 
initial  week.  It  was  still  outstanding 
in  sixth  and  final  weeks  in  three  Lo:; 
Angeles  theatres  and  well  above  aver' 
age  in  second  weeks  in  San  Francisco 
Indianapolis,  Kansas  City,  Baltimore 
Cleveland  and  Cincinnati. 

"Christmas  in  Connecticut"  brough 
a  big  $125,500  in  reports  of  six  en 
gagements  in  six  of  the  cities  when 
par  is  $110,200.  It  was  outstanding  ii 
initial  weeks  in  Cleveland,  Philadel 
phia,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  and  i 
continued  heavy  in  a  third  week  ii 
Baltimore  and  a  second  week  in  Chi 
cago. 

"Guest  Wife"  brought  $56,300  in  sii 
engagements  in  three  cities  ;  "Captaii 
Eddie,"  $69,100  in  six  spots;  "A  Bel 
for  Adano,"  $71,000  in  five;  "Alonji 
Came  Jones,  $87,700  in  four ;  "Lad-* 
on  a  Train,"  $41,000  in  three;  "Won': 
der  Man,"  $104,100  in  seven;  and  "Ou 
of  This  World,"  $30,600  in  three;  al 
above  par. 

$189,100  for  'Blonde' 

"Incendiary  Blonde"  drew  $189,101 
in  11  engagements  in  10  of  the  key 
cities,  holdovers  predominating,  whily 
"Pride  of  the  Marines"  drew  $121,501 
in  nine  theatres  in  seven  of  the  ke: 
cities. 

"Junior  Miss"  was  a  leader  in  thrc 
Kansas  City  theatres  for  initial  weeks  I 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  and  "Her  High  | 
ness  and  the  Bellboy"  were  strong  ii  i 
second  weeks  in  Philadelphia.  "Ovc 
21"  was  profitable  in  second  weeks  ill 
two  Boston  theatres  and  in  Buffali 
as  a  dual.  "The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe' 
was  outstanding  in  a  fifth  week  ii 
San  Francisco.  "China  Sky"  opene< 
strongly  in  four  theatres  in  Los  An1 
geles  and  in  Philadelphia. 


Buries  to  Portland 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  13.  —  Mose 
Buries,  formerly  with  the  local  Mono 
gram  exchange,  has  been  appointe 
manager  of  the  Portland  branch,  ac 
cording  to  Howard  Stubbins,  fran 
chise  holder  for  the  Pacific  Coast. 


Connor  Quits  Film  Wor) 

Omaha,  Sept.  13. — Jack  Connoi 
M-G-M  exploiteer  here,  has  resigne 
to  become  a  hunting  and  fishing  sport 
columnist  for  the  Minneapolis  Star 
Journal. 


Fridav.  September  14,  1945 


motion  Picture  daily 


7 


Griffith 


Continued  from  page  1 ) 


Review 


■  >atradicted  W.  (J.  Bearclon  of  Lub- 
p.  ck,  Tex.,  and  James  Bennett,  for- 
merly of  Drumright,  Okla.,  regard- 
It  g  conversations  which  preceded  Grif- 
fith acquisitions  in  those  two  cities. 

His  refutation  came  on  the  heels  of 
i  statement  by  Judge  Edgar  S.  Yaught 
fl  at  he  considered  the  "heart"  of  the 
Government's  case  to  be  the  relative 
|:nount  of  business  done  by  the  de- 
fendants as  compared  with  other  thea- 
ter operators.  John  Caskey,  attorney 
representing  the  former  distributor  de- 
Undants,  was  giving  figures  on  the 
mount  of  rentals  paid  by  Griffith 
Circuits  as  compared  with  other  cus- 
iimers  in  the  Oklahoma  City  and 
Dallas  exchanges  when  the  court  com- 
i  ented. 

Before  the  Government  concluded 
its  evidence  P.  T.  Kime.  Government 
l<  iunsel,  moved  that  evidence,  relating 
lr>  a  conspiracy  which  heretofore  had 
not  been  admitted  should  now  be  ad- 
mitted "for  the  reason  that  the  con- 
spiracy has  been  established."  Yaught 
1  nied  this  motion,  saying,  "The  court 
(annot  assume  at  this  time  that  any 
pmspiracy  has  been  established.  There 
..flave  been  matters  and  evidence  point- 
i  g  to  that,  hut  that  goes  to  the  very 
gist  of  this  case,  whether  or  not  the 
Conspiracy  has  been  established." 

Lindsey  Negotiations 

.  Beardon  had  testified  three  months 
igo  that  in  October,  1930,  Akers  had 

liome  to  Lubbock,  where  he  was  man- 
iger  of  the  Lindsey  theatres,  and  had 
•arged  him  to  get  the  Lindseys  to  sell 
V  Griffith  Amusement,  adding.  "We 
flan  to  control  the  theater  busincs- 

'  nere,  if  we  have  t<>  put  them  here  as 
ihick  as  service  stations."  Asked  if 
pe  made  that  statement  and  if  any 

?'  amversation  with  Beardon  along  those 

Jljlnes  occurred,  Akers  replied  "Xo.  I 

1  lid  not." 

f    During  the  afternoon,  opposing  at- 
■ ■'*  rneys    made    much    capital  over 
Whether  or  not  the  defendants  were 
•  .ttempting  to  intimidate  the  Lindseys 
L;  jy  erecting  a  sign  at  a  proposed  the- 
ater site,  stating  their  plans  to  erect 
.  new  house. 
Griffith  expansion  in  Borger,  Tex.. 
*''ind  in  Drumright  dominated  the  later 
tstimony.    It  was  revealed  that  Grif- 
fith failed  to  get  the  Lindsey  proper- 
Slfses  in  Lubbock  and  later  built  a  the- 
iTt;\ter  there  when  Beardon  and  others 
ame  to  Oklahoma  City  in  May,  1940. 
■■r-c  discuss  the  sale  of  their  property 
v. .  ith  Akers  and  other  Griffith  officials. 
$K  wax  recording  of  their  conference 
•t  v  as  made  for  the  benefit  of  evidence 
■r-i  this  case. 

Drumright  Deals 

ttj  Bennett  had  testified  that,  when 
;,;Mcers  and  Henry  Griffing.  chief  coun- 
_|Jjel  for  Griffith,  and  E.  R.  Slocum. 
iJj>roperty  advisor  for  Griffith,  went  to 
Drumright  in  1936.  threats  were  made 
3  build  opposition  houses  if  the  inde- 
■tndent  owners  there  did  not  sell. 
~hree  Drumright  properties  were 
urchased  by  Griffith  that  year.  Akers 
'J  ieclared  that  he  was  in  the  company 
jjf  Bennett  at  all  times  the  three  men 
Ti  'ere  in  Drumright  and  that  nothing 
'  as  said  which  fitted  Bennett's  testi- 
nony. 


"The  Fall  of  Berlin" 

(Art  kino) 

ii  /  HEX  the  Russians  turned  back  the  German  hordes  at  Stalingrad,  43 
V  V  cameramen  of  the  First  Byelorussian  and  Fire  Ukranian  armies  were 
assigned  to  record  the  campaign.  The  footage  accumulated  by  these  men  on 
the  battlefields  between  Stalingrad  and  Berlin,  and  within  the  German  capital, 
has  been-  made  into  "The  Fall  of  Berlin,"  a  dramatic,  engrossing  war  docu- 
mentarv  produced  and  edited  by  Stalin  Lauriate  Yuri  Reisman. 

The  film  holds  the  story  of  brave  soldiers,  powerful  machines  and  thunder- 
ing cannon  pitted  against  German  might  and  strategy,  climaxing  with  the 
Xazis:  capitulation  in  the  shambles  that  was  Berlin.  Its  telling  includes  the 
use  of  animated  maps  and  repetitious  flashbacks  provided  by  captured  enemy 
film,  giving  narrator  W  illiam  S.  Gailmor  a  chance  for  derision.  However,  the 
producers,  evidentlv  bent  on  making  a  thorough  job  of  the  presentation,  in- 
cluded considerable  footage  that  could  well  have  been  eliminated,  and  did  not 
realize,  perhaps,  that  a  swifter  pace  could  be  desired  by  American  audiences. 
Running  time.  7U  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  Sept.  14. 

Charles  L.  Fraxke 


France 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


UA  16mm 


RKO  Plans 


{Continued  from  page  1' 


(Continued  from  page  \) 


iea,"  and  that  the  success  of  the  Mex- 
ican union  in  the  recent  strike  gives 
.mpetus  to  film  industry  labor  move- 
ments in  Central  and  South  America. 
He  added,  however,  that  many  impor- 
tant points  were  won  by  the  distribu- 
tors and  cited  "better  control  of 
employees"  as  one  of  the  points, 
indicating  that,  whereas  previously  the 
union  could  shift  employees  at  will, 
that  condition  no  longer  exists. 

He  said  the  union  now  cannot  foist 
upon  the  distributors  employees  un- 
qualified for  positions,  and  the  em- 
ployees are  now  required  to  punch 
time  clocks.  Also  to  the  distributors' 
advantage,  he  said,  is  the  fact  that  the 
new  union  contracts  were  signed  at 
the  same  time  by  the  various  distrib- 
utors, giving  them  a  "united  front"  in 
the  event  of  future  labor  strife.  But 
"peace  should  reign  during  the  next 
two  years,"  he  said,  since  the  law 
gives  either  party  the  right  to  ask  for 
a  revision  of  the  new  contracts  after 
two  years. 

Two  Mexico  Studios 

Two  new  studios  are  now  under 
construction  in  Mexico,  the  Churru- 
husco  which  is  50  per  cent  RKO- 
owned,  and  the  Tepeyac,  Seidelman 
disclosed,  describing  them  as  surpass- 
ing "anything  in  Hollywood  in  size 
and  modern  construction."  Film  pro- 
duction in  Mexico,  which  was  held  in 
abeyance  during  the  strike  to  show 
sympathy  with  the  distributors,  will 
be  held  to  70  pictures  this  year.  Sei- 
delman said,  predicting  that  120  pic- 
tures will  be  made  there  next  year 
with  the  expected  easing  of  the  raw 
stock  situation. 

Seidelman  described  dubbing  of 
American  films  shown  in  Latin  Amer- 
ica as  "deficient  in  quality."  "Yokes 
have  been  poorly  cast,"  he  said,  "and 
are  out  of  synchronization  frequently." 

"In  Latin  America,"  Seidelman  re- 
vealed, "big  American  pictures  today- 
do  from  200  to  400  per  cent  more  bus- 
iness than  they  did  five  years  ago; 
while  small  productions  do  25  to  75 
per  cent  less  than  they  did  five  years 
ago." 


Koliski  in  PRC  Post 

ilOlf'  Cleveland,  O..  Sept.  13. — Joe  Ko- 
ski.  former  Warner  branch  mana- 
ler  here,  has  been  appointed  PRC 
;ales  manager  in  this  area,  it  has 
j«en  announced  by  Edwin  R.  Berg- 
ian,  PRC  local  manger. 


head  arrived  here  yesterday  from 
Buenos  Aires,  where  he  was  general 
manager  of  Argentina,  Chile,  Peru 
and  Uruguay.  He  has  been  succeed- 
ed there  by  George  Kallman. 

Envisioning  the  growth  of  the  pres- 
ent audience  in  China  and  India  by: 
100.000,000,  Britton  said  that  there 
will  also  be  considerable  construction 
in  the  Orient,  with  native  business 
men  investing  their  money  in  new- 
theatres  when  new  materials  are  avail- 
able. This  theatre  expansion  will  in- 
crease the  distributors'  business,  Brit- 
ton predicted,  in  these  territories. 

Britton  declared  that  instead  of  the 
Sta.e  Department  distributing  Office 
of  War  Information  documentaries 
and  other  educational  films,  it  would 
be  better  for  all  concerned  if  the  in- 
dustry took  over  this  foreign  distribu- 
tion. He  pointed  out  that  free  Gov- 
ernment films  sometimes  hurt  business 
for  the  exhibitors. 

Argentine  Situation 

Turning  to  the  Argentine,  Britton 
said  that  Lauteret  and  Cavallo,  prin- 
cipal circuit  in  that  country,  which 
operates  120  theatres,  is  branching  out 
to  Paraguay  and  Uruguay.  This  com- 
pany, which  also  produces,  hopes  to 
expand  its  production  activities,  he 
said.  Although  no  raw  stock  has 
entered  the  country  in  the  last  two 
years,  Britton  said  that  some  will 
probably  filter  through  to  the  Argen- 
tine from  Chile,  Brazil  and  Uruguay, 
since  these  countries  can  obtain  stock 
from  the  U.  S.  Certain  Argentine 
producers  are  producing  in  Chile  and 
Uruguay  and  they  will  be  able  to 
make  prints  and  ship  them  back  to 
their  own  country,  he  said,  and  they 
would  be  permitted  to  enter  free  of 
charge. 

If  Argentine  producers  could  ex- 
pand their  production  and  permit  the 
exhibitors  to  meet  the  quota  on  a  na- 
tional product,  then  playing  time  avail- 
able to  U.  S.  and  other  product  would 
be  reduced  to  60  per  cent,  Britton 
said. 

Britton  will  leave  for  his  territory, 
which  he  had  before  the  war,  in  about 
a  month,  and  will  make  his  headquar- 
ters in  Singapore. 


Ascher  Heads  Company 

Albany,  X.  Y,  Seot.  13.  —  Asto- 
Export  Corp.  has  been  incorporated 
to  conduct  a  motion  picture  business 
Incorporators  are :  Louis  A.  Ascher, 
Fred  C.  Sanders  and  Xaomi  Kap- 
lan, all  New  York.  Sanders  was  in- 
corporating attorney. 


More  Work  for  Jones 

Chicago,  Sept.  13. — Warnie  Jones, 
assistant  to  Xate  Piatt,  head-  stage 
show  booker  for  the  Balaban  and  Katz 
Circuit,  has  been  placed  in  charge  of 
talent  for  the  B.  and  K.  television 
station,  WBKB.  His  duties  under 
Piatt  remain  unchanged. 


sional  President  Charles  De  Gaulle, 
but  in  other  informed  quarters  it  was 
said  that  Department  officials  pointed 
out  strongly  the  incongruity  of 
France's  discrimination  against  Amer- 
ican industry  in  the  light  of  her  de- 
sire for  American  assistance. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  conversa- 
tions, Monet  is  reported  to  have  prom- 
ised Department  officials  that  he  will 
give  the  film  problem  his  personal  at- 
tention upon  his  return  to  Paris  and 
assured  them  that  a  more  liberal  point 
of  view  would  be  adopted. 

The  State  Department  also  is  hope- 
ful of  an  early  settlement  of  the  situ- 
ation in  Spain,  where  F.  W.  Allport, 
European  manager  of  the  MPPDA, 
has  been  working  with  Department  of- 
ficials in  Madrid. 

Officials  here  were  represented  as 
highly  pleased  over  Allport's  trip  to 
the  Spanish  capital,  explaining  that 
they  had  long  urged  the  industry  to 
act  more  directly  in  support  of  the 
Department's  attempts  to  deal  with 
film  problems  arising  from  time  to 
time. 

Concessions  Ready 

Latest  reports  to  Washington  dis- 
closed that  the  Spanish  government 
is  prepared  to  make  concessions,  the 
Xational  Theatre  Board,  representing 
all  Spanish  exhibitors,  having  met 
with  the  Minister  of  Commerce  and 
Industry  and  Allport,  and  recommend- 
ed that  all  obnoxious  taxes  be  elimi- 
nated and  that  the  import  quota  for 
films  be  raised  to  240,  of  which  a 
minimum  of  130  would  be  from  the 
United  States. 

It  was  explained  that  the  use  of  the 
term  "minimum"  was  particularly 
i  leasing  to  t'.ie  companies,  since  it 
means  that  if  other  countries  cannot 
fill  their  quotas  American  pictures  may- 
be shipped  in  to  make  up  the  differ- 
ence. 

It  is  understood  that  in  conferences 
with  Spanish  officials,  Department 
representatives  in  Madrid  gave  assur- 
ance that  if  satisfactory  arrangements 
are  made  for  American  pictures  the 
Department  will  exert  itself  to  induce 
the  Foreign  Economic  Administration 
to  release  a  sufficient  quantity  of  raw 
stock  to  meet  Spanish  needs. 

No  Stock  Yet 

Spain  has  been  getting  a  few  pic- 
tures from  this  country  but  no  raw- 
stock,  and  is  understood  to  be  scrap- 
ing the  bottom  of  the  barrel  so  far 
as  film  is  concerned  and  very  anxious 
to  secure  new  supplies  from  the  Unit- 
ed States. 

A  spokesman  for  the  Department 
today  had  reassuring  words  for  com- 
panies tied  up  in  Italy,  explaining  that 
all  American  assets  are  reported  to . 
have  been  taken  over  by  the  Allied 
Control  Commission,  which  will  re- 
lease them  in  the  near  future.  No 
American  film  property  should  now 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  Italian  govern- 
ment itself,  he  said,  and  the  situa- 
tion is  expected  to  be  clarified  with 
the  publication,  expected  momentarily, 
of  a  new  film  decree  which  was  per- 
fected some  weeks  ago. 


Corporation  Is  Set  Up 

Albany.  X.  Y..  S^pt.  13 — L^mont- 
Clemens,  Inc.,  has  been  incorporated 
to  deal  in  motion  picture  films  and 
projectors  in  New  York.  Jacob  Ger- 
stein,  Xew  York  City,  was  incorpor- 
ating attorney. 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  September  14,  194.^ 


Urge  Allied  to  Show 
U.S.  Service  Emblem 

Washington,  Sept.  13.— "Al- 
lied (and  other  motion  picture 
organizations)  have  been  slow 
in  waking  up  to  the  necessity 
for  making  better  known  the 
'Discharged  Service  Emblem" 
of  the  Armed  Forces.  Some 
business  concerns  have  fea- 
tured the  emblem  in  their  ad- 
vertising, but  not  enough. 
Theatres  should  use  it  in 
their  advertising  wherever 
possible,"  Allied  States  head- 
quarters here  declares,  in  a 
statement  which  urges  owners 
to  use  National  Screen's 
trailer  on  the  subject. 


Film  Exports  Went 
To  40  Countries 


Washington,  Sept.  13. — A  total 
of  1,256  35mm.  feature  positives,  ag- 
gregating 8,366,641  linear  feet  and 
valued  at  $203,132,  were  exported 
from  the  United  States  to  approxi- 
mately 40  countries  in  May,  it  was 
repoited  today  by  the  Department  of 
Commerce. 

The  largest  individual  market,  the 
Department  reported,  was  Argentina, 
which  took  181  features,  aggregating 
900,975  feet  and  valued  at  $18,109. 
But  the  best  market  from  the  stand- 
point of  value  was  the  United  King- 
dom, taking  63  pictures  running  4^9,- 
649  feet  and  valued  at  $20,568. 

Other  important  markets  were  Can- 
ada, 100  pictures  valued  at  $16,4^4 ; 
Mexico,  83  valued  at  $13,360;  Chile, 
22  valued  at  $15,144;  Brazil,  92  val- 
ued at  $16,633  ;  and  19  pictures,  val- 
ued at  $3,300,  were  shipped  ti 
Russia. 

16mm  Exports 

Exports  of  16mm.  product  also 
were  heavy,  including  172  feature 
positives,  running  577,298  and  valued 
at  $16,166;  and  other  narrow-gauge 
films  valued  at  more  than  $80,000. 
Raw  stock  exports  totaled  5,485,637 
linear  feet  of  35mm.  positive  film  val- 
ued at  $48,161  and  1,841,313  feet  of 
negative  valued  at  $54,987,  and  6,253,- 
029  feet  of  16mm.  positive  valued  at 
$52,351  and  1,356,328  feet  of  negative 
valued  at  $23,966. 

In  the  equipment  field,  the  Depart- 
ment reported  exports  of  five  35mm. 
cameras  valued  at  $7,658  and  six 
16mm.  cameras  valued  at  $2,910;  147 
35mm.  projectors  valued  at  $58,355; 
three  16mm.  silent  projectors  valued 
at  $290  and  151  16mm.  sound  projec- 
tors valued  at  $44,369 ;  sound  record- 
ing equipment  valued  at  $14,994  ■ 
sound  reproducing  equipment  valued 
at  $54,538;  screens  valued  at  $33,192; 
and  parts  for  apparatus  valued  at 
$91,758. 


'Wonder  Man'  Record 

Samuel  Goldwyn's  "Wonder  Man," 
opening  yesterday  at  Keith's  Theatre 
in  Washington  surpassed  that  house's 
Christmas  week  opening-day  gross  of 
the  same  producer's  "The  Princess 
and  the  Pirate,"  the  Goldwyn  office 
here  announced  last  night. 


Reshift  NTS  Servicing 

Cleveland,  Sept.  13.  —  With  the 
lifting  of  Office  of  Defense  Transpor- 
tation restrictions,  National  Theatre 
Supply  is  again  servicing  Toledo. 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 

'  LADY  ON  A  TRAIN"  (Universal) 

The  story  is  thin  but  the  treatment  is  what  counts,  and  that  is  farcical  with 
a  champagne  effervescence.  "Lady  on  a  Train"  is  about  equal  parts  thriller  and 
farce.  As  such  it  is  good  entertainment.  Miss  Durbin  is  charming  as  usual 
and  her  acting  is  as  effective  as  the  way  she  warbles. — Cvrus  Durgin,  Boston 
Globe. 

This  picture  is  very  well  done  and  gives  Miss  Durbin  a  real  chance  to  prove 
herself  an  actress.  She  does  an  excellent  job  in  the  lead  role  of  this  baffling 
whodunit.'  There  are  three  logical  excuses  offered  her  to  sing  tniee  songs 
beautifully. — Helen  Eager,  Boston  Traveler. 

A  gay  summer  weight  mystery  .  .  .  development  a  trifle  too  casual.  Miss 
Durbin  acts  with  charm,  warbles  beautifully,  and  gets  a  chance  to  wear  some 
lovely  clothes  so  there  should  be  something  to  please  everybody. — Doris  Sper- 
ber,  Boston  Herald. 

"ON  STAGE  EVERYBODY"  (Universal) 

"On  Stage,  Everybody"  is  a  collection  of  mildly  entertaining  song-and-dance 
numbers  held  together  by  a  fatuous  and  loosely  woven  story.  It  depends  large- 
ly upon  the  personal  charms  of  Peggy  Ryan  and  Jack  Oakie. —  Donald  Kirk- 
ley,  The  Sun,  Baltimore. 

"THRILL  OF  A  ROMANCE"  (M-G-M) 

Love  and  music,  an  unbeatable  combination  .  .  .  are  linked  for  top  enter- 
tainment .  .  .  Johnson  again  will  delight  his  admirers. — W.  E.  J.  Martin, 
Buffalo  Courier-Express. 

"WHERE  DO  WE  GO  FROM  HERE"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

Frantic  Fred  MacMurray  is  at  his  best  in  this  one,  probably  the  zaniest  mu- 
sical comedy  ever  to  come  out  of  Hollywood. — Fred  Moon,  Atlanta  Journal. 

"TWICE  BLESSED"  (M-G-M) 

As  happy  a  piece  of  entertainment  as  anyone  could  ask  for. — Fred  Moon 
Atlanta  Journal. 

"THE  GREAT  FLAMARION"  (Republic) 

A  rather  old  fashioned  melodrama. — Fred  Moon,  Atlanta  Journal. 


U.  S.  Information  on 
Foreign  Distribution 

Washington,  Sept.  13. — Commerce 
and  State  Department  officials  are  co- 
operating in  developing  current  infor- 
mation on  distributors  and  importers 
in  liberated  countries  and  other  for- 
eign areas  where  trade  has  been  dis- 
rupted by  the  war,  for  the  benefit  of 
United  States  producers  and  exporters 
seeking  to  re-establish  their  contracts 
in  foreign  countries  while  awaiting 
the  opening  of  normal  trade  channels. 

Through  the  foreign  service  of  the 
State  Department  information  regard- 
ing conditions  in  the  liberated  coun- 
tries is  being  gathered  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  to  be  made  available  to  in- 
terested businessmen  through  the 
Commerce  Department. 


Kersta  to  Rejoin  NBC 

Noran  E.  Kersta,  former  manager 
of  NBC's  television  department,  re- 
cently discharged  from  the  Marine 
Corps,  will  return  to  the  network's 
television  department  in  an  executive 
capacity  on  Oct.  1,  "according  to  John 
F.  Royal,  NBC  vice-president  in  charge 
of  television.  Kersta  first  joined  NBC 
in  1935  after  several  years  in  television 
research. 


WMSA  Joining  American 

Radio  station  WMSA,  Massena, 
N.  Y.,  will  join  American  Broadcast- 
ing's network  about  Oct.  1,  according 
to  Keith  Kiggins,  ABC  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  stations. 

Zabin  Joins  Posner 

James  B.  Zabin,  former  general 
manager  of  Cinema  Circuit,  New 
York,  and  a  past  vice-president  of 
AM  PA,  has  joined  the  Posner  Ad- 

t  vertising  Agency  as  vice-president,  it 

i  has  been  announced. 


Varietys'  Grid  Game 
Set  for  Sept.  30th 

Washington,  Sept.  3. — The  Wash- 
ington and  Baltimore  Variety  Clubs 
will  sponsor  a  professional  football 
game  between  the  Washington  Red- 
skins and  Detroit  Lions  at  Baltimore 
on  Sept.  30,  the  proceeds,  above  ex- 
penses, to  be  divided  equally  between 
the  two  tents  with  the  Police  Boys' 
Clubs  of  the  two  cities  receiving  the 
bulk  of  the  profits. 

Arrangements  for  the  game  are  be- 
ing made  by  committees  appointed  by 
Fred  S.  Kogod  and  Frank  H.  Durkee, 
chief  barkers,  respectively,  of  the 
Washington  and  Baltimore  tents.  Gov. 
Herbert  R.  O'Connor  of  Maryland 
has  been  named  honorary  co-chair- 
man, and  Mayor  Theodore  R.  McKel- 
din  of  Baltimore,  Col.  Edward  J. 
Kelly,  superintendent  of  the  District  of 
Columbia  police  department,  and  police 
commissioner  Hamilton  R.  Atkinson 
of  Baltimore  also  are  assisting. 


Resume  Variety  Fete 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  13. — The  an- 
nual local  Variety  Club  banquet,  dis- 
continued because  of  the  war,  is  ex- 
pected to  be  resumed  this  year  in 
December,  it  is  announced  by  chief 
barker  Clint  Weyer.  The  club's  golf 
tourney,  scheduled  for  Sept.  24,  after 
being  discontinued  in  1941,  was  post- 
poned this  year  because  of  the  inabil- 
ity to  handle  the  affairs  in  so  short  a 
time.  The  annual  tourney  will  be  re- 
sumed in  1946. 


Attendance  Threatened 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  13. — First-run 
theatremen  here  anticipate  a  decrease  in 
Monday  night  attendance  through  dis- 
continuance of  extended  hours  by  de- 
partment stores,  effective  immediately. 


Boston  Papers  See 
Theatre  Ad  Splurge 

Boston,  Sept.  13. — Although 
advertising  managers  of  Bos- 
ton newspapers  predict  a  wave 
of  theatre  and  other  amuse- 
ment advertising,  they  point 
out  that  the  newsprint  and 
paper  shortage  will  force  them 
to  turn  away  much  of  the  ex- 
pected lineage. 

Boston  theatre  managers 
indicated  that  for  the  balance 
of  the  Autumn  they  will  "go 
lightly,"  but  that  thereafter 
they  will  "go  all  out — at  least 
as  much  as  before  the  war, 
probably  more." 


Mexico's  Raw  Stocl 
Lack  to  Continue 


Mexico  City,  Sept.  13. — Mexico' 
current  raw  stock  shortage  will  cor 
tinue  until  such  time  as  the  Mexica 
film  industry  returns  to  a  norm; 
basis  of  operation,  which  will  resu 
from  smoothing  out  of  the  friction  be 
tween  the  rival  film  unions,  the  Ne: 
tional  and  the  Production,  and  als 
expansion  of  raw  stock  production  i 
the  U.  S.,  the  Ministry  of  the  Interic ' 
said,  in  answering  inquiries  from  pre 
ducers  and  others.  The  ministry  is  i 
charge  of  distribution  of  the  limite 
amount  of  raw  stock  Mexico  has  bee! 
granted  this  year. 

Originally,  the  Ministry  explainer  J 
only  enough  raw  stock  was  availab  I 
for  23  films  this  year,  but  addition;! 
stock  has  since  been  obtained  to  pe  1 
mit  production  of  40  more — and  wi  I 
enable  Mexico  to  produce  63  in  1941 


1,200  Attend  'Glory' 
Preview  in  Albany 

Albany,  Sept.  13. — An  audience 
1.200,  believed  the  largest  ever  to  s 
a  preview  here,  this  morning  attendi 
a  showing  of  "The  True  Glory"  at  tl 
Grand  Theatre.  Representatives  a 
the  Armed  Forces  and  of  more  th; 
400  community  organizations  we, 
present,  along  with  theatre  men  at, 
Red  Cross  personnel. 

The  preview  was  arranged  by  Cat 
T.  J.  Buyer,  Second  Service  Cor 
mand  public  relations  officer ;  Josei 
Saperstein,  Grand  manager,  the  W 
Activities  Committee  and  Columb 
Pictures'  distributors  of  the  film.  J 
army  bomber  flew  over  the  city 
noon  dropping  10,000,000  leafle 
some  containing  passes,  and  a  milita 
parade  was  held  at  the  same  time. 


Lloyd  Case  Recesses 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  13.  —  Fedei 
Judge  Benjamin  Harrison  today  co 
tinned  until  Nov.  16  the  trial 
Harold  Lloyd's  $400,000  suit  chargi 
Universal  with  plagiarism  of  seer 
from  "Movie  Crazy."  During  t 
three  days  in  which  the  case  has  be 
heard,  the  judge  said  he  had  becoi 
"bewildered  by  the  expert  testimon; 


Film  Careers  for  Bulls 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  13. — Bull  fig! 
ing  has  become  such  a  popular  thei 
of  new  Mexican  pictures  that  m 
critics  are  suggesting  that  ranchc 
had  better  raise  the  "critters"  I 
pictures  instead  of  arenas. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 


tion 


Picture 
Industry 


VOL.  58.  NO.  54 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  17,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Independents   30-40  Color 
Here  Have      \Films  Abroad 
:h  Building  Plans 


New  Construction  and 
Remodeling  Included 


Independent  theatre  building  and 
remodeling  in  the  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  area  is  expected  to 
reach  extensive  proportion-  with 
the  lifting  of  wartime  barriers.  How- 
kver,  many  circuit  spokesmen  feel  that 
formulation  of  definite  construction 
{plans  must  await  the  actual  or  near- 
tactual  existence  -of  materials. 

Among  the  circuits  which  al- 
ready have  mapped  out  expan- 
sion programs  are  Century, 
Interboro  and  Walter  Reade 
Theatres.  A  total  of  17  new 
theatres  are  planned  by  these 
three  alone. 

r'l  Reasoning  that  "motion  pictures  are 
.still  the  best  entertainment  at  the  least 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


'tf  70  Theatres  Hit  by 
Cleveland  Strike 


Cleveland,  Sept.  16.— Motion  pic- 
ture projectionists  here  went  on  strike 
at  the  weekend,  closing  70  inde- 
pendent theatres  in  the  greater  Cleve- 
land area.  The  union  charges  mem- 
bers of  the  Cleveland  Motion  Picture 
•  'Exhibitors  Association  with  failure  to 
comply  with  a  Regional  Labor  Rela- 
tions Board  order  of  last  June  re- 
garding vacations  with  pay,  and  with 
refusal  to  negotiate  an  expired  con- 
tract. 

George    W.    Erdmann,  CMPEA 
:retary,  denied  the  union's  claims, 
"  ^stating  that  the  basic  issue  is  the  ex- 
hibitors' demand  for  one  man  in  a 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Natalie  M.  Kalmus,  color  director 
of  Technicolor  Motion  Picture  Corp., 
will  sail  today  on  the  S'.S.  Acquitania 
for  London  on  the  first  leg  of  a  Euro- 
pean trip,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to 
expand  Technicolor  facilities  in  Eng- 
land and  the  Continent.  Kay  Harri- 
son, managing  director  of  Technicolor, 
Ltd.,  is  accompanying  her. 

Mrs.  Kalmus  told  Motion  Picture 
Daily  that  the  company's  plant  on 
Bath  Road,  Harmondsworth,  will  be 
expanded  -so  that  eventually  it  will 
have  a  capacity  equal  to  the  Holly- 
wood plant,  of  from  30  to  40  color 
features  a  year. 

Technicolor  facilities  have  been 
jammed  in  England,  Mrs.  Kalmus 
said,  because  the  "government  has 
taken  a  great  deal  of  space."  Mrs. 
Kalmus  said  that  the  expansion  pro- 
gram would  take  about  a  year-and-a- 
half  and  that  other  plants,  in  addition 
to  the  British  plant,  are  contemplated. 
France  has  been  considered,  she  said, 
along  with  other  locales. 

Technicolor  will  be  associated  with 
British  interests  in  the  production  of 
a  color  film  in  Spain,  based  on  "The 
Three-Cornered  Hat,"  she  said. 

Mrs.  Kalmus  is  expected  to  return 
to  the  U.  S.  in  four  months  to  attend 
to  some  business  here  and  will  then 
return  to  Europe. 


S trike  Variation : 
'I A'  Picket  Line 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16.— 
IATSE.  which  has  been  re- 
placing studio  strikers,  on 
Friday  halted  operations  at 
the  Williams  Film  Laboratory 
with  a  picket  line  of  its  own. 
Projectionists  Local  165  took 
the  step,  according  to  its  busi- 
ness agent.  Pat  Offer,  after  an 
effort  of  more  than  three 
years  to  negotiate  a  contract 
covering  the  plant's  projec- 
tionists. The  line  was  ob- 
served by  Film  Technicians 
Local  683,  which  supplies 
most  of  Williams'  services. 

Two  major  films  were  being 
processed  by  Williams. 


Benton  Nomination 
Approved  by  Senate 

Washington,  Sept.  16.  —  Nomina- 
tion of  William  Benton  to  be  Assis- 
tant Secretary'  of  State  in  charge  of 
cultural  and  information  programs 
was  approved  by  the  Senate  Friday. 

Benton  is  expected  to  take  his  oath 
of  office  almost  immediately.  His  first 
key  task  will  be  to  set  up  the  In 
terim  Foreign  Information  Service 
ordered  by  President  Truman  in  liqui- 
dating the  Office  of  War  Information 


Hear  Kupper  Today 
In  Griffith  Trial 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  16. — W.  J. 
Kupper,  20th  Century-Fox  general 
sales  manager,  will  take  the  stand  to- 
morrow in  the  Griffith  anti-trust  trial 
p  II*  n  Federal  District  Court  here  to 
".estify  on  controversal  circuit  buying 
practices,  it  was  announced  Friday  by 
Henry  Griffing,  chief  defense  attorney. 

On  Friday  Griffing  read  a  deposi- 
tion of  Lt.  Comdr.  Claude  O.  Ful- 

( Continued  on  page  7) 


500  of  17,000  Back  to 
Industry  from  Services 


U.  S.  Will  Protest 
Film  Confiscation 


The  U.  S.  State  Department  will 
in  all  probability  protest  the  confisca- 
tion of  an  undetermined  number  of 
features  of  four  American  film  com- 
panies last  week  by  the  Yugoslav  gov- 
ernment, it  was  learned  here  on  Fri- 
day. The  protest  would  be  made  on 
the  grounds  of  unwarranted  seizure 
of  American  property. 

The  Yugoslav  government  film 
monopoly,  State  Film  Enterprise,  was 
prompted  to  seize  films  of  Paramount, 
20th  Century -Fox,  Warners  and 
M-G-M,  it  was  pointed  out  by  foreign 
department  executives,  in  order  to 
protect  its  monopoly.  It  is  still  not 
clear  whether  British  films  have  been 
exhibited  in  Yugoslavia.  However, 
since  Russian  films  are  representative 
of  a  government  setup,  it  is  believed 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Of  an  estimated  17,000  film  company 
employees  who  entered  the  armed 
forces  before  and  during  the  war,  ap 
proximately  500,  or  around  three  per 
cent,  thus  far  have  been  reabsorbed  by 
the  industry  to  form  an  early  peace 
time  picture  which  is  subject  to 
stepped-up  daily  changes  as  more  and 
more  men  and  women  shed  their  mili- 
tary garb  to  reenter  civilian  life.  The 
Army  is  reported  hoping  to  release 
three  out  of  every  four  servicemen  by 
July  1,  1946.  _ 

On  the  basis  of  incomplete  reports 
which  have  come  to  film  company 
home  offices  some  140  industry  em- 
ployees have  been  listed  as  killed  in 
action ;  many  others  are  still  reported 
missing. 

Among  the  companies  having  avail 
able  figures  concerning  members  of 
their  personnel  who  went  to  f  war 
Warner  Brothers  suffered  the  highest 
cost  in  erstwhile  employes  killed 
The  armed  services  took  from  that 
company  4,429  workers,  66  of  whom 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Gov't  to  Set 
Special  Trust 
Unit  in  N.  Y. 


Trial  Brief  Deadline 
Expected  To  Be  Met 


The  Department  of  Justice  will 
move  a  full  Washington  staff  and 
all  material  relating  to  the  New 
York  film  anti-trust  suit  to  New 
York  on  or  about  Oct.  1,  one  week 
before  the  trial  is  scheduled  to  get 
underwav  in  New  York  District  Court 
Oct.  8. 

Copies  of  the  Department's 
trial  brief  are  expected  to  be 
in  the  hands  of  distributor  de- 
fendants by  Wednesday's  dead- 
line set  early  in  July  by  the 
three  -  judge  statutory  court, 
headed  by  FWeral  Judge 
Augustus  N.  Hand.  The  brief 
outlines  the  procedure  which 
the  Department  intends  to  fol- 

(Continucd  on  page  7) 


Fromkess  Becomes 
Goldwyn  Executive 


Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — Leon  From- 
kess will  become  a  vice-president  of 
the  Samuel  Goldwyn  organization  in 
the  producer's  expanding  production 
plans  for  the  future.  The  association 
takes  effect  immediately. 

Fromkess  was  president  of  PRC 
Pictures,  from  1943  until  his  recent 
resignation,  and  before  that  he  was 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production 
and  had  organized  the  company  for 
Pathe  Laboratories,  in  1940.  He  is 
credited  with  much  responsibility  for 
the  growth  of  PRC. 

Fromkess  will  function  as  a  mem- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


4U'  Names  Maj.  Lury 
And  John  Marshall 


Major  Robert  Lury  has  been  named 
Eastern  sales  supervisor  of  Universal 
International,  with  headquarters  in 
Singapore,  and  John  Marshall  has 
been  named  manager  for  Hungary,  out 
of  Budapest,  Joseph  H.  Seidelman, 
president  of  the  Universal  foreign 
subsidiary,  reports,  here. 

Major  Lury,  who  will  go  on  inac- 
tive duty  in  November  when  he  will 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


2 


motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  September  17,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


TED  GAMBLE  of  the  Treasury's 
War  Finance  division,  and  Si 
Fabian,  who  will  head  the  industry's 
"Victory  Loan,'  have  returned  to 
Washington  and  New  York,  respec- 
tively, from  Hollywood. 

e 

Pincus  Sober  of  the  -M-G-M  legal 
department  is  the  unopposed  candidate 
for  vice-president  of  the  Metropolitan 
Association  of  the  American  Athletic 
Union,  for  election  Wednesday  night, 
o 

Morey  Goldstein,  Monogram  East- 
ern division  manager,  and  Arthur 
Greenblatt,  Central  division  man- 
ager, will  leave  tomorrow  on  a  10-day 
trip  to  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati. 
• 

Robert  M.  Weitman,  .  New  York 
Paramount  Theatre  managing  direc 
tor,  has  been  awarded  a  life  member 
ship  in  the  Congregation  Ezrath  Is- 
rael, Actors'  Temple,  here. 

Oscar  A.  Morgan,  Paramount  short 
subjects  sales  head,  will  return  to  his 
desk  today,  following  a  10-day  vaca 
tion  at  his  summer  home  in  the  Thou 
sand  Islands. 

Albert  Holst,  veteran  librarian  of 
20th-Fox  Movietonews,  'top-secret' 
Navy  coder,  has  returned  to  his  post 
after  four  years  in  service. 

• 

Harry  Blair  of  RKO  Radio's  home 
office  publicity  department,  will  leave 
New  York  on  Wednesday  for  a  vaca 
tion  in  New  England. 

• 

J.  A.  Prichard,  Universal's  branch 
manager  in  Memphis,  returned  there 
from  New  York  and  has  left  for 
Dallas. 

• 

W.  Stewart  McDonald,  Warners 
assistant  home  office  treasurer,  will 
return  to  New  York  today  from  the 
Coast. 

o 

Herman  Starr,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  Warner  music  subsidiaries 
will  leave  New  York  today  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

A.  J.  O'Keefe,  Universal  Western 
division  sales  manager,  will  leave  New 
York  today  for  Chicago  and  Milwau 
kee. 

• 

Edwin  Silverman,  president  of  Es 
saness   Circuit,   Chicago,  became  the 
father  of  a  daughter  last  week. 
• 

Carl  E.  Milliken,  MPPDA  ex 
ecutive,  will  go  to  Washington  today 
on  a  two-day  business  trip. 

• 

Ed  Hi  no  h  y,  head  of  Warners'  play 
date  department,  is  visiting  the  Bos 
ton  exchange. 

• 

Ed  Morey,  assistant  sales  manager 
for  Monogram,  left  for  Boston  over 
the  weekend. 

• 

Nate  Evans,  Memphis  exhibitor, 
has  returned  there  from  New  York. 


Tradewise 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


PREPOSTEROUS  as  it 
seems  to  many  in  the  indus- 
try, the  Fascist  film  decrees 
promulgated  by  Mussolini  in  the 
1930's  have  remained  as  a  part 
of  the  Italian  statutes  through- 
out almost  two  years  of  Ameri- 
can occupation  and  Allied  Mili- 
tary Government  supervision  of 
Italy. 

They  are  the  same  decrees 
which  forced  the  American  in- 
dustry out  of  Italy  when  that 
country  was  a  full-fledged  Hit- 
lerian  partner.  They  are  on  the 
books  today  and  they  have  the 
force  of  law,  should  circum- 
stances arise  which  would  tempt 
and  permit  Italian  officialdom  to 
enforce  them. 

That  the  film  decrees  never 
have  been  repealed  by  the  Ital- 
ian government,  despite  the  an- 
nouncement from  our  State  De- 
partment last  spring  that  they 
had  been,  was  confirmed  here 
last  week  by  Louis  Lober,  who 
has  been  chief  of  the  Office  of 
War  Information  overseas  film 
bureau. 

Previously,  Motion  Picture 
Daily  reported  that  industry 
representatives  returning  from 
abroad  had  stated  that,  as  re- 
cently as  late  July,  the  Mussolini 
film  decrees  still  were  in  ex- 
istence in  Italy.  When  the  State 
Department  was  questioned,  it 
expressed  surprise,  admitted 
there  was  some  confusion  as  to 
the  exact  status  of  the  decrees 
and  said  that  its  representatives 
at  Rome  would  be  asked  for  a 
full  report.  That  was  two  weeks 
ago.  There  has  been  no  word 
from  the  State  Department  yet. 
And,  meanwhile,  there  has  been 
no  word,  either,  on  the  status  of 
the  new  Italian  film  laws 
promulgated  several  months  ago. 
It  is  unlikely,  however,  that  the 
latter  can  claim  the  stature  of 
anything  more  than  proposals 
until  the  Fascist  decrees  first  are 
removed  from  the  statutes. 
• 

Across  the  Adriatic  from  Italy 
an  equally  disturbing  motion 
picture  problem  has  arisen.  In 
Yugoslavia,  it  was  disclosed  last 
week  by  George  Weltner,  able 
head  of  Paramount  Internation- 
al, an  undisclosed  number  of 
films,-  the  property  of  Para- 
mount, Warners,  Loew's  and 
20th  Century-Fox,  has  been  con- 
fiscated by  the  government  at 
Zagreb. 

Said  Weltner:  "The  seizure  is 
a  real  shock  to  the  companies  in- 
volved because  it  is  exactly  the 


same  treatment  we  received  in 
Germany  and  Italy  before  the 
war.  This  form  of  confiscatory 
fascism  hits  all  the  harder,  com- 
ing as  it  does  after  the  war  has 
beep  fought." 

It  may  be  said,  too,  that  de- 
velopments such  as  these  hit  all 
the  harder,  coming  as  they  do 
in  the  period  of  the  first  post- 
war harvesting  of  the  industry's 
patiently  cultivated  relations 
with  the  State  Department,  re- 
lations which,  it  is  hoped,  are  to 
mean  a  new  trade  status  abroad 
for  the  American  motion  pic- 
ture, comparable  to  the  film-gov- 
ernment status  traditionally  en- 
joyed by  the  motion  pictures  of 
other  countries  in  foreign  marts. 

The  obviously  genuine  inter- 
est of  the  State  Department  in 
the  foreign  problems  of  the  in- 
dustry should  not  be  overlooked. 
From  accounts,  progress  is  be- 
ing made  toward  a  solution  of 
the  industry's  difficulties  in 
France,  Spain  and  Holland.  The 
tenor  of  current  Washington 
conferences  with  Britain  on 
trade  and  finance  leaves  little 
room  for  doubt  but  that  the 
State  Department,  somewhat 
contrary  to  erstwhile  public  im- 
pressions, if  not  to  tradition,  is 
not  forgetful  of  the  interests  of 
American  industry,  this  among 
them,  in  its  dealings  with  those 
who  would  penalize  us  as  they 
seek  help  from  us. 

But  the  situation  at  Rome,  the 
Yugoslav  incident,  the  recurring 
reports  that  American  pictures 
are  not  being  admitted  into  the 
Balkans,  and  similar  develop- 
ments, are  of  increasing  concern 
to  many  in  the  industry.  Some 
are  asking  already  how  effective 
against  the  big  ones  can  be  a 
policy  which  overlooks  or  is  in- 
effectual when  applied  to  the 
little  ones? 

•  • 

If  you  haven't  seen  the  ad 
page  of  'The  24  Sheerer,"  mark- 
ing the  29th  anniversary  of  the 
Robb  &  Rowley  Circuit,  you've 
missed  some  laughs.  Samples : 

Film  Classics  •  of  Texas : 
"Birth  of  a  Nation,"  "Four 
Horsemen  of  the  Apocalypse," 
"Tilly's  Punctured  Romance," 
"The  Kid."  Coming  in  1960: 
"Gone  With  the  Wind." 

Sack  Amusement  Enterprises : 
"Class  A  Pictures— $11.99  per 
sack.  Class  B  Pictures — $6.06 
per  sack." 

Monogram :  "Aw,  Come  On 
and  Buy  'Dillinger'.  We  Won't 
Hold  You  Up— Much." 


Newsreel 
Parade 


1\JEW  YORK  CITY'S  ovation  for 
-LV  Gen.  Jonathan  M.  Wainwright 
appears  in  the  current  five  newsreels. 
Also  featured  are  scenes  of  Quisling's 
conviction  in  Norway,  the  site  of  the 
New  Mexico  atom  bomb  test,  Presi- 
dent Truman  hailing  the  success  of  the 
March  of  Dimes  campaign,  and  other 
miscellaneous  items  of  current  interest 

ncluding  further  events  in  defeated 
Japan.  Contents  follozv: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  5.— Millions 
honor  Wainwright  in  New  York.  Jap  out- 
posts surrender  to  Allies.  MacArthur  be- 
gins roundup  of  Jap  war  criminals.  Traitor 
Quisling  sentenced  to  death  in  Norway  trial. 
News  reports  from  Washington:  Jap  sur- 
render document,  unveiling  ceremony,  Harry 
Hopkins  honored,  .March  of  Dimes  check. 
Fancy  steppers  in  New  York. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  203.-Experts 
study  U.  S.  atom  bomb  site.  Quisling  sen- 
tenced to  death.  New  Yorkers  roar  ovation 
for  hero  of  Corregidor.  American  captives 
freed  from  Jap  prison  camps.  President 
hails  success  of  March  of  Dimes.  First  mo- 
tion pictures  of  Vienna  under  Allied  rule. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  e.-Hail  to  a 
hero:  6,000,000  cheer  Wainwright.  Quisling 
sentenced  to  death.  Thank  you,  audience, 
for  your  dimes.  Wedding  bells  for  Betty 
Hutton.    Surrender  document  comes  home. 

RKO-PATHE  NEWS,  No.  8.-Scene  of 
atomic  bomb  test.  Four  Allies  occupy 
Vienna.  Six  million  dollars  for  March  of 
Dimes.  Isolated  Jap  armies  give  up.  Joy- 
ous 'PW's'  welcome  rescuers.  New  York 
honors  Wainwright. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  433.— 

New  York  welcomes  Wainwright.  Yanks 
freed  from  Jap  captivity.  Atomic  bomb  test 
site  inspected.  Quisling  convicted.  'Movie 
dimes'  for  polio  victims.  Trucks  become 
'Ducks.'    1945  Harvest  Moon  champs. 


Report  Johnston 
Confirms  Hays  Post 

Washington,  Sept.  16— A  definite 
assurance  that  he  would  not  resign  as- 
president  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber  of 
Commerce  before  the  end  of  his  term) 
next  May  is  understood  to  have  been] 
given  the  board  of  directors  at  its! 
regular  fall  meeting  Friday  by  Eric 
Johnston. 

While  Chamber  officials  refused  t 
comment  on  the  situation,  it  was  sai 
in  other  informed  quarters  that  John 
ston  appraised  his  directors  of  his  in- 
tention to  assume  the  presidency  o1 
the  MPPDA. 


Coast  OWI  Continues 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — The  Holly 
wood  branch  of  the  Office  of  War 
Information  is  continuing  operation, 
as  usual  after  going  under  the  con 
trol  yesterday,  of  the  Interim  For 
eign  Information  Service,  which  re 
places  OWI,  it  was  stated  here  b. 
William  S.  Cunningham,  local  direc- 
tor. 


Fete  Disney  Officers 

A  luncheon  for  John  Reeder,  whe 
becomes  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  Walt  Disney  Prod,  or 
Oct.  1,  and  William  Levy,  recently 
appointed  supervisor  of  world-widf 
sales,  will  be  given  by  the  Disne> 
New  York  organization  at  Toot; 
Shor's  Wednesday. 


iIOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.     Telephone  Circle  7-3100.     Cable  address,  "Quigpuhco,  New  York."     Martin  Quigley. 

lent;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fccke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau. 
•>  Golden  S%.,  London  \V1,  Hope  Hurnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


The  Most  Rom 


tic  of  all  A 


(J/^fore  than  a  year  in  the 

making,  to  assure  you  all 
the  mighry  action  and 
flaming  thrills  your 

screen  can  hold!  .  .  u£ 
The  lusty  story  of 
a  fighting 
son  of 

danger  who  had 

his  way  with  women's 
hearts  until  he  tried 
to  win  the  ravishing 
red-head  whose 
reckless  spirit 
matched  his  own! 


PAUL       MAUREEN  WALTER 

HENMD  (MARA  SLEZAK 

A  FRANK  BORZAGE  production 


wmwm-  ^lmZ  cow  »* 


Q^Ull-Page  ads  {mostly 
in  four  colors)  in 
magazines  like  LIFE 

SATURDAY  EVENING 
POST  •  McCALL'S 
WOMAN'S  DAY  •  TIME 
NEWSWEEK  •  TRUE 
STORY .  RED  BOOK 
LIBERTY  •  FAMILY 
CIRCLE .  PIC 

and  the 

ENTIRE 
FAN  LIST 


w 

J/ 


Full  or  half-page  four-color  cartoon  strip  ads  in  the  comic  or 
magazine  sections  of  all  the  following  newspapers  (one  or  more  insertions): 


ALABAMA 

Birmingham  News-Age  Herald 
Mobile  Press-Register 

ARIZONA 

Phoenix  Republic 

ARKANSAS 

Little  Rock  Ar.  Democrat 
Little  Rock  Ar.  Gazette 

CALIFORNIA 

Fresno  Bee 

Long  Beach  Press  Telegram 
Los  Angeles  Examiner 
Los  Angeles  Times 
Oakland  Tribune 
Pasadena  Star-News 
Sacramento  Bee 
Sacramento  Union 
San  Diego  Union 
San  Francisco  Chronicle 
San  Francisco  Examiner 

COLORADO 

Denver  Post 

Denver  Rocky  Mt.  News 

{also  "Parade" 

in  Rocky  Mt.  News) 

CONNECTiCL/T 

Bridgeport  Herald 
Bridgeport  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Hartford  Courant 

DELAWARE 

New  Haven  Register 
Waterbury  Republican 

D/ST.  OF  COL. 

Washington  Post 

(also  "Parade"  in  Post) 
Washington  Star 
Washington  Times  Herald 


FLORIDA 

Jacksonville  Times-Union 

(also  "Parade" 

in  Times-Union) 
Miami  Herald 
Miami  News 
Tampa  Tribune 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta  Constitution 
Atlanta  JoOTnalt- 
Savannah  News 

ILLINOIS 

Chicago  Herald-American 
Chicago  News 
Chicago  Sun 

(also  "Parade"  in  Sun) 
Chicago  Times 
Chicago  Tribune 
Peoria  Journal-Star 
Rockford  Star 

INDIANA 

Evansville  Courier-Press 
Ft.  Wayne  Journal-Gazette 
Ft.  Wayne  News-Sentinel 
Hammond  Times 
Indianapolis  Star 
South  Bend  Tribune 
Terre  Haute  Tribune-Star 

IOWA 

Des  Moines  Register 

KANSAS 

Wichita  Beacon 
Wichita  Eagle 

KENTUCKY 

Louisville  Courier-Journal 

LOUISIANA 

New  Orleans  Times  Picayune 
Shreveport  Times 

MAINE 

Portland  Sunday  Telegram 
(also  "Parade"  in  Sun.  Tel.) 


MARYLAND 

Baltimore  American 
Baltimore  Sun 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston  Advertiser 
Boston  Globe 
Boston  Herald 
Boston  Post 

New  Bedford  Standard-Times 

(also  "Parade" 

in  Stan.  Times) 
Springfield  Union  &  Rep. 
Worcester  Telegram 

MICHIGAN 

Detroit  Free  Press 

(also  "Parade" 

in  Free  Press) 
Detroit  News 
Detroit  Times 
Grand  Rapids  Herald 

MINNESOTA 

Duluth  News  Tribune 
Minneapolis  Tribune 
St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press 

MISSOURI 

Kansas  City  Star 

St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat 

St.  Louis  Post  Dispatch 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha  World  Herald 

NEW  JERSEY 

Newark  Call 
Newark  Star-Ledger 

(also  "Parade" 

in  Star  Ledger) 
Trenton  Times 

NEW  YORK 

Albany  Times  Union 
Brooklyn  Eagle 
Buffalo  Courier-Express 


NEW  YORK  (continued) 
New  York  Doily  News 
New  York  Herald  Tribune 
New  York  Journal  American 
New  York  Mirror 
Rochester  Democrat  &  Chronicle 
Syracuse  Herald-American 

(also  "Parade"  in  Her.  Amer.) 
Syracuse  Post-Standard 
Utica  Observer-Dispatch 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

Charlotte  News 
Charlotte  Observer 
Winston-Salem  Journal  Sentinel 

OHIO 

Akron  Beacon-Journal 

(also  "Parade"  in  Beacon  Jnl.) 
Canton  Repository 
Cincinnati  Enquirer 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer 
Columbus  Dispatch 
Dayton  Journal  Herald 
Dayton  News 
Toledo  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Youngstown  Vindicator 

(also  "Parade"  in  Vindicator) 

OKLAHOMA 

Oklahoma  City  Oklahoman 
Tulsa  World 

OREGON 

Portland  Oregonian 
Portland  Oregon  Journal 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Erie  Dispatch-Herald 
Philadelphia  Inquirer 
Philadelphia  Record 
Pittsburgh  Press 
Pittsburgh  Sun-Telegraph 
Reading  Eagle 
Scranton  Scrantonian 


RHODE  ISLAND 

Providence  Journal 

TENNESSEE 

Chattanooga  Times 
Knoxville  Journal 
Knoxville  News-Sentinel 
Memphis  Commercial  Appeal 
Nashville  Tennessean 

TEXAS 

Dallas  News 
Dallas  Times-Herald 
El  Paso  Times 

(also  "Parade"  in  Times) 
Ft.  Worth  Star 
Houston  Chronicle 
Houston  Post 
San  Antonio  Express 
San  Antonio  Light 

UTAH 

Salt  Lake  City  Deseret  News 
Salt  Lake  City  Tribune 

VIRGINIA 

Norfolk  Virginia  Pilot 
Richmond  Times-Dispatch 
Roanoke  Times 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle  Post-Intelligencer 
Seattle  Times 

Spokane  Spokesman  Review 
Tacoma  News  Tribune 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

"Charleston  Gazette 
Charleston  Mail 
Charleston  Herald-Adv. 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee  Journal 
Milwaukee  Sentinel 


LlTHO  Ui; 

J 


Monday,  September  17.  1945  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  7 


500  Return 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


Lury  and  Marshall 


(Continued  from  page  1  ) 


khetl  in  uniform;  8  are  missing.  Thus 
par,  approximately  25  per  cent  of  the 
[3<J0  or  more  Warner  people  who  have 
(been  discharged  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment have  returned  to  work  with  the 
tjmpany.  Others  are  presently  tak- 
;i:ig  their  90-day  post-discharge  peri- 
ids.  Paramount  employes  taken  by 
k  te  Armed  Forces,  however,  number 
<  .430 — the  only  personnel-in-service 
I  gure  the  company  is  able  to  release 
U.t  this  time — and  how  Paramount's 
Iwar  casualties  will  compare  with 
jWarners'  remains  to  be  seen.  Twenti- 
eth Century-Fox  has  yet  to  disclose 
,its  overall  personnel-in-service  figures. 

Reports  from  other  companies  are 
ks  follows:  Loew's-M-G-M :  2,823 
i  mployes  went  into  service ;  the  com- 
P  any  has  posted  21  gold  stars.  Thus 
far,  approximately  172  have  been  dis- 
iharged  and  "virtually  all  have  re- 
turned to  the  company — at  any  rate, 
;.ll  who  wanted  to  return."  RKO- 
tadio:  1,650  entered  the  armed 
orces;  33  of  those  were  killed  and 
-2  were  wounded,  missing  or  made 
1'risoner;  69  have  returned  to  work 
with  the  company. 

550  From  Columbia 

Columbia  lists  approximately  550 
1  mployes  in  the  services ;  five  were 
killed.  Thus  far  about  15  have  re- 
t  eived  their  discharges  with  "less  than 
half  back  with  the  company."  which 
will  reemploy  all  who  wish  to  return. 
About  90  United  Artists  employes 

vere  taken  into  the  armed  forces. 
The  company  report*  there  were  no 
known  casualties.  One  has  been  dis- 
charged and  is  now  back  at  work  with 
the  company.  Of  some  675  Univer- 
sal employes  who  donned  uniforms. 
'11  were  killed  in  action.  A  number 
have  returned  to  work  with  the  com- 
pany, but  no  definite  figure  is  avail- 
;it  present. 

Republic   lists   290   employes  who 

vent  into  service.  Fifty  of  those  who 
have   been   discharged   are   back  at 

vork  with  the  company,  which  dis- 
closes that  101  discharged  servicemen, 
i not  previously  in  the  company's  em- 
ploy, are  now  at  work  in  its  studios. 
Tw*o  Republic  people  were  killed  in 
action. 

Available  PRC  figures  show  that  28 
'  if  that  company's  employes  went  into 
i  >ervice ;   five  have  been  discharged, 
|  two  of  whom  returner)  to  the  com- 
pany. One  former  PRC  employe  was 
killed  and  one  wounded.  Monogram, 
with  only  studio  figures  available,  re- 
ports 32  still  in  service.    Two  of  its 
(  former  employes  were  killed  in  ac- 
1  tion.    Thirteen  dischargees  are  back 
at  work  in  the  company's  studios. 


Fromkess 

(Continued  from  Cage  1) 

l>er  of  G  tldwyn's  "Production  Cabi- 
net," which  includes  Marvin  Ezell 
and  Pat  Duggan.  Although  Goldwyn 
his  limited  his  produtcion  to  one  musi- 
i  al  annually  for  the  past  two  years, 
he  now  has  four  dramatic  pictures  in 
final  stages  of  production  for  the  com- 
ing year. 


Liberty  Sets  'Gift 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16.  —  Liberty 
l  ilms  has  announced  "The  Greatest 
Gift,"  an  original  by  Philip  Van 
Doren  Stern,  as  its  first  production. 
Frank  Capra  will  produce  and  direct. 


resume  his  association  with  Universal, 
will  have  under  his  supervision  the 
Dutch  East  Indies,  Malaya,  Siam, 
Indo-China,  Burma  and  India.  He 
was  manager  for  "U"  in  -Malaya  when 
the  war  broke  out.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  New  York,  he  volunteered  for  ser- 
vice in  the  Army  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  First  Lieutenant  in  Military 
Intelligence.  While  serving  in  Guad- 
alcanal, where  he  was  chief  language 
officer  in  charge  of  interrogating  Jap 
prisoners,  he  received  a  captaincy.  He 
contracted  malaria  and  soon  after  re- 
turned to  the  U.  S.,  where  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Far  Eastern  Division, 
Military  Intelligence,  in  the  Wrar  De- 
partment. In  February,  1945,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major. 

Started  in  1933 

Major  Lury  entered  motion  pic- 
tures with  M-G-M  in  1933  in  Tokyo. 
In  1937  he  went  to  the  Duth  East  In- 
dies as  general  manager.  He  joined 
Universal  in  1939  as  managing  direc- 
tor for  Japan  and  in  1941  was  made 
general  manager  for  Malaya,  Indo- 
China  and  Siam. 

Recently  released  from  the  Army, 
where  he  served  two  years  in  the  med- 
ical department  in  Great  Britain. 
Marshall  is  known  in  motion  picture 
circles  in  eastern  Europe.  For  five 
years  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the 
war  he  had  his  own  distributing  com- 
pany in  Bucharest. 


U.S.  Protest 


(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 

that  the  Yugoslavs  might  make  an 
exception  for  them  since  any  dealings 
between  the  USSR  and  Yugoslavia 
would  be  on  a  purely  governmental 
basis. 

The  Yugoslavs  are  understood,  by 
Office  of  War  Information  sources, 
to  be  desirous  of  instituting  film  dis- 
cussions with  the  U.  S.  These  dis- 
cussions, if  they  should  eventuate, 
would  probably  be  on  a  governmental 
level,  it  was  pointed  out,  as  the  ques- 
tion of  motion  pictures  is  rapidly  be- 
coming a  concern  of  our  Government 
since  it  recognizes  their  value  in  pre- 
senting the  American  point  of  view 
and  also  in  aiding  the  growth  of  trade. 

The  40  American  films  which  the 
American  distributors  had  turned  over 
to  the  Office  of  War  Information  for 
use  in  the  U.  S.  Army's  Psychological 
Warfare  Division  campaign  of  re- 
habilitation of  liberated  countries  are 
not  involved  in  the  seizure  of  Ameri- 
can films  by  the  Yugoslav  govern- 
ment, Louis  Lober,  chief  of  the  OWI 
Overseas  Motion  Picture  Bureau  dis- 
closed Friday.  Lober  explained  that 
OWI  did  not  send  the  films  into 
Yugoslavia  because  of  the  existence 
of  the  government  film  monopoly 
there. 


Correction 

Chicago,  Sept.  16. — A  statement  at- 
tributed to  Frank  Smith,  RKO  the- 
atres Western  division  manager,  that 
a  40  per  cent  decline  in  business  may 
be  experienced  by  theatres  in  this 
area  within  three  months,  was  pub- 
lished in  Motion*  Picture  Daily, 
Sept.  10.  Disavowing  the  quotation, 
Smith  says  actually  he  sees  no  reason 
to  expect  a  decline  of  any  extent  in 
attendance  here  in  the  near  future. 


N.  Y.  Building 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

cost,"  Walter  Reade  backs  up  his 
views  of  a  bright  future  for  exhibi- 
tion with  an  extensive  program  that 
he  estimates  will  cost  up  to  $4,000,000. 
This,  he  says,  is  apart  from"  the  $1,- 
750,000  cost  of  the  acquisition  and 
conversion  of  the  old  Anderson  art 
galleries,  Manhattan,  into  a  theatre. 
Reade  said  the  house  will  have  escala- 
tors and  elevators  convenient  to  every 
part  of  the  house,  which  will  seat  700. 
Work  on  this  is  awaiting  a  certificate 
of  occupancy,  which  is  expected  to 
be  forthcoming  shortly. 

Reade  describes  his  building  pro- 
gram as  follows  :  The  remodeling  of 
two  theatres  in  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J., 
and  the  construction  of  a  new  one, 
bringing  to  five  Reade's  theatre  hold- 
ings in  the  town ;  remodeling  of  the. 
Strand,  Freehold,  N.  J.,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  one  there ;  remodeling 
of  the  Kingston  in  Kingston,  N.  Y., 
and  the  construction  of  a  new  house 
there ;  a  new  theatre  in  Hamilton 
township,  a  suburb  of  Trenton ;  a 
new  3,500-seat  house  in  Neptune 
Township,  adjoining  Asbury  Park,  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Main  St.  Theatre. 

Century  Plans 

Joseph  R,  Springer,  general  man- 
ager of  Century  Circuit,  sees  good 
business  continuing  for  at  least  five 
years,  he  said,  in  outlining  the  circuit's 
plans.  Century  has  37  houses  in 
Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  and  is  to 
construct  approximately  six  more  with 
seating  capacities  ranging  from  1,000 
to  1.200. 

Century's  Bellerose  Theatre,  Belle- 
rose.  Long  Island,  is  now  being  re- 
modeled and  is  to  reopen  Nov.  1  ;  two 
other  Century  remodeling  jobs  are  to 
follow. 

[nterboro  Circuit,  now  operating  37 
theatres,  will  build  six  new  houses  in 
Queens  and  Xassau  Counties,  with 
costs  ranging  from  $100,000  to  $250,- 
000.  according  to  Murray  Strausberg, 
secretary  of  the  circuit.  Plans  for 
two  of  these  already  have  been  drawn. 
Redecorating  is  current  around  the 
circuit. 


Griffith  Trial 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

gham,  former  Griffith  Amusement  Co. 
district  manager,  who  denied  the  al- 
legation by  John  Gray,  former  Enid, 
Okla.,  independent  operator,  that  Ful- 
gham  had  told  him  either  to  sell  or 
be  "run  out." 

Thursday  testimony  of  C.  B.  Akers. 
Griffith  assistant  general  manager,  de- 
nying similar  threats  against  W.  O. 
Beardon,  Lubbock,  Tex.,  operator,  was 
corroborated  Friday  by  Arlie  Crites, 
former  manager  of  the  Lindsey  Thea- 
tre in  Lubbock. 

Claude  Leachman,  Griffith  partner 
in  Stillwater,  Okla.,  and  E.  R.  Slo- 
cum,  El  Reno,  Okla.,  partner,  testi- 
fied concerning  Griffith  acquisitions  in 
Sapula  and  Mangum,  Okla. 


9,000  Spots  for  Reissues 

Universal's  joint  reissuance  of  "East 
Side  of  Heaven"  and  "Imitation  of 
Life,"  which  have  already  played 
1,000  first-run  theatres,  are  expected 
to  play  9,000  to  10,000  theatres  on 
their  return  engagements,  E.  T.  Gom- 
ersall,  assistant  general  sales  mana- 
ger, said  here. 


Trust  Unit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

low    in    presenting    its  prima 
facie  case. 

Provision  has  been  made  by  the 
Department  to  introduce  information 
relating  to  distribution  and  exhibition 
as  it  develops  right  up  to  the  date  of 
the  trial,  indicating  that  the  Govern- 
ment will  make  full  use  of  current 
conditions  as  well  as  those  of  the  past 
in  its  presentation  of  its  case.  Also  to 
be  introduced  at  the  trial  are  the  dis- 
tribution records  of  independent  pro- 
ducers, which  their  representatives 
have  been  directed  to  produce  at  the 
start  of  the  trial." 

Meanwhile,  almost  daily  meetings  of 
counsel  for  the  distributor-defendants 
are  now  being  held,  at  which  talk  of 
a  move  to  seek  a  basis  for  a  new  con- 
sent decree  is  frequently  highlighted. 
It  is  said  that  the  companies  are  dis- 
cussing new  decree  compromises  and 
intend  to  hold  a  further  meeting  with 
Department  of  Justice  representatives 
before  the  Oct.  8  trial. 

Information  to  Distributors 

Information  gathered  by  the  De- 
partment with  the  help  of  the  Federal 
Bureau  of  Investigation  on  exhibition 
conditions  in  many  of  the  432  towns 
where  the  Department  alleges  that  the 
decree  suit  distributor-defendants  with 
affiliated  circuits  dominate  exhibition, 
has  been  made  available  to  the  distrib- 
utors for  verification  of  information  as 
it  applies  to  their  theatre  affiliates. 

This  information,  identified  as  'Ex- 
hibit 155,'  lists  theatre  ownership,  seat- 
ing capacity,  run,  clearance,  pictures 
played  and  other  details  of  operation 
and  organization  of  several  hundred 
theatres. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  Department 
intends  to  use  the  information  during 
its  trust  trial  to  show  the  reported 
plight  of  independent  theatres  in  towns 
where  the  Department  alleges  that  the 
distributor-defendants  dominate  exhi- 
bition. 

In  a  letter  to  all  distributor-defen- 
dants, sent  at  the  same  time,  the  De- 
partment has  requested  comment  from 
individual  companies  on  possible  errors, 
omissions  and  corrections  in  its  the- 
atre list.  As  reported  in  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  on  Sept.  5,  the  173-page 
descriptive  list  of  some  323  identified 
classes  of  documents  will  comprise 
the  bulk  of  the  evidence  in  the  Gov- 
ernment's prima  faeic  case. 


Cleveland 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

booth  instead  of  two  as  now  prevails. 
Erdmann  said  that  his  association 
offered  vacations  with  pay  providing 
the  union  approved  one  man  in  each 
booth,  and  that  the  Regional  LRB 
order  covering  vacation  pay  is  now 
on  appeal  to  the  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board,  pending  which  the 
regional  order  is  suspended. 

The  theatre  owners  claim  their  pro- 
posals for  a  new  contract  was  pre- 
sented to  union  officials  who  referred 
it  to  the  union  board  of  directors  and 
ultimately  to  the  membership  with  the 
resultant  strike  vote. 


Party  for  Fitzpatrick 

M-G-M  will  be  host  at  a  reception 
for  James  A.  Fitzpatrick,  travelogue 
producer,  at  the  Hampshire  House 
here  tomorrow.  Fitzpatrick  returned 
to  New  York  Friday  from  England. 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Monday,  September  17,  19 


Loop  Houses  Plan 
Soda  Fountains 

Chicago,  Sept.  16.  —  Soda 
fountains  will  adorn  the  lob- 
bies of  some  of  the  larger 
theatres  in  this  region  when 
equipment  becomes  available. 
Circuits,  among  them  the 
Balaban  and  Katz  Corp.,  are 
currently  preparing  location 
and  merchandising  plans. 


Graetz  to  Paris  to 
Revive  2  Companies 


Paul  Graetz,  president  of  A.  F.  E. 
Corp.,  was  scheduled  to  leave  New 
York  at  the  weekend  for  Paris  in  or 
der  to  look  into  the  rehabilitation  of 
two  of  his  companies,  Paris  Export 
Film  and  Transcontinental  Films, 
S.  A.,  Paris,  of  which  he  is  also  presi 
dent,  and  the  activities  of  which  were 
interrupted  during  the  occupation. 

Graetz  will  go  directly  to  Paris  and 
will  then  proceed  to  London.  In  1939 
last  year  of  operation  of  Transcon- 
tinental, the  company  made  three  pic- 
tures. 

A.  F.  E.  will  continue  to  release  the 
product  of  Ealing  Studios  in  the 
U.  S.,  Canada  and  South  America 
Four  more  Ealing  pictures  that  it  will 
distribute  here  are  "Champagne  Char 
lie,"  "Fiddler's  Three,"  "Painted 
Boats"  and  "Dreaming." 


NBC  Shifts  Staffs 
ForNewDepartment 


James  M.  Gaines,  Philip  I.  Merry- 
man,  William  S.  Duttera  and  Harry  F. 
McKeon  have  been  named  by  William 
S.  Hedges,  NBC  vice-president  in 
charge  of  the  newly-formed  planning 
and  development  department,  to  key 
positions  on  his  executive  staff. 

Gaines  will  leave  his  current  post  of 
assistant  director  of  NBC  advertising 
and  promotion  to  become  manager  of 
the  new  department,  on  Oct.  1 ;  Merry- 
man,  director  of  facilities  development, 
has  been  transferred  from  the  stations 
department,  Duttera  was  moved  over 
from  the  engineering  department  to 
become  allocations  engineer,  while  Mc- 
Keon, controller,  will  serve  as  finan- 
cial adviser  to  the  planning  and  devel- 
opment division. 

At  the  same  time,  James  M.  Nelson, 
Charles    B:   H.    Vaill    and  Charles 
Philips   have  been  advanced  in  the 
NBC   advertising  promotion  depart- 
ment. Nelson,  currently  network  sales 
promotion  manager,  will  become  as 
sistant  director  of  advertising  and  pro- 
motion, Vaill  assumes  the  post  being 
vacated  by  Nelson,  and  Philips,  pro 
motion  manager  of  KOA,  NBC-own 
ed  and  managed  station  irt  Denver, 
will  come  to  New  York  to  take  over 
the  WEAF  promotion  manager's  post 
previously  held  by  Vaill. 


Skouras  and  Hoover 
Hosts  at  '92nd  St.' 

Spyros  Skouras,  president  of  20th 
Century-Fox,  and  J.  Edgar  Hoover, 
head  of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  In- 
vestigation, were  hosts  to  200  news- 
paper columnists,  Government  officials 
and  others  at  a  private  showing  of 
"The  House  on  92nd  Street,"  Friday 
evening,  at  the  company's  home  of- 
fice. 

A  buffet  supper  was  held  after  the 
showing,  which  was  also  attended  by 
Tom  Connors  and  other  company  ex- 
ecutives, and  to  which  were  invited 
Capt.  Vincent  Astor,  Very  Rev.  Rob- 
ert I.  Gannon,  S.  J.,  Nick  Kenny, 
Dorothy  Kilgallen,  Edward  P.  Mul- 
rooney,  Fulton  Oursler,  Toots  Shor, 
Lewis  J.  Valentine,  Major  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  Jr.,  Harry  Hopkins, 
Jonah  Goldstein,  Brig.  Gen.  William 
O'Dwyer,  H.  B.  Swope,  Richard  de 
Rochemont  and  Will  H.  Hays,  and 
others. 


Canadians  Frown  on 
'Dillinger'  Pictures 

Toronto,  Sept.  16. — Following  criti- 
cism for  the  showing  of  "Dillinger" 
in  Toronto,  the  management  commit- 
tee of  the  Toronto  Board  of  Educa- 
tion has  appointed  a  sub-committee  for 
a  conference  with  the  Canadian  Mo- 
tion Picture  Distributors  Association 
and  theatre  officials.  The  educational- 
ists will  urge  the  booking  of  programs 
"more  suitable  for  children"  for  Sat- 
urday matinees. 


Loew  on  Charity  Drive 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — David  Loew 
has  been  named  campaign  chairman 
for  this  year's  Permanent  Charities 
Committee  drive.  The  committee  this 
year,  for  the  first  time,  will  combine 
all  industry  charitable  solicitations  in 
a  single  campaign. 


Broadcast  Revenue 
Rose  26%  in  1944 

Washington,   Sept  16. — Net  rev 
enues  of  networks  and  standard  radio 
stations  increased  25.87  per  cent  in 
1944  over  1943,  the  Federal  Communi 
cations  Commission  announced  Friday. 
It  said  the  four  major  regional  net 
works  and  875  standard  stations  in 
the   United    States,    Hawaii,  Alaska 
and   Puerto   Rico  had  net  revenues 
from  the  sale  of  time  of  $246,395,532 
last  year.    This  compared  with  $195,- 
704,153  reported  by  the  nine  networks 
and  841  stations  in  1943. 


'Night  of  Stars'  Will 
Be  Held  Nov.  13 

Marvin  Schenck,  Loew's  Eastern 
talent  head,  will  again  act  as  chairman 
of  the  producing  committee  for  the 
12th  annual  "Night  of  Stars"  benefit 
show  to  be  held  at  Madison  Square 
Garden  Nov.  13  on  behalf  of  the 
United  Jewish  Appeal  of  Greater 
New  York. 

Mayor  Fiorello  H.  LaGuardia  will 
serve  as  one  of  four  honorary  chair- 
men of  a  committee  composed  of  civic 
and  theatrical  leaders  sponsoring  the 
show.  The  others  will  be  Nathan 
Straus,  Grover  A.  Whalen  and  Dr. 
Stephen-  S.  Wise. 


Marshall's  Mother  Dies 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — Sara  Eliza 
beth  Marshall,  75,  mother  of  director 
George  Marshall,  died  Friday  morn- 
ing of  a  heart  attack.  Services  will  be 
held  tomorrow  in  the  Wee  Kirk  of  the 
Heather.  Interment  will  be  in  Forest 
Lawn. 


DeMille  to  Pittsburgh 

Cecil  B.  DeMille,  Paramount  pro- 
ducer-director, will  leave  Hollywood 
tomorrow  for  Pittsburgh  with  a  stop- 
over in  Chicago,  on  a  search  for  lo 
cations  for  his  forthcoming  "Uncon 
qucred,"  which  he  plans  to  produce 
next  spring. 


Korda  Gets  Space 
At  Elstree  Studio 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  British  Stu- 
dios, Ltd.,  has  regained  possession  of 
the  studio,  it  was  using  at  Elstree, 
and  as  soon  as  it  is  reequipped  will 
start  an  extensive  British  production 
program,  Sir  Alexander  Korda,  chair- 
man and  managing  director  of  the 
British  company,  told  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  on  Friday.  The  studio 
was  derequisitioned  only  three  or  four 
days  ago,  Korda  said. 

Korda,  who  arrived  here  late  last 
week,  will  spend  several  days  in  New 
York  and  then  proceed  to  the  Coast 
for  a  visit  of  several  weeks  before 
returning  to  England.  He  said  that 
his  visit  here  was  in  the  nature  of 
a  rest.  "Lottie  Dundass"  and  "Pick- 
wick Papers"  will  go  on  his  produc- 
tion schedule  when  the  studio  at  Els- 
tree is  refurbished,   Korda  said. 


WB  Zone  Managers 
Meet  Here  Tomorrow 

A  meeting  of  Warner  Theatres' 
zone  managers  and  home  office  execu- 
tives will  be  held  here  tomorrow,  with 
Joseph  Bernhard,  general  manager, 
and  Harry  M.  Kalmine,  his  assistant, 
presiding. 

Other  home  office  executives  partic- 
ipating will  include :  Clayton  Bond, 
Harry  Goldberg,  Frank  N.  Phelps, 
Abel  Yigard,  W.  Stewart  McDonald, 
Harry  Rosenquest,  Louis  J.  Kaufman, 
Frank  Marshall,  Nat  D.  Fellman, 
Herman  R.  Maier,  Rudolph  Weiss, 
Frank  Cahill  Jr.,  and  Martin  F.  Ben- 
nett. 

Zone  managers  arriving  for  the 
meeting  are:  James  Coston,  Chicago; 
I.  J.  Hoffman,  New  Haven;  Frank 
Damis,  Newark;  C.  J.  Latta,  Albany; 
Ted  Schlanger,  Philadelphia ;  Moe  Sil- 
ver, Pittsburgh;  John  J.  Payette, 
Washington. 


Johnston  and  Young 
Deny  Broidy  Rumors 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — Commenting 
on  persistent  reports  that  Steve 
Broidy,  Monogram  vice-president  and 
general  sales  manager,  might  become 
PRC  president,  W.  Ray  Johnston, 
Monogram  president,  pointed  out  at 
the  weekend  that,  although  an  offer 
had  been  made  Broidy  by  PRC  in  the 
east  some  time  ago,  he  had  signed  a 
Monogram  contract,  early  this  year, 
which  runs  until  1952. 

Kenneth  Young,  recently  elected 
PRC  president  following  the .  resig- 
nation of  Leon  Fromkess,  also  denied 
the  reports.  Earlier,  Broidy  himself 
had  declined  either  to  confirm  or  deny 
them. 


29  to  Assist  Mayer 
On  8th  Loan  Plans 

Hollywood,  Sept.  16. — A  group  of 
29  industry  leaders  was  appointed 
Friday  to  collaborate  with  Louis  B. 
Mayer  on  plans  for  Hollywood  co- 
operation with  the  U.  S.  Treasury  De- 
partment in  the  Victory  Loan  Drive. 
First  meeting  of  the  group  will  take 
place  Tuesday. 


RKO  Screening  Off 

RKO  Radio  has  cancelled  the  New 
York  trade  showing  of  "Spanish 
Main,"  previously  announced  for 
Wednesday,  Sept.  26,  at  the  Nor- 
mandie  Theatre.  A  new  date  is  to  be 
set  soon. 


Record  Screen  Time 
During  'Para.  Week' 

Releasing  fewer  pictures 
than  ever  before,  Paramount 
not  only  set  an  all-time  com- 
pany record  by  placing  its 
product  on  the  screens  of 
15,513  theatres  during  the  re- 
cently completed  "Paramount 
Week,"  but  also  set  a  new 
record  for  film  shipments 
with  a  total  of  38,749  for  the 
week,  Charles  M.  Reagan, 
vice-president  in  charge  of 
distribution  announces. 


Appealing  Chicag< 
Jackson  Park  Case 


Chicago,  Sept.  16.  —  Thomas 
McConnell,  attorney  for  the  plainti 
in  the  Jackson  Park  Theatre  an, 
trust  case,  will  forward  appeal  pap< 
to  the  Supreme  Court  in  Washingt 
tomorrow.    He  is  appealing  the  U. 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  decision 
Aug.  3,  which  reversed  the  verdict 
a  Federal  Court  jury  awarding  t 
plaintiffs  damages  totaling  $360,000. 

McConnell  said  that  he  expects  1 
Supreme  Court  to  rule  on  its  i 
ceptance  or  rejection  of  the  case 
October.  The  defendants  are  d 
tributors  and  the  Balaban  and  K; 
and  Warner  circuits. 


New  Group  Seekin 
To  Bar  SPG  Pact 


Hollywood,  Sept.  16. —  The  M 
tion  Picture  Studio  Publicists  As: 
ciation,  in  process  of  formation 
Screen  Publicists  Guild  membi 
working  in  struck  studios  in  defiai 
of  SPG  orders  to  observe  the  picl 
lines,  has  asked  producers  to  wi 
hold  negotiations  with  the  SPG 
renewal  of  its  contract,  now  befc 
the  War  Labor  Board,  on  grour 
that  the  SPG  no  longer  represei, 
a  majority  of  the  publicists. 

The  new  organization  has  filed 
protest  with  the  National  Labor  I 
lations  Board  preparatory  to  seeki 
certification  as  the  bargaining  ager 
and  will  meet  tomorrow  to  pass  on 
proposed  constitution  and  by-laws. 


Para,  to  Tradeshoi 
Four  on  Oct.  4-5 

Paramount's  second  block  of  fc-f 
features  for  1945-46  will  be  screer 
for  the  trade-  in  the  various  exchar 
centers  Oct.  4  and  5,  according 
Charles  M.  Reagan,  vice-president 
charge  of  sales. 

"Hold  That  Blonde"  and  "The  Stc 
Club"  will  generally  be  screened  0 
4  in  exchanges,  with  "People  .J 
Funny"  and  "Kitty"  screened  Oct. 
the  latter  generally  in  theatres 
the  exchange  cities. 


Goodman  Heads  Legiot 

Cleveland,  Sept.  16. — A.  M.  Goc 
man,  United  Artists  city  sales  man 
ger,  has  been  elected  commander 
the  Variety  Post  of  the  American  I 
gion.  George  Kendis,  National  Sere 
Service  sales  manager,  was  elect 
financial  officer. 


rr 


VOL.  58.  NO.  55 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A..  TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  18,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


^Senate  Probe 
"  Of  Continued 

Building  Ban 

~m   

Hearings  Start  Today 
On  Peacetime  'Freeze' 


Millions  for  New  Runs 
In  Mid-South  Sector 


Washington,   Sept.    17. —  Top 
1  Government,   officials    liave  been 
i  summoned    to   appear    before  the 
1  ^enate  Small  Business  Committee 
•  :  imorrow  to  explain  why  wartime 
:  ntrols  have  not  been  taken  off 
-Tpr  construction  to  permit  an  early 
]  Start  on  the  building  of  homes  and 
Commercial    structures,  including 
t  |  theatres. 

illjr       A    three-day    hearing  is 
planned  with  the  first  witnesses 
i  H  to  include  Reconversion  Direc- 
■l      tor  John  M.  Snyder,  Stabiliza- 
tion Director  William  H.  Davis. 
WPB  chairman  J.  A.  Krug  and 
Price    Administrator  Chester 
4  Bowles. 

v-ijc  The  investigation  stems  out  of  a 
•jljlood   of   criticism    which    has  been 

■jgr)  {Continued  on  page  6) 


k 

■i 


Tax  Slash  Will  Not 
Cut  Chicago  Prices 


i  ,  Chicago,  Sept.  17. — No  reduction  in 
a  imission  scales  is  seen  here  for  the 
.next  several  months.  Despite  the  re- 
:onversion  period  which  is  causing 
:onsiderable  temporary  unemployment 
r.  the  Chicago  area,  business  is  hold- 
ing up  well  and  exhibitors  do  not 
oresee  any  drop  in  receipts. 

Should  the  amusement  tax  be  re- 
duced in  the  near  future,  exhibitors 
iere  feel  that  admission  scales  will 
jnot  change,  and  the  tax  reduction  will 
jie  added  to  the  admission  price  itself. 


Max  Cohen  Named 
To  Victory  Loan 

Max  A.  Cohen,  president  of 
Cinema  Circuit  here,  has  been 
named  assistant  to  S.  H. 
Fabian,  chairman  of  the  in- 
dustry Victory  Loan  Commit- 
tee. In  announcing  the  ap- 
pointment, Fahian  said:  "I 
am  happy  to  have  the  aid  of 
Max  Cohen,  who  has  been 
active  in  every  wartime  job 
assigned  to  motion  picture 
theatres  by  the  Government." 


Memphis,  Sept.  17.  —  A  building 
boom  running  into  millions  of  dollars 
is  about  to  be  launched  in  the  Mid- 
South  following  the  Washington  an- 
nouncement that  restrictions  on  all 
building  except  housing  soon  will  end. 
Just  as  rapidly  as  materials  and  labor 
can  be  obtained,  many  new  houses  will 
spring  up  in  various  sections  of  Ten- 
nessee, Arkansas  and  Mississippi. 

Todd  Ferguson,  M-G-M  sales  offi- 
cial here,  has  returned  from  an  ex- 
tended tour  of  Arkansas  and  reports 
that  signs  announcing  new  theatres 
will  be  built  are  evident  in  many  towns. 
Many  operators  have  already  pur- 
chased property  lots. 

Malco  Theatres,  Inc.,  has  archi- 
tects' plans  ready  and  many  sites  al- 
ready selected  for  a  $1,500,000  pro- 
gram of  expansion  and  new  construc- 
tion as  announced  recently  by  M.  A. 
Lightman,  Sr.,  president. 

A  new  Memphis  theatre  will  be  built 
by  Malco  on  Main  Street.  Lightman 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


F.  Love  joy  Funeral 
Services  Tomorrow 


Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  17. — Fun- 
eral services  for  Frank  W.  Lovejoy, 
74;  chairman  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  Eastman  Kodak,  who  died  yes- 
terday in  Strong  Memorial  Hospital 
here,  will  be  held  on  Wednesday  in 
the  First  Universalist  Church  of 
Rochester.  He  entered  the  hospital 
a  week  ago. 

Born  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  Lovejoy 
joined  Eastman  in  1897.  Two  years 
later  he  became  assistant  manager  and 
a  year  after  that,  manager.  In  1906, 
Lovejoy  was  made  general  manager 
of  manufacturing,  a  post  he  held  until 
1919.  when  he  became  vice-president; 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


SAG  Wage  Increase 
Contract  Is  Signed 

Hollywood,  Sept.  17. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild  today  signed  a  revised 
contract  with  the  producers,  provid- 
ing improvements  in  working  condi- 
tions and  increases  in  minimum  rates 
of  pay  retroactive  to  April  1,  1945. 
Increases  are :  for  day  players,  min- 
imum rate  raised  from  $25  and  $35  a 
day;  free  lance  players,  from  $100  to 
$115;  stock  contract  players,  from 
$50  to  $60  a  week;  singers  from  $15, 
$20  and  $25  a  day,  to  $35  for  record- 
ing and  $25  for  rehearsing,  with  a 
weekly  minimum  of  $115. 


Detroit  Has  300,000 
Idle;  Business  Off 

Detroit,  Sept.  17. — Strikes 
and  layoffs,  coming  on  top  of 
war  contract  cancellation:, 
have  made  an  estimated  300,- 
000  persons  idle  here.  In  con- 
sequence, business  at  theatres 
in  Detroit  and  vicinity  which 
has  been  on  a  general  down- 
ward curve  since  'V-J  Day,' 
now  is  fluctuating  more  in 
some  localities  than  in  others. 
A  number  of  houses  still  re- 
port they  have  experienced  no 
serious  decline  in  attendance. 


St.  Louis  Lockout 
May  Lead  to  Strike 


St.  Louis,  Sept.  17.^ An  alleged 
lock-out  of  stage  hands  at  St.  Louis 
Amusement  Co.'s  suburban  Powhatan 
Theatre  over  the  weekend  threatened 
today  to  precipitate  a  situation  similar 
to  the  walkout  last  December  which 
closed  most  of  theatres  in  this  city 
and  county. 

St.  Louis  Local  No.  6,  IATSE,  met 
today  to  consider  a  course  of  action. 
The  union  currently  is  negotiating  a 
new  contract  with  local  exhibitors. 

E.  V.  Moran,  business  agent  of  the 
local,  said  that  the  Powhatan's  stage 
hand,  who  works  on  a  half-week 
schedule,'  was  locked  out  when  he  re- 

(Continucd  on  page  6) 


Ask  Contracts  for 
5  New  4IA'  Locals 


Hollywood,  Sept.  17. — Negotiation 
of  contracts  for  the  five  IATSE 
studio  locals  established  since  the  start 
of  the  studio  strike,  to  accommodate 
craftsmen  supplied  to  do  the  work  of 
carpenters,  painters,  machinists,  art 
craftsmen  and  mechanics  observing 
picket  lines,  is  to  be  included  in  the 
meetings  to  be  held  with  the  studios 
on  re-negotiation  of  the  other  12 
IATSE  contracts  between  now  and 
expiration  of  those  pacts  on  Dec.  31, 
according  to  Roy  M.  Brewer,  IATSE 
international  representative  here. 

Contracts  with  the  five  unions  re- 
placed by  the  new  IATSE  locals  were 
cancelled  by  the  producers  following 
their  failure  to  order  their  members 
through  the  picket  lines.  The  new 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Goldman  Files 
Trust  Suit  on 
More  Houses 


Would  Extend  Victory  to 
Keith's  and  Karlton 


Philadelphia,  Sept.  17. — An 
anti-trust  suit  in  behalf  of  his 
Keith's  and  Karlton,  second-run 
theatres  in  the  center  city  zone,  was 
filed  today  in  U.  S.  District  Court 
here  by  William  Goldman,  head  of 
William  Goldman  Theatres,  Inc., 
charging  that  a  "conspiracy  and  viola- 
tion of  Federal  monopoly  and  anti- 
trust laws"  resulted  in  his  failure  to 
get  first-run  product  for  either  house. 
The  suit  was  filed  against  the  Warner 
circuit  and  the  major  distributors: 
United  Artists,  Universal,  M-G-M, 
Paramount,  RKO,  20th  Century-Fox, 
Columbia  and  Warner  Bros. 

Goldman,  in  his  suit,  alleges  that 
during  Warner  operation  of  the  two 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


No  Secret  Griffith 
Agreement:  Kupper 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  17. — Taking 
the  stand  for  the  defense  as  the  fifth 
week  of  the  Griffith  anti-trust  trial 
opened  in  Federal  District  Court  here 
today,  W.  J.  Kupper,  20th  Century- 
Fox  general  sales  manager,  stated  that 
the  1933-34  contract  between  his  com- 
pany and  the  exhibitor  defendants  did 
not  contain  any  agreements  not  ap- 
pearing in  the  document.  When  asked 
by  Judge  Edgar  S.  Vaught  if  the  con- 
tract had  kept  him  from  selling  his 
product  to  other  exhibitors  in  this 
exchange  area,  Kupper  replied  that, 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


State  Department 
Forms  OIC  Unit 

Washington,  Sept.  17.  —  Formal 
announcement  of  the  establishment  of 
the  Office  of  International  Informa- 
tion and  Cultural  Affairs  was  issued 
here  today  by  the  State  Department. 

The  OIC,  under  newly  appointed 
Assistant  Secretary  William  Benton, 
will  take  over  the  activities  of  the  In- 
terim Information  Service  after  Dec. 
31.  The  latter  comprises  the  informa- 
tional activities  of  the  defunct  Office 
of  War  Information  and  Office  of  In- 
ter-American Affairs. 

Frederick  Kuhn,  Jr.,  recently  ap- 
pointed director  of  the  IIS,  will  also 
serve  as  acting  director  of  the  OIC. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  18,  1945 


Dubbed  Product  Is 
Accepted:  Pratchett 


Spanish  spoken  re-dialogued  prod- 
uct today  is  enjoying  acceptance  by 
audiences  in  most  Latin  American 
countries,  according  to  A.  L.  Pratch- 
ett, Paramount  division  manager  for 
South  and  Central  America,  who  re- 
turned to  New  York  last  week  from 
a  tour  through  his  entire  division, 
which  began  in  mid-June,  Pratchett 
has  reported  to  Paramount  Interna- 
tional president  George  Weltner. 

Early  prejudices  against  re-dia- 
logued Hollywood  product  in  certain 
countries,  Pratchett  said,  were  large- 
ly overcome  in  a  relatively  short  time 
by  the  simple  expedient  of  giving  au- 
diences a  little  time  to  get  used  to 
the  innovation. 

In  capital  cities,  where  first-run 
audiences  are  made  up  of  a  high 
percentage  of  English-speaking  indiv- 
iduals, the  preference  tends  to  Span- 
ish superimposed  product  spoken  in 
English,  according  to  Pratchett. 


Donohue  Leaves  Paramount 
After  Twenty-eight  Years 

J.  P.  Donohue,  who  has  sold  Para- 
mount product  in  Puerto  Rico  for  28 
years,  announces  his  retirement,  ac- 
cording to  A.  L.  Pratchett,  Latin 
American  division  manager  for  the 
company.  Donohue  has  arrived  in 
New  York. 

Donohue  stated  that  he  plans  to 
make  his  new-  home  in  Minneapolis. 


Film  Leaders  Named 
For  'Night  of  Stars' 

Barney  Balaban,  David  Bernstein, 
Nate  J.  Blumberg,  Jack  Cohn,  .N. 
Peter  Rathvon  and  Albert  Warner 
have  been  selected  as  honorary  chair- 
men of  the  producing  committee  for  the 
12th  annual  "Night  of  Stars,"  Unit- 
ed Jewish  Appeal  of  Greater  New 
York  benefit,  to  be  held  Nov.  13  at 
Madison  Square  Garden,  it  has  been 
announced  by  Sylvan  Gotshal,  chair- 
man of  the  event. 

Active  co-chairmen  of  the  producing 
committee  are  Louis  K.  Sidney,  Ed 
Sullivan  and  Robert  M.  Weitman, 
with  Arthur  Knorr,  Lester  B.  Isaac 
and  Jesse  Kaye  serving  as  vice-chair- 
men. Marvin  H.  Schenck  is  chairman 
of  the  producing  committee. 

Proceeds  of  the  occasion  will  go  to 
United  Jewish  Appeal  needs,  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Jewish  community  in  Pales- 
tine and  refugee  aid,  and  to  maintain 
the  morale  of  men  and  women  in  the 
Armed  Forces. 


Col.  Kenneth  Clark 
To  Return  Shortly 

Col.  Kenneth  Clark,  public  relations 
director  of  MPPDA  before  enlisting 
in  the  Army,  with  which  he  is  serving 
as  director  of  press  relations  for  Gen. 
Mark  Clark's  Armies  in  the  European 
theatre,  is  expected  to  return  here 
from  Europe  in  about  six  weeks. 

Col.  Clark  has  been  decorated  again, 
in  Rome  by  Lt.  Gen.  Joseph  T.  Mc- 
Narney,  American  commander  in  that 
theatre,  having  previously  received 
other  Army  awards  for  meritorious 
service. 


Personal  Mention 


EARL   HUDSON,   president  of 
United    Detroit    Theatres,    is  in 
New  York  from  that  city  for  Para- 
mount home  office  conferences. 
• 

L.  B.  Carrier  of  the  Roxy,  Audi- 
torium and  Carrier  theatres  at  Shaw- 
inigan,  Que.,  and  Mrs.  Carrier  are 
New  York  visitors,  accompanied  by 
Arthur  and  Mrs.  Lacoursiere  ;  he 
is  a  theatre  architect. 

• 

M.  A.  Lightman,  president  of 
Malco  Theatres,  Memphis,  reports 
progress  in  the  campaign  which  he 
heads  to  raise  $250,000  for  an  addition 
to  Collins  Chapel,  Negro  hospital, 
Memphis. 

Lucille  Plauche,  Monogram's 
Latin  American  publicity  manager, 
will  be  married  to  Gonzalo  Pasua 
De  La  Torre  in  Mexico  in  a  few 
weeks. 

• 

Ben  Y.  Cammack,  RKO's  Dallas 
district  manager,  and  Mrs.  Cammack 
have  returned  to  that  city  from  Mem- 
phis. 

A.  J.  Meininger  has  resigned  as 
manager  of  the  Telenews  Strand  The- 
atre, Cincinnati,  because  of  ill  health, 
and  has  been  succeeded  by  Ben  Cohen. 
• 

Gladys  Zucker,  secretary  to  Ben 
Melniker  of  the  M-G-M  legal  de- 
partment,  and   Capt.    Malcolm  R. 
Weill  are  to  be  married  Sept.  30. 
• 

Gilbert  Chase,  NBC  music  super- 
visor, has  returned  to  New  York  from 
Miami  and  Latin  America. 

• 

N.  J.  Colquhoun,  Republic's  South- 
western district  manager,  has  returned 
to  Dallas  from  Memphis. 

• 

Ed  Rowley,  Jr.,  and  Ed  Rowley, 
Sr.,  of  Robb  and  Rowley,  Dallas,  are 
vacationing  in  Mexico  City. 


Nf  ORMAN  H.  MORAY,  Warners' 
I  short  subjects  sales  manager,  will 
leave  New  York  today  for  Burbank 
studio  conferences,  and  will  make  a 
tour  of  exchanges  before  returning 
here. 

• 

Henry  Moog,  Altec  Southern  man- 
ager ;  Ralph  McCoy,  Warners  South- 
ern district  manager,  and  Mrs.  Moog  ; 
Jack  Kirby,  Paramount  Southern  dis- 
trict manager ;  and  A.  C.  Bromberg, 
president,  and  P.  H.  Savin,  vice-presi- 
dent of  Monogram  Southern  Ex- 
changes, all  have  returned  to  Atlanta 
from  Charlotte. 

• 

Col.  Eugene  R.  Householder,  field 
representative  of  Monogram,  has  ar- 
rived at  the  Coast  studio  for  confer- 
ences with  Steve  Broidy,  general 
sales  manager. 

e 

Lt.  Jack  Wilpers  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  who  was  one  of  Tojo's 
arresting  officers,  is  the  nephew  of 
Alex  Sayles  of  the  Palace  Theatre, 
Albany. 

• 

Joel  Bezahler,  home  office  assist- 
ant to  M-G-M  Western  sales  mana- 
ger John  E.  Flynn,  is  visiting  the 
Salt  Lake  City  exchange,  from  New 
York. 

• 

Perry  Spencer  of  Universal's  At- 
lanta exchange,  and  Mrs.  Spencer 
have  returned  to  that  city  from  New 
York. 

• 

Humbert  O'Camp,  RKO  Radio 
Latin-American  promotional  represen- 
tative, will  leave  New  York  today  for 
Rio  de  Janeiro. 

• 

Terry  Turner,  RKO  Radio  exploi- 
tation   manager,    returned    to  New 
York  yesterday  from  San  Francisco. 
• 

Sam  Galanty,  Columbia  district 
manager,  is  visiting  in  Cleveland. 


Milliken  Talks  With 
DeWolfe  at  Capital 

Washington,  Sept.  17. — Carl  Mil- 
liken,  MPPDA  executive,  conferred 
at  length  today  with  Francis  De  Wolfe 
and  George  Canty  of  the  Telecom- 
munications Division  of  the  State  De- 
partment, on  what  he  said  later  was  a 
"general  discussion"  of  the  whole  for- 
eign situation. 

Milliken  explained  that  his  visit  to 
the  Department  was  one  of  his  periodic 
calls  to  keep  abreast  of  foreign  de- 
velopments. 


Fuld  Named  Classics 
Advertising  Manager 

Jack  Fuld,  veteran  in  motion  pic- 
ture publicity  and  promotional  activi- 
ties, yesterday  became  advertising- 
publicity  manager  of  Film  Classics, 
here.  His  most  recent  affiliation  was 
with  the  U.  S.  Army  Engineers. 

First  three  productions  which  Fuld 
will  handle  will  be  "Marco  Polo," 
"Woman  Chases  Man''  and  "Stella 
Dallas,"  all  reissues. 


Walters  Feted  on 
Leaving  Cleveland 

Cleveland,  Sept.  17. — Lou  H.  Wal- 
ters, who  resigned  as  branch  manager 
for  National  Theatre  Supply  here  to 
open  his  own  theatre  supply  offices  in 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  was  given  a 
farewell  luncheon  by  the  local  Variety 
Club  directors,  and  was  tendered  a 
steak  dinner  by  personal  friends, 
headed  by  James  E.  Scoville  of  the 
Scoville,  Essick  and  Reif  Circuit. 

Frank  Masek  is  acting  manager  for 
NTS  here  pending  appointment  of 
Walters'  successor. 


N.  /.  Allied  to  Hold 
Convention  Oct.  9 

Allied  Theatre  Owners  of  New 
Jersey  will  hold  a  one-day  convention 
at  the  Ritz  Restaurant,  Passaic,  on 
Oct.  9  for  the  election  of  officers  and 
directors. 

A  report  on  the  activities  of  the  or- 
ganization in  the  past  year  will  be 
given,  followed  by  a  beefsteak  dinner. 


HELD  OVER 

STRICTLY  A  FAMILY  AFFAIR  .  .  . 
WHAT  A   FAMILY  .  .  . 

WHAT  AN  AFFAIR  .  .  . 

LOVE,  HONOR 
and  GOODBYE 

Starring 

VIRGINIA       a  EDWARD 
BRUCE       ^  ASHLEY 

Featuring  Victor  McLagfen 

A  REPUBLIC  PICTURE 

Directed  by  ALBERT  S.  ROGELL 
Associate  Producer  HARRY  GREY 


■  BRANDT'S 
AIR  COOLED 


GOTHAM 


B'WAY 
at  47th  St. 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  .   Rockefeller  Center 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes" 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

JAMES 

CAGNEY 

SYLVIA  SIDNEY 

'BLOOD  ON 
THE  SUN' 


IN  PERSON 


ED 

HARVEST 
MOON 

DANCE  WINNERS 


PARAMOUNT  Presents  ED  GARDNER'S 
11 


DUFFY'S  TAVERN" 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS    plus  TIM 
HERBERT.  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

In  Technicolor 


AST0R 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


"BACK  to  BATAAN" 

Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINN 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


 WALT  DISNEY'S  

WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

PINOCCHIO 

ffuelaltureg,tnh  TECHNICOLOR 

Distributed    by    RKO    Radio    Pictures.  Inc. 

5 th  fun  nrniioi  in  B'way  5lst  st' 
FILLED   KtrUBLIL     Doors  open 
WEEK     ntmt  w"ww     8:30  A.M. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  S6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  . 


CO AS«  ^ 

KS  UNDER 


wx-orncE 

KfOM  80MB/ 


SAN  FRANCISCO  AND  SURROUNDING  TERRITORY 
iRRIFIC  BLAST  OF  BOOM  BUSINESS  AS  RKO's 
iHTY  EXPLOITATION  SPECIAL  LETS  LOOSE  IN 
SWEEPING  20-CITY  PRI 


RECORD-BREAKING  promotion  and  timeliest  of  attractions 
steer  Golden  Gate  Theatre  to  its  TOP  OPENING  GROSS!... Big  area 
World  Premiere  sparkplugged  in  San  Francisco  and  Oakland 
through  overboard  co-operation  of  Hearst's  S.  F.  Examiner 
and  Call-Bulletin,  and  Oakland  Post-Enquirer, 
sponsoring  performances  for  wounded  veterans  Xmas  fund... 
Special  round-the-clock  broadcasts  through  KPO  and 
other  powerful  stations... Personal  appearances  of  liberated  Yanks 
and  picture  personalities;  luncheons,  meetings,  all  kinds 
of  exciting  special  events!... Again  that  famous  brand  of  dollar 
exploitation  that  comes  only  from  "THE  SHOWMANSHIP  COMPANY. 


 1 


r."T- 


with 


Tom  NEAL  •  Barbara  HALE  •  Marc  CRAMER 
Michael  ST.  ANGEL  •  Leonard  STRONG 

D"  K  A  I  fin  U  I  1 1  If  C  Written  and  Produced  by  J.  ROBERT  BREN 
KlCtldrO  LUU  *  K6y6  LUlXL  Directed  by  GORDON  DOUGLAS 

K    !<  O 

RADIO 

"picture 


6 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Tuesday,  September  18,  1945 


New  Houses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

already  has  the  site  in  mind  but  is  not 
ready  to  announce  it  until  all  property 
has  been  purchased.  The  Capitol  in 
Memphis  will  be  enlarged  by  Malco. 
Two  new  neighborhood  theatres  and 
two  drive-ins  near  the  city  limits  are 
planned  in  Malco's  Memphis  program. 
New  theatres  planned  by  Malco  in  Ar- 
kansas include :  new  theatre  with  800 
seats  at  Camden,  a  new  drive-in  at 
Fort  Smith,  construction  of  a  large 
theatre  at  Helena,  new  theatres  at 
Hope,  McGehee  and  at  Van  Bruen. 
Another  new  theatre  will  be  built  in 
Hot  Springs  in  addition  to  the  Music 
Hall,  opening  around  Oct.  1. 

In  addition  to  the  Arkansas  pro- 
gram, Malco  plans  construction  of  a 
large  theatre  at  Henderson,  Ky.,  and 
the  erection  of  a  new  drive-in  near 
Henderson.  A  large  theatre  is  planned 
at  Owensboro,  Ky.,  by  Malco. 

Remodeling  and  enlarging  25  or  30 
other  theatres  in  the  territory  is 
planned. 

Some  of  the  building  plans  reported 
from  other  sections  of  the  continent, 
supplementing  those  published  in  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily  on  Aug.  22  and 
Sept.  13,  follow : 

Albany   Has   Peacetime  Plans 
For  New  Ones  and  Remodeling 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  17. — Present 
discussion  about  new  peacetime  thea- 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 
SON© VOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Kepresen- 
tative.  Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK  :  444  Madison  Ave. 
Plaza  5-4130 

CHICAGO:  180  N.  Michigan  Are. 
Franklin  6373 

HOLLYWOOD:  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


tre  building  in  the  Albany  exchange 
area  chiefly  concerns  houses  to  replace 
burned  out  places,  and  drive-ins.  The 
Schine  circuit  will  build  a  house  to 
take  the  place  of  the-Strand,  in  Carth- 
age, near  Watertown,  leveled  by  fire 
last  winter.  There  is  no  other  thea- 
tre in  that  community.  Jim  Papaya- 
nakos  is  expected  to  rebuild  the  Star, 
in  Potsdam,  also  the  victim  of  a  fire 
last  winter.  Papayanakos  owns  a 
second  house,  the  Rialto,  also  in  Pots- 
dam. 

Fabian  Theatres  and  Neil  Hellman 
will  construct  a  drive-in,  for  1,000 
cars,  on  the  Albany  -  Schenectady 
road,  to  be  ready  by  next  spring. 
Fabian  and  Hellman  recently  merged 
local  drive-in  operations,  which  in- 
clude the  automobile  theatre  Hellman 
has  conducted  on  the  Albany-Saratoga 
Road.  Hellman  also  plans  a  drive-in 
between  Endicott  and  Johnson  City. 

Two  or  more  drive-ins  might  be 
built  in  the  Eastern  half  of  the  terri- 
tory, and  several  in  the  Western  half. 
There  is  none  in  the  latter  at  present. 
However,  Kallet  .Theatres,  with  offices 
in  Oneida,  part  of  the  Albany  district, 
will  proceed  with  a  drive-in  started 
more  than  three  years  ago,  at  Sala- 
manca, near  Syracuse. 


Five  Drive-Ins  Planned  for 
Canada,  Says  H.  C.  Main 

Toronto,  Sept.  17.  —  Five  drive-ins 
theatres  have  been  set  for  Toronto, 
Montreal  and  Ottawa  by  Theatre 
Amusement  Co.,  Toronto,  in  associa- 
tion with  U.  S.,  it  has  been  announced 
by  H.  C.  D.  Main,  former  Canadian 
Odeon  supervisor  who  is  linked  with 
Sam  Fingold  and  Ralph  Dale  in  the 
operation  of  an  Ontario  circuit. 

Three  sites  have  been  acquired  in 
the  Toronto  district  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  open-air  theatres  in  the  Do- 
minion, the  capacity  of  which  will  be 
800  automobiles. 


Ostrachan  to  Build 

Yellow  Springs,  O,  Sept.  17. — 
Plans  are  being  drawn  for  a  theatre 
to  be  erected  on  the  campus  of  Antioch 
College  here,  it  is  announced  by  Max 
Ostrachan,  business  manager  of  the 
Yellow  Springs  Summer  Theatre.  It 
will  replace  the  '  present  structure, 
given  over  to  dramatic  productions. 


Plans  New  Miami  House 

Miami  Beach,  Fla.,  Sept.  17. — Herb 
Ellisburg,  operating  the  Studio  The- 
atre in  Chicago,  will  open  a  new  the- 
atre here  as  soon  as  plans  are  com- 
pleted. 


Building  Ban 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

reaching  Washington.  Primarily,  the 
delay  in  entirely  liquidating  the  war 
construction  order  is  due  to  diverg- 
ence of  views  among  Government  of- 
ficials, one  group  of  which  is  urging 
that  all  controls  be  lifted,  while  an- 
other, including  OPA  officials,  sees 
inflationary  possibilities  in  such  ac- 
tion while  materials  still  are  scarce. 

The  U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce 
issued  a  week-end  demand  for  im- 
mediate release  of  the  construction  in- 
dustry, and  the  Senate  Small  Business 
Committee  itself  issued  a  report  criti- 
cizing reconversion  officials  for  not 
having  established  a  clear-cut  policy 
for  construction. 

Commercial  builders  will  be  heard 
toward  the  end  of  the  hearing,  and  are 
expected  to  outline  to  the  committee 
the  large  volume  of  theatre  and  other 
construction  which  is  waiting  the  sig- 
nal to  get  under  way. 


St.  Louis 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

ported  for  work  Saturday  afternoon. 
The  union  established  a  picket  line 
at  the  theatre  and  when  projectionists 
refused  to  cross  the  picket  line,  about 
70  patrons  were  refunded  their  money 
and  the  theatre  was  closed. 

Moran  said  a  strike  at  all  Fanchon 
and  Marco  houses  is  possible,  in  con- 
sequence. 

Officials  of  St.  Louis  Amusement 
Co.  said  they  planned  to  close  the 
Powhatan  and  explained  the  company 
will  abide  by  a  War  Labor  Board  rul- 
ing, but  has  the  right  to  close  thea- 
tres when  business  fails  to  justify  hir- 
ing a  stage  hand. 

Moran  reported  the  Powhatan's 
stage  hand  was  given  two  week's  clos- 
ing notice  but  that  other  employes  of 
the  theatre  were  not.  The  union 
claims  its  contract  provides  that  F. 
and  M.  will  continue  to  employ  all 
those  who  were  on  the  payroll  at  the 
signing  of  the  contract  for  so  long  as 
the  theatres  are  under  their  present 
ownership. 

The  War  Labor  Board  recently  de- 
nied an  appeal  by  the  theatres  from  a 
regional  board  decision  granting  stage 
hands  a  IS  per  cent  increase  and  vaca- 
tions with  pay,  retroactive  to  Jan.  15, 
1944.  The  union  is  negotiating  now 
to  have  the  board's  ruling  included  in 
its  contract.  It  estimated  that  stage 
hands  will  receive  $65,000  in  retroac- 
tive pay. 

There  are  66  stage  hands  in  41  thea- 
tres here  who  are  affected  by  the  de- 
velopments. 


Ask  Contracts 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

TA'  locals  have  been  functioning  with- 
out a  contract,  under  verbal  agree- 
ments which,  Brewer  told  Motion 
Picture  Daily,  will  be  put  into  con- 
tract form. 

Individual  TA'  locals  began  sub- 
mitting their  proposals  for  considera- 
tion of  the  producers  last  week.  Dis- 
cussion of  them  will  follow  a  study 
of  the  demands  made. 


Strikers    Pledged  $1,000 
By  New  York  SPG  Unit 

Members  of  the  Screen  Publicists 
Guild,  Local  114,  UOPWA,  CIO, 
here,  have  voted  to  donate  $1,000  to 
the  strike  fund  of  the  West  Coast 
SPG  (AFL). 

The  .  fund  will  be  raised  through 
voluntary  pledges  on  the  part  of  the 
New  York  membership. 


Lovejoy 

(Continued  from-  page  1) 

he  was  elevated  to  vice-president  and 
general  manager  when  the  late  George 
Eastman  retired  in  1925.  Following 
the  death  of  Eastman  in  1934,  Love- 
joy  became  president  of  the  company, 
and  in  May,  1941,  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  board. 

Lovejoy  died  of  a  heart  ailment. 
The  body  will  lie  in  state  in  the  First 
Universalist  Church  here  from  nine 
A.M.  until  noon  Wednesday,  with  the 
hours  from  nine  to  11  reserved  for 
Eastman  employes  and  their  families. 

Surviving  are  his  widow,  Mrs.  Flor- 
ence Fuller  Lovejoy,  and  two  sons, 
PFC  Frederick  Fuller  Lovejoy,  of 
the  Army,  and  Frank  W.  Lovejoy, 
Jr.,  a  physician  with  the  Navy. 


Goldman 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

houses,  "they  were  frequently  used  for 
exhibition  on  first-run  of  first-class 
features."  Until  two  years  ago,  when 
Goldman  purchased  the  two  theatre 
properties,  the  houses  were  operated 
by  Warners  on  a  lease.  He  avers  that 
since  taking  over  the  operation  of 
the  houses,  "the  defendants,  acting  in 
concert,  refused  to  allow  him  to  have 
any  pictures  whatsoever  for  first-run 
exhibition." 

Goldman,  seeking  an  injunction  to 
restrain  the  defendants  from  such  al- 
leged actions,  cites  the  opinion  of  the 
U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  in  the 
decision  of  Aug.  2,  favoring  his  ac- 
tion against  the  same  defendants  on 
behalf  of  his  Erlanger.  He  cited  the 
opinion  that  "each  of  the  exhibitor  de- 
fendants knew  that  its  refusal  to  lease 
pictures  to  the  plaintiff,  together  with 
the  refusal  of  all,  would  result  in  the 
creation  of  an  illegal  monopoly  in  the 
business  of  exhibiting  first-run  pictures 
in  Philadelphia  by  Warners,  "and  that 
Warner  Bros,  are  attempting  to,  and 
are,  monopolizing  such  business." 

Earlier  Action 

In  the  earlier  action,  Goldman 
charged  conspiracy  on  the  part  of  the 
defendants  in  refusing  to  sell  him 
first-run  product  for  his  Erlanger. 
While  the  lower  court  dismissed  the 
action,  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals 
reversed  the  opinion  and  ruled  in  favor 
of  Goldman,  adding  that  the  lower 
court  should  assess  the  damages 
sought.  In  the  Keith's  and  Karlton 
action,  which  was  filed  by  Robert 
Dechert,  local  attorney,  Goldman 
seeks  only  an  injunction  and  asks  for 
no  monetary  damages. 


Griffith 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

beyond  the  express  wording  of  the 
contract,  there  were  no  agreements 
as  to  where  or  when  20th-Fox  would 
do  business.  The  Government  has 
brought  allegations  of  conspiracies  be- 
tween eight  distributor  companies  and  ' 
the  Griffiths. 

E.  R.  Slocum,  former  Griffith  field  : 
agent,   described  his  duties   in  con- ' 
nection  with  negotiations  for  theatre : 
purchases  in  Drumright  and  Mangum, 
Okla.,  and  denied  he  had  made  state- 
ments   which    could    be    termed  as 
threats  to  the  independents. 


'U'  Veteran  Resigns 

Chicago,  Sept.  17. — Robert  Funk, 
salesman  with  the  local  Universal  ex- 
change for  28  years,  has  resigned  to ! 
become  associated  with  his  son  here  in ' 
a  machine  shop  operation. 


THANK  YOU- 

GLOBE  customers  for  your 
patience    in  understanding 
.  our  problems  during  the  try- 
ing times  just  past. 

GLOBE  TICKET  CO. 

154  West  14th  Street,  New  Yorlt  City 


Tuesday.  September  18.  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


Association  Charges  OPA 
Blocks  Radio  Conversion 


N.  Y.  Cartoonists  , 
Win  Wage  Boost 


McNamee  Resigns 
As  WMC  Deputy 

Washington,  Sept.  17. — Frank  L. 
McXamee,  well  known  in  film  dis- 
tribution and  theatre  circles,  has  sub- 
mitted his  resignation  as  deputy  chair- 
man of  the  War  Manpower  Commis- 
sion to  Paul  Y.  McXutt,  WMC 
chairman,  effective  at  the  earliest  con- 
venience of  the  latter,  it  was  an- 
nounced here  today.  McXamee  will 
return  to  theatre  operations  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Foster  in  Australia 
Commission  Post 

Ottawa,  Sept.  17.— Word  has  been 
received  in  Ottawa  of  the  resignation 
of  Ralph  Foster  as  manager  of  the 
newly-opened  branch  of  Canada's 
National  Film  Board  in  Australia,  to 
accept  the  appointment  of  film  com- 
missioner of  Australia.  There  has 
been  no  information  regarding  the 
future  of  the  Canadian  Government's 
film  office  'down  under.'  but  it  is  ex- 
pected the  subject  will  be  dealt  with 
by  the  board  in  conjunction  with  re- 
organization plans  in  the  resignation 
of  John  Grierson  as  Canadian  film 
commissioner  at  Ottawa  to  enter  pri- 
vate business. 

To  Meet  Demand  for 
More  Troop  Shows 

Hollywood,  Sept.  17. — Comment- 
ing on  a  Tokyo  dispatch  quoting 
Lieut.  Gen.  Robert  L.  Eichelberger  as 
declaring  a  need  tor  more  troop  en- 
tertainment, Hollywood  Victory  Com- 
mittee chairman  Kenneth  Thompson 
said  today :  "We  have  pledged  Holly- 
wood's actors  that  they  will  continue 
to  take  entertainment  to  men  in  the 
service,  both  overseas  and  in  hospitals, 
as  long  as  they  are  needed." 

Kenneth  Young  Off 
For  Board  Meeting 

Hollywood,  Sept.  17.  —  Kenneth 
Young  left  here  yesterday  by  train 
for  Xew  York  to  attend  the  first  PRC 
board  of  directors'  meeting  to  be  held 
since  his  becoming  president  of  the 
company.  Reeves  Espy,  production 
chief,  will  leave  here  on  Friday. 

Chakeres  Buys  One, 
Will  Build  Another 

Springfield,  O.,  Sept.  17. — Chakeres 
Theatres,  Inc.,  has  purchased  the 
Midway  Theatre,  Osborn,  O.,  and  a 
theatre  site  in  Fairfield,  O.,  from  Mid- 
way Amusement  Co.  More  than  $200,- 
000  will  be  spent  on  development. 

Truman  Felicitates 
Associated  Network 

Washington,  Sept.  17. — The  Asso- 
ciated Broadcasting  Corp.  began 
Coast- to- Coast  operations  yesterday 
with  a  broadcast  address  by  Paul  A. 
Porter,  FCC  chairman,  and  a  message 
of  congratulations  from  President 
Truman  to  Leonard  A.  Verslius,  pres- 
ident of  the  network. 


Page  in  New  MBS  Post 

Easterly  Chase  Page,  until  recently 
a  Lt.  Col.  in  the  Army  Signal  Corps, 
has  joined  the  Mutual  network  in  the 
newly-created  post  of  engineering  di- 
rector. 


Washington,  Sept.  17. — "Recon- 
version of  the  radio  industry  to  civil- 
ian production  is  stalled,  with  wide 
unemployment,  because  of  the  OPA 
pricing  policy,  with  a  delay  of  several 
weeks,  at  least,  in  prospect ;  tube,  parts 
and  cabinet  manufacturers  generally 
are  refusing  orders  from  set  manu- 
facturers, and  the  industry  is  unable 
to  proceed  with  civilian  production  and 
employment  because  of  the  OPA  pric- 
ing policy,  based  on  Oct.  1941  levels, 
which  precludes  recovery  of  all  actual 
production  costs,"  the  Radio  Manu- 
facturers Association  charges. 

"The  industry  has  appealed  to  Con- 
gress for  relief,"  it  was  said,  "after 
industry  leaders  had  held  a  series  of 
conferences  with  OPA  officials.  RMA, 
through  president  R.  C.  Cosgrove  and 
executive  vice-president  Bond  Geddes, 
detailed  the  industry's  general  suspen- 
sion of  civilian  radio  production  to 
Senator  Mead,  of  New  York,  chair- 
man of  the  Special  Senate  War  and 
Reconversion  Investigating  Committee 
(formerly  the  'Truman  Committee'). 


RMA  In  Joint  Meet 
At  Rye  Oct.  10-11 

Washington,  Sept.  17. — Leaders  of 
the   Canadian   and   American  Radio 


'U'  Facing  Product 
Jam  in  Chicago 

Chicago,  Sept.  17. — Due  to  the  new- 
extended  engagement  policy  now  in 
effect  at  the  RKO  Palace  here,  Uni- 
versal, which  releases  its  new  prod- 
uct through  that  house  almost  ex- 
clusively, has  an  increasing  amount 
of  unplayed  product  accumulating 
here. 

Currently  on  the  'shelf  awaiting  a 
local  release  date  are :  "Easy  to  Look 
At,"  "Uncle  Harry,"  "Lady  on  a 
Train,"  "Shady  Lady,"  and  reissues 
of  "East  Side  of  Heaven"  and  "Imi- 
tation of  Life,"  "Men  in  Her  Diary," 
and  "River  Gang." 

Canada  Time  Set-up 
Handled  Locally 

Ottawa,  Sept.  17. — With  the  re- 
voking of  the  wartime  order-in-coun- 
cil  providing  for  daylight  saving  time 
in  Canada  by  the  Federal  Government, 
officially  announced  to  take  place  Sept. 
30,  by  Secretary  of  State  Paul  Mar- 
tin, the  matter  of  changing  the  clocks 
next  summer,  or  for  any  other  period, 
reverts  to  municipal  authorities  for 
local  enforcement  only. 


Chicago  War  Time  to 
Stay  Until  Oct.  28 

Chicago,  Sept.  17. — Daylight  sav- 
ing time  will  prevail  here  until 
Oct.  28  due  to  a  city  ordinance. 


F.  L.  Newman,  Sr.,  Ill 

Portland,  Ore.,  Sept.  17.  —  Frank 
L.  Newman,  Sr.,  general  manager  of 
Evergreen  Theatres,  w7as  unable  to 
attend  the  special  meeting  of  circuit 
managers  and  executives  at  the 
Olympis  Hotel  here  last  week,  due  to 
illness.  The  meeting  was  held  to  dis- 
cuss plans  for  the  10th  annual  Na- 
tional Theatres  drive. 


Manufacturers  Associations  will  hold 
joint  meetings  Oct.  10  and  11  at  the 
Westchester  Country  Club,  Rye,  N.  Y. 
Officers  and  directors  of  the  Canadian 
RMA,  headed  by  president  R.  M.  Bro- 
phy,  will  be  the  guests  of  the  Ameri- 
can RMA  at  a  "return"  meeting  fol- 
lowing the  joint  session  of  the  two 
national  organizations  last  April  at 
Montreal.  Government  officials  of 
Canada  and  the  U.  S.  are  being  invit- 
ed as  speakers  at  a  dinner  to  be  held 
Wednesday,  Oct.  10. 

There  will  also  be  separate  meet- 
ings of  the  U.  S.  and  Canadian  gov- 
erning boards.  The  Canadian  board 
will  meet  Oct.  10,  with  the  American 
RMA  officers  and  directors  as  guests. 
The  American  RMA  board  will  meet 
on  Oct.  11,  with  president  R.  C.  Cos- 
grove  presiding,  and  with  the  Canadian 
visitors  as  guests. 

Also,  problems  and  projects  of 
RMA  parts  manufacturers  will  be  dis- 
cussed at  a  meeting  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  parts  division  and 
all  section  chairmen,  called  by  chair- 
man R.  C.  Sprague,  at  the  Roosevelt 
Hotel,  New  York,  on  Oct.  9.  The 
meeting  will  immediately  precede  the 
board  of  directors'  meetings  scheduled 
at  the  Westchester  Country  Club, 
Oct.  10-11. 


SEG  Starts  Bargaining 

Hollywood,  Sept.  17. — The  newly- 
formed  Screen  Extras  Guild,  which 
recently  received  a  charter  from  the 
"Four  A's,"  has  held  a  preliminary 
meeting  with  the  producers  with  re- 
gard  to  a  labor  contract.  


Upholding  a  contention  of  Screen 
Cartoonists,  Local  1461,  in  the  Famous 
Studios  case,  that  the  theatrical 
animated  cartoon  industry  is  nation- 
wide, and,  therefore,  New  York  wage 
rates  should  be  increased  to  a  level 
comparable  with  those  prevailing  in 
the  industry  in  California,  the  Second 
Regional  War  Labor  Board  has 
recommended  increases  of  from  $1  to 
$5_  in  all  classifications  here,  the 
union  reported  yesterday. 

Marvin  D.  Cristenfeld,  attorney  for 
the  union,  expressed  the  belief  that 
this  was  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  War  Labor  Board  that  wage 
rates  had  been  set  on  a  nationwide 
basis.  He  added  that  the  increases 
recommended  were  among  the  largest 
ever  approved  by  the  board  The 
board  recommended  a  two-year  con- 
tract and  wage  increases  effective  as 
of  March  14,  1945. 

FCC  to  Hear  Hearst 
Radio  Application 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  17. — The  Federal 
Communications  Commission  has  set 
Wednesday  as  the  date  for  hearing  the 
application  of  Hearst  Radios,  Inc., 
New  York,  to  assign  the  license  of 
station  WINS,  New  York,  to  the 
Crosley  Corp.  here. 


2  Buy  WNEW  Air  Time 

Paramount  and  Loew's  Theatres 
have  bought  time  on  radio  station 
WNEW,  New  York,  for  film  promo- 
tions. Paramount  bought  42  announce- 
ments for  "Love  Letters,"  while  Loew's 
bought  19  for  "Ladv  on  a  Train." 


~*  *  *  *- 


BIGGEST 


MOUNTAIN  IS  MT.  EVEREST,  INDIA  ★ 


BIGGEST 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED... 


TON 


pAWllo%ODOARD 


^??YD^EZYGERALD 


Ptfflys  7a  rem 
Premiere...  H/eifman  tie 
manager  s/oeakin'.,.  Were 
Jusf  ofemo/isheof  erery  non 
bo/idai/  ope/? /no  record  in 
Mfyfara/not/m*-  Aisiory 
The  6u$i/tess  is  /?osif/Ve/y 
fasfro/tomicai */ 


And  Archie  (Himself) 
ED  GARDNER 

With  The  Screwball 
Favorites  Of  The  Air  Show 

Charles  Cantor  ♦  Eddie  Green 

Ann  Thomas 

And  Robert  Benchley 

William  Demarest  •  Howard  da  Silva 

Billy  De  Wolfe  •  Walter  Abel 

Johnny  Coy  •  Miriam  Franklin 

Olga  San  Juan  •  Gary,  Philip, 

Dennis  and  Lin  Crosby 

Directed  by  HAL  WALKER 

Original  Screenplay  by  Melvin  Fronk  and  Norman 
Panama  •  Based  on  Characters  created  by  Ed  Gardner 
New  Songs  by  Johnnie  Burke  and  Jimmy  Van  Heusen 


ilarious  comedy .  .  .  sends  audiences  into  h) 
terical  laughter.  A  knockout  screen  entertair 
. .  .  One  of  the  best  laugh  provokers  of  the  ci 
rent  film  season." — Kate  Cameron,  Daily  Ne 


uffy's  Tavern'  installed  bedlam  on  the  PaiU 
mount  screen.  When  this  many  stars  get  togetrl 
in  one  picture  it  usually  is  wise  to  keep  fing<| 
crossed.  But  this  time  you  can  spread  the  f  I 
gers  'way  out  in  a  V  sign — V  for  volcanic  vi^l 
and  vivacity." — Alton  Cook,  N.  Y.  World-Tt\ 


RADIO'S  RIOT  SHOW  BECOMES  THE  THIRD  GREAT  BOX-OFFICE  TRIUMPH  IN] 


V 


i 


tVa/ft/> 

f  te/f  me  customers 
H//taf  iff4  papers 
ia/c/ a6out~  me  an' 
my  ractio  gang  an 
ihose  32  monstrous 
rhr&moun'f  stars, 
w//en  /  reborn  -to 

-t6e  a/rtvaires 
Sept 


"lilarious  entertainment  ...  A  hugely  diverting 
sview  .  .  .  Gardner  as  amusing  on  the  screen  as 
n  the  air  .  .  .  Grand  fun." 

— Rose  Pelswick,  N.  Y.  Journal- American 
• 

\  n  evening  of  hysterical  fun  .  . .  One  of  the  fun- 
Jest  of  the  season."   — Lee  Mortimer,  Mirror 

• 

,d  Gardner  is  definitely  IN  ...  an  ace  comedian 
n  the  screen  .  .  .  Everybody  will  be  going  to  see 
Duffy's  Tavern'  .  .  .  It's  catching  ...  a  laugh- 
xplosive  if  ever  there  was  one." — Brooklyn  Eagle 


1  ST  ELEVEN  DAYS  OF 


Paramount  Month 


AUG.  26th  TO  SEPT.  29th 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  18,  1945 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 


"A  BELL  FOR  ADANO"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

A  warm,  humorous  and  frequently  thoughtful  study  of  the  workings  of  the 
Allied  military  government  in  one  small  Italian  town.  .  .  .  W  hile  the  picture 
could  have  moved  along  nicely  with  fewer  scenes  between  the  major  and  the 
fisherman's  blonde  daughter,  and  while  readers  of  the  book  will  find  them- 
selves mentally  filling  in  a  few  gaps,  the  merits  of  "A  Bell  for  Adano"  far 
outweigh  its  faults. — Virginia  Wright,  Los  Angeles  Daily  News. 

The  Pulitzer  Prize  novel  gathers  new  laurels  in  its  screen  translation,  be- 
cause John  Hershey's  characters  step  right  out  of  the  pages  of  the  book  with 
only  a  shade  of  change  in  but  few  instances.  There  are  necessary  dramatic 
detours,  of  course,  but  the  story  remains  a  warm,  moving  tale  about  the  human 
side  of  the  war. — Neil  Ran,  Los  Angeles  Examiner. 

John  Hershey's  "A  Bell  for  Adano,"  which  won  the  Pulitzer  Prize  as  a 
novel,  emerges  as  an  outstanding  screen  play.  Lamar  Trotti  and  Norman 
Reilly  Raine  have  turned  out  a  script  reasonably  faithful  to  the  original,  with 
slight  variations  necessary  to  the  cinema  medium.  This  story  of  Italy's  oc- 
cupation is  not  exactly  a  preachment,  but  its  underlying  theme  stresses  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  equality. — John  L.  Scott,  Los  Angeles  Times. 

All  the  warmness,  the  intensity,  the  penetration  of  little  people's  thoughts 
which  permeated  the  novel,  has  been  admirably  captured  in  the  screenplay,  and 
Henry  King's  direction 'projects  it  strongly  to  the  audience. — Lozi'ell  E.  Rcdel- 
ings,  Hollytvood  Citisen-N  ews. 


Production  Is 
Climbing;  51 
Now  on  Stages 


Hollywood,  Sept.  17.  —  Start  of 
seven  features  and  completion  of  but 
five  lifted  the  production  index  figure 
to  51  in  the  27th  week  of  the  studio 
strike.    The  production  scene  follows : 

Columbia 

Finished :  "Life  with  Blondie." 

Shooting:  "Gilda,"  "Song  of  Broad- 
way," "Tars  and  Spars,"  "Hail  the 
Chief." 

M-G-M 

Started:  "No  Love,  No  Leave," 
\yith  Van  Johnson,  Pat  Kirkwood, 
Keenan  Wynn,  Edward  Arnold,  Marie 
Wilson. 

Shooting:  "Holiday  in  Mexico," 
"Green  Years,"  "Up  Goes  Maisie," 
"Yearling,"  "What  Next,  Corporal 
Hargrove?",  "Boys'  Ranch,"  "Bad 
Bascomb,"  "Hoodlum  Saint,"  "Two 
Sisters  from  Boston,"  "Postman  Al- 
ways Rings  Twice,"  "Adventure." 

Monogram 

Finished:  "Black  Market  Babies." 
Shooting:  "Charlie  Chan  in  Mexico," 
"Lonesome  Trail." 

Paramount 

Started:  "Take  This  Woman,"  with 
Ray  Milland,  Teresa  Wright,  Sir  Ced-- 
ric  Hardwicke,  Virginia  Field ;  "To- 
kyo Rose"  (Pine-Thomas),  with  By- 
ron Barr,  Osa  Massen,  Don  Douglas, 
Lotus  Long. 

Finished:  "Bride  Wore  Boots,"  "To 
Each  His-  Own." 

Shooting :  "Blue  Skies." 

PRC 

Started:  "I  Ring  Doorbells,"  with 
Anne  Gwynne,  Robert  Shayne,  Roscoe 
Karns,  Pierre  Watkin. 

Shooting:  "Buster  Crabbe  No.  1." 

Republic 

Finished:  "Along  the  Navajo  Trail." 

Started:  "Valley  of  the  Zombies," 
with  Robert  Livingston,  Adrian  Booth, 
Ian  Keith. 

Shooting:  "Murder  in  the  Music 
Hall,"  "Concerto,"  "Sun  Valley  Cy- 
clone." 

RKO-Radio 

Shooting:  "Bamboo  Blonde,"  "From 
This  Day  Forward,"  "Some  Must 
Watch,"  "Kid  from  Brooklyn"  (Gold- 
wyn),  "Heartbeat"  (Hakim-Wood), 
"Tarzan  and  the  Leopard  Woman" 
(Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Started:  "Precinct  33,"  with  Carole 
Landis,  Reed  Hadley,  John  Ireland, 
Mary  Anderson. 

Shooting :  "Centennial  Summer," 
"Sentimental  Journey,"  "Doll  Face," 
"Smoky." 

United  Artists 

Started:  "Sin  of  Harold  Diddle- 
bock"     (California),     with  Harold 


To  Film  'Brat'  at 
Ft,  Douglas,  Utah 

Salt  Lake  City,  Sept.  17. — O.  O. 
Dull,  M-G-M  producer,  is  completing 
arrangements  for  filming  "Army  Brat" 
at  Fort  Douglas  here.  Work  on  the 
production  will  begin  Oct.  8  and  con- 
tinue into  January. 

Fred  Zinneman  will  direct  the  pic- 
ture which  will  bring  nearly  100 
principals,  technicians,  cameramen  and 
extras  here.  Seventeen-year-old 
Tommy  Wadelton,  author  of  "Army 
Brat"  and  Lt.  Felix  Hardison,  mem- 
ber of  the  famed  "Susie  Q"  fighting 
plane  crew,  wil  act  as  technical  ad- 
visors. Ernest  Van  Pelt,  local  M-G-M 
representative,  will  be  host  to  Dull 
and  Zinneman. 

Marcus  to  Bombay; 
Perkins  Coming  Here 

Morey  Marcus,  Paramount  district 
manager  for  the  Far  East,  was  to  have 
left  for  India  by  plane  over  the  week- 
end and  according  to  plans  probably 
will  arrive  in  Bombay  tomorrow.  He 
is  to  assist  Marian  Jordan,  general 
manager  for  the  territory,  in  re-build- 
ing Paramount's  office  in  Bombay, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  Aug. 
29. 

J.  E.  Perkins,  division  manager,  has 
visited  Bombay  and  is  now  en  route 
back  to  New  York. 


Three  in  Auto  Mishap 

Salt  Lake  City,  Sept.  17.  —  Jack 
Wendell,  Glen  Campbell  and  Ray  W. 
Schell,  officials  of  the  20th  Century- 
Fox  location  company  which  had  been 
filming  "Smokey"  in  the  Dixie  Na- 
tional Forest,  were  injured  in  an  auto- 
mobile accident  while  enroute  to  Cedar 
City  following  the  completion  of  loca- 
tion work. 


Lloyd,  Raymond  WTashburn,  Jimmy 
Conlim 

Shooting :  "Tom  Breneman's  Break- 
fast in  Hollywood"  (Golden). 

Universal 

Started:  "Murder  Mansion,"  with 
Kent  Taylor,  Virginia  Grey,  Robert 
Lowery. 

Shooting :  "Canyon  Passage,"  "Be- 
cause of  Him,"  "Daltons  Ride  Again," 
"Scarlet  Street." 

Warners 

Shooting :  "Verdict,"  "Never  Say 
Goodbye,"  "Man  I  Love,"  "Confiden- 
tial Agent,"  "Her  Kind  of  Man." 


Full  Screen  Actors 
Guild  Slate  Named 

Hollywood,  Sept.  17.  —  Annual 
meeting  of  the  Screen  Actors  Guild  to 
be  held  here  on  Sept.  23  will  highlight 
the  election  of  new  officers  to  serve  for 
one  year.  Candidates  on  the  regular 
slate  are:  president,  George  Murphy, 
incumbent;  first  vice-president,  Fran- 
chot  Tone ;  second  vice-president, 
Walter  Pidgeon ;  third  vice-president, 
Anne  Revere;  recording  secretary, 
Paul  Harvey ;  treasurer,  Russell 
Hicks. 

For  the  11  openings  which  occur 
annually  on  the  Guild's  board  of  direc- 
tors for  three-year  terms,  the  follow- 
ing nominations  have  been  made : 
James  Cagney,  Robert  Montgomery, 
Walter  Abel,  Jane  Wyman,  Harpo 
Marx,  Dennis  O'Keefe,  Cliff  Lyons, 
Tudor  Williams,  Louise  Beavers,  Ro- 
man Bohnen,  Phil  Brown,  Hume 
Cronyn,  John  Hodiak,  Evelyn  Keyes, 
J.  Carroll  Naish.  Ruth  Nelson,  Gre- 
gory Peck,  and  Cornell  Wilde.  Nom- 
inations submitted  for  replacements 
on  the  board  to  complete  unexpired 
terms  of  directors  who  have  with- 
drawn are :  Marsha  Hunt,  Leon 
Ames,  Agnes  Moorehead,  Rose  Ho- 
bart  and  Robert  Shayne. 


Lehman  Is  Injured 

Memphis,  Sept.  17. — Injured  in  a 
military  truck  accident  in  Texas, 
Ralph  Lehman,  Arkansas  theatre  ex- 
ecutive, is  recovering  at  Kennedy 
General  Hospital,  here.  Lehman  has 
been  in  the  Army  for  the  past  three 
years.  He  expects  to  return  to  the 
theatre  business  as  manager  of  the 
Paramount  in  Hot  Springs,  around 
Oct.  1. 


Taplinger  Returning 

Lt.  Robert  Taplinger,  .who  served 
as  executive  assistant  to  Harry  Cohn, 
president  of  Columbia  Pictures,  prior 
to  enlisting  in  the  Navy,  will  receive 
his  honorable  discharge  within  a 
week.  Taplinger  served  with  the  mo- 
tion picture  section  of  the  Navy  both 
in  Washington  and  in  the  Pacific.  He 
will  return  to  the  Coast. 


E.  J.  Weisfeldt  Resigns 

Milwaukee,  Sept.  17. — Edward  J. 
Weisfeldt,  manager  of  the  Riverside 
Theatre  here  for  the  past  18  years, 
has  resigned,  effective  Thursday.  Roy 
Pierce,  district  manager  here  for 
Standard  Theatres  for  the  past  four 
years,  will  succeed  Weisfeldt. 


Short 
Subject 


"Frontier  Days" 

(  Warners-Technicolor  Special) 

A  Western  in  miniature  featuring 
Robert  Shayne,  Dorothy  Malone  and 
Rory  Mallinson.  The  scene  is  laid  in 
the  territory  between  the  Missouri 
River  and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
story  is  about  a  Commissioner  of  In- 
dian Affairs  for  Kansas  who  settles 
trouble  between  the  Indians  and  a  ma- 
rauding band  of  white  men.  There  is 
romantic  interest  in  the  picture.  Run- 
ning time,  20  minutes.  Release  date, 
October  20. 

Ontario  MPT  A  Sets 
October  23  Meeting 

Toronto,  Sept.  17. — The  annual  gen- 
eral meeting  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatres  Association  of  Ontario,  of 
which  N.  A.  Taylor  of  20th  Century 
Theatres  is  president,  will  be  held  at 
the  King  Edward  Hotel.  Toronto,  on 
Oct.  23. 

The  annual  managers'  conference  of 
20th  Century  Theatres  is  scheduled  to 
be  held  at  the  King  Edward  Hotel 
Toronto,  Sept.  24-25. 

DeVry  Finishes  Navy 
Studies  at  Columbia 

Chicago,  Sept.  17.— One  of  the"  60 
corporation  executives  invited  to  spend 
11  days  learning  about  the  Navy,  its 
organization,  its  functions  and  the  part 
their  companies  play  in  its  mainte- 
nance and  supply,  W.  C.  DeVry,  presi- 
dent of  the  DeVry  Corp.  received  his 
'diploma  certificate'  from  H.  Struve 
Hensel,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  at  U.  S.  Naval  Reserve  Officer 
Training  Center,  Columbia  University. 

Mother  of  Joseph 
Bernhard  Dies  Here 

Mrs.  Clara  Bernhard,  mother  of 
Joseph  Bernhard,  general  manager  of 
Warner  Bros.  Theatres,  died  Sunday 
at  her  home  here. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  to- 
morrow at  10.  A.M.  in  Riverside  Me- 
morial Chapel. 


Gustave  J.  May  Dies 

Hartford,  Sept.  17. — Gustave  J. 
May,  69,  stage  manager  of  Loew's 
Poli,  Hartford,  and  prominent  in 
local  vaudeville  and  film  circles  for 
45  years,  died  at  the  week-end  and 
was  buried  at  Zion  Hill  Cemetery. 
He  was  a  charter  member  and  late 
secretary  of  the  Theatrical  Stage  Em- 
ployes Union,  Local  No.  84,  which 
he  helped  to  found  in  1901. 


PRC  Preview  Luncheon 

PRC  will  be  host  t©  theatre  men  and 
trade  press  representatives  at  a  lunch- 
eon today  to  be  held  at  Dinty  Moore's 
here,  in  connection  with  a  preview  of 
"The  Enchanted  Forest"  which  will 
follow  the  luncheon. 


OWI  'Glory'  Promotion 

More  than  100,000  one-sheets  pro- 
moting "The  True  Glory"  will  be  dis- 
tributed by  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion agencies  throughout  the  world. 
Columbia,  which  distributes  the  film, 
will  supply  the  posters. 


REEVES 

SOUND  STUDIOS,  INC. 

1600  BROADWAY,  N.  Y.  19      Circle  6-6686 

Complete  Film  and 
Disc  Recording  Facilities 


—  Just  What 
will  I  gain  with 


LOW  INTENSITY 
PROJECTION 


The  gains  you  make  by  switching  to  "National" 
High  Intensity  Projector  Carbons  show  up  not 
only  on  the  screen  but  at  the  box  office. 

For  High  Intensity  Projection  vastly  improves 
the  quality  of  your  picture  . . .  and  provides  more 
relaxation  and  enjoyment  for  your  patrons.  For 
instance,  the  One  Kilowatt  High  Intensity  arc: 

•  Brightens  the  screen  by  50-100%. 

•  Produces  a  snow-white  light,  especially  suited 
for  color  pictures. 

•  Throws  clearer,  easy-to-see  images  on  the  screen. 
And  the  cost  of  One  Kilowatt  High  Intensity 

Projection?  Considering  its  advantages,  you'd  ex- 
pect it  to  be  high.  Yet— based  on  actual  current 
and  carbon  consumption  —  it  adds  but  little,  if 


HIGH  INTENSITY 
PROJECTION 


anything,  to  lamp  operating  cost. 

So,  briefly,  that's  how  you  stand  to  gain  with 
this  type  High  Intensity  Projection.  Consult 
National  Carbon  Company,  Inc.,  for  further  de- 
tails and  your  supply  house  on  the  availability 
of  High  Intensity  Lamps. 

The  word  "National"  is  a  registered  trade-mark 
of  National  Carbon  Company,  Inc. 


NATIONAL  CARBON  COMPANY,  INC. 

Unit  of  Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Corporation 
CH3 

General  Offices: 
30  East  42nd  Street,  New  York  17,  N.  Y. 

Division  Sales  Offices:  Adanta,  Chicago,  Dallas, 
Kansas  City,  New  York,  Pittsburgh,  San  Francisco 


rrf 


here's  only 


one  way  to 
judge  a 
picture 


THRU  THE  BOXOFFICEI 

.  .  .  and  that's  the  way  to  judge  the 
surprise  "sleeper"  of  the  year  .  .  „ 


«"  <j\oV>« 


*«*nl,<"  lib***0 


A, 


ttn4  *°V 


^^^^ 


Get  IS  Toda^f  L;v"-] 


OL.  58.  NO.  56 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  19,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


.  Y.  Receipts  PaiVifers  Will 
re  Strong     Picket  Films 
espite  Storm 


Lady  on  Train',  'Bataan' 
Lead  New  Arrivals 


Receipts  at  New  York  first-runs 
t.re  generally  holding  up  strongly 
fliis  week,  despite  considerable  ad- 
'orse  weather  since  last  Friday. 
_ast  week's  new  arrivals,  "Lady  on 
i  Train."  at  the  Criterion,  and  "Back 
t>  Bataan,"  at  the  Palace,  are  draw- 
pig  heavily,  with  "Duffy's  Tavern," 
It  the  Paramount,  in  the  lead  among 
I  >Idovers. 

Drawing  a  heavy  $32,000  in  the 
(rst  four  days.  "Lady  on  a  Train"  is 
loaded  for  an  excellent  $42,000  for 
Its  initial  week  at  the  Criterion. 
pBack  to  Bataan"  brought  a  neat  $39.- 
100  for  its  initial  week  at  the  Palace. 

"Duffy's  Tavern,"  combined  with  a 
ttage  bill  featuring  the  Andrews  Sis- 
(Continucd  on  page  10) 


Bogeaus  to  Make  4 
For  UA  in  '45-46 


Benedict  Bogeaus.  independent  pro- 
[ucer  releasing  through  United  Art- 
ists, will  make  a  minimum  of  tour 
oictures  during  the  new  season,  he  an- 
lounced  at  a  luncheon  at  21  Club  here 
jVesterday. 

Bogeaus  has  completed  "Captain 
i  Kidd"  and  "Diary  of  a  Chambermaid," 
the  latter  in  association  with  Paulette 
|3oddard  and  Burgess  Meredith,  both 
|;or  early  release.  He  will  leave  for 
JjHollywood  on  Friday  to  begin  work 
Bon  "Congresswoman."  his  first  on  the 
new   season   schedule.     Following  it 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Hines  in  European 
Expansion  Survey 

London,  Sept.  18.— Earle  G.  Hines. 
['resident  of  General  Theatre  Equip- 
ment Corp..  has  completed  a  European 
trip  to  investigate  the  possibility  of  es- 
tablishing, here  and  in  Sweden,  plants 
to  produce  his  35mm.  and  16mm. 
projectors,  as  well  as  studio  equip- 
ment. 

Hines"  intended  discussions  of  the 
project  with  Lady  Yule,  film  pro- 
ducer and  owner  of  a  small  wartime 
factory,  were  postponed  pending  his 
furthcoming  talks  in  New  York  with 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


New  York  District  Council  No. 
Nine  of  the  International  Brotherhood 
of  Painters,  Decorators  and  Paper- 
hangers  will  assume  the  main  burden 
of  picketing  New  York  and  Brooklyn 
first-run  theatres  on  behalf  of  the  15 
striking  Hollywood  studio  unions  af- 
filiated with  and  supporting  the  Con- 
ference of  Studio  Unions,  it  was  indi- 
cated yesterday. 

Louis  Weinstock.  secretary  of  the 
New  York  painters,  who  are  currently 
involved  in  their  own  strike,  against 
New  York  real  estate  owners,  is  said 
to  be  prepared  to  supply  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  to  picket  theatres  here, 
in  addition  to  the  union's  own  picket- 
ing, but  there  was  no  indication  here 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


Columbia  Meeting 
Opens  Here  Today 


A.  Montague,  general  sales  manager 
for  Columbia,  will  preside  at  the  sec- 
ond of  the  company's  series  of  four 
zone  meetings,  which  will  open  here 
today  at  the  W  arwick  Hotel,  continu- 
ing through  Friday. 

Among  other  home  office  executives, 
besides  Montague,  who  will  attend 
are:  Rube  Jackter,  Louis  Weinberg. 
(Continued  on  page  10) 


END  RESTRICTIONS 
ON  NEW  THEATRES 


Doob  Directs 
8th  Drive 


Oscar  A.  Doob,  advertising  man- 
ager of  Loew's  Theatres,  was  appoint- 
ed yesterday  as  national  campaign  di- 
rector for  the  "Victory  War  Loan" 
drive,  it  w  a  s 
announced  here 
by  drive  chair- 
man S.  H.  Fa- 
bian at  W  a  r 
Activity  Com- 
mittee head- 
quarters. 

Acceptance  of 
the  post  brings 
together  again 
the  original 
team :  Fabian 
and  Doob, 
which  headed 
the  first  nation- 
wide film  indus- 
try bond  drive 

in  Sept.,  1942.  That  drive  was  con- 
sidered to  have  set  the  plan  and  pat- 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Oscar  A.  I><; 


Oregon  Has 
To  Modernize 


Blue-Prints 
Theatres 


Justice  Department 
Sets  Trial  Staff 

Legal  staff  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  for  the  New 
York  film  anti-trust  suit  trial, 
which  is  scheduled  to  get 
under  way  in  U.  S.  District 
Court  here  on  Oct.  8,  will  in- 
clude, besides  Robert  L. 
Wright,  Special  Assistant  to 
U.  S.  Attorney  Tom  Clark,  the 
following:  Philip  Marcus, 
Thomas  Hanagan,  Kenneth 
Lindsey  and  Horace  T.  Mor- 
rison. 

New  York  Department  of 
Justice  representatives  who 
have  been  working  on  trial 
preparations  here  include: 
Harold  Lasser  and  John  R. 
Kneisley. 


Portland.  Ore.,  Sept.  18. — With 
the  controls  and  regulations  on  thea- 
tre building  at  an  end,  as  of  Oct.  15, 
and  from  a  glimpse  at  theatre  archi- 
ects'  blueprints,  there  is  revealed  the 
fact  that  Oregon  theatres  are  all  set 
for  an  intensive  modernization  pro- 
gram. This  includes  also  a  number 
of  new  theatres,  in  Sandy,  Shellburn, 
Woodburn,  and  in  suburban  sections 
of  Portland,  and  elsewhere  in  the 
state. 

Although  some  wartime  population 
has  shifted  to  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try.  a  survey  shows  a  healthy  increase, 
not  only  in  Portland,  but  also  in 
other  key  spots  in  Oregon. 

Many  of  the  employees  of  Ever- 
green. J.  J.  Parker  and  other  circuits 
and  independents  are  now  returning 
from  the  Armed  Services  and  are  find- 
ing their  pre-war  jobs  awaiting  them. 


Additional    steps    in    building  and 

(Continued  on  page  8) 


Effective  on  Oct.  15  But 
WPB  Warns  Materials 
Shortage  Will  Continue 

Washington,  Sept.  18. — All  re- 
strictions on  theatre  construction 
will  be  lifted  Oct.  15,  it  was  an- 
nounced today  by  Reconversion  Di- 
rector John  Snyder. 

Snyder's  announcement,  is- 
sued as  the  Senate  Small  Busi- 
ness Committee  met  for  a 
three-day  hearing  on  the  con- 
struction situation,  caused  an 
immediate  suspension  of  the 
hearing  and  raised  considerable 
doubt  whether  it  would  be  re- 
sumed. 

A  program  worked  out  by  high 
Government  officials  yesterday  after- 
noon to  pave  the  way  for  unrestricted 
construction,  and  included  in  Snyder's 
announcement,  calls  for  Government 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


MPPDA  to  Elect 
Johnston  Today 

Election  of  Eric  A.  Johnston  to  the 
MPPDA  presidency,  succeeding  Will 
H.  Hays,  head  of  the  organization 
since  its  founding  in  1922,  is  scheduled 
to  take  place  today  at  a  meeting  of 
the  MPPDA  board  of  directors,  ad- 
journed from  last  Wednesday. 

Joyce  O'Hara,  executive  assistant  to 
Johnston  for  a  number  of  years,  will 
join  the  MPPDA  with  the  latter  and 
in  a  similar  assistant  capacity. 

Hays  will  continue  to  be  identified 

(Continued  on  page  10) 


Says  20tn  Fair  to 
Griffith's  Rivals 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  18. — W.  J. 
Kupper,  20th  Century- Fox  general 
sales  manager,  testified  today  in  the 
Griffith  anti-trust  trial  in  Federal 
District  Court  here,  that  his  company 
never  "played  favorites"  with  Grif- 
fith in  towns  where  20th-Fox  had  es- 
tablished independent  customers  prior 
to  Griffith  expansions. 

Kupper's  testimony  came  as  Gov- 
ernment attempts  to  introduce  numer- 
ous inter-office  communications  of  his 
company  were  blocked  by  Judge  Ed- 
gar S.  Vaught,  who  ruled  that  such 
(Continued  on  page  8) 


m 


9 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Wednesday,  September  19,  1945 


Insider's  Outlook 

By  RED  KANN 


Personal 
Mention 

IRVING  MAAS,  vice-president  of 
20th  Century -Fox  International 
Corp..  arrived  in  New  York  yesterday 
from  Central  America. 

• 

A.  W.  Smith,  Eastern  division  man- 
ager for  20th  Century-Fox,  and  Clar- 
ence Hill,  his  assistant,  have  returned 
from  a  tour  of  Northeastern  district 
exchanges,  accompanied  by  E.  X. 
Callahan,  Eastern  district  manager. 
• 

Mrs.  Bill  Shartin,  wife  of  United 
Artists'  Pittsburgh  manager,  and 
daughter,  Iris,  have  returned  to  that 
city  from  a  Cleveland  visit  with  the 
Nat  (National  Screen  Service)  Bar- 
achs. 

Peter  G.  Levathes,  20th  Century- 
Fox  home  office  executive,  and  Mrs. 
Levathes  yesterday  became  the  par- 
ents of  their  first  child,  a  boy,  to  be 
named  Dean  Peter. 

• 

Mort  Blumenstock,  Sam  Schnei- 
der and  Ben  Kalmenson  of  War- 
ners arrived  in  Hollywood  from  New 
York  yesterday. 

William  B.  Levy,  manager  of 
world-wide  distribution  for  Disney 
Productions  will  leave  here  for  the 
Coast  on  Friday. 

Mike  Simons,  editor  of  Lo  and 
The  Distributor,  Loew-MGM  publica- 
tions, returned  to  New  York  yesterday 
from  the  Midwest. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  Southern  sales  man- 
ager for  M-G-M,  will  leave  New  York 
today  for  Washington  and  New  Or- 
leans. 

Knox  Haddow,  supervisor  of  ex- 
changes for  Paramount,  is  due  in  New„ 
York  from  Salt  Lake  City  soon. 

A.  G.  Edwards  of  the  PRC  ex- 
change. Salt  Lake  City,  is  in  Denver 
where  his  wife  is  ill. 

• 

Edwin  W.  Aaron,  M-G-M  circuit 
sales  head,  will  leave  tomorrow  on  a 
tour  of  Western  cities. 

• 

Bill  Seie,  Columbia  Salt  Lake  City 
manager,  has  returned  there  from  a 
Montana  trip. 

• 

Paulette  Goddard,  in  town  from 
the  Coast,  is  confined  to  her  suite  at 
the  St.  Regis  Hotel  with  a  cold. 
•  * 

Jerry  Saffron,  Columbia  district 
manager,  is  on  a  trip  to  Salt  Lake 
City  and  Denver. 

• 

Harry  A.  Rom m,'  Monogram  pro- 
ducer, returned  to  Hollywood  yester- 
day from  New  York. 

• 

Don  Tibbs,  Monogram  Salt  Lake 
City   exchange   manager,   will  leave 
this  week -for  a  Montana  trio.  • 
• 

Robert  Benchley  will  leave  the 
Coast  Sept.  25  for  New  York. 


T  N  Times  Square,  yes.  In 
*■  Hollywood,  also.  Between 
the  nether  extremities  of  the 
two  Coasts,  the  membership  of 
the  industry  enjoys  little  aware- 
ness of  the  neat  pattern  which 
the  business  weaves  in  the  in- 
ternational scene.  There  are 
any  number  of  illustrations'  to 
demonstrate  the  point.    A  few : 

Garbo  finally  reached  the  un- 
happy distinction  of  cutting  un- 
important ice  in  American  the- 
atres. In  diminishing  numbers 
as  time  passed  by,  nevertheless 
Metro  maintained  the  homey  one 
on  its  program  because  it  was 
overseas  where  she  cut  the  ice 
that  counted. 

Marlene  Dietrich  was  com- 
monly accepted  as  another  whose 
pyrotechnic  power  in  this  mar- 
ket had  spluttered,  although  not 
so  abroad. 

Perhaps  it  was  Pola  Negri 
who  epitomized  beyond  the 
others  the  byways  of  interna- 
tional traffic.  Long  after  her 
domestic  radiation  had  attracted 
substantial  attention,  Paramount 
maintained  her  on  its  roster.  If 
they  did  not  get  excited  about 
her  on  native  soil,  they  certainly 
did  on  the  Continent.  It  was 
reason  enough. 

■ 

This  state  of  affairs  is  not 
new.  In  fact,  it  has  long  been 
intertwined  historically  and  even 
inexorably  with  the  background 
of  this  industry.  The  reasons 
are  simple.  They  are  also  ap- 
parent to  one  who  would  look : 
The  job  of  making  motion  pic- 
tures goes  beyond  any  single 
domestic  outpost  and  reaches 
substantially  into  areas  far  re- 
moved from  domestic  shores. 
There,  America  box-office  in- 
difference is  often  foreign  box- 
office  honey.  Hollywood  and 
New  York,  consequently,  have 
no  other  out  but  to  do  what  they 
can  to  hit  as  many  customers  as 
thev  know  how. 

■ 

It  works  another  way  as  well. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  the 
rank  and  file  of  American  the- 
atremen  wonder  at  length  of 
those  infrequent  acquisitions  of 
foreign-made  attractions  by  a 
native  distributor.  For  the  rank 
and  filer  unquestionably  must 
recognize  what  the  distributor 
himself  often  recognizes  at  the 
very  outset  which  is  the  doubt- 
ful appeal  of  the  import  he  asks 
the  exhibitor  here  to  buy  and 
show. 

This  has  no  necessary  bearing 
on  foreign  attractions  of  unde- 
niable merit.  If  we  are  to  sub- 
scribe to  democratic  precepts  in 


the  functioning  of  this  industry, 
a  motion  picture  of  quality  can- 
not be  rightly  denied  its  place 
here  and  if  anyone  doubts  the 
answer  let  him  imagine  his  own 
outrage  provided  the  identical 
yardstick  prevailed  overseas. 
■ 

But  the  in-betweeners  on  cel- 
luloid are  something  else  again. 
It  is  not  always  assurance  of 
complete  commercial  acceptance 
that  influences  their  release  in 
America.  Concerned  are  mat- 
ters of  vital  moment  involving 
foreign  playing  time  for  our 
own  films,  fears  over  restrictive 
barriers  and  such  correlated 
matters  as  foreign  -  imposed 
quotas.  The  American  exhibitor 
may  be  annoyed  by  the  mention 
of  this.  He  may  assume  it  to 
be  none  of  his  business.  Direct- 
ly, it  is  not.  Indirectly,  most  as- 
suredly it  is. 

The  fact  is  there  is  no  escape 
for  him  so  long  as  the  industry 
of  which  he  is  a  member  en- 
gages in  international  commerce. 
■ 

Finally,  this  narrows  to  the 
sorry  economic  plight  currently 
confronting  Britain  and  the  ne- 
gotiations now  under  way  in 
Washington  for  American  aid 
to  relieve  that  pressing  condi- 
tion. Lord  Keynes  of  the  En- 
glish delegation  told  the  daily 
press  the  other  day  how  it  was. 
The  New  York  Times  indirect- 
ly quoted  him  as  follows : 

"The  first  [alternative]  is  for  us 
[the  British]  to  do  the  best  we  can 
with  the  resources  we  still  com- 
mand and  aim  at  emerging  slowly 
from  our  temporary  difficulties 
with  as  little  outside  aid  as  pos- 
sible, depending  on  the  various  de- 
fensive trade  mechanisms  which 
have  been  developed  by  war  con- 
trols. 

"Purchases  we  make  from  any 
country  would  be  matched  with 
the  purchases  that  country  makes 
from  us  and  inevitably  curtailing 
our  overall  import  program  oh  the 
lines  of  the  greatest  austerity  of 
which  we  find  ourselves  capable. 

"The  other  alternative,  he  said, 
is  to  work  out  with  you  [Amer- 
ica] and  with  your  aid  some  means 
of  returning  at  the  earliest  possible 
date  to  normal  trade  practices 
without  discrimination  and  to  in- 
creased freedom  and  liberality  in 
commercial  and  tariff  policies. 

"This  would  be  done  in  the  be- 
lief that  the  resulting  general  ex- 
pansion of  world  trade  will  result 
in  the  final  outcome  that  you  and 
other  countries,  as  well  as  our- 
selves, will  be  much  better  off  on 
balance  than  under  the  first  plan." 
■ 

Something  smacking  of  trade 
and  barter  may  lurk  in  this.  The 
approach  may  be  an  initial  one 


Coming 
Events 

Today — Disney  luncheon  for  John 
Reeder  and  William  Levy, 
Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel,  New 
York. 

Today  through  Sept.  21 — Columbia 
zone  sales  meeting,  Waldorf  As- 
toria Hotel,  New  York. 

Sept.  20-22 — General  meeting  of 
stock  and  franchise  holders  of 
Screen  Guild  Productions,  Park 
Central  Hotel,  New  York. 

Sept.  21— PRC  board  of  directors 
meeting,  New  York. 

Sept.  24 — International  Alliance  of 
Theatrical  and  Screen  Employes 
executive  board  meeting,  New 
York. 

Sept.  24-25 — Annual  managers'  con- 
ference, 20th  Century  Theatres, 
King  Edward  Hotel,  Toronto. 

Sept.  26-28 — Columbia  zone  sales 
meeting,  Hotel  Roosevelt,  New 
Orleans. 


designed  to  influence  favored 
terms.  But  the  point  not  to  be 
tossed  off  lightly  is  that  the 
American  industry  faces  a  seri- 
ous problem. 

If  Britain  determines,  or  is 
compelled,  to  match  imports 
with  exports  something  start- 
lingly  like  a  deathknell  of  Amer- 
ican film  activity  in  England 
will  be  sounded.  Approxi- 
mately $80,000,000  is  taken  out 
of  that  country  annually ;  En- 
gland takes  a  mere  pittance  in 
return  from  this. 

Without  this  uninterrupted 
flow  of  money,  Hollywood  would 
face  such  dire  difficulties  that  it 
is  not  too  dark  a  statement  to 
make  production  levels,  as  they 
are  now  known,  would  face 
sharp  retrenchment.  With  it,  we 
shall  continue  to  enjoy  the  op- 
portunity to  remain  prosperous. 
With  it,  internal  British  hamp- 
ering appears  headed  for  cur- 
tailment. 

■ 

But  with  it,  also,  we  have  to 
consider  a  changing  condition.  A 
condition  under  which  England 
and  its  meritorious  product  will 
find  a  more  clearly  defined  place 
in  the  home  market.  A  place,  in- 
cidentally, which  is  to  be  carved 
out  not  in  sufferance  and  not 
under  duress,  but  a  place  estab- 
lishing a  justifiable  level  on  the 
basis  of  quality. 

Increasingly  does  it  become 
clear  that  we  cannot  expect  to 
throw  our  weight  around  in  the 
market  places  of  the  world  with- 
out recognizing  the  road  as  two- 
way.  Any  other  course  spells 
isolationism. 

Isolationism  was  thrown  back 
on  its  heels  when  the  United 
Nations  became  united. 


DAILY,    Martin    Quigle]      Editor-in-Chief    and    Publisher;    Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.      Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
v  Company,   Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue.  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.     Telephone  Circle  7-3100.     Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."     Martin  Quigley,, 
•    Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Thei    I   Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  I.  Brady,  Secretary ;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
•■  ■  .  <  hicago  Bureau,  624  St, nth  Michigan  Avenue,  Sun  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau. 

-.  \V1.  Hop  Burnup,  Manager;  Petei  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
fi  ternational  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  mailer,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


GINGER  ROGERS  as  the  movie  star 
who  had  really  never  been  loved  and  found  the 
real  thing  at  last. 

WALTER  PIDGEOIV  as  the  romantic 
war  correspondent  who  posed  as  a  jewel  thief  in 
the  movie  star's  suite. 


LANA  TURNER  as  the  confidential 
secretary  who  gave  up  dreams  of  Park  Avenue 
wealth  for  love  in  a  cottage. 

V  AIM  JOHNSON  as  the  war  hero.  They 
told  him  he  didn't  have  long  to  live,  but  a  girl 
(rave  him  reason  to  go  on. 


The  new  M-G-M 
challenge  to 
Music  Hall 
records  set  by 
"Valley  of  Decision. 


GINGER 


WRITER 


ROGERS-  TURNER  -PIDGE0N- JOHNSON 


in  M-G-M's 


AT  THE 


EDWARD  ARNOLD  •  PHYLLIS  MIAMI R  -  KEENAN  WENN  -  ROBERT  RENCHLEV 

LEON  AMES  •  LINA  ROMAY  •  SAMUEL  S.  HINDS 

and 

XRVIER  CUGAT  AND  DIS  ORCHESTRA 

A  Robert  Z.  Leonard  Production 

Screen  Play  by  Sam  and  Bella  Spewack    •    Adaptation  by  Guy  Bolton    ■    Suggested  by  a  Play  by  Vicki  Baum 

Directed  by  ROBERT  Z.  LEONARD     •     Produced  by  ARTHUR  HORNBLOW,  Jr. 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


U.  S.  Sees  New  Markets 
For  Theatre  Equipment 


'Blithe  Spirit' 

"Blithe  Spirit."  Noel  Cow- 
ard British-made  production, 
being  released  in  the  U.  S.  by 
United  Artists,  and  which 
will  open  at  the  Winter  Gar- 
den, here,  on  Oct.  3,  was  re- 
viewed in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  last  April  6,  by  London 
correspondent  Peter  Burnup, 
who  said  of  it,  in  part: 

"Applause  is  due  David 
Lean  for  his  direction,  and 
Ronald  Neame  for  photogra- 
phy. The  discretion  exercised 
in  handling  the  theme,  which 
may  be  potentially  revolting 
to  many,  is  responsible  for 
developing,  nevertheless,  one 
of  the  most  laughter  provok- 
ing films  in  some  time.  It  is 
Britain's  answer  to  'Topper'." 
The  picture  was  given  an 
adult  classification.  It  runs  94 
minutes. 


Expansion  Started 
By  Managers'  Guild 


Motion  Picture  Theatre  Operating 
Managers  and  Assistant  Managers 
( iuild,  representing  managers  and  as- 
sistant managers  in  the  40  RKO 
Metropolitan  New  York  theatres,  has 
tiled  a  petition  with  the  State  Labor 
Relations  Board  for  certification  as 
the  bargaining  representative  of  man- 
agers, assistant  managers  and  relief 
managers  in  10  theatres  of  Cinema 
Circuit  and  affiliated  companies.  Cine- 

,!ina  operates  in  the  Bronx,  Mathattan, 
Brooklyn  and  Yonkers. 

George  Dunn,  chairman  of  the 
Guild,  said  this  marks  a  new  step  in 
the  Guild's  city-wide  organization  plan. 
The  SLRB  is  expected  to  hold  a 
hearing  on  the  petition  in  a  few  days. 
The  Guild  won  a  collective  bargaining 
election  among  RKO's  managerial  help 
last  year  and  the  case  is  now  before 

.  the  Regional  War  Labor  Board  as  a 
dispute  on  contract  terms;  a  decision 
is  expected  shortly. 
Cinema    Circuit    theatres  involved 

lare  the  Park-Hill,  Yonkers;  Ace, 
Metro  and  Prospect  in   the  Bronx ; 

j  Savoy,  New  Amsterdam,  Harris  and 
Anco  in  Manhattan ;  and  the  Astor 

I  and  Crown   in   Brooklyn.     Max  A. 

1  Cohen  is  president  of  the  circuit. 

Carolina  MPTOA  to 
Meet  on  Jan.  20-21 

Charlotte,  N.  C,  Sept.  18. — George 
Parr,  president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  Association  of  North 
;  and  South  Carolina,  met  here  yester- 
j  day  with  directors  and  committeemen 
of  the  association,  and  set  Jan.  20  and 
21  for  the  organization's  annual  meet- 
ing, to  be  held  in  Charlotte. 

Other  discussions  at  yesterday's 
gathering  concerned  participation  in 
the  Eighth  War  Loan  and  problems 
now  facing  the  industry. 

Honor  McGuire  Today 

P.  A.  McGuire,  veteran  advertising- 
publicity  man  of  the  theatre  equip- 
ment field,  and  head  of  public  relations 
for  International  Projector  Corp., 
will  receive  an  honorary  membership 
in  projectionists  Local  No.  306,  here, 
at  a  ceremony  at  Manhattan  Opera 
House,  today.  Presentation  of  a  gold 
membership  card  will  be  made  by  Her- 
man Gelber,  president  of  Local  306. 


Washington,  Sept.  18. — U.  S. 
manufacturers  of  theatre  equipment 
stand  to  win  a  valuable  market  in 
Venezuela,  it  was  indicated  today  by 
Nathan  D.  Golden,  chief  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  unit  of  the  Bureau  of  For- 
eign and  Domestic  Commerce. 

In  a  report  based  on  a  survey  of  the 
situation,  as  made  by  Maurice  M. 
Birnbaum  and  Virgil  C.  Applewhite 
of  the  U .  S.  Embassy  at  Caracas, 
Golden  foresaw  a  heavy  demand  for 
American  projection  and  sound  equip- 
ment as  Venezuelan  exhibitors  replace 
years-old  German  projectors  which 
prior  to  the  war  dominated  the  mar- 
ket. 

Situation  Changed 

The  competitive  situation  changed 
sharply  in  favor  of  U.  S.  products 
after  1939,  when  war  conditions 
served  to  eliminate  supplies  of  Ger- 
man equipment,  Golden  said,  and  an 
American  company  opened  a  branch 
office  in  Caracas  in  1940,  to  be  fol- 
lowed later  by  an  American  supply 
dealer. 

Of  the  approximately  275  theatres 
in  the  country,  it  is  estimated  that 
about  175  are  equipped  with  Zeiss- 
Ikon  projectors,  ranging  in  age  from 
seven  to  25  years. 

"Prospects,  for  the  sale  of  new  or 
reconditioned  equipment  are  very 
good,"  the  report  declared.  "This  ap- 
plies not  only  to  the  replacement  of 
old  Zeiss-Ikon  projectors,  many  of 
which  are  not  functioning  because  of 
a  shortage  of  parts,  but  also  to  pro- 
jectors for  numerous  new  theatres 
which  have  been  held  up  because  of  the 
non-availability  of  equipment." 

Most  of  the  sound  apparatus,  aside 
from    Zeiss-Ikon    sound-heads,  with 


25%  British  Odeon 
Dividend,  5%  Rise 

London,  Sept.  18. — Odeon  Theatres 
of  Great  Britain  announces  a  dividend 
of  25  per  cent,  less  taxes,  on  its  com- 
mon stock,  which  compares  with  a  20 
per  cent  dividend  last  year. 

Net  profit  amounted  to  $3,585,524, 
compared  with  $4,255,156  last  year. 
The  profit  decrease,  however,  was  off- 
set by  a  reduction  in  taxation  reserve 
requirements,  and  also  by  the  fact  that 
no  further  payment  was  necessary  on 
the  company's  preliminary  expenses, 
which  last  year  required  $300,000. 

Para.  Puerto  Rico 
Post  to  Williams 

Roger  Williams  has  been  named 
Paramount  manager  for  Puerto  Rico, 
by  George  Weltner,  president  of  Par- 
amount International,  to  succeed  J.  P. 
Donohue  who  announced  his  retire- 
ment here  Monday  after  28  years 
with  the  company. 

Williams,  formerly  a  salesman  for 
the  company  in  Philadelphia,  joined 
the  foreign  department  last  year  and 
has  handled  two  special  assignments 
under  A.  L.  Pratchett,  Latin  Amer- 
ican division  manager.  He  will  leave 
for  his  new  post  within  10  days. 

New  McEveety  Post 

Hollywood,  Sept.  18.— B.  F.  Mc- 
Eveety has  been  appointed  production 
manager  of  International  Pictures, 
succeeding  Edward  Eberle,  who  re- 
signed on  account  of  illness. 


which  the  Zeiss-Ikon  projectors  are 
equipped,  is  of  U.  S.  origin,  Golden 
said,  and  prospects  for  new  business 
are  good,  particularly  in  the  field  of 
new  sound-heads  and  the  replacement 
of  old  and  makeshift  units  which  will 
be  discarded  when  new  products  are 
available. 

The  Venezuelan  market  also  offers 
potentialities  for  arc  lamps  and  acces- 
sories, the  survey  shows,  but  the  mar- 
ket for  air-conditioning  equipment  is 
sharply  limited. 

There  is  also  a  good  potential  mar- 
ket for  16mm.  equipment,  Venezuela 
being"  one  of  the  few  Latin  American 
countries  in  which  visual  education 
has  been  undertaken  seriously. 

Mexico  also  will  afford  opportuni- 
ties for  the  industry,  it  was  reported 
by  F.  R.  Mangold,  economic  analyst 
in  the  Embassy  at  Mexico  City,  both 
because  of  the  poor  condition  of  equip- 
ment on  hand  and  because  of  the  ex- 
pansion of  Mexican  production  which 
has  led  to  a  demand  for  outlets. 

Potential  Raised 

In  this  connection,  it  was  pointed 
out  that  the  sound-tracking  of  more 
films  in  Spanish  has  substantially 
raised  the  audience-potential  among 
the  estimated  10,000,000  of  the  Mexi- 
can population  who  were  not  greatly 
attracted  to  English-spoken  pictures 
with  Spanish  subtitles. 

Mangold  reported  that  very  little 
foreign-made  sound  equipment  is  in 
use  in  Mexico,  and  all  the  established 
theatres  are  wired  for  sound.  There 
is  also  a  potential  market  for  studio 
equipment  and  accessories,  but  very 
little  for  non-theatrical  equipment,  it 
was  stated. 


Sharpe  Gets  Republic 
Story,  Talent  Post 

Lester  Sharpe,  Republic  producer 
for  the  past  year,  has  been  named 
Eastern  story  and  talent  head,  presi- 
dent Herbert  J.  Yates  announced  here 
yesterday. 

In  line  with  Republic's  world-wide 
expansion  program,  Sharpe  will 
analyze  story  properties  with  a  view 
to  their  appeal  in  the  international  as 
well  as  domestic  markets,  Yates  said-. 

Reisman  Seeing  Rank 
On  Joint  Production 

London,  Sept.  18. — Phil  Reisman, 
RKO  Radio  vice-president  in  charge 
of  foreign  sales,  has  arrived  here  from 
New  York  and  has  gone  into  confer- 
ence with  J.  Arthur  Rank  regarding 
two  films  his  company  will  produce 
jointly  with  the  Rank  interests.  Each 
picture  will  be  budgeted  at  from  $1,- 
200,000  to  $1,600,000,  with  production 
of  the  first  starting  at  Denham  Studios 
in  January. 

Choices  among  five  potential  sub- 
jects and  a  decision  as  to  directors, 
stars,  etc.,  is  expected  by  Friday. 


Martin  Will  Return 

Memphis,  Sept.  18. — Harry  Mar- 
tin, veteran  amusements  editor  of  The 
C  ommi-ercial  Appeal  of  Memphis,  ex- 
pects to  return  to  the  amusements 
desk  about  Oct.  1  after  three  years 
as  a  Navy  press  agent  at  the  Mem- 
phis Navy  Base. 


Newsreel 
Parade 


LORIDA  hurricane  pictures  arc 
*■  starting  to  appear  in  the  nezvs- 
reels,  being  incorporated  in  one  of  the 
current  issues.  Featured  generally  in 
the  latest  reels  are  sliots  of  American 
Armies  entering  Tokyo,  Philippine 
Japs  yielding  to  Gen.  Wainwright,  the 
return  of  Marine  'ace'  Gregory  Boy- 
ington,  President  Truman  on  his  Mis- 
souri vacation,  and  other  items  of 
current  interest,  including  the  football 
season's  opening  game.  Contents  of 
the  latest  reels  follozv: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  6.— American 
Armies  enter  Tokyo.  President  Truman 
takes  advice  from  'mom'  on  visit  home. 
War  hero  Gregory  Boyington.  Jap  general 
yields  in  Philippines  to  Gen.  Wainwright — 
surrender  of  Yamishita.  Football  is  here. 
Happy  days  again  for  soldiers  and  sailors. 

NEWS    OF    THE    DAY,    No.    204.— Old 

Glory  over  Tokyo.  Jap  general  'tailed'  after 
surrendering  Philippines.  'Butcher'  of  War- 
saw seized  in  Japan  by  U.  S.  newsmen. 
U.  S.  carrier  'Saratoga'  home  from  the  war. 
President  on  vacation.  Marine  ace  back 
from  death.  'G.I.V  in  Switzerland.  Bill 
Stern  reports  opening  game  of  gridiron 
season. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  7.— Tokyo- 
first  troops  take  over.  'Yodeling  Yanks' — 
G.I.'s  get  Swiss  leave.  Jap  'Tiger'  gives 
up — yoke  falls  on  Yamishita.  Football — 
Michigan   shows   early  power. 

RKO-PATHE  NEWS,  No.  9.— Truman 
ends  Missouri  holiday.  Yamishita  surren- 
ders. Yanks  occupy  Toyko.  Captured  Ma- 
rine ace  home  in  U.  S.  G.I.'s  enjoy  tour 
of  Switzerland.  Bulletin  on  Christmas  pack- 
ages. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  434.— 

Florida  hurricane.  Yanks  enter  Tokyo. 
Footba"!!— Michigan  vs.   Great  Lakes. 


Labor  Dep't  Gets 
3  War  Agencies 


Washington,  Sept.  18. — President 
Truman  moved  today  further  to  raze 
the  war-time  structure  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, transferring  the  War  Labor 
Board,  War  Manpower  Commission 
and  U.  S.  Employment  Service  to  the 
Department  of  Labor  and  merging  the 
Office  of  Economic  Stabilization  with 
the  Office  of  War  Mobilization  and 
Reconversion. 

At  the  same  time  he  announced  that 
W.  Stuart  Symington,  chairman  of 
the  Surplus  Property  Board,  would  be 
Surplus  Property  Administrator  under 
legislation  just  signed  substituting  one- 
man  control  for  three-man  administra- 
tion of  the  disposal  of  surplus  Gov- 
ernment property. 

Thompson  Names  3 
To  Hollywood  Unit 

Hollywood,  Sept.  18. — The  J. 
Walter  Thompson  Agency  announces 
the  appointment  of  Cornwell  Jackson 
as  vice-president  and  manager  of  its 
Hollywood  office;  Norman  Blackburn 
as  business  manager  and  talent  buyer, 
and  Carroll  Carroll  as  editorial  repre- 
sentative. 


Loew  Canada  Dividends 

Toronto,  Sept.  18. — Marcus  Loew's 
Theatres,  Limited,  Toronto,  has  de- 
clared two  dividends  both  payable  at 
the  end  of  September.  One  is  a  pay- 
ment of  one  and  three-quarter  per 
cent  on  the  preferred  shares  and  the 
second  is  $1  per  share  on  common 
stock. 


8  MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY  Wednesday,  September  19,  1945 


60  for  Board 
Of  Academy 


New  Theatres 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

action  to  increase  the  production  of 
all  types  of  building  materials,  ex- 
pansion of  WPB  inventory  controls 
over  scarce  materials  to  prevent 
hoarding,  and  extension  of  OP  A  con- 
trol to  set  dollar-and-cents  prices  on 
all  types  of  building  materials. 

As  the  announcement  was  released, 
WPB  Chairman  J.  A.  Krug  issued  a 
warning  that  the  shortage  of  building- 
materials  still  existed  and  would  con- 
tinue through  the  rest  of  the  year.  « 

"It  should  be  impressed  on  the  pub- 
lic that  construction  not  urgently 
needed  should  be  deferred,"  he  said, 
"and  that  no  construction  should  be 
started  during  the  balance  of  the  year, 
unless  there  is  reasonable  assurance 
locally  that  materials  will  be  avail- 
able." 

Reports  recently  reaching  Washing- 
ton indicate  that  several  hundred 
theatres  are  in  the  blue-print  stage 
throughout  the  country,  and  that  both 
major  companies  and  independents 
have  selected  spots  for  new  houses. 

(Motion  Picture  Daily  has  report- 
ed details  of  projected  new  theatre 
construction  and  remodeling  in  recent 
weeks.  Additional  reports  of  such 
plans  received  from  various  parts  of 
the  country  appear  elsewhere  in  this 
issue.) 


Modernizing 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

remodeling  of  theatres  throughout  the 
country,  supplementing  those  pub- 
lished in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
Aug.  22,  Sept.  13  and  yesterday, 
follow : 

Ripley,  Tenn.,  Sept.  18. — Aubrey 
Webb  is  constructing  a  theatre  here 
and  Strand  Enterprises,  operator  of 
West  Tennessee  houses,  is  converting 
the  former  Libby  building  into  a  the- 
atre.   Both  will  open  around  Oct.  1. 

Kallet  Circuit  Plans 
Utica  Area  Drive-In 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  18.— In  addi- 
tion to  resuming  wartime-suspended 
construction  on  a  Drive-In  near  Syra- 
cuse, the  Kallet  Circuit  has  laid  plans 
for  another  Drive-In  outside  of  Utica 
which  Mike  Kallet,  owner,  hopes  to 
have  in  operation  by  next  spring. 

Town  Gets  First  Sound 

Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  Sept.  18.  ■ —  Ten- 
nessee's oldest  town  has  its  first  sound 
film  theatre,  the  Jackson,  opened  by 
the  Sevier  Theatre  Corp.,  of  Johnson 
City. 

Video  iii  Newark  Plans 

Newark's  first  new  theatre  follow- 
ing the  war  will  be  built  by  the  Bel- 
ray  Enterprises,  Inc.  Provisions  are 
being  made  to  have  television  equip- 
ment. 

E.  M.  Box  to  Rebuild 

Valley  Head,  Ala.,  Sept.  18.— The 
DeSoto  Theatre,  owned  by  E.  M. 
Box,  of  Ft.  Payne,  was  completely 
destroyed  by  fire  recently.  The  own- 
er plans  to  rebuild  as  soon  as  possible. 

Comerford  Buys  Hall 

Scranton,  Sept.  18. — The  Comer- 
ford  Circuit  has  purchased  the  parish 
hall  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  Minooka, 
Pa.,  from  the  Scranton  Catholic 
Diocese. 


With  Building  Bars 
Down,  'U'  to  Build 

Chicago,  Sept.  18. — Coinci- 
dent with  the  announcement 
from  Washington  today  of  the 
lifting  of  all  restrictions  on 
building  construction,  Univer- 
sal reveals  that  plans  are  all 
set  for  the  construction  of  an 
exchange  building  on  Michi- 
gan Boulevard,  near  12th 
street,  with  work  to  begin 
within  the  next  two  months. 

F.  T.  Murray,  manager  of 
branch  operations,  and  Nate 
Blumberg,  'U'  President,  were 
in  town  today  to  close  the 
deal. 


DuMont  Suspends  to 
Switch  Video  Lanes 


Television  stations  now  operating 
in  the  U.  S.  face  the  possibility  of  be- 
ing forced  to  suspend  operations  for 
an  indeterminable  period,  which  might 
run  as  high  as  a  month  or  more,  while 
they  adjust  transmitters  and  equip- 
ment from  present  channels  to  the 
newly-fixed  channels  for  which  the 
Federal  Communications  Commission 
will  shortly  announce  standards  and 
regulations. 

This  became  known  with  yester- 
day's announcement  of  Dumont's  New 
York  Television  station  WABD  that 
it  will  suspend  operations  from  Sept. 
20  to  Dec.  IS  while  it  switches  opera- 
tions to  new  studios  being  constructed 
in  the  John  Wanamaker  New  York 
department  store;  it  will  also  adjust 
its  present  equipment  for  the  channel 
switchover.  The  FCC  authorized  this 
step. 

Raibourn  Cites  Need 
Of  Television  'Webs' 

Paul  Raibourn,  in  charge  of  Par- 
amount's  television  activities,  declares 
that  the  entire  resources  and  'know- 
how'  of  Paramount  will  ba  marshalled 
behind  its  television  efforts,  writing  in 
an  article,  entitled  "Television  Net- 
works Now  Are  Vitally  Important," 
in  the  September  issue  of  Television 
Magazine. 

American  University 
To  Use  Screen,  Radio 

Washington,  Sept.  18. — Motion 
pictures,  radio  programs  and  comic 
strips  will  be  tried  out  at  American 
University  here,  this  year,  as  new 
tools  for  teaching  current  economics. 
The  course,  made  possible  by  a  grant 
of  $24,500  by  the  Alfred  P.  Sloan 
Foundation,  will  be  directed  by  N. 
Arnold  Tolles,  who  will  resign  as  as- 
sistant commissioner  of  labor  statistics 
in  the  Department  of  Labor  Oct.  1. 


Mestanzas  Incorporate 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  18. — Foreign 
Screen  Corp.  has  been  incorporated 
to  conduct  a  theatrical  business  in 
New  York.  Incorporators  are :  Hora- 
tio A.  Mestanza  and  Eliane  Mas- 
tanza  and  Joseph  C.  Budner.  Harold 
S.  Budner,  New  York,  was  filing  at- 
torney. 

Change' Main'  Tradeshow 

RKO  Radio  will  tradeshow  "The 
Spanish  Main"  on  Wednesday,  Oct.  3, 
instead  of  Sept.  26. 


Thomas  Host  at  PRC 
Exhibitor  Luncheon 


Local  exhibitors  and  trade  press 
representatives  were  guests  of  PRC's 
home  office  management  at  a  lunch- 
eon held  at  Dinty  Moore's  here  yester- 
day. Harry  H.  Thomas,  PRC  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  distribution, 
and  Arnold  Stoltz,  advertising-pub- 
licity director,  were  hosts  at  the  oc- 
casion, which  preceded  an  exhibitor 
preview  of  "The  Enchanted  Forest," 
the  company's  initial  Cinecolor  pro- 
duction. 

Exhibitors  in  attendance  included : 
Jack  Harris,  Bob  Jonassen,  Leon 
Rosenblatt,  Sam  Einhorn,  Irving  Lud- 
wig,  Sam  Steifel,  Larry  Morris,  Har- 
old Klein,  Bernard  Meyerson,  Bernard 
Brooks,  Hal  Blumenthal,  Sam  Good- 
man, Lucille  Tannenbaum,  John  Benas, 
Frank  Lynch,  Alan  Daly,  Sam  Rinz- 
ler,  Harold  Rinzler,  Irving  Kaplan, 
Herbert  Fenton,  Ed  Seider,  Moe 
Seider,  Walter  Higgins,  Al  Suchman, 
Lee  Newbury,  Irving  Dollinger,  Harry 
Lowenthal,  George  Gold,  Lou  Gold, 
Maury  Miller,  Henry  Brown,  Joseph 
Siccardi,  Ed  Lachman,  Maurice 
Maurer,  J.  J.  Thompson,  and  Jules 
Ziegler. 

Other  PRC  executives  present  in- 
cluded Lloyd  Lind,  assistant  general 
sales  manager ;  George  Fleitman,  sec- 
retary ;  John  W  enisch,  New  York 
branch  exchange  manager,  and  Wil- 
liam Katz,  New  York  branch  exchange 
personnel  manager. 


Griffith 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

memos  were  hearsay  insofar  as  the 
defendants  were  concerned. 

"Griffith  came  into  these  towns," 
Kupper  said,  "but  Griffith  never  got 
one  inch  of  our  film;  despite  the  fact 
that  Griffith  was  a  big  buyer  of  our 
product  in  other  situations,  he  never 
got  it  in  those  towns  as  long  as  the 
other  operators  continued  to  operate, 
and  they  still  do  today." 

Kupper  spent  much  time  describing 
selling  operations  before  and  after  the 
consent  decree,  and  under  the  old 
NRA  code.  Vaught  asked  to  see  a 
copy  of  the  code,  apparently  feeling 
that  if  the  defendants  had  abided  by  its 
stipulations  their  actions  now  subject 
to  prosecution  might  have  been  con- 
doned by  another  Governmental  agency 
during  the  1933-39  period. 

Eastman  Closing  in 
Tribute  to  Lovejoy 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  18. — East- 
man Kodak  Co.'s  three  plants  and 
office  buildings  will  be  closed  tomor- 
row in  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Frank 
W.  Lovejoy,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors,  who  died  Sunday.  Funeral 
services  will  be  held  tomorrow  at  two 
P.  M.  in  First  Universalist  Church, 
with  Eastman  officers  and  business  as- 
sociates acting  as  honorary  bearers. 


'Diary'  in  January 

Chicago,  Sept.  18. — Burgess  Mere- 
dith and  Paulette  Goddard,  part  own- 
ers and  co-stars  of  "Diary  of  a  Cham- 
bermaid" have  revealed  that  they  are 
making  arrangements  for  a  premiere 
of  the  picture  at  the  Oriental  Theatre 
here  in  January.  Miss  Goddard  will 
spend  several  weeks  in  New  York  and 
then  report  to  Paramount  for  her  next 
picture. 


Hollywood,  Sept.  18. — Academy  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  an- 
nounces 60  nominees  for  election  to 
the  board  of  governors  for  the  coming 
year.  Ballots  will  be  mailed  to  the 
entire  Academy  membership  and  polls 
will  close  at  midnight,  Sept.  29.  i 
Twenty  board  members  are  to  be 
elected  from  the  60  nominees. 

Nominees  are :  actors  branch : 
Charles  Boyer,  Donald  Crisp,  Henry  j 
Fonda,  Greer  Garson,  Jean  Hersholt, 
George  Murphy,  Walter  Pidgeon, 
Rosalind  Russell,  James  Stewart, 
with  three  to  be  elected ;  directors' 
branch :  Frank  Capra,  Michael  Cur- 
tiz,  Frank  Lloyd,  Garson  Kanin, 
Henry  King,  Mervyn  LeRoy,  Leo 
McCarey,  John  M.  Stahl,  William 
Wyler,  also  three  to  be  elected. 

Other  Branches 

Producers'  and  executives'  branch : 
Merian  C.  Cooper,  William  Dozier, 
Y.  Frank  Freeman,  Samuel  Goldwyn, 
Arthur  Hornblow,  Jr.,  Gene  Markey, 
Joseph  Sistrom,  Hal  B.  Wallis,  with 
three  to  be  elected ;  science  branch, 
art  direction:  Bernard  Herzbrun,  ! 
W.  B.  Ihnen ;  photographic:  Charles 
G.  Clarke,  Farciot  Edouart ;  sound: 
Thomas  Moulton,  Douglas  Shearer ; 
film  editors :  Anne  Bauchens,  Hector 
Dods ;  equipment :  Dr.  Herbert  T. 
Kalmus,  with  three  to  be  elected. 

Writers'  branch :  Charles  Brackett, 
Philip  Dunne,  Sheridan  Gibney,  Nun-  £ 
nally  Johnson,  Norman  Krasna,  Mary 
C.  McCall,  Jr.,  Jane  Murfin,  Robert  E 
Riskin,  Lamar  Trotti,  also  three  to  be 
elected.    Music  branch:  Nat  W.  Fin- 
ston,  Ray  Heindorf,  Werner  Janssen, 
Jerome  Kern,  Dr.  Miklos  Rozsa,  Max  J 
Steiner,     Herbert     Stothart,  Franz 
Waxman,    Meredith    Wilson,  with 
three  to  be  elected.     Short  subjects  j 
branch ;  Gordon  Hollingshead,  George 
Pal,   Jules   White,   with   one  to   be  I 
elected.      Public    relations    branch : 
Harry  Brand,  John  LeRoy  Johnston, 
Howard  Strickling,  with  one  to  be 
elected. 

The  newly  elected  board  will  elect 
officers  for  the  coming  year  at  its 
first  meeting,  early  in  October. 


Western  Electric' s 
Woodward  Dies  Here 

Franklin  T.  Woodward,  general 
patent  attorney  for  Western  Electric 
from  1937  until  his  recent  appoint- 
ment as  consulting  patent  attorney, 
died  here  yesterday  morning  follow- 
ing a  heart  attack.  Woodward,  63, 
had  been  in  failing  health  for  some 
time. 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  at 
three  P.M.  today,  from  the  Port 
Washington  Methodist  Church,  Port 
Washington,  L.  I. 

Woodward  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
the  former  Katherine  Rochet  of  Ant- 
werp, Belgium  ;  two  sons,  Paul,  who 
has  not  been  heard  from  since  his 
capture  by  the  Japanese  in  the  Philip- 
pines, and  William  Redin,  and  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  Theodore  Bardacke, 
and  Kathryn  Virginia. 


Kroger  in  Exhibition 

Memphis,  Sept.  18. — Bill  Kroger, 
Paramount  salesman  for  many  years,' 
has  bought  the  Shannon  Theatre  afl 
Portageville,  Mo. 


I  want  to  thank  the  fellows  over  at  Universal  for  their" Welcome 
to  Mark  Hellinger"  ad  in  the  trade  papers.  It  felt  warm  and  sin- 
cere. Those  are  rare  adjectives  in  this  game. 

I  guess  I'm  still  pretty  lucky  when  it  comes  to  meeting  right 
guys.  I  like  the  men  I've  shaken  hands  with  on  my  new  lot,  and  I 
hope  they'll  learn  to  like  me.  They  talk  a  lingo  I  enjoy  hearing.  They 
seem  to  hold  the  odd  belief  that  it's  good  to  mean  what  you  say 
when  you  say  it. 

I  have  five  properties  now  under  consideration  for  Universal 
release,  and  my  plans  are  extremely  simple.  Like  this: 

I  will  strive  to  make  boxoffice  pictures  intelligently,  and  to  give 
full  credit  where  credit  is  actually  due.  Players  under  contract  to 
my  corporation  will  get  a  square  shake  without  asking.  Writers  who 
complete  scripts  with  me  will  share  in  my  returns. 

Simple  notions,  aren't  they?  Told  you  they  were.  Maybe  they're 
so  simple  that  they  won't  work  out  in  an  industry  loaded  with  cold 
souls  in  hot  competition.  But  I'm  going  to  give  my  ideas  a  whirl  just 
the  same. 

Because,  if  I  click,  so  will  everyone  around  me — and  that's  the 
way  it  should  be.  All  I  know  about  money  is  that  you're  a  sucker  if 
you  make  it  and  can't  enjoy  it.  I've  been  around  this  world  several 
times  the  hard  way,  and  I  never  met  a  guy  yet  who  could  clip 
coupons  in  a  coffin  . . . 

Once  again,  my  thanks  to  the  gang  at  Universal.  And  if  I  may  be 
permitted  one  flashback  to  the  days  when  I  was  writing  racing  yarns 
for  my  column,  I'd  like  to  say  that  the  weather's  very  clear  now — 
and  the  track  is  just  right — and  it's  awfully  swell  to  feel  that  you're 
finally  running  in  the  right  colors . . . 


10 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  September  19,  1945 


Critics  Quotes  .  .  . 


"LADY  ON  A  TRAIN"  (Universal) 

Universal  has  one  of  the  season's  solid  senders  with  Deanna  Durbin  as 
"The  Lady  on  a  Train."  Picture  is  composed  equally  of  mystery  and  comedy. 
Deanna  scores  in  both  departments,  and,  for  extra  added  measure,  throws  in 
three  vocals  in  her  superlative  style  .  .  .  splendidly  directed. — Lee  Mortimer, 
New  York  Daily  Mirror. 

Humor,  instead  of  suspense,  holds  the  loosely  devised  story  together  and 
on  many  occasions  the  mystery  gets  lost  in  the  comedy  that  ranges  from  genu- 
inely funny  to  plain  irksome.  Trying  her  best  to  be  funny,  Miss  Durbin  still 
hasn't  grasped  the  tricks,  timing  and  face-making  of  a  good  comedian. — 
Wanda  Hale,  New  York  Daily  News. 

"Lady  on  a  Train"  sums  up  to  a  fairly  amusing  piece,  with  Miss  Durbin's 
well-known  music  and  comedy  talents  to  give  it  an  extra  dash  of  entertainment. 
— Otis  I.  Guernsey,  Jr.,  New  York  Herald  Tribune. 

A  mixture  of  humor  and  homicides,  and,  if  you  can  overlook  a  lot  of  incon- 
sistencies and  loose  threads  in  your  mystery  plots,  you'll  find  it  a  lightly- 
diverting  item.  .  .  .  The  honors  of  the  piece  go  to  Dan  Duryea  who  checks 
in  another  of  his  slick  heavy  roles. — Rose  Pelswick,  New  York  Journal- 
American. 

"Lady  on  a  Train"  is  good  fun,  with  plenty  of  excitement  and  guessing 
games  for  the  mystery  fans.  It  is  not  Deanna  Durbin  at  her  freshest  and 
best,  however. — Eileen  Creelman,  New  York  Sun. 

Handed  substantially  nothing  in  the  way  of  suspense  by  the  script,  and 
only  a  few  meager  tatters  of  foolish  comedy,  Miss  Durbin  gets  even  with  the 
authors  by  giving  nothing  in  return. — Bosley  Crowther,  New  York  Times. 


Painter  Pickets 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

yesterday  as  to  when  such  a  move 
would  be  made. 

Although  several  New  York 
American  Federation  of  Labor  craft 
unions  are  supporting  the  theatre-pick- 
eting move,  including  machinists,  car- 
penters, electrical  workers  and  plumb- 
ers, those  unions  have  not  indicated 
any  move  to  join  picket  lines.  The 
Screen  Publicists  Guild  of  New  York 
has  voted  $1,000  to  aid  the  picketing 
fund,  which  is  said  by  Ted  Zittel, 
spokesman  for  the  painters,  to  have 
reached  $20,000;  SPG,  however,  has 
no  plans  to  join  the  picketing.  The 
Screen  Office  and  Professional  Em- 
ployes Guild  has  not  taken  any  action 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  its  member- 
ship has  already  indicated  a  desire  to 
remain  neutral  and  urge  a  settlement 
of  the  strike. 

Washington  Rained  Out 

While  two  carloads  of  pickets  from 
California  were  to  be  joined  in  Wash- 
ington by  New  York  representatives 
yesterday  to  picket  theatres  there  on 
behalf  of  the  Coast  strike,  inclement 
weather  was  given  as  the  reason  for 
failure  of  the  picketing  to  get  under 
way.  Roger  McDonald  of  the  Screen 
Set  Designers'  Local  No.  1421,  who  is 
organizing  the  picketing  campaign  in 
the  East,  is  in  Washington. 


New  York  Picketing 
May  Start  Tonight 

Hollywood,  Sept.  18.  —  Picketing 
of  New  York  theatres  in  support  of 
the  studio  strike  here  probably  will 
begin  tomorrow  night,  a  spokesman 
for  the  strikers  reported  today. 

Meanwhile,  local  business  agents  of 
the  six  international  unions  partici- 
pating in  the  strike  wired  their  pres- 
idents on  the  eve  of  their  meeting  with 
AFL  president  William  Green  in 
Washington  tomorrow,  calling  for  an 
investigation  of  the  Los  Angeles  Cen- 
tral Labor  Council,  which  last  night 
passed  a  resolution  condemning  the 
Strike  Strategy  Committee  for  ac- 
cepting the  support  of  CIO  unions  on 
theatre  picket  lines. 


AFL    Strike  Parley 
To  Be  Held  Today 

Washington,  Sept.  18. — Leaders  of 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor  in- 
ternational unions  involved  in  the  Hol- 
lywood studio  strike  will  meet  here 
tomorrow  at  a  meeting  called  by  Wil- 
liam Green,  AFL  president,  in  a  fur- 
ther attempt  to  settle  the  seven-month- 
old  strike. 

A  similar  meeting  held  in  Chicago 
early  in  July  failed  to  resolve  the  con- 
troversy and  since  then  the  IATSE 
has  issued  three  additional  charters  to 
studio  workers,  although  the  AFL 
executvie  council  had  ordered  the 
IATSE,  early  in  August,  to  rescind 
the  original  two  charters  -  issued  to 
painters  and  carpenters. 


Johnston 

( Continued  from  page  1) 

with  MPPDA  under  a  new  five-year 
contract  which  he  signed  recently. 
Johnston,  likewise,  is  reported  to  have 
signed  a  five-year  contract.  He  will 
continue  as  president  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  presumably 
until  the  expiration  of  his  present  term 
in  that  post,  next  May. 


Columbia  Meet 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Louis  Astor,  M.  J.  Weisfeldt,  George 
Josephs,  H.  C.  Kaufman,  Maurice 
Grad,  Seth  Baisler,  Irving  Sherman, 
Vincent  Borelli,  Joseph  Freiberg, 
Sydney  Singerman  and  William  Bren- 
nan. 

The  following  will  be  in  attendance 
from  the  company's  field  offices :  Bos- 
ton :  New  England  division  manager 
I.  H.  Rogovin ;  salesmen  Joseph  Wolf, 
Tom  O'Brien,  Saul  Simons' ,  Carl 
Myshrall  and  Frederick  D.  Bragdon. 
Cincinnati :  branch  manager  Allan 
Moritz  and  salesmen  Peter  Nilan, 
Harold  Rullman,  Nate  Kaplan  and 
Charley  Palmer.  Cleveland:  branch 
manager  Lester  Zucker  and  salesmen 
William  Gross,  Mannie  Click  and 
William  Lissner. 

New  Haven :  branch  manager  Tim 
O'Toole,  and  salesmen  Harry  Olshan 
and  Walter  Silverman.  New  York : 
New  York  division  manager  Nat 
Cohn,  branch  manager  Saul  Trauner, 
and  salesmen  Morris  Fraum  and'  Jack 
Sokoloff .  Philadelphia  :  division  man- 
ager for  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Southern  New  Jersey  H.  E.  Weiner, 
and  salesmen  Dave  Korson,  Ruben 
Perlman,  Ed  Feinblatt,  Samuel  Mil- 
berg  and  Stanley  Kositsky. 

Pittsburgh :  branch  manager  Art 
Levy,  and  salesmen  George  Tice,  Leo 
Issacs,  Sid  Goldberg  and  Irving 
Davis.  Washington :  Mid-Eastern  di- 
vision manager  Sam  Galanty,  branch 
manager  Ben  Caplon,  and  salesmen 
Nick  Weems,  Chick  Wingfield,  Sid- 
ney Sugerman  and  Harry  Berman. 

Following  the  New  York  meeting, 
others  will  be  held  in  New  Orleans 
and  Los  Angeles. 


Silverstein  Returns 

Murray  Silverstein,  formerly  Carib- 
bean supervisor  for  Universal,  and  un- 
til recently  chief  of  film  distribution 
for  the  Office  of  War  Information  in 
the  United  Kingdom  and  Europe,  has 
returned  to  New  York  from  England. 


Shea  Relief  Booker 

Jack  Shea,  manager  of  Shea  Thea- 
tres, Dover,  Ohio,  is  in  New  York  for 
a  month  to  six  weeks  substituting  for 
Durward  Duty,  Shea  circuit  booker, 
who  is  recuperating  from  illness  at 
Salem  Hospital,  Salem,  Mass. 


Oscar  Doob 


(Continued  from  page  1  ) 

tern  for  the  following  campaigns  and 
caused  the  Treasury  Department  to 
admit  that  the  industry — from  studios 
to  theatres — could  do  "a  vital  job  in 
helping  to  finance  the  war." 

Until  the  "Victory  Loan"  drive  is 
over,  Ernest  Emerling  will  be  acting 
advertising  director  of  Loew's  Thea- 
tres, during  Doob's  absence. 

In  granting  a  leave  of  absence  for 
Doob  so  he  can  serve  as  campaign  di- 
rector of  the  "Victory  Loan"  drive  and' 
noting  that  M-G-M's  Louis  B.  May- 
er had  accepted  the  chairmanship  for 
Hollywood's  participation  in  the  cam- 
paign, Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  presi- 
dent of  Loew's,  said  yesterday :  "This 
final  war  bond  drive  is  the  most  im- 
portant in  which  we  have  engaged ;  it 
must  have  our  supreme  effort.  The 
talents  and  facilities  of  the  industry 
must  be  put  behind  Secretary  Vinson 
to  make  this  Eighth  and  last  bond 
campaign  the  most  successful  of  all." 


Bogeaus 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

will  be  one  with  Jean  Renoir,  one  with 
Lewis  Milestone  and  a  new  one  with 
Miss  Goddard  and  Meredith. 

Bogeaus,  owner  of  General  Service 
Studios,  Hollywood,  said  that  new 
stages  would  be  added  to  that  proper- 
ty in  the  near  future  to  help  meet  the 
demand  of  independent  producers  for 
additional  studio  space.  Pointing  to 
the  increasing  number  of  producers, 
directors  and  stars  who  are  organizing 
their  own  production  companies,  Bo- 
geaus said  he  believed  the  tendency 
would  continue  for  as  long  as  existing 
taxes  remain  in  effect. 

At  the  luncheon,  in  addition  to  Bo- 
geaus, Meredith  and  trade  press  repre- 
sentatives, were :  Gradwell  L.  Sears, 
Carl  Leserman,  Harry  Gold,  J.  J. 
Unger,  Ed  Peskay,  Ed  Schnitzer, 
Harry  Buckley,  Barry  Buchanan, 
Tom  Mulrooney  and  Fred  Schroeder. 


Ampa  to  Resume  Today 

Associated  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers will  begin  its  series  of  luncheon- 
meetings  following  the  summer  recess, 
today  at  Ronnie's  Steak  House,  here. 


N.  Y.  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

ters,  completed  a  second  week  at  the 
Paramount  with  a  lofty  $111,000, 
which  was  just  a  few  thousands  under 
the  outstanding  initial  week's  $114,000. 
"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes"  is 
scoring  outstandingly  at  Radio  City 
Music  Hall,  with  a  big  $122,000  ex- 
pected for  the  second  week,  following 
the  initial  week's  $125,000. 

"Love  Letters"  is  continuing  to 
draw  record  receipts  at  the  Rivoli. 
with  an  outstanding  $63,000  expected 
for  a  fourth  week,  which  will  equal  the 
third  week's  receipts.  "Anchors 
Aweigh,"  combined  with  a  stage  bill 
featuring  Paul  Whiteman  and  his  or- 
chestra at  the  Capitol,  also  remains  in 
the  record  class  in  its  ninth  week 
with  a  heavy  $74,000  expected,  fol- 
lowing $77,000  registered  for  the 
eighth  week ;  it  will  hold  for  a  10th, 
with  "Her  Highness  and  the  Bellboy" 
to  follow. 

"State  Fair,"  combined  with  a  stage 
presentation  featuring  Connee  Boswell, 
at  the  Roxy,  is  holding  up  strongly ; 
a  good  $83,000  is  expected  for  the 
third  week.  Anxious  to  take  advantage 
of  the  FBI  timeliness  of  "The  House 
on  92nd  St,"  the  Roxy  will  bring  the 
•film  in  next  Wednesday,  giving  "State 
Fair"  only  six  days  of  a  fourth  week. 

"Pride  of  the  Marines"  and  a  stage 
bill  with  Charlie  Barnet  and  his  or- 
chestra are  holding  profitably  at  the 
Strand,  with  $47,000  expected  for  a 
fourth  week ;  the  combination  will 
hold. 

Long-Run  Holdovers 

Long  -  run  holdovers,  "Wonder 
Man,"  at  the  Astor  and  "Rhapsody  in 
Blue,"  at  the  Hollywood,  are  also  con- 
tinuing profitably.  "Wonder  Man"  is 
headed  for  $26,000  for  a  15th  week, 
while  "Rhapsody  in  Blue"  will  bring 
over  $20,000  for  a  12th  week. 

"Isle  of  the  Dead"  will  hold  for  a 
third  week  at  the  Rialto,  with  a 
profitable  $9,000  expected  for  the  sec- 
ond week,  following  a  big  initial 
week's  $12;500.  "The  Southerner"  is 
headed  for  a  good  $11,000  for  its 
fourth  week  at  the  Globe,  which  will 
equal  the  third  week's  receipts.  "The 
Wonderful  Adventures  of  Pinocchio" 
continues  strong  in  a  re-release  en- 
gagement at  the  Republic,  with  $12,000 
expected  for  a  fifth  week.  "Love, 
Honor  and  Goodbye"  is  headed  for 
$7,500  for  its  second  and  final  week 
at  the  Gotham ;  "Radio  Stars  on 
Parade"  will  open  there  Friday. 

"True  Glory"  will  bring  a  profitable 
$12,000  for  its  second  week  at  the 
Victoria ;  it  will  hold  for  a  third  and 
final,  with  "The  Fall  of  Berlin"  set 
to  follow  on  Sept.  27. 


rimes'  Survey 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

another  English  group,  representatives 
of  whom  arrived  in  America  several 
days  ago. 

Hines  is  understood  to  be  satisfied 
with  the  market  and  factory  potentiali- 
ties here  but  to  be  apprehensive  about 
labor  conditions.  Sir  Maurice  Bon- 
ham  Carter,  chairman  of  Scophony, 
Ltd.,  said  he  was  "amply  satisfied 
with  the  friendly,  frank  discussions" 
he  had  with  Hines  but  that  there 
have  been  no  practical  developments 
as  yet. 


Earle  G.  Hines  arrived  in  New 
York  from  London  yesterday. 


^itlH  •  •  •  nit  Unes . . . *»*  «  Cost! 
0  R' V  \  ,nt*« ' '  *  Lrs  BOX  Office 


TRIGGER 

The  Smartest  Horse  in  the  Movies 


SUNSET  61  Dorado 

GEORGE  "GABBY"  HAYES  0|£f|  I^mED^ 

and  DALE  EVANS  with  K1  CO*11 


HARDIE  ALBRIGHT.  MARGARET  DUMONT 
ROY  BARCROFT 

and  BOB  NOLAN  and 
The  SONS  OF  THE  PIONEERS 

Directed  by  FRANK  McDONALD 

Screen  Play  by  JOHN  K.  BUTLER 
Original  Story  by  LEON  ABRAMS 


to  MOSJC! 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteMgei 

>a^Je 

to  the^J 

cjtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  57 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  20,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Bill  Provides 
Payment  for 
Losses  in  War 


Would  Pay  Industry  for 
Losses  Since  Jan.  1, 1937 

Washington,  Sept.  19. — Ameri- 
can film  companies  suffering  losses 
It  of  any  nature  abroad  by  reason  of 
acts  by  Germany  or  Japan  since 
Man.  1,  1937,  would  be  compensated 
'■for  such  losses  out  of  the  proceeds 
ifrom  the  sale  or  other  disposition  of 
German  and  Japanese  properties  and 
interests  seized  by  the  United  States, 
under  legislation  now  before  Congress. 

The  bill,  first  of  an  expected  series 
from  which,  eventually,  definite  legis- 
lation will  be  developed  to  set  up  the 
machinery  whereby  American  interests 
can  secure  reparation  for  their  losses, 
would  require  the  Alien  Property  Cus- 
todian to  convert  all  seized  properties 
into  cash  which  would  be  set  aside 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


Ask  Tax  Cut 
Of  Billions 


Washington,    Sept.    19. — "Transi- 
Ition  period"  tax  relief,  including  elim- 
,  ination  of  the  wartime  admission  tax, 
,  immediate  repeal  of  the  excess  profits, 
capital  stock  and  declared  value  ex- 
cess profits  taxes   and   reduction  of 
the  corporate   normal   tax  and  sur- 
tax, with  the  application  of  a  lower 
rate  on  small  corporations,  to  be  fol- 
lowed within  a  period  of  three  years 
hv  further  cuts  which  would  ultimate- 
'lv  reduce  the  Federal  tax  bill  to  from 
?  15,000  000.000  to  $22,000,000,000,  was 
j  recommended  to  the  Joint  Congres- 

(Continucd  on  page  10) 


Disney  to  Establish 
Global  Branches 


Walt  Disney  Productions  will  es- 
tablish its  own  offices  throughout  the 
world,  it  was  disclosed  here  yesterday 
by  William  Levy,  world-wide  sales 
supervisor  for  Disney,  who  gave  an 
estimate  that  the  company  will  gross 
a  minimum  of  $5,000,000  and  up  to 
$10,000,000  from  the  eight  features 
and  90  shorts  that  were  not  released 
in  various  parts  of  the  world  due  to 

(Continued  on  page  9) 


Johnston  Named  MPPDA 
President;  Hays  to  Advise 


Johnston  Asks 
Unity,  Cites 
Six  Objectives 


Declaring-  it  to  be  "our  aim  to 
foster  an  industry  program  which 
will  make  motion  pictures  an  even 
better  reflection  of  the  American 
design  of  living,"  Eric  A.  Johnston, 
upon  being  elected  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors of  America  yesterday,  set 
forth  five  other  "immediate  objec- 
tives," the  first  of  which  is  the  forma- 
tion of  a  Motion  Picture  Institute, 
composed  of  all  elements  of  the  indus- 
try, to  carry  over  into  peacetime  the 
cooperative  eJTorts  achieved  by  the  in- 
dustry in  wartime. 

Through  the  Motion  Picture  Insti- 
tute, Johnston  said,  "the  industry  can 
assume  its  full  share  of  the  responsi- 
bility of  promoting  peace  and  better 
living.  Nothing  like  this  has  ever  been 
attempted  in  any  American  industry 
in  peacetime.  It  is  the  natural  evolu- 
tion of  political  into  industrial 
democracy.  We  cannot  maintain 
democratic  capitalism  without  indus- 

(Continucd  on  page  10) 


Five  -  Year  Contracts  Voted  for  Each; 
Harmon  and  Breen  Are  Elected  Vice- 
Presidents;  O'Hara  Is  Johnston's  Aide 


Eric  A.  Johnston  was  elected  president  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.,  at  an  adjourned  meet- 
ing of  the  association's  board  of  directors  here  yesterday. 

Johnston's  election  was  announced  by  Will  H.  Hays,  who  had 
been  president  of  the  Association  since  its  founding  in  March,  1922. 
Hays  has  been  given  a  new  five-year  contract  and  his  advice  and 

experience  will  continue  to  be  made 


Hays'  Statement  on 
Relinquishing  Post 


Paying  tribute  lo  Eric  A.  John- 
ston, his  successor  as  president  of 
MPPDA,  Will  H.  Hays  yesterday  is- 
sued a  statement  in  which  he  predicted 
continuing  progress  for  the  motion 
picture  and  bespoke  the  support  for 
his  successor  of  the  industry  and  its 
friends. 

Hays  said  : 

"It  is  satisfying,  indeed,  to  be  able 
to  transfer  to  such  splendidly  capable 
shoulders  responsibilities  carried  for 
so  many  busy   and  constructive  years. 

"Eric  Johnston  needs  no  praise  of 
mine.'  His  ability  shines  in  the  light 
of  accomplishments.  Sure  of  his 
( Continued  011  page  11) 


New  MPPDA  President  and  Predecessor 


ERIC  A.  JOHNSTON,  President 


WILL  H.  HAYS,  Consultant 


available  to  the  association  under 
the  terms  of  that  agreement,  al- 
though he  will  hold  no  official 
title.  His  relinquishment  of  and  re- 
tirement from  the  executive  post 
which  he  has  held  for  nearly  24  years 
is  in  accordance  with  his  own  de- 
sire, it  was  stated  in  the  announcement 
issued  yesterday. 

Johnston's  salary  will  be  $150,000  a 
year,  plus  $50,000  annually  for  ex- 
penses, during  a  five-year  period,  and 
Hays  will  receive  $100,000  annually 
for  the  same  duration,  it  has  been 
learned. 

Francis  Harmon,  on  leave  of  ab- 
sence from  MPPDA  since  1941  as  co- 
ordinator of  the  industry  War  Activi- 
ties Committee,  was  elected  a  vice- 
president  of  the  association,  in  charge, 
of  the  New  York  office.  Joseph  I. 
Breen,  Production  Code  administrator 
in  Hollywood,  also  was  elected  a  vice- 

(Continued  on  page  11) 


MPPDA  Changes 
Summarized 

Eric  A.  Johnston  elected  pres-  -■ 
ident    of    MPPDA,  succeeding 
Will  H.  Hays,  whose  advice  and 
counsel    will    continue    to  be 
available  to  the  Association. 

Francis  Harmon  elected  vice- 
president  of  MPPDA,  in  charge 
of  New  York  office;  Joseph  I. 
Breen,  vice-president  in  charge 
of  Production  Code  Administra- 
tion, Hollywood;  Joyce  O'Hara 
named  assistant  to  Johnston,  v 

Johnston  proposes  formation 
of  Motion  Picture  Institute, 
comprising  all  industry  ele- 
ments, to  achieve  cooperative 
effort  in  "promoting  peace  and 
better  living"  and  achieving  five 
other  "immediate  objectives."  „ 


2 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Thursday,  September  20,  1945 


Personal  Mention 


4Chick'  Lewis  Named 
Drive  Coordinator 


Charles  E.  (Chick)  Lewis,  editor- 
publisher  of  Showman's  Trade  Re- 
view,  has  been  named  campaign  co- 
ordinator of  the  'Victory  War  Loan' 
committee  of  the  industry,  by  S.  H. 
Fabian,  national  drive  chairman. 
Lewis  has  already  moved  into  War 
Activities  Committee  headquarters  for 
•the  duration.'  The  8th  and  final  drive 
will  start  Oct.  29th  and  will  run  six 
weeks. 

The  WAC  statement,  issued  yes- 
terday, said  that,  "With  the  determi- 
nation to  make  this  last  bond  cam- 
paign the  most  spectacular  of  any  of 
the  industry's  many  war  activities, 
the  entire  industry  is  being  drained 
of  manpower  and  its  resources,"  add- 
ing: "Industry  leaders,  in  all 
branches,  are  being  recruited  to  head 
each  committee  and  division  of  the 
drive."  . 

Fabian  has  called  a  special  confer- 
ence for  this  morning  at  which  the 
'National  Strategy  Command'  will  do 
its  first  planning.  This  group  is 
composed  of  the  national  chairmen  of 
former  drives.  At  the  meeting  will 
be  Robert  (Bob)  O'Donnell,  chairman 
of  the  Fifth  Loan;  Charles  Skouras, 
Fourth ;  Harry  Brandt,  Sixth ;  Sam 
Pinanski,  Seventh ;  campaign  director 
Oscar  A.  Doob;  co-ordinator  Lewis; 
assistant  to  the  chairman  Max  Cohen, 
and  others.  Ted  R.  Gamble,  National 
War  Finance  Director  in  Washing- 
ton, will  address  the  meeting. 


Westebbe  Slated  for 
Export  Co.  Post 


Max  Westebbe,  former  Holland 
manager  for  RKO  Radio,  who  re- 
turned to  this  country  after  the  out- 
break of  war  and  joined  the  domestic 
sales  department  as  Albany  branch 
manager,  was  reliably  reported  yes- 
terday soon  to  be  named  industry  rep- 
resentative in  Holland  for  the  Motion 
Picture  Export  Co. 

At  the  same  time,  it  was  under- 
stood that  Morris  Goodman,  former 
Republic  foreign  sales  head,  is  to  be 
named  to  represent  the  industry  ex- 
port company  in  Germany. 

When  questioned  on  these  reports 
yesterday,  Murray  Silverstone,  20th 
Century-Fox  International  president, 
and  acting  head  of  the  Export  Co., 
admitted  that  both  are  under  consid- 
eration for  these  posts  and  that  an 
announcement  may  be  forthcoming 
within  the  next  few  days. 

Mayer  to  Supervise 
Film  for  Red  Cross 

Arthur  L.  Mayer,  managing  director 
of  the  Rialto  Theatre,  here,  now 
serving  as  assistant  to  Basil  O'Con- 
nor, chairman  of  the  American  Red 
Cross,  has  been  alerted  for  the  start 
of  his  trip  to  India,  China  and  Japan, 
for  the  Red  Cross. 

Mayer's  assignments  include  his 
supervision  of  the  production  of  a 
factual  film  illustrating  Red  Cross 
work  in  the  Far  East. 


WILLIAM  F.  RODGER'S,  Loew's 
vice-president  and  general  sales 
manager,  left  here  yesterday  for  the 
Coast  on  a  trip  calling  for  stopovers 
at  Detroit  and  Chicago. 

• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M's  Southern 
sales  manager,  left  New  York  yester- 
day for  Washington,  following  a  two- 
day  visit  at  the  home  office.  He  will 
leave  the  Capital  Friday  for  his  New 
Orleans  headquarters. 

• 

R.  A.  Frisz,  chief  buyer  and  booker 
for  the  Chakeres  Circuit,  Springfield, 
O.,  arrived  in  New  York  yesterday 
en  route  to  the  Johns  Hopkins  Hospi- 
tal, Baltimore,  for  a  physical  checkup. 
• 

Edwin  W.  Aaron,  M-G-M  circuit 
sales  manager,  will  leave  New  York- 
today  for  the  Coast,  stopping  off  at 
Milwaukee,  Kansas  City,  Denver  and 
Salt  Lake  City  for  conferences  with 
National  Theatres  operating  heads. 
• 

Win  Barronhas,  Paramount  Ca- 
nadian exploitation  manager,  has  been 
discharged  from  St.  Michael's  Hospi- 
tal, Toronto,  where  he  had  been  seri- 
ously ill  with  pneumonia. 

• 

Sgt.  Angello  Zangaro,  former  as- 
sistant manager  of  the  Lyric,  Hart- 
ford, and  Mrs.  Zangaro  are  the  par- 
ents of  a  daughter,  Iris,  born  at  Hart- 
ford Hospital. 

• 

William    Rowell,   20th  Century- 
Fox  salesman  in  Buffalo,  and  Evelyn 
Engelhardt,  former  M-G-M  booker 
in  that  city,  married  recently. 
• 

Marvin  Schenck,  M-G-M  Eastern 
talent  head,  is  expected  in  New  York 
from  the  Coast  on  Friday,  his  trip 
having  been  delayed. 

• 

Nat  Levy,  RKO  Radio  Eastern  di- 
vision sales  manager,  has  left  New 
York  for  the  South  and  will  return 
here  Oct.  1. 

• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Eastern  division 
sales  manager  for  Warners,  is  due 
back  in  New  York  tomorrow  from 
Buffalo. 

• 

Sam  Lefko,  RKO  salesman  in  Phil- 
adelphia, is  a  patient  at  Will  Rogers 
Memorial  Hospital,  Saranac  Lake, 
N.  Y. 

• 

Esther  Timmerman  of  the  United 
Artists  Buffalo  branch  is  ill  at  Millard 
Fillmore  Hospital  in  that  city. 
• 

Charles  K.  Stern,  assistant  treas- 
urer of  Loew's,  has  returned  to  New 
York  from  Washington. 

• 

John  J.  Maloney,  M-G-M  Central 
sales  manager,  Pittsburgh,  is  expected 
in  Detroit  today. 

• 

Bing  Crosby  will  enter  St.  John's 
Hospital,  Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  for  a 
rest  and  checkup. 

• 

J.  T.  Sheffield,  head  of  Sheffield- 
Republic,  Salt  Lake  City,  is  laid  up 
with  an  infected  foot. 

• 

Frank  Frit,  manager  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, Bloomsburg,  Pa.,  is  ill. 


JE.  PERKINS,  manager  of  Para- 
•  mount's  Far  Eastern,  Australian, 
New  Zealand  and  South  African 'di- 
vision, has  arrived  in  London  and  is 
expected  to  reach  New  York  by  plane 
within  a  few  days. 

• 

Paul  Robeson  will  be  presented 
with  the  Spingarn  Medal  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Colored  People  at  a  dinner  at  the 
Hotel  Biltmore  tonight. 

• 

Dave  Cooper,  former  Warner  cir- 
cuit booker  in  Philadelphia,  was  mar- 
ried last  week  to  Gertrude  Bolen 
upon  receiving  his  Army  discharge, 
and  will  return  to  Warners. 

• 

Frank  Rosana,  manager  of  Fabi- 
an's St.  George  Theatre,  Staten  Is- 
land, has  returned  from  Greenwood 
Lake,  where  his  two  boxers  are  train- 
ing. 

• 

Charles  Lester,  National  Screen 
Service's  Southern  division  manager, 
has  returned  to  Atlanta  from  Mem- 
phis, and  will  leave  shortly  for  Char- 
lotte. 

• 

Irving    Wormser,    Eastern  sales 
manager  for  Film  Classics,  has  re- 
turned from  the  South  and  will  begin 
a  tour  of  the  East  this  weekend. 
• 

Spencer  Bregoff,  manager  of  the 
Palace  Theatre,  Staten  Island,  has  re- 
turned from  a  vacation  on  his  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,  farm. 

• 

William  Goldman,  independent 
circuit  owner  in  Philadelphia,  and 
Mrs.  Goldman,  will  leave  Friday  for 
a  Bermuda  vacation. 

• 

Harry  Paul,  Atlanta  branch  man- 
ager of  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Supply  Co., 
is  back  at  his  desk  after  a  business 
trip  to  Florida. 

• 

Nash  Weil,  Southern  district  man- 
ager of  Wil-Kin  Theatre  Supply  Co., 
Atlanta,  has  returned  from  Cleveland. 
• 

S.  Maurice  Livingston,  president 
of  International  Film  Classics,  has  re- 
turned to  New  York  from  "Canada. 
• 

R.  M.  Savini,  president  of  Astor 
Pictures,  here,  is  visiting  his  brother, 
N.  E.  Savini,  in  Atlanta. 

• 

Pamela  Britton,  M-G-M  star,  will 
arrive  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
on  Sept.  24. 

• 

Bill  Grady,  M-G-M  studio  talent 
chief,  arrived  here  yesterday  by  plane 
from  the  Coast. 

Giff  Davison,  RKO  branch  man- 
ager in  Salt  Lake  City,  is  visiting  in 
Montana. 

• 

George  Darensoll,  manager  of  the 
Capitol  Theatre,  Staten  Island,  is  on 
vacation. 

• 

O.  O.  (Pop)  Ray,  Paramount's 
Charlotte  booking  manager,  is  visiting 
Atlanta. 

• 

Greer  Garson,  M-G-M  star,  will 
arrive  here  from  the  Coast  on  Sept.  26. 


NY  Subsequent  Runs 
Face  Picket  Threat 

Settlement  yesterday  of  the 
New  York  painters'  strike  is- 
sues with  real  estate  opera- 
tors made  available  8,000 
painters  for  the  threatened 
forthcoming  picketing  of  New 
York  theatres  in  support  of 
the  studio  strikers. 

Starting  time  of  the  pick- 
eting has  not  been  made 
known  to  date.  It  is  under- 
stood that  first-run  houses 
only  were  originally  to  be 
picketed,  but  now  indications 
are  that  neighborhood  the- 
atres as  well  may  be  affected. 

Louis  Weinstock,  secretary 
of  the  Painters,  Decorators 
and  Paperhangers  District 
Council  No.  9,  is  said  to  be 
prepared  to  supply  many  mem- 
bers for  picketing. 


Green  Strike  Meet 
Continues  Today 


Washington,  Sept.  19.— Top  officials 
of  unions  involved  in  the  studio  strike 
met  today  with  William  Green,  pres- 
ident of  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor,  in  an  effort  to  straighten  out 
the  Hollywood  situation.  Those  sum- 
moned to  Washington  for  the  all-day 
meeting,  which  will  continue  tomor- 
row, were  Edward  J.  Brown,  head  of 
the  Electrical  Workers'  Union;  Mor- 
ris Hutcheson,  vice-president  of  the 
Carpenters'  Union;  William  H. 
Cooper,  of  the  Building  Service  Em- 
ployes' Union ;  L.  P.  Lindelof,  pres- 
ident of  the  Painters'  Union ;  William 
C.  O'Niell  of  the  Plumbers'  Union; 
Richard  F.  Walsh  of  the  IATSE,  and 
Harvey  W.  Brown,  president  of  the 
Machinists'  Union. 

New  Charter  Issue 

The  session  was  an  outgrowth  of 
the  failure  of  Walsh  to  withdraw 
IATSE  charters  issued  earlier  this 
year  to  new  locals  of  studio  workers 
which  the  heads  of  other  unions 
charged  were  raids  on  their  mem- 
bership. The  order  to  disband  the 
locals  was  issued  at  the  last  meeting 
of  the  AFL  executive  council  in  Chi- 
cago last  month,  and  Walsh  was  given 
until  Oct.  15,  when  the  council  meets 
again  in  Cincinnati,  to  comply — or  pos- 
sibly have  his  IATSE  suspended. 

At  the  meeting  today  were  the  of- 
ficers of  unions  which  have  been  most 
seriously  affected  by  Walsh's  char- 
tering activities.  Involved  in  the  sit- 
uation, also,  is  the  strike  of  set  deco- 
rators which  began  last  spring  when 
the  producers  refused  to  do  business 
with  a  local  chartered  by  the  Painters' 
Union. 


Charles  Cohen  Resigns 

Charles  Cohen,  for  14  years  a  mem- 
ber of  Howard  Dietz's  home  office  ad- 
vertising-publicity staff  at  M-G-M, 
has  resigned  from  the  company  to  as- 
sume an  executive  post  with  an  in- 
dustrial concern  outside  the  industry, 
it  was  disclosed  yesterday.  Cohen's 
resignation  takes  effect  Sept.  28. 


n  !7-  V?  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N  Y  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Hcmigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  LTnion  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1Q,">  at  the  Dost  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879.  Suhscnotion 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  jingle  copies,  10c. 


^\]&s  Happen/  Hbbe. 


/ 


JOAN  CRAWFORD  •  JACK  CARSON  •  ZACHARY  SCOTT  in"MILDRED  PIERCE" 

with  EVE  ARDEN  •  ANN  BLYTH  •  BRUCE  BENNETT  ■  Directed  by  MICHAEL  CURTIZ  •  Produced  by  JERRY  WALD 
Screen  Play  by  Ranald  MacDougall  ♦  Based  on  the  Novel  by  James  M.  Cain  •  Music  by  Max  Steiner 

WARNER  PICTURE! 


4 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY 


Thursday,  September  20,  1945 


20th-Fox  Letters 
Kept  Off  Record 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  19.— Gov- 
ernment attorneys  renewed  their  ef- 
forts to  place  20th  Century-Fox  cor- 
respondence in  the  Griffith  anti-trust 
trial  record  today  despite  a  series  of 
rulings  by  Federal  Judge  Edgar  S. 
Vaught  that  the  letters  were  inadmis- 
sable. 

The  correspondence,  possibly  pho- 
tographed for  use  as  exhibits  in  this 
trial  before  20th-Fox  and  the  other 
distributor  defendants  were  dismissed 
from  the  case,  was  objected  to  by  de- 
fense lawyers  on  the  grounds  that  it 
was  not  binding  on  them  as  it  was 
private  correspondence  between  third 
parties. 

Kime  Tries  Hard 

P.  T.  Kime,  Government  attorney, 
laid  a  foundation  for  entering  each  let- 
ter or  other  communication,  only  to 
have  Vaught  reject  it  upon  making 
the  offering  as  an  exhibit.  W.  J. 
Kupper,  20th-Fox  general  sales  man- 
ager, identified  each  of  them  before 
they  were  excluded. 

Kupper's  testimony  will  be  followed 
by  reading  of  ISO  pages  of  depositions 
taken  in  New  York  during  July.  They 
include  those  of  William  F.  Rodgers, 
general  sales  manager  for  Loew's ; 
Ned  E.  Depinet,  RKO  Radio  presi- 
dent ;  A.  Montague,  Columbia  general 
sales  manager ;  F.  J.  A.  McCarthy, 
Universal  Southern  and  Canadian 
sales  manager,  and  Gradwell  Sears, 
United  Artists  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution. 


Coleman  and  Batsel 
Get  RCA  Promotions 

Appointments  of  J.  B.  Coleman  as 
assistant  director  of  engineering  for 
RCA  Victor  and  of  M.  C.  Batsel  as 
chief  engineer  of  engineering  products, 
have  been  announced  by  D.  F.  Schmit 
director  of  engineering  for  Victor. 

Coleman,  who  will  make  his  head- 
quarters at  the  home  office  in  Camden, 
joined  RCA  in  1930.  In  1939  he  was 
appointed  chief  engineer  of  engineer- 
ing products  department,  a  position  he 
held  until  his  new  assignment.  Batsel 
is  known  in  both  radio  and  motion  pic- 
tures. He  became  associated  with  RCA 
in  1929.  Previous,  to  his  new  assign- 
ment, Batsel  was  chief  engineer  at  the 
Victor  plant  in  Indianapolis. 


Two  New  Producers 
To  Start  in  Mexico 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  19. — Despite  the 
raw  stock  shortage  and  industry  labor 
trouble,  Maria  Antonieta  Pons,  the 
actress,  has  organized  with  Luis  Le- 
zama,  producer,  her  own  production 
company,  Producciones  Maria  An- 
tonieta Pons,  S.  A.,  which  will  begin 
work  next  year. 

Juan  Diez  Triay  has  organized  a 
producing  company  here  and  is  nego- 
tiating with  Ricardo  Montalban,  now 
in  Hollywood,  to  play  the  lead  in  his 
first  picture. 


Price  Raise  Is  Illegal 

Mexico  City,  Sept-.  19.— Guadala- 
jara, Mexico's  second  largest  city,  has 
fined  operators  of  its  two  largest 
theatres,  the  Cines  Alameda  and  Ave- 
nida,  for  raising,  without  civic  gov- 
ernment authorization,  their  admit- 
tances charges  from  65  to  75  cents. 


Review 


"The  Enchanted  Forest" 

{PRC) 

4tnp  HE  ENCHANTED  FOREST"  pays  tribute  to  the  beauty  of  America's 
1  Western  woodlands  and  their  inhabitants.  It  is  a  picture  that  captures, 
in  color,  the  spirit  of  nature,  and  carries  the  warm  mood  which  captivates 
poets  and  nature-lovers.  Keyed  to  this  mood  is  the  wholesome  story  of  an 
old,  white-bearded  hermit  who  has  found  contentment  in  the  wilderness. 

The  hermit,  played  by  Harry  Davenport,  observes  the  forest  being  violated 
by  lumbermen  and  tries  in  vain  to  stop  them.  Fate  steps  in  on  the  side  of 
the  old  man  when  Brenda  Joyce,  daughter  of  lumber  camp  owner  John  Litel, 
believes  she  has  lost  her  infant  son  to  a  storm-swollen  stream,  and  the  seeming 
tragedy  results  in  the  closing  of  the  camp,  saving  the  forest  from  destruction. 

Rescued  from  the  stream  by  the  hermit,  the  child  is  reared  by  him  in  the 
company  of  the  animals  and  birds. 

Several  years  later  Miss  Joyce,  at  the  instigation  of  a  doctor  friend,  played 
by  Edmund  Lowe,  returns  to  the  forest,  a  setting  the  doctor  feels  will  help 
in  curing  her  of  a  mental  illness  brought  about  by  the  loss  of  her  child.  She 
catches  glimpses  of  the  boy,  charmingly  portrayed  by  little  Billy  Severn, 
during  walks  in  the  woods,  but  Lowe  regards  her  recounting  of  them  as  evi- 
dence of  her  illness.  Eventually  the  hermit,  guided  by  mysterious  voices  of 
the  forest,  leads  the  child  to  his  mother  for  the  film's  happy  ending. 

With  a  slight  and  fanciful  story  Lew  Landers  can  be  credited  with  an  ar- 
tistic and  effective  directorial  job.  Performances  by  the  actors  are  uniformly 
good,  but  their  roles  are  subordinated  in  a  measure  to  those  of  the  trained 
animals  and  birds  whose  acting  will  fascinate  audiences.  The  screenplay,  by 
Robert  Lee  Johnson,  John  Lebar  and  Lou  Brock,  is  from  an  original  by 
Lebar.  Jack  Schwarz  produced,  and  Brock  served  as  associate  producer. 
Deserving  of  special  mention  are  Marcel  LePicard,  photography  director, 
and  Albert  Hay  Malotte  for  his  background  musical  score. 

"The  Enchanted  Forest"  stands  out  as  excellent  family  entertainment,  and 
holds  theatre-front  exploitation  possibilities  by  virtue  of  its  nature  colorations. 

Running  time,  77  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date,  Dec.  8. 

Charles  L.  Franke 


Near  East  Viewed 
As  Growing  Market 

Near  East  countries  can  provide  a 
sharply  expanding  market  for  Amer- 
ican films  and  theatre  and  recording- 
equipment,  according  to  R.  E.  Gowar, 
manager  of  Western  Electric  in  the 
Near  East,  who  has  arrived  in  this 
country  from  Egypt.  This  market 
depends  on  an  early  solution  of  mone- 
tary exchange  problems  and  the  re- 
sulting modification  in  existing  import 
restrictions,  he  said.  Gowar  is  in 
New  York  to  attend  the  first  interna- 
tional conference  of  Western  Electric 
Export  Corp.  foreign  managers,  sched- 
uled to  begin  Oct.  1. 

The  influence  of  films,  radio  and 
English-speaking  military  personnel  in 
the  Near  East  has  sharpened  the  in- 
terest of  natives  in  English-speaking 
pictures,  Gowar  indicated.  He  empha- 
sized that  there  is  a  large  untapped 
market  for  American  films  having 
sound  tracks  dubbed  in  native  lan- 
guages. Such  pictures  can  be  dis- 
tributed to  villages  and  small  town 
exhibitors,  as  well  as  to  small  metro- 
politan theatres. 

This  rural  market  currently  is  be- 
in«r  supplied  by  some  native  produc- 
ers, who  demand  high  prices  because 
of  the  relatively  short  supply  of  films. 
Three  new  studios  in  Egypt,  Syria  and 
Lebanon,  which  are  now  under  con- 
struction, will  meet  some  of  the 
demand,  Gowar  said. 


Venezuela  Preferred 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  19. — Important 
Mexican  film  players  have  begun  a 
move  to  Venezuela  because  of  labor 
and  other  difficulties  in  the  Mexican 
industry.  Lina  Montes  and  Victor 
Junco,  prominent  in  Mexican  pictures, 
are  now  on  their  way  to  that  country, 
under  contract  to  a  Venezuelan  com- 
pany which,  it  is  said,  is  backed  by 
Mexican  capital. 


Hungary  Soon  Will 
Have  400  Theatres 


Washington,  Sept.  19. — Only  120 
of  Hungary's  800  motion  pictures  thea- 
tres are  now  operating,  but  the  num- 
ber is  expected  to  increase  to  400  in 
the  near  future,  it  was  reported  here 
recently  by  Nathan  D.  Golden,  chief 
of  the  motion  picture  bureau  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce. 

When  400  theatres  are  in  operation 
there  will  be  50  more  than  the  coun- 
try had  in  1939,  Golden  said. 

A  survey  of  tbe  Hungarian  film  sit- 
uation shows  that  there  were  only  two 
producers  in  the  country,  with  an  out- 
put in  1930-31  of  10  features.  No 
data  was  available  for  subsequent 
years.  During  the  war,  studios  and 
other  equipment  of  the  companies 
were  damaged  considerably. 


Ohio  Delays  Lifting 
War  Work-week  Acts 

Columbus,  O.,  Sept.  19. — Gov. 
Frank  J.  Laushe  has  postponed  until 
Dec.  15  his  proclamation  terminating 
the  Ross  and  Corey  Acts,  emergency 
legislation  enacted  during  the  war, 
which  removed  the  45-hour  peacetime 
work-week  for  women  and  minors, 
and  permitted  employes  to  extend  the 
workweek  to  50  hours  in  factories  and 
mercantile  establishments,  which  in- 
clude theatres. 

The  change  originally  was  sched- 
uled for  Sept.  15. 


7x/i-Billion  Radio  Job 

Washington,  Sept.  19. — Produc- 
tion records  of  military  radio-radar 
communications  equipment  of  the 
WPB  radio  and  radar  division,  made 
available  to  Radio  Manufacturers  As- 
sociation, show  that  approximately 
$7,500,000,000  was  the  record  of  the 
industry  during  the  war. 


Short 
Subjects 


"Sports  Go  to  War" 

(Warner-Sports  Parade) 

Dealing  with  sports  as  training  for 
war  in  Canada,  this  Technicolor  short 
catches  glimpses  of  softball,  tug-o- 
war,  basketball,  soccer,  boxing  and 
cross-country  racing.  Canada's  nation- 
al game,  la  crosse,  and  judo  are  high- 
lighted. Obstacle  courses  and  boat 
races  are  featured  and  the  picture  con- 
cludes with  battle  scenes  in  which  the 
teamwork  learned  in  sports  is  put  to 
practical  use.  Running  time,  10  min- 
utes.   Release  date,  September  29. 


"Magic  of  Youth" 

(20th-Fox  Movietone  Adventure) 

The  human  and  scenic  beauties  of 
Florida,  about  which  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  has  been  in  no  wise  reticent, 
are  the  subjects  of  this  gay  and  pic- 
turesque one-reeler.  The  charm  of 
good  views  comes  in  for  its  due,  with 
a  playful  commentary  by  Paul  Doug- 
las.   Running  time,  eight  minutes. 


"Here  Come  the  Navy 
Bands" 

( Warners-Melody  Masters) 

Opening  in  a  Naval  hospital  at  San 
Diego,  Calif.,  a  group  of  sailors  and 
Waves  offers  "Here  Comes  the  Navy," 
followed  by  the  men  and  women  of  the 
Marine  Corps  singing  "Gee  I  Love  My 
GI  Guy."  Other  musical  numbers  fea- 
tured in  this  short  are  "Blow  the  Man 
Down,"  "Semper  Fidelis"  and  "An- 
chors Aweigh."  Running  time,  10 
minutes.    Release  date,  September  29. 


Harrisburg  Owners 
Lose  Sunday  Fight 

Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Sept.  19.  —  The 
Sunday  film  question  has  been  ruled 
off  the  Harrisburg  ballot  for  the  Nov. 
6  election  by  order  of  the  Dauphin 
County  Court,  which  decrees  that 
many  of  the  names  on  petitions  re- 
questing placing  of  the  question  on 
the  ballot  were  not  valid. 

Theatre  men,  headed  by  Jack  D. 
O'Rear,  manager  of  the  Colonial,  who 
acted  as  chairman  of  the  committee, 
said  they  would  not  appeal  the  ruling 
because  of  the  shortness  of  time. 
Legality  of  the  names  on  many  of  the 
petitions  was  challenged  by  the  local 
Bible  Class  Federation,  which  asked 
the  court  to  throw  the  paper  out. 


H.  J.  Kaufman  Retires 

Toronto,  Sept.  19. — Toronto  film- 
trade  resignations  continue  with  the 
retirement  of  Harry  J.  Kaufman  as 
general  manager  of  Foto-Nite  Dis- 
tributors following  his  recent  transfer 
from  the  position  of  general  manager 
of  Canadian  Monogram  and  the  with- 
drawal of  Harry  Ginsler  as  salesman 
of  Monogram  to  join  Peerless  Films. 
L.  F.  Hoffman  has  also  stepped  out 
as  Toronto  branch  manager  of  Per- 
kins Electric  Co.  after  many  years, 
to  be  succeeded  by  R.  V.  Shale. 


House  to  Reopen 

Toledo,  Sept.  19.— The  Strand 
Theatre  here,  closed  for  the  past  two 
years,  is  scheduled  to  be  reopened 
early  next  month  by  Al  Ruben,  form- 
er Newton  Falls  theatre  owner. 


COLUMBIA  PICTURES  presents 


o 


A  GEORGE  ABBOTT  Production 

Play  and  Screenplay  by  F.  HUGH  HERBERT 


starring 


TH 


L- 

Mr  HAIL-  r«n  TULLY 

Muted  H  SOL  C.  SIEGEL  •  Directed  lj  RICHARD  WALLACE 


fons  .„  S  I,  so.ooo,, 


O 


O 


O 


Thursday,  September  20,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


9 


Critics'  Quotes  .  .  . 


"BACK  TO  BATAAN"  (RKO  Radio) 

Excells  in  moments  of  intense  excitement  and  suspense,  but  it  is  cut  to  that 
familiar  mass  production  formula. — Lee  Mortimer,  New  York  Daily  Mirror. 

One  of  the  best  pictures  of  the  war  .  .  .  action  is  filled  with  suspense  and  is 
deeply  moving  at  times. — Kate  Cameron,  New  York  Daily  News. 

A  tense  and  stirring  tribute  to  the  guerilla  fighters  of  the  Philippines.  .  .  . 
John  Wayne  gives  another  of  his  competent  performances. — Rose  Pelswick, 
New  York  Journal- American. 

It  smacks  of  a  popular  but  outmoded  type  of  war  film  ...  a  rousing  melo- 
drama for  those  who  approach  their  movies  without  high  standards  of  judg- 
ment.— Archer  Winstcn,  Nczv  York  Post. 

Despite  its  general  adventure-strip  character,  "Back  to  Bataan"  is  an  honest, 
healthy  film  and  one  that  inspires  a  new  interest  in  the  Philippine  people. — 
John  T.  McManus,  PM,  Nczv  York. 

Should  stimulate  plenty  of  trade,  for  it  certainly  suggests  the  fulfillment  of 
sweet  and  triumphant  revenge  .  .  .  unless  you  are  easily  susceptible  to  Holly- 
wood make-believe,  you  will  probably  find  it  a  juvenile  dramatization  of  sig- 
nificant history. — Bosley  Crowther,  Nczv  York  Times. 

"A  THOUSAND  AND  ONE  NIGHTS"  (Col.) 

.  .  .  completely  light-hearted,  inconsequential  entertainment.  So  go  to  see 
it  and  forget  all  your  troubles. — Ann  Marstcrs,  Chicago  Herald-American. 

.  .  .  gay  and  pretty  entertainment,  made  in  the  best  traditions  of  the  Broad- 
way musical  comedy,  an  ideal  not  always  realized  in  our  musical  movies.  Or 
in  Broadway  shows,  for  that  matter. — Henry  T.  Murdoch,  Chicago  Sun. 

A  good  deal  of  the  time,  thanks  to  the  cast,  it  is  a  lively  and  sprightly  film 
— but,  like  a  good  many  others,  it  doesn't  quite  know  when  to  stop,  and  you 
are  apt  to  grow  a  little  bored  before  the  finish. — Doris  Arden,  Chicago  Times. 

It's  lush,  lavish,  and  long,  and  it  frequently  stumbles  over  its  own  gaudy 
trappings  and  loses  tempo.  However,  it  also  has  several  entertaining  se- 
quences.— Mac  Tinee,  Chicago  Tribune. 


Jones  Opens  SGP 
Meeting  Here  Today 


John  J.  Jones,  president  of  Screen 
t  iuild  Productions,  will  preside  at  a 

i meeting  of  SGP  stock  and  franchise 
holders,  to  be  held  here  today  and  to- 

,  morrow  at  the  Park  Central  Hotel. 

As  reported  in  Motion  Picture 
Daily  on  Sept.  4,  the  meeting  has 
lieen  called  by  Jones  to  pass  on  plans 
for  new  productions,  details  of  which 
Jones  has  worked  out  on  the  Coast ;  to 

,  set  sales  plans  on  12  already  sched- 
uled for  1945-40,  including  "North- 
west Trail,"'  second  of  Screen 'Guild's 
action  releases,  and  to  select  a  general 
sales  manager. 

Others  Attending 

Scheduled  to  attend,  in  addition  to 
Jones,  are:  vice-presidents  Robert  L. 
Lippert,  John  W.  Mangham  and  Ar- 
thur Lockwood ;  M.  S.  Schulter, 
treasurer ;  John  L.  Franconi,  secre- 
tary, and  directors  Jack  Engel,  J.  F. 
White,  Jr.,  and  Bert  Stearn.  Other 
franchise  holders  expected  to  attend 
include,  Sam  Wheeler,  Washington ; 
Al  Swerdlove,  Boston ;  Joseph  Wolf, 
Minneapolis;  Julian  King,  Kansas 
City,  Omaha  and  Des  Moines;  J. 
Marcan  Bercesian,  Denver  and  Salt 
Lake  City ;  Al  Dezel,  Detroit ;  Joy 
Houck  and  L.  C.  Montgomery,  New 
Orleans  and  Memphis ;  Carr  Scott, 
Oklahoma  City ;  Al  Grubstick,  San 
Francisco,  and  Harry  Arthur,  St. 
Louis. 


Will  Yolen  Head  of 
N.  Y.  Publicity  Club 

Publicity  Club  of  New  York's  of- 
ficers and  committees  for  the  coming 
year  are :  Will  Yoien,  director  of  spe- 
cial events  for  Warners,  president ; 
Kathrine  Wellingbrook,  publicity 
agency  head,  first  vice-president ; 
George  Anderson,  Pendleton,  Dudley 
and  Associates,  second  vice-president ; 
Dorothy  Meyers,  Austin  Wilder 
agency,  recording  secretary ;  new  di- 
rectors for  terms  expiring  in  1947, 
Inez  Kimball,  Girl  Scouts  of  Ameri- 
ca ;  Julie  Medlock,  own  agency  ;  Bush 
Barnum  of  Benton  and  Bowles ;  Wes- 
ton Smith  of  Financial  World. 

The  office  of  secretary-treasurer, 
held  by  Uriel  Davis,  is  filled  by  ap- 
pointment of  the  president,  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  directors. 

30  Film  Stars  Join 
Catholic  Air  Series 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19.  —  More 
than  30  screen  stars  have  already  con- 
sented to  give  their  services  to  Father 
Patrick  Peyton,  director  of  the  'Na- 
tional Family  Rosary  Crusade,'  for  a 
series  of  radio  programs  honoring  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  it  is  reported  in  The 
Ez-angclist,  Albany  diocesan  .weekly. 

The  publication  further  disclosed 
that  Bill  Bacher,  radio  producer,  will 
supervise  the  program ;  Fred  Niblo, 
Jr.  and  Griffin  Jay  will  prepare  the 
scripts,  Pedroe  de  Cordoba  will  nar- 
rate. Clarence  Hutson,  of  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox, will  organize  personnel. 


Young  Here  for  Meet 

Kenneth  Young,  president  of  PRC, 
arrived  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
yesterday  and  deferred  taking  up 
company  matters  until  after  a  rest. 
While  here  he  will  call  the  first  board 
of  directors  meeting  under  his  new 
PRC  regime. 


WNEW  to  Broadcast 
History  of  Industry 

Radio  station  WNEW,  here,  will 
begin  on  Sept.  23  a  series  of  Sunday 
broadcasts  dramatizing  the  history  of 
the  motion  picture  industry.  Entitled 
"History  of  the  Movies,"  the  series 
will  be  narrated  by  Eugene  O'Neill, 
Jr.,  son  of  the  playright.  The  initial 
script,  written  by  Max  Berton  of 
WNEW's  continuity  department,  and 
directed  by  Jack  Grogan,  will  deal 
with  the  industry's  early  pioneers  in 
the  struggle  to  create  motion  pictures 
both  here  and  abroad  and  will  cover 
Edison's  development  of  the  peep- 
show  machine,  the  Kinetescope,  which 
made  its  first  appearance  in  New  York 
in  1894. 

Subsequent  programs  in  the  series 
will  be  devoted  to  the  patent  wars, 
the  rise  of  nickelodeons,  the  Keystone 
Comedies,  the  making  of  Hollywood's 
stars,  the  national  and  international 
problems  of  film  distribution,  and 
many  other  phases  of  the  industry. 

O'Neill  has  appeared  on  many  net- 
work shows  and  has  made  frequent 
appearances  on  WNEW  dramatic 
programs. 

Picture  Pioneers' 
Dinner  on  Nov.  28 

The  Picture  Pioneers,  here,  will 
hold  its  annual  fall  dinner  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  Nov.  28,  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria,  Jack  Cohn,  head  of  the  or- 
ganization discloses. 

William  Brandt  has  been  appointed 
chairman  of  the  dinner  committee  and 
in  that  capacity  will  have  full  charge 
of  all  arrangements.  A  meeting  of 
the  executive  committee  will  be  held 
next  week  to  discuss  the  affair. 


Ampa  Luncheon  Meeting 

Associated  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers will  begin  its  series  of  luncheon- 
meetings  following  the  Summer  recess, 
today  at  Ronnie's  Steak  House,  here, 
instead  of  yesterday,  as  previously  re- 
ported. 


Nelson,  Vaill,  Philips 
Get  NBC  Promotions 

Three  advancements  in  NBC's  ad- 
vertising and  promotion  department, 
involving  James  H.  Nelson,  Charles 
B.  H.  Vaill  and  Charles  Philips  are 
announced  by  Charles  P.  Hammond, 
director. 

Nelson,  currently  network  sales  pro- 
motion manager,  becomes  assistant  di- 
rector of  advertising  and  promotion, 
taking  over  the  post  vacated  by  James 
M.  Gaines,  who  has  been  named  man- 
ager of  the  new  planning  and  develop- 
ment department.  Vaill,  who  now  is 
WEAF  promotion  manager,  assumes 
the  post  vacated  by  Nelson.  Philips, 
promotion  manager  of  KOA,  NBC 
station  in  Denver,  will  come  to  New 
York  to  take  the  WEAF  promotion 
managership. 


Warner  Zone  Heads 
Meeting  Here  Ends 

Home  office  meetings  of  Warner 
zone  managers  concluded  last  night, 
and  among  those  returning  to  their 
headquarters  today  are:  James  Coston, 
Chicago;  Nat  Wolf,  Cleveland;  I.  J. 
Hoffman,  New  Haven;  Frank  Damis, 
Newark;  C.  J.  Latta,  Albany;  Ted 
Schlanger,  Philadelphia ;  Moe  Silver, 
Pittsburgh,  and  John  J.  Payette, 
W  ashington. 

Plans  for  meeting  with  dislocations 
arising  during  the  reconversion  were 
among  topics  discussed. 


Hole  Back  to  CBS 

Leonard  Hole,  manager  of  CBS 
television  operations  until  he  entered 
the  Navy  as  a  lieutenant  nearly  three 
years  ago,  has  rejoined  Columbia  and 
is  now  attached  to  the  department  of 
editing  and  copyright  as  staff  editor 
and  liaison  with  television  activities. 
Hole  was  manager  of  CBS  television 
for  four  years,  and  prior  to  that 
served  for  four  years  as  director  of 
CBS  program  servicing. 


Walt  Disney 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


the  war,  including  "everything  since 
'Snow  White.' " 

The  appointment  of  John  F.  Reeder 
as  vice-president  and  general  mana- 
ger, succeeding  Roy  Disney,  who  will 
become  president,  permitting  Walt 
Disney  to  become  board  chairman  and 
devote  his  full  time  to  production,  her- 
alds expansion  of  the  company's  ac- 
tivities on  a  global  basis,  Levy  said 
at  a  luncheon  for  the  press  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  yesterday.  This  re- 
conversion and  expansion  program, 
Levy  said,  will  be  implemented  by 
doubling  of  feature  production  from 
one  to  two  yearly  and  also  continua- 
tion of  a  full  program  of  18  shorts. 

Levy  said  the  present  Disney  offices 
in  London,  Paris  and  Australia  will 
be  supplemented  by  others  in  Europe, 
within  the  next  six  months,  and  in 
the  Far  East,  South  America  and 
South  Africa.  Domestically,  the  New 
York  office  will  be  strengthened,  and 
will  continue  as  headquarters,  he  said. 

Levy  will  leave  here  for  the  Coast 
tomorrow  to  participate  in  production 
conferences  and  will  return  in  a  month 
accomnanied  by  Roy  Disney. 

'Doc'  Dohertyf  51, 
Of  Warners,  Dies 

H.  M.  (Doc)  Doherty,  51,  auditor 
of  exchanges^  for  Warners,  and  one 
of  the  oldest  employees  of  the  com- 
pany, which  he  joined  25  years  ago, 
died  late  Tuesday  night  at  his  home 
in  Lynbrook,  L.  I.  He  was  a  veteran 
of  World  War  I,  serving  with  the 
77th  Division  in  France. 

Doherty  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
two  sons,  a  daughter  and  two  brothers. 
One  of  his  brothers,  Eddie,  was  a 
Warner  exchange  employee  before 
going  into  the  Navy  after  Pearl  Har- 
bor. Funeral  services  will  be  held 
Saturday  morning  with  a  requiem 
mass  at  Our  Lady  of  Peace  Church, 
Lynbrook.  Burial  will  be  at  Holy 
Rood  Cemetery,  Westbury,  L.  I. 


Legion  Classifies  Six 
Pictures  This  Week 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency 
this  week  classified  six  pictures  as 
follows:  A-l,  "The  House  on  92nd 
Street,"  20th  Century-Fox ;  "Out- 
laws of  the  Rockies,"  "Columbia ; 
"Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland,"  RKO  ; 
A-Il,  "River  Gang"  and  "Shady 
Lady,"  Universal ;  given  a  Class  B, 
"Apology  for  Murder,"  PRC. 


Fausel's  Mother  Dies 

Funeral  services  for  Mrs.  Bertha 
Fausel,  76,  mother  of  Gus  Fausel,  ad- 
vertising production  manager  of 
Quigley  Publications,  who  died  of 
pneumonia  at  her  Valley  Stream 
home  on  Tuesday  night,  will  be  held 
at  1  :30  P.  M.  Friday  at  the  Herlich 
Chapel,  here. 

Surviving  also  are  another  son,  Al- 
fred Fausel,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Elsa 
Nattutat. 


John  McGrane  Killed 

Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.,  Sept.  19. — Lt. 
John  A.  McGrane,  22,  former  em- 
ploye of  Comerford,  and  a  veteran  of 
50  missions  in  the  ETO,  was  killed  in 
a  plane  crash  last  week  at  Hondos 
Army  Air  Field,  Texas,  where  he  had 
recently  been  assigned  as  instructor. 


10 


Motion  picture  daily 


Thursday,  September  20,  1945 


Johnston  Recognized  as 
Spokesman  for  Business 


Johnston  Program 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

trial  democracy.  The  motion  picture 
industry  can  set  the  example." 

Other  "immediate  objectives"  which 
Johnston  named  are: 

The  cooperative  undertaking  of  "a 
greatly  expanded  research  program" 
for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  industry, 
designed  to  improve  "the  film,  the 
theatre,  methods  and  techniques,"  and 
including  the  greater  use  of  pictures  in 
the  educational  field ; 

The  free  interchange  of  motion  pic- 
tures internationally ;  elimination  of 
artificial  barriers  to  such  interchange 
and  "a  fair  share  of  foreign  markets" 
for  our  films  ; 

Maintenance  of  "enlightened  self- 
discipline  by  the  industry"  as  the 
surest  guarantee  against  Government 
censorship  and  regulation,  and, 

An  effort  to  make  the  motion  pic- 
ture an  "adjunct  to  our  whole  educa- 
tional system,"  as  a  sociological  factor 
and  in  repayment  for  the  mass  ac- 
ceptance of  the  American  film. 

Statement  in  Detail 

Johnston's  statement  follows: 

"I  have  been  attracted  to  the  motion 
picture  industry  because  it  offers  •un- 
limited opportunities  to  work  for 
peace  and  prosperity  at  home  and 
abroad.  These  are  the  two  goals  for 
which  all  mankind  yearns  today. 

"The  motion  picture  has  been  aptly 
described  as  the  greatest  way  of  tell- 
ing a  story  ever  devised  by  man.  In  a 
relatively  short  period  of  development, 
the  film  has  become  a  medium  of  mass 
entertainment  and  enlightenment, 
unique  in  world  history.  Its  appeal  is 
universal.  Its  potential  power  for 
good  is  only  matched  by  its  potential 
power  for  evil. 

"Each  week,  80,000,000  people  in  the 
United  States,  and  millions  abroad,  go 
to  the  motion  picture  for  entertain- 
ment, information  and  inspiration. 
Through  their  eyes  and  ears,  they  re- 
ceive new  ideas  and  first  become  ac- 
quainted with  new  products — products 
which  are  luxuries  today  but  are 
necessities  tomorrow. 

"We  have  learned  that  American 
motion  pictures  are,  and  they  must 
continue  to  be,  America's  greatest 
salesmen,  her  most  natural  and  con- 
vincing ambassadors  of  good-will. 

"The  development  of  the  atomic 
bomb  and  the  rocket  projectile  in  the 
closing  phases  of  the  war  has  taught 
us  that  mankind  must  learn  the  art 
of  living  in  peace  or  else  face  extinc- 
tion. The  motion  picture,  prudently 
and  wisely  used,  should  be  one  of  the 
most  potent  forces  for  promoting 
friendship  and  understanding  among 
nations.  I  learned  from  personal  ex- 
perience that  in  many  countries,  the 
only  America  the  people  know  is  the 
America  of  the  motion  picture.  We 
intend  always  to  keep  that  in  mind. 

Faithful  Portrayals 

"It  is  our  aim  to  foster  an  industry 
program  which  will  make  motion  pic- 
tures an  even  better  reflection  of  the 
American  design  of  living.  This  can- 
not be  accomplished  by  crude,  brute- 
force  propaganda,  by  boastful  chest- 
thumping,  over  our  superior  way  of 
doing  things.  Rather,  the  program 
will  depend  upon  a  faithful  portrayal 
of  all  the  natural  forces  of  day-to- 
clav  life  around  us. 

"We  have  other  immediate  objec- 
tives : 

"1.  War  taught  the  industry  the 
value  of  united,  cooperative  effort.  All 
elements  of  the  industry — producers, 


Eric  A.  Johnston,  president  of  the 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Producers  and  Distribu- 
tors of  America,  at  a  board  of  direc- 
tors meeting  held  here  yesterday,  is 
considered  to  have  achieved  recogni- 
tion as  a  spokesman  for  American 
business. 

Johnston  also  is  a  member  of  the 
Committee  for  Economic  Development, 
Business  Advisory  Council  of  the  De- 
partment of  Commerce,  Management- 
Labor  Policy  Committee;  Postwar 
Economic  Foreign  Policy  Committee 
of  the  Department  of  State,  Inter- 
American  Development  Commission, 
Advisory  Committee  for  Civilian  Poli- 
cy, and  a  number  of  other  organiza- 
tions. 

In  1943,  at  the  behest  of  the  State 
Department,  he  made  a  20,000-mile  air 
tour  around  South  America  to  lay  a 
foundation  for  postwar  cooperation 
among  business  men  of  the  Western 
Hemisphere.  In  the  same  year  he 
visited  England  to  promote  better  un- 
derstanding and  cooperation  between 
the  two  countries.  In  1944,  at  the  in- 
vitation of  the  Soviet  Government,  he 
went  to  Russia  for  a  conference  with 
Marshal  Stalin. 

For  Reconciliation 

Described  as  a  believer  in  the  value 
of  personal  contacts  in  reconciling  di- 
vergent views,  Johnston  is  said  to  be- 
lieve that  "even  the  bitterest  contro- 
versies can  be  resolved  if  contending 
parties  will  stress  points  of  agreement 
rather  than  points  of  difference." 

Johnston  was  born  in-  Washington, 
D.  C,  on  Dec.  22,  1895. 

During  school  he  was  school  corre- 
spondent for  a  newspaper,  earning  $35 
per  month. 

Johnston  later  enrolled  in  a  law 
course  at  the  University  of  Washing- 
ton. 

In  1917  he  was  one  of  six  seniors 
recommended  by  the  university  as  of- 
ficer material  for  the  Marine  Corps, 
and  he  was  commissioned  a  lieuten- 


distributors,  exhibitors,  representa- 
tives of  the  actors,  directors  and  writ- 
ers guilds  and  the  craft  unions — 
worked  together  in  the  manifold  war 
activities.  This  cooperative  effort 
must  be  carried  over  into  the  peace. 
Our  purpose  is  to  work  with  all  these 
elements  to  form  a  Motion  Picture 
Institute  so  that  the  industry  can  as- 
sume its  full  share  of  the  responsi- 
bility of  promoting  peace  and  better 
living.  Nothing  like  this  has  even 
been  attempted  in  any  American  in- 
dustry in  peacetime.  It  is  the  natural 
evolution  of  political  into  industrial 
democracy.  We  cannot  maintain 
democratic  capitalism  without  indus- 
trial democracy.  The  motion  picture 
industry  can  set  the  example. 

"This  proposal  is  merely  another 
way  of  saying  that  we  Americans 
must  learn  to  live  together,  to  work 
together,  and  above  all  to  talk  to  one 
another  as  though  we  were  residents 
of  the  same  planet.  -  Unless  we  do,  we 
might  just  as  well  stop  prattling 
about  promoting  the  cause  of  interna- 
tional peace.  An  America  divided 
wi'l  never  lead  the  way  to  a  world 
united.  We  cannot  be  good  neighbors 
until  we  learn  to  get  along  with  our- 
selves. 

"2.    A   greatly   expanded  research 


ant,  serving  as  bayonet  instructor.  He 
became  a  captain  and  was  detailed  to 
the  legation  guard  at  Peking,  China. 

Johnston  returned  to  Spokane, 
where  he  became  a  saLesman  of  va- 
cuum cleaners.  He  used  $2,500  of 
his  capital  to  buy  a  partnership  in 
the  company  for  which  he  was  work- 
ing. 

After  a  year  and  a  half  with  elec- 
trical equipment,  Johnston  and  his 
partner  raised  $80,000  and  bought  the 
largest  electrical  concern  in  Spokane. 
In  1927  the  partner  was  bought  out 
for  $30,000. 

Public  Offices 

In  1929  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Inland  Empire  Manufacturers'  As- 
sociation, and  in  1931  he  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Spokane  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  Two  banks  and  an  in- 
surance company  made  him  a  director. 
One  of  the  banks  had  a  customer,  the 
Washington  Brick,  Lime  and  Sewer 
Pipe  Co.,  which  owed  $260,000.  In 
1933,  in  the  depression,  Johnston  was 
put  in  charge  of  the  company  as  trus- 
tee for  creditors.  Ten  years  later  he 
turned  it  back  to  the  owners  debt  free, 
with  $150,000  in  the  bank,  and  with 
property  improvements  costing  $170,- 
000.  Johnston  subsequently  bought  in- 
to the  enterprise  and  is  now  chair- 
man of  the  board.  He  also  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Wayne-Burnaby  Co.,  an 
electrical  contracting  firm. 

In  1933,  Johnston  was  elected  a  di- 
rector of  the  National  Chamber,  and 
in  1941,  he  was  elected  a  national 
vice-president,  and  in  the  following 
year  he  became  president.  He  has 
been  to  the  White  House  many  times. 

Johnston's  philosophy  is  expounded 
in  his  book,  "America  Unlimited," 
published  in  1944,  in  which  he  points 
out  the  potentialities  of  a  "people's 
capitalism,"  in  which  all  elements  of 
the  population — business,  agriculture, 
labor,  and  government — will  jointly 
work  out  the  problems  that  inhibit 
progress  toward  realization  of  pros- 
perity. 


program  should  be  undertaken.  It 
should  be  a  cooperative  program  for 
the  benefit  of  the  entire  industry. 
Such  research  naturally  will  involve 
countless  facets  to  improve  the  film, 
the  theatre,  methods  and  techniques. 
Greater  use  of  pictures  in  the  educa- 
tional field  will  be  fully  explored. 

"3.  As  practical  business  men,  we 
shall  want,  of  course,  a  fair  share  of 
foreign  markets.  America  has  no  arti- 
ficial barriers  against  motion  pictures 
from  abroad.  In  this  same  spirit,  we 
expect  that  other  countries  will  not 
erect  barriers  against  American  pic- 
tures. Free  interchange  of  motion  pic- 
tures is  the  best  means  to  bring  the 
people  of  the  world  closer  together. 

Self-Discipline 

"4.  Enlightened  self-discipline  by 
the  industry  is,  and  will  continue  to  be, 
the  surest  guarantee  against  govern- 
ment censorship  and  regulation.  The 
industry,  by  trial  and  error,  has 
learned  that  decent,  clean  and  truthful 
entertainment  is  most  surely  and  per- 
manently successful.  The  lesson  has 
been  learned.  It  is  the  job  of  all  of 
us,  in  the  industry  and  without,  to  see 
that  it  is  not  forgotten. 

"5.  The  war  has  demonstrated  the 
educational  value  of  the  film.  The 


Tax  Cut 


{Continued  from  page  1 ) 

sional  Committee  on  Internal  Revenue 
Taxation  and  to  Treasury  officials  to- 
night by  the  Committee  on  Postwar 
Tax  Policy. 

The  committee,  composed  of  Ros- 
well  Magill,  former  Undersecretary 
of  the  Treasury,  chairman;  Fred  R. 
Fairchild,  professor  of  economics  at 
Yale  University ;  Rowland  R.  Hughes, 
comptroller  of  the  National  City 
Bank ;  Victor  H.  Stempf,  past  presi- 
dent of  the  American  Institute  of 
Accountants,  and  Thomas  N.  Tarleu, 
one-time  tax  legislative  counsel  to  the 
Treasury,  operates  under  a  special 
grant  from  the  Maurice  and  Laura 
Falk  Foundation. 

In  the  permanent  peacetime  legisla- 
tion, the  committee  recommended 
elimination  of  the  corporate  surtax 
and  imposition  of  a  single  tax  on  cor- 
porate income  at  the  same  rate  as  the 
initial  rate  on  individual  income. 
Double  taxation  would  be  avoided  by 
credits  to  individuals  for  dividends 
received. 

Excise  Taxes 

The  committee  held  that  there  is  a 
proper  place  for  excise  taxes  but  con- 
tended they  should  be  kept  down  in 
number  and  resorted  to  only  to  diver- 
sify the  sources  of  revenue  and  stab- 
ilize the  tax  yield  in  times  of  financial 
strain. 


armed  forces  attained  striking  results 
in  their  use  of  training  films.  We  must 
strive  to  make  the  motion  picture  an 
important  adjunct  to  our  whole  educa- 
tional system.  In  the  schools,  films 
are  being  used  more  and  more  as  visu- 
al aids.  In  the  field  of  adult  education 
and  specifically  in  the  re-training  of 
the  veterans  and  war  workers,  there  is 
a  limitless  opportunity  for  the  motion 
picture.  In  the  factories,  better  man- 
agement-labor relations  can  be  pro- 
moted through  the  films. 

"The  debt  of  an  industry  like  ours 
for  its  tremendous  growth  and  for 
warm  acceptance  by  the  American 
people  is  too  obvious  to  mention.  It 
must  be  repaid  in  the  steady,  undipped 
coin  of  responsible  and  enlightened 
leadership.  Such  leadership  must  even 
be  willing  to  sacrifice  short-range  ad- 
vantages for  long-range  benefits  to 
the  public  and  thus  to  itself. 

Standard  of  Living 

"The  substance  of  any  lasting  sys- 
tem is  the  hope  of  an  ever-rising 
standard  of  living  in  the  future,  ac- 
companied by  convincing  evidence  of 
accomplishment  as  we  move  along.  We 
can  and  must  provide  better  food,  bet- 
ter clothing,  better  housing  and  edu- 
cation for  all  our  people.  With  our 
know-how  and  tremendous  natural  re- 
sources, we  can  do  this. 

"We  may  as  well  face  the  fact  that 
there  are  other  political  and  economic 
systems  in  the  world,  wholly  different 
from  ours,  but  which  do  have  mass 
appeal  especially  in  time  of  industrial 
strife  and  stagnation.  The  only  way 
to  prove  our  system  is  better  is  to 
make  it  work  better.  The  next  five 
years  may  tell  the  tale.  Now  is  the 
time  to  pull  off  our  coats  and  get 
at  it. 

"This  is  the  sort  of  job  that  all 
of  us  working  together  can  do  in  the 
motion  picture  industry — a  down-to- 
earth  sort  of  job  which  provides  an 
unprecedented  opportunity  to  serve  a 
united,  democratic  and  prosperous 
country." 


"    Thursday.  September  20,  1945 
J  


Motion  Picture  Daily 


11 


MPPDA 


jntinucd  from  page  1) 


Frauds  Harmon 


►resident  of  the  association,  his  func- 
Sons  pertaining  to  that  office. 
I  Joyce  O'Hara,  who  has  been  ex- 
ecutive  assistant 
to  Johnston  for 
years,  was  nam- 
ed assistant  to 
Johnston  in  the 
MPPDA. 

It  i  -  under- 
stood that 
Johnston  and 
O  '  H  a  r  a  will 
spend  most  of 
their  time  in 
Washington  un- 
til the  former's 
term  as  presi- 
d  e  n  t  of  the 
C  h  a  m  her  of 
Coram  erce  of 
t!ie  United  States  expires  next  May. 
His  five-year  contract  with  MPPDA 
.\  ermits  him  to  retain  that  post.  Last 
spring  Johnston  was  reelected  presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  for  the  third 
consecutive  time.  He  is  the  first  to 
hold  the  post  for  four  consecutive 
terms. 

.  The  MPPDA  board  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  in  tribute  to  Hays 
>  esterday : 

"Whereas,  since  the  founding  of 
this  Association  on  March  11.  1922. 
Will  H.  Hays  has  been  continuously 
its  president  and  distinguished  leader, 
and 

"Whereas,  during  the  life  of  his  As- 
sociation the  American  motion  picture 
l  as  grown  to  a  maturity  and  attained 
.a  world  influence  which  is  universally 
recognized,  and 

"Whereas,  under  the  leadership  of 
Will  H.  Hays  this  Association  in  bc- 
1  alt  of  the  entire  moving  picture  in- 
dustry has,  by  the  establishment  and 
administration  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Production  Code,  held  up  for  the  in- 
dustry the  high- 
.  est  moral  and 
,  artistic  stand- 
ards and 
/through  the 
practice  of  self- 
i  r  e  g  u  lation  by 
.the  industry  has 
i  earned  for  this 
'great  medium 
nf  expression — 
the  motion  pic- 
•  ture — that  f ree- 
<\  o  m   which  it 
j  so   largely  en- 
joys   in  the 
United  States, 
.and 

,  "Whereas,  Mr.  Hays  has  been  un- 
I altering  in  his  devotion  to  the  high- 
est ideals  of  the  motion  picture  and 
hy  his  unremitting  efforts  has  served 
the  industry  faithfully  and  well, 

"Now.  Therefore,  Be  It  Resolved, 
that  this  Association  accepts  with  pro- 
f  >und  regret  Mr.  Hays'  decision  to 
cease  active  executive  service  to  it 
but  the  Association  takes  great  satis- 
faction in  the  knowledge  that  his  suc- 
cessor and  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Association  may  be  able  to  draw 
upon  his  rich  experience  and  may  con- 
tinue to  benefit  by  his  wise  counsel  in 
dealing  with  the  tasks  and  problems  of 
the  days  to  come." 

In  attendance  at  yesterday's  meet- 
ing were :  Barney  Balaban,  Nate  J. 
Llumberg,  George  Borthwick,  Jack 
Cohn,  Earle  W.  Hammons,  Will  H. 
Hays,   N.   Peter   Rathvon,  Nicholas 


Hays,  Small  Town  Lawyer, 
Rose  to  Head  Industry 


William  (.Will)  Harrison  Hays, 
who  yesterday  retired  as  president  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Producers  and 
Distributors  of  America,  and  who  will 
continue  in  a  consultant  capacity,  was 
born  at  Sullivan,  Ind.,  Nov.  5,  1879, 
and  was  graduated  from  Wabash  Col- 
lege, where  he  received  an  M.A.  de- 
gree in  1904 — with  L.L.D.'s  later  con- 
ferred by  Lincoln  Memorial  Univer- 
sity and  Mount  Union  College. 

He  began  the  practice  of  law  in 
Sullivan,  joining  his  father  in  the  firm 
of  Hays  and  Hays,  of  which  he  is  now 
the  senior  member.  From  1904  to 
1 90S  he  was  Republican  county  chair- 
man of  Sullivan  County  and  toward 
the  end  of  that  period  became  chair- 
man of  the  speakers'  bureau  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Committee.  From  1910 
to  1°13  he  was  Sullivan  city  attorney 
and  Republican  state  chairman  from 
then  until  1918,  with  his  success  in 
this  position  leading  to  the  chairman- 
ship of  the  Republican  National  Com- 
mittee. 

On  March  5.  1921.  Hays  became 
Postmaster  General  under  President 
Harding,  and  during  his  administra- 
tion the  Postoffice  Department  estab- 
lished its  own  welfare  department,  in- 
augurated the  "early-mail"  campaign, 
restored  second-class  mailing  privi- 
leges to  newspapers,  and  made  numer- 
ous other  improvements.  He  also 
served  as  chairman  of  the  coordinating 
committee  of  the  American  Red  Cross 


and  Near  East  Relief,  and  was  later 
named  chairman  of  the  layman's  com- 
mittee of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States. 

Hays  resigned  from  the  Government 
in  March,  1922.  to  organize  and  be- 
come president  of  the  MPPDA,  at  the 
invitation  of  industry  leaders,  and  im- 
mediately attacked  the  dual  problem 
of  improving  film  standards  and  in- 
creasing public  support  for  better 
films.  He  achieved  the  cooperation  of 
film  councils  and  other  groups  and 
established  the  principle  of  industry 
self-regulation  which  in  March,  1930, 
was  bulwarked  by  adoption  of  the 
Production  Code.  The  Advertising 
Code  followed  in  June  of  that  year. 
Among  many  other  improvements  in 
which  he  has  had  a  hand  have  been 
the  Central  Casting  Corp.,  the  devel- 
opment of  wide  public  interest  in  class- 
room films  and  the  use  of  motion  pic- 
tures in  the  teaching  of  surgery  and 
medicine. 

Hays  entered  the  industry  at  a  time 
w  hen  order  was  badly  needed  where 
confusion  had  reigned,  and  his  achieve- 
ment in  helping  make  it  an  outstand- 
ing example  of  self-regulation  is  wide- 
ly recognized.  During  World  War 
II,  he  and  his  organization  followed  a 
policy  of  utmost  assistance  in  the  vic- 
tory  effort  through  film  entertainment 
and  instruction,  war  bond  drives  and 
all  other  means  at  the  industry's  dis- 
posal. 


War  Losses 


(  Continued  from  page  1 ) 


in  a  fund  for  the  payment  of  U.  S. 
company  claims. 

Damage  claims  would  be  filed  in  the 
shape  of  suits  instituted  in  a  War 
Damage  Claims  Commission  against 
the  Alien  Property  Custodian,  of 
whose  office  the  commission  would  be 
a  part. 

The  bill  now  in  Congress  would 
also  cover  the  losses  of  American  con- 
cerns in  Czechoslovakia  and  all  other 
countries  taken  over  by  the  Nazis  be- 
fore the  war,  as  well  as  damages  suf- 
fered during  the  war  itself,  not  only 
in  Europe  but  in  the  Far  East  and 
the  Philippine  Islands. 

The  legislation  also  would  provide 
compensation  for  damages  incurred  by 
action  of  United  States  troops. 


Joseph  I.  Breen       Scholes  an  Inspector 


Toronto,  Sept.  19. — Fred  Scholes, 
formerly  of  the  Hollywood  Theatre, 
here,  has  been  appointed  a  theatre  in- 
spector of  the  theatres  inspection 
branch  of  the  Provincial  Treasury 
Department. 


Schenck.  Spyros  Skouras,  Francis  S. 
Harmon,  Austin  Keough,  Eric  John- 
ston, William  C.  Michel,  Carl  E. 
Milliken,  J.  J.  O'Connor,  Joyce 
O'Hara,  J.  Robert  Rubin.  Adolph 
Zukor. 

Tributes  to  Hays  and  congratula- 
tory messages  for  Johnston  were  ex- 
pressed by  numerous  industry  execu- 
tives. Among  messages  of  this  kind 
received  by  Motion  Picture-  Daily 
from  Hollywood  were  those  of  Edgar 
T.  Mannix,  Samuel  Goldwyn,  Harry 
Cohn,  Henry  Ginsberg,  Hal  B.  Wal- 
lis,  Louis  B.  Mayer  and  others. 


Hays'  Statement 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


capabilities  for  both  leadership  and 
service,  we  of  the  industry  arc  confi- 
dent and  content  to  place  in  his  hands 
the  throttle — and  the  brake." 

"Be  sure  that  my  intense  interest  in 
the  motion  picture  industry  will  con- 
tinually increase.  I  know  its  capabil- 
ities ;  and  furthermore  no  man  can 
give  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  to 
a  cause  without  its  becoming  an  inte- 
gral part  of  him. 

"It  has  been  a  privilege  to  have  been 
intimately  associated  with  the  des- 
tinies of  a  form  of  communication  that 
I  truly  believe  to  be  of  immeasurable 
usefulness  in  universal  entertainment, 
information  and  education.  To  all 
those  who  have  so  greatly  aided  us 
along  an  ever  upward,  but  sometimes 
not  too  easy  road,  I  can  predict  that 
both  quality  of  pictures  and  of  audi- 
ence appreciation  will  continue  stead- 
ily to  climb,  and  I  can  assure  them  of 
the  certain  progress  of  every  artistic, 
cultural  and  social  gain  that  time  has 
brought. 

"Through  the  years  there  has  been 
continuity  of  support  from  those  with- 
in the  industry  for  all  that  wras  im- 
portantly constructive,  as  there  has 
been  from  public  leaders — interested 
in  the  public  good.  That  it  is  of  uni- 
versal concern  to  the  people  of  the 
land  which  gave  it  birth  is  one  of  the 
greatest  assets  of  the  American  mo- 
tion picture. 

"Whatever  degree  of  success  has  ac- 
companied my  own  endeavor  has  been 
largely  due  to  the  united  teamwork  of 
the  members  of  the  board  of  the  As- 
sociation, its  officers  and  staff,  and 
devoted  industry  leaders  and  trade- 
press  all  of  whom  have  labored  un- 
selfishly in  behalf  of  the  progress  of 


Newspaper  Career 
A'sset  to  O'Hara 


Joyce  O'Hara,  executive  assistant  to 
Eric  A.  Johnston  as  president  of  the 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  now 
going  with  him 
into  the  Motion 
Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Dis- 
tributors  of 
America  in  a 
similar  capaci- 
ty, was  born  at 
Pittston,  P  a., 
Feb.  5,  1894, 
and  was  edu- 
cated at  the 
Wharton 
School  of  the 
University  o  f 
P  e  n  n  s  y  1  - 
vania  and  at 
G  e  o  r  g  etown 
University  Law  School. 

His  schooling  was  interrupted  by 
World  War  I,  in  which  he  served  as 
a  drill  sergeant  of  Marines  at  Parris 
Island,  after  which  he  joined  Interna- 
tional News  Service  at  Georgetown, 
where  he  had  worked  for  the  United 
Press  during  his  undergraduate  years. 

O'Hara  joined  the  U.  S.  Chamber 
of  Commerce  publicity  department 
early  in  the  1920's  and  became  assist- 
ant to  Johnston  when  the  latter  was 
elected  president.  He  traveled  ex- 
tensively with  Johnston,  visiting 
Mexico,  Latin  America,  England  and 
Russia. 


.Joyce  O'Hara 


the  screen.  The  industry's  unique 
achievement  in  self-regulation ;  the 
amazing  technological  progress  which 
has  given  us  sound,  spoken  words, 
music,  color  and  fine-grain  film ;  the 
development  in  the  artistry  of  story- 
telling which  has  resulted  in  an  all- 
encompassing  program  of  screen  en- 
tertainment and  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  worldwide  audience  appre- 
ciation— all  these  advances  have  come 
from  the  vision,  the  labor,  and  the  col- 
laboration of  the  executives,  producers, 
distributors,  exhibitors,  writers,  art- 
ists, artisans  and  technicians  with 
whom  it  has  been  one  of  the  great 
privileges  of  my  life  to  be  intimately 
associated. 

Others  Who  Aided 

"I  am  thinking  also  today  in  a  very 
special  sense  of  the  men  and  women 
— both  individuals  and  groups  through 
the  nation — whose  devoted  interest  has 
been  continuous  in  the  effort  to  ac- 
complish the  Association's  purpose,  set 
forth  in  its  articles  of  incorporation 
March  11,  1922:  'establishing  and 
maintaining  the  highest  possible  moral 
and  artistic  standards  of  motion  pic- 
ture production  by  developing  the  ed- 
ucational as  well  as  the  entertainment 
value  and  the  general  usefulness  of 
the  motion  picture.'  From  that  day 
to  the  present  moment,  thousands  of 
our  friends  in  schools,  churches,  li- 
braries, women's  clubs,  in  art,  liter- 
ary, social  and  economic  groups,  in 
national  and  community  organizations 
-■ — all  leaders  in  the  public  welfare  and 
cultural  life  of  America — have  stead- 
fastly believed  in  our  objectives  and 
have  strengthened  our  hands  in  all 
which  we  have  Joeen  able  to  accom- 
plish. For  the  constructive  aid  of 
the  American  press  we  are  under  the 
greatest  obligation.  I  bespeak  for  my 
successor  and  for  this  great  art  med- 
ium a  continuance  of  all  of  this  sup- 
port." 


i 


YOU  TOO  CAN 


WALTER  WINCHELL  says 

Coburn  gives  Superformaine  in  'Shady  Lady' " 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteUigei 

to  the^J 

gtion 

Picture 

Industry 

OL.  58.  NO.  58 


NEW  YORK.  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  21,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


legan,  Seadler 
}n  8th  Drive; 
Field  Chiefs 


ormer  Drive  Heads  Are 
.ssigned  Territories 


Charles  M.  Reagan,  Paramount 
-trihution  vice-president,  has  been 
.lied  distributor  chairman  for  the 
dustrv\  Victory  Loan  bond  drive, 
while  Si  Sead- 
ler, M-G-M  ad- 
vertising man- 
ager, was 
named  chair- 
man of  the 
trade  paper  ad- 
vertising com- 
mittee. 

Industry  offi- 
cials met  yes- 
terday with 
Treasury  repre- 
sent a  tives  to 
map  out  the 
overall  strategy 
of  the  drive. 
The  nation  was 
kided  into  five  zones,  each  headed  by 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


arli-  M.  Reagan 


Cleveland  Theatres 
ieopening  Today 


'Cleveland,  Sept.  20. — The  pro- 
rtionists'  strike  here  was  settled  to- 
ght,  and  all  theatres  will  reopen 
morrow,  with  details  of  the  settle- 
:nt  to  be  announced  at  that  time. 
The  projectionists  and  independent 
hibitors  had  been  deadlocked  over  a 
utract  disagreement  which  closed  73 
■uses  last  Friday  and  grew  to  in- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Blumenstock, 
WB  Ad  Chief 

Hollywood.  Sept.  20. — Mort  Blum- 
enstock has  been  named  to  take  over 
the  national  advertising,  puhlicity  and 
exploitation  duties  of  Warner  Broth- 
e  r  s  Pictures, 
succeed  ing 
Charles  Einfeld, 
w  h  o  recently 
resigned,  it  was 
jointly  an- 
nounced here 
today  by  Harry 
M.  Warner, 
president,  a  n  d 
Jack  L.  War- 
ner, vice  presi- 
dent in  charge 
of  production. 

Blumenstock, 
now  at  the  com- 
pany's Burbank 
studio  for  con- 
ferences concerning  his  promotion,  has 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


MEET  WITH  CLARK; 
U.  S.  BRIEF  FILED 


Brief  for  Trial  Alleges 
Majors  Have  Wide 
Control  of  Distribution 


Mori  Blumenstock 


Harmon  Assumes 
Duties  at  MPPDA 

Francis  S.  Harmon,  former  WAC 
executive  vice-chairman,  who  was 
elected  a  MPPDA  vice-president  in 
charge  of  the  New  York  office  and 
who  will  also  act  as  Eric  Johnston's 
executive  assistant,  along  with  Joyce 
O'Hara,  assumed  his  new  MPPDA 
post  yesterday.      He  will,  however, 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

The  Department  of  Justice  yes- 
terday delivered  copies  of  its  trial 
brief  and  appendices  in  the  New 
York  film  anti-trust  suit  to  the  dis- 
tributor defendants,  thereby  meeting 
the  deadline  set  by  the  three-judge 
statutory  court  early  in  July.  The 
trial  is  scheduled  to  get  underway  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  Oct.  8. 

Highlights  of  the  allegations  made 
by  the  Government  in  the  26-page  trial 
brief  and  several  hundred  pages  of 
three  appendices  which  will  comprise 
the  basis  of  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice's prima  facie  case  against  the 
eight  distributor  defendants,  include : 

1.  That  the  distributor  defendants 
have  a  monopoly  of  first-run  distribu- 
tion in  73  cities  of  the  United  States 
with  populations  of  100,000  or  over. 

2.  That  the  exhibitors  affiliated 
with  the  distributor  defendants  operate 
all  the  first  runs  in  about  150  of  319 
cities  having  populations  between  25,- 
000  and  100,000. 

3.  That  in  more  than  400  towns  of 
less  than  25,000  populations,  the  clear- 
ance provisions  contained  in  the  agree- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


luilding  Requests 
Shelved  in  Canada 


Ottawa,  Sept.  20.— C.  D.  Howe, 
i. lister  of  reconstruction,  announced 
the  Canadian  House  of  Commons 
day   that   no   construction  permits 
ere  being  considered  for  theatres, 
urches  and  breweries,  and  gave  no 
•pe  of  early  action  for  such  projects 
itil  the  low-priced  housing  situation 
'2ars  up,  perhaps  next  year. 
This  was  the  first  official  declara- 
bn  in  Parliament  that  theatre  con- 
duction    applications     were  being 
elved. 


Exhibitors  Receptive  to 
Johnston 's  M.  P.  Institute 


UA  Out  of  MPPDA 
Officially  Today 

United  Artists'  resignation 
from  the  MPPDA  becomes  ef- 
fective today,  marking  the  end 
of  the  six  months  from  the 
time  UA  first  submitted  its 
resignation,  the  period  stipu- 
lated in  MPPDA  by-laws  be- 
fore a  company  member's  res- 
ignation becomes  effective. 

UA  originally  attributed  its 
leaving  the  MPPDA  to  the  in- 
dependent status  of  the  own- 
ers and  producers  of  the  com- 
pany, and  to  the  fact  that 
virtually  all  of  its  producers 
have  joined  the  SIMPP. 

Warners  resigned  from  the 
MPPDA  last  December. 


Early  reactions  of  exhibitor  leaders 
to  Eric  A.  Johnston's  proposal  for 
the  formation  of  a  Motion  Picture 
Institute,  comprising  all  elements  of 
the  industry,  to  perpetuate  in  peace- 
time the  cooperative  effort  achieved 
in  wartime,  were  mostly  favorable. 

Mingled  with  comments  on  the  new 
MPPDA  president's  proposal  were 
words  of  welcome  for  Johnston  and 
for  a  "fresh  point  of  view"  in  jndus- 
try  affairs. 

Typical  of  messages  received  yes- 
terday  are  the   following : 

Abram  F.  Myers,  chairman  and 
general  counsel  of  Allied  States  As- 
sociation: "I  have  not  had  an  op- 
portunity to  study  Eric  Johnston's 
program  in  detail  but  I  am  confident 
that  all  exhibitors  will  welcome  and 
fairly  weigh  his  fresh  point  of  view. 

"Allied's  criticisms  of  the  War  Ac- 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Five  Company  Heads  and 
Lawyers  with  Attorney 
General  for  Five  Minutes 


By  BERTRAM  F.  LINZ 

Washington,  Sept.  20. — A  five- 
minute  meeting  between  Attorney 
General  Tom  Clark  and  a  number 
of  representatives  of  the  major 
companies,  regarding  which  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  officials  had  nothing  to 
say,  gave  rise  today  to  speculation  as 
to  whether  another  consent-decree  set- 
tlement of  the  New  York  suit  was  in 
the  making. 

The  delegation,  it  was  said,  was 
waiting  in  Clark's  reception  room 
when  he  arrived  at  his  office  this 
morning,  and  was  closeted  with  him 
for  only  a  few  minutes.  The  group 
consisted  of  Nicholas  Schenck,  Barney 
Balaban,  Spyros  Skouras,  N.  Peter 
Rathvon,  Albert  Warner,  Robert  Per- 
kins, Austin  Keough,  Fred  Pride,  R. 
R.  Irvine  and  J.  Robert  Rubin.  Only 

(Continued  on  page  6) 

Wright  Takes  Over 
In  Griffith  Trial 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  20.— Rob- 
ert L.  Wright,  special  assistant  to 
the  U.  S.  attorney  general,  handling 
film  trials,  took  over  the  prosecution 
chores  in  the  Griffith  anti-trust  trial 
unexpectedly  here  today,  and  said  he 
would  remain  a  week.  Indications 
are  the  testimony  will  end  then. 

Wright  said  he  had  preparations 
for  the  New  York  trial  in  hand  and 
\vould  return  to  Washington  on  Sept. 
27  regardless  of  whether  or  not  the 
Griffith  hearing  is  completed. 

W.  J.  Kupper,  general  sales  mana- 
ger for  20th  Century-Fox,  completed 
three  days  of  testimony  today  with 
explanations  of  his  company's  second- 
run  policies.  He  said  they  were  al- 
tered because  of  protests  from  inde- 
pendents shortly  before  this  case  was 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


In  This  Issue 

Review  of  "That  Night  With 
You"  appears  on  page  3;  "Be- 
hind City  Lights,"  6;  "The 
"The  Lost  Trail,"  7.  Motion 
Picture  Daily's  Booking  Chart 
is  on  page  10. 


2 


Motion  picture  daily 


Friday,  September  21,  19' 


Green  Strike  Meet 
Still  Deadlocked 


Washington,  Sept.  20.— Represen- 
tatives of  the  unions  involved  in  the 
Hollywood  studio  strike  who  met  here 
yesterday  with  president  William 
Green  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor,  spent  today  in  another  effort 
to  reach  an  agreement  on  the  char- 
tering of  locals  by  the  IATSE  and 
will  meet  again  tomorrow  in  the  hope 
of  ironing  the  situation  out. 

An  AFL  spokesman  said  the  fact 
that  several  of  the  union  heads  had 
cancelled  railroad  reservations  for 
tonight  indicated  that  they  had  hopes 
of  reaching  an  agreement,  but  in  other 
circles  it  was  said  the  fact  that  two 
days  have  been  spent  in  a  vain  effort 
to  deal  with  the  problem  indicated 
that  the  group  was  meeting  great  dif- 
ficulties since  it  had  been  anticipated 
that  the  whole  matter  would  be  ironed 
out  in  a  few  hours  yesterday.  No 
official  explanation  of  the  purpose  of 
the  meeting  has  been  given  other  than 
that  it  is  to  iron  out  the  Hollywood 
situation,  but  it  was  said  the  union 
leaders  had  come  to  Washington  to 
lay  before  Green  their  protests  over 
IATSE  efforts  to  build  up  an  organi- 
zation which  would  take  hi  all  work- 
ers in  the  film  industry. 

At  its  Chicago  meeting  last  month 
the  AFL  executive  council  ordered 
Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
to  withdraw  the  charters  he  had 
granted  locals  of  studio  workers,  and 
it  .was  said  the  current  meetings  are 
designed  to  implement  that  order. 


Producers  Deny  Part  in 
Forming  New  Unions 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20.  —  Secretary 
W.  J.  Bassett  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Central  Labor  Council,  AFL,  recently 
wrote  the  producers  a  warning  against 
dealing  with  so-called  independent 
unions,  and  today  the  producers  issued 
a  statement  flatly  denying  that  they 
were  responsible  for  the  formation  of 
independent  unions  of  any  kind. 


SAG  Strike  Position 
Made  Known  Sunday 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20.  —  George 
Murphy,  president  of  the  Screen  Ac 
tors  Guild,  will  disclose  the  organi- 
zation's position  in  the  Hollywood 
studio  strike,  at  the  annual  SAG  meet- 
ing Sunday  night. 

Sunday's   meeting   was   today  de 
scribed  as  "the  most  important  in  the 
Guild's  recent  history."     It  will  in 
elude  the  annual  election  of  officers 
and  the  disclosure  of  the  organiza 
tion's  peacetime  policy. 

No  change  in  the  Guild's  already- 
expressed  neutral  stand  regarding  the 
strike  is  expected. 


M-G-M's  Silverstein 
To  Far  Eastern  Post 

Maurice  (Red)  Silverstein,  for 
merly  M-G-M  representative  in  the 
Far  Fast  and  more  recently  with  the 
OWI,  has  been  named  by  Morton 
Spring,  vice-president  of  Loew's  In 
tcrnational  Corp.,  as  assistant  region- 
al director  for  the  Far  East.  Eddie 
O'Connor  is  the  regional  director. 


Personal  Mention 


TONY  SUDEKUM,  president  of 
Crescent    Amusement    Co.,  has 
been  elected  to  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Meharry  Medical  College,  Nashville. 
• 

Rudy  Berger,  M-G-M  manager 
for  the  South,  will  leave  Washington 
today  for  his  New  Orleans  headquar- 
ters. 

• 

Herb    Elisburg,    operator    of  the 
Studio  Theatre,  Chicago,  will  move 
with  his  family  to  Miami  Oct.  1. 
• 

Jay  Gove,  head  of  M-G-M  sales  de- 
velopment, is  on  a  vacation  in  Long 
Island. 

• 

Sid  Blumenstock,  20th  Century- 
Fox  assistant  exploitation  manager,  is 
n  Chicago. 

• 

Harry  A.  Romm,  Monogram  pro- 
ducer, has  returned  to  Hollywood 
from  New  York. 

• 

George  L.  Carrington,  Altec  Ser- 
vice president,  has  arrived  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood. 

• 

Rodney  Bush,  20th  Century-Fox 
exploitation  manager,  is  on  vacation. 


N 

leave 


ICHOLAS  M.  SCHENCK,  pres- 


for 


the  Coast  today. 
• 

Corp.  Ted  O'Shea,  youngest  son  of 
E.  K.  O'Shea,  M-G-M  Eastern  sales 
manager,  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  Marine  Corps  yesterday, 
and  Capt.  James  H.  O'Shea,  oldest 
son  of  the  M-G-M  executive,  will  re- 
tire from  the  Army  Air  Corps  Nov.  3. 
e 

Sol  A.  Schwartz,  general  manager 
of  RKO's  out-of-town  theatres,  and 
William  Howard,  his  assistant,  will 
leave  here  Monday  by  plane  for  New 
Orleans. 

• 

E.  W.  Aaron,  M-G-M  circuit  sales 
head,  will  arrive  in  Milwaukee  today 
to  confer  with  Harold  J.  Fitzgerald, 
local  operating  head  for  National  The- 
atres. 

• 

Sgt.  Harry  Diamond,  formerly 
Atlanta  branch  manager  for  Sack 
Amusement  Co.,  is  visiting  film  row 
there. 

• 

Loretta  A.  Burns,  owner  of  the 
Ritz  Theatre,  Lowell,  Ind.,  is  visiting 
in  Chicago. 


Charge  'A'-Film 
Discrimination 


Los  Angeles,  Sept.  20.— The  Pa- 
cific Coast  Conference  of  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  today  passed  a  reso- 
lution declaring  that  "it  is  becoming 
increasingly  apparent  that  a  discrimi- 
natory sales  policy  exists  whereby 
affiliated  theatres  and  large  independ- 
ent circuits  are  able  to  run  two  'A'- 
bracket  pictures  on  the  same  double 
bill,  whereas  terms  demanded  of  in- 
dependent exhibitors  prohibit  them 
from  showing  the  same  two  pictures 
on  a  double  bill." 

The  resolution  demands  that  "all 
distributors  .modify  their  terms  and 
allocations  to  independent  exhibitors 
on  all  such  feature  pictures  booked  as 
outlined  above,  so  as  to  enable  them 
to  be  given  equal  opportunity  to  book 
and  play  such  pictures  on  the  same 
basis." 


Rosenberg  Advanced 
By  Bank  of  America 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  20.— Joseph 
Rosenberg  has  assumed  new  duties  as 
executive  vice-president  at  the  Bank 
of  America  headquarters  here,  advanc- 
ing from  former  posts  of  vice-president 
and  manager.  He  will  also  be  a  mem- 
ber of  the  bank's  advisory  council  and 
vice-chairman  of  its  general  finance 
committee. 

Rosenberg  was  long  associated  in 
the  Bank  of  America  with  the  late 
Dr.  A.  H.  Giannini,  is  known  widely 
throughout  the  film  industry  and  has 
played  a  significant  role  in  much  pro- 
duction financing. 

Bernard  Giannini,  son  of  the  late 
A.  H..,-  assumes  Rosenberg's  former 
duties,  but  future  production  financing 
is  expected  to  be  handled  by  both. 


PRC  to  Open  Sales 
Branches  Abroad 


PRC  will  enter  direct  foreign  dis- 
tribution with  the  establishment  of 
sales  offices  in  top  cities  abroad,  Ken- 
neth M.  Young,  president,  said  here 
yesterday.  And  in  extending  its  own 
distribution  interests  in  the  U.  S., 
Young  added,  PRC  has  acquired  the 
heretofore  franchise-operated  branches 
in  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City. 

Under  the  new  foreign  setup, 
Harry  Thomas,  vice-president  in 
charge  of  distribution,  will  handle 
foreign^  sales,  as  well  as  domestic. 
Thomas  said  he  will  make  known  his 
assistant  in  the  foreign  field  shortly. 

Karl  Herzog  shifts  from  Pathe 
Film  Corp.  to  PRC  as  treasurer. 

Regarding  production,  it  was  de- 
clared that  an  increased  budget  policy, 
adopted  six  months  ago,  will  continue 
and  that  an  increased  number  of  fea- 
tures will  be  made  in  color. 

Young,  who  came  here  from  the 
Coast  earlier  in  the  week,  has  set  a 
meeting  for  next  week  to  discuss 
the  company's  1945-'46  production 
line-up  with  Thomas,  Reeves  Espy, 
studio  production  chief,  due  in  from 
the  Coast  today,  and  Lloyd  Lind,  as- 
sistant general  sales  manager. 


Set  TEA  Board  Meeting 

A  meeting  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  Television  Broadcasters 
Association  is  set  for  Sept.  27  at  the 
association's  offices  here,  with  J.  R. 
Poppele  presiding. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRE 


Root  Para.  Producer 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20. — Wells  Root, 
back  from  three  years  in  the  service, 
has  signed  a  Paramount  writer-pro- 
ducer contract. 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALI 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  •   Rockefeller  Cent 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 
Eddie  BRACKEN 
Veronica  LAKE 
Diana  LYNN 

'OUT  OF 

THIS  WORLD' 


IN  PERSON 

Atlantic  City 
Bathing  Beaut* 
Winners 

starring 

'MISS  AMERICA 
OF  1945' 
(Bess  Myerson 
from  the  Bronx) 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 

"DUFFY'S  TAVERN" 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIN 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestr 


pAXAMOt/Atr 


Samuel  Gofcfwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


AST0I1 

Broadway 
and  45th  S 


CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY 
47th  S 


"BACK  to  BATAAN" 

Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINU 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


Dana  Jeanne  Dick  VIvi 
ANDREWS     CRAIN      HAYMES  BLAH 

HODGERS  and  HAMMERSTEIN'S 

"STATE  FAIR" 

A  20th  Century-Fox  Picture  In  Technicoloi 
PLUS  ON  STAGE  — CONNEE  BOSWE 
CARL  RAVAZZA.  Extra!  GENE  SHELDI 
Buy  More       n  f%  V  V        7th  Ave 

Bonds         If  W  .A  I  50th  S' 


SGP  Meeting  Opei 
To  Continue  Today 

Yesterday's  opening  session  of 
two-day  conference  of  Screen  Q 
Productions'  stock  and  franchise  h 
ers,  witnessed  discussions  of  org 
zation  matters  but  no  significant, 
tion  was  taken.  The  meeting,  at 
Park  Central  Hotel  here,  will 
tinue  today,  with  John  J.  Jones,  p 
ident,  presiding. 


Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Qu 


MOTION    PICTURE   DAILY,    Martin    Quigley,    Editor-in-Chief    and    Publisher;   Sherwin  Kane    Editor       .  ^ .  -  -v.-    v    ,  „     Martin  Oui 

(  ..„„,;..,>•,  r„r.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  Qu.gpubco,  New  Y  L  ^ 
l-..!  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Edttor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advert 

Manager;  Chicago -Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg 

I  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Edito  . 

International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.     Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept 

rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c 


.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  tecke,  Advert 
Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bu, 
irj  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."    Other  Quig  ey  Publications :  Motion  P.ctur e  Herald   B ette r  Th« 
matter,  Sept.  23,  i0™   **  *hp  "ost  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879.  Minscri 


•Hday,  September  21,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


allace  Revamps 
lommerce  Dep't 

Washington,    Sept.    20.  —  Broad 
fans  for  reorganization  of  the  De- 
krtment  of  Commerce  were  disclosed 
e  today   by   Secretary   Henry  A. 
■  allace.  including  the  creation  of  the 
5    price  of  Assistant  Secretary  for  In- 
Tiiational  Trade,  to  act  as  the  De- 
*f  Irtment's  s[>okesman  in  dealing  with 
Tie  Department  of  State  on  commer- 
Jfid  policy,  trade  agreements  and  on 
Tttivities  of  the  latter's  foreign  ser- 
dJce. 

An  Assistant  Secretary  for  Indus- 
;ial  Economy  will  be  responsible  for 
aison  with  business,  and  an  Assist- 
.  it  Secretary  for  Small  Business  will 
concerned  with  the  problems  of 
nail  establishments. 


Golden  Status 


NV  Certain   business    promotion  func- 
|  »>ns  now  in  the  Bureau  of  Foreign 

4 fid  Domestic  Trade  are  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  assistant  secretaries,  but 
^»iere  was  no  indication  that  Nathan 
Golden,  chief  of  the  motion  pic- 
••■i-e  unit,  would  be  involved,  although 
— jjie  details  of  the  plan  have  not  yet 
.....en  worked  out  with  respect  to  in- 
HJlOlividual  units. 

::•!«.  Golden  has  been  in  charge  of  mo- 
ijHiiion  picture  work  for  the  Department 
.  I  br  many  years  and  his  promotional 
"■wid  service  activities  have  been  so  in- 
jjj  Lpnvoven  as  to  make  any  separation 
a  |  irficult.  it  was  said.  At  the  same  time, 
— ftTicials  emphasized  that  the  whole 
■™i:rpose  of  the  reorganization  is  to 
yjlr.prove  the  service  rendered  Ameri- 
^jjan  business,  and  there  is  no  inten- 
1  n  of  restricting  the  activities  of 
lUI'tne  various  units  along  that  line, 
ill  Wallace  emphasized  that  the  new 
i.«fet-up  is  designed  to  revitalize  the 
Jepartment's  foreign  trade  service, 
rovide  better  statistics  and  improve 
le  analytical  program  to  give  busi- 
ifss  and  Government  current  informa- 
wm  on  the  economic  situation  and 
tisiness  outlook. 


Review 


'That  Night  With  You" 


{Universal) 

WILLIAM  A.  SCULLY'S  Universal  sales  force  should  encounter  little, 
if  any,  resistance  toward  "That  Night  With  You,"  for  if  current  exhib- 
itor sentiment  can  be  taken  at  face  value,  this  piece  of  lush  escapist  merchan- 
dise is  hand-tailored  to  their  order.  Franchot  Tone,  Susanna  Foster  and 
Louise  Allbritton  are  additional  ticket-selling  assets ;  while  the  film-wise  team 
of  Michael  Fessier  and  Ernest  Pagano,  who  wrote  the  screenplay  and  pro- 
duced, and  have  had  the  benefit  of  William  A.  Seiter's  direction,  are  sufficient 
guarantors  that  this  musical  should  do  well  at  the  boxoffices. 

Miss  Foster,  as  an  aspiring  singer  habituated  to  dreaming  of  herself  as  a 
star,  boldly  walks  into  the  household  of  Franchot  Tone,  a  theatrical  producer, 
and  passes  herself  off  as  his  daughter,  having  learned  that  years  ago  he  was 
married  to  Jacqueline  de  Wit,  fading  Hollywood  star,  and  that  the  marriage 
was  subsequently  annulled.  Tone,  never  dreaming  that  his  marriage  had  any 
issue,  plays  along  with  Miss  Foster's  deception,  but  suspects  that  she  wants 
a  part  in  his  new  production.  When  Miss  de  Wit  appears  unexpectedly  on 
Broadway,  from  Hollywood,  it  seems  that  Miss  Foster's  little  game  will  be 
exposed,  but  Miss  de  Wit,  seeing  an  opportunity  to  gain  the  coveted  role  in 
Tone's  show  for  herself,  continues  the  deception.  David  Bruce's  love  for  Miss 
Foster,  and  Miss  Allbritton's  devotion  to  Tone,  romantically  complicate  the 
situation.  Eventually  Miss  Foster  gets  her  chance  in  the  show,  but  with  the 
tacit  promise  that  she  will  also  embark  on  a  marital  career  with  Bruce, 
while  Miss  de  Wit  also  secures  a  "role,"  that  of  a  mother-to-be,  with  Buster 
Keaton,  the  other  fond,  and  legal,  parent. 

Tone  delivers  his  usual  polished  performance  as  the  producer.  Miss  Fos- 
ter is  fresh  and  engaging  in  her  dramatic  moments  and  sings  a  variety  of 
melodies  from  Brahms,  Rossini  and  Tschaikowski  in  adequate  style.  Bruce, 
Miss  Allbritton  and  Miss  de  Wit  are  capable  in  supporting  soles.  H.  J. 
Salter  was  musical  director  and  he  and  Edward  Ward  did  the  musical  adapta- 
tions, with  Jack  Brook  putting  their  melodies  in  modern  lyrics.  An  original 
tune,  "Once  Upon  a  Dream,"  was  contributed  by  Salter  and  Brooks.  Executive 
producer  Howard  Benedict  permitted  Fessier  and  Pagano  plenty  of  scope  to 
exercise  production  ingenunity. 
Running  time,  84  minutes.  General  classification.  Release  date  not  set. 

Charles  Ryweck 


VV  information  Group 

gSames  Dave  Lipton 
Dave  Lipton,  director  of  advertis- 
Ifg,    publicity    and    exploitation  of 
"Columbia    Pictures,    yesterday  was 
/Jj'amed  chairman  of  the  Eastern  Pub- 
c    Information    Committee,    at  a 
jncheon-meeting   held   at   the  New 
'ork  Athletic  Club.    The  chairman- 
ship, which  rotates  every  six  months, 
_TL'as   held   in   the   past   half-year  by 
;^Tiobert  Gillham,  who  recently'  resigned 
_Ts  Paramount  advertising-publicity  di- 
rector.   Glen  Allvine  continues  as  ex- 
ecutive secretary  of  the  committee. 
j0f  Yesterday's  principal  business  at  the 
fneetingwas  a  discussion  of  the  group's 
JJuarticipation  in  the  forthcoming  'Vic- 
Dry  War  Loan,'  and  for  this  purpose 
liiother   meeting   will    be    held  next 
J.'uesdav. 


•Sunday  Issue  to  Polls 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  20. —  Four 
nore  communities  in  Eastern  Penn- 
ylvania  will  vote  on  Sunday  films  is- 
lue  at  general  elections  in  November. 
Oowningtown  will  vote  for  the  first 
Tiime,  while  in  West  Chester,  voters 
nee  before  rejected  Sunday  shows. 
_jThe  issue  will  be  voted  for  the  third 
fime  each  in  Pottsville  and  in  Co- 
umbia. 


Columbia  Meeting 
Here  Continues 


Today's  morning  session,  in  the  sec- 
ond day  of  Columbia's  three-day  zone 
meeting  now  convening  at  the  War- 
wick Hotel,  here,  will  be  devoted  to  a 
division  and  branch  managers'  meet- 
ing, while  the  afternoon  session  will 
be  occupied  with  individual  meetings 
of  delegates  from  eight  branches,  in- 
cluding Boston,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland, 
New  Haven,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburgh  and  Washington. 

Division  and  branch  managers  who 
will  attend  the  morning  session  are : 
New  York  division  manager,  Nat 
Cohn;  Mid-East,  Sam  Galanty ;  New 
England,  I.  H.  Rogovin ;  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  Southern  New  Jer- 
sey, H.  E.  Weiner,  and  branch  man- 
agers Allan  Moritz,  Cincinnati ;  Les- 
ter Zucker,  Cleveland ;  Tim  O'Toole, 
New  Haven ;  Saul  Trauner,  New 
York ;  A.  H.  Levy,  Pittsburgh ;  Ben 
Caplon.  Washington. 


H.  R.  Hitchinson  Dies, 
Was  FP-C  Veteran 

Toronto,  Sept.  20.. — First  break  in 
Famous  Players'  25-year  club  oc- 
curred last  night  in  the  death  of 
Harold  Robert  Hitchinson  here  after 
a  lengthy  illness.  He  was  recently 
manager  of  the  Strand  Theatre,  Ham- 
ilton, and  previously  in  charge  of 
various  theatres  from  Halifax  to 
Winnipeg.    He  was  unmarried. 


Arthur  Berry  Dies 

Chicago,  Sept.  20. — Arthur  J. 
Berry,  husband  of  Elsie  Berry,  secre- 
tary to  Dave  Wallerstein,  Balaban 
and  Katz  executive,  died  here  this 
week. 


Central  Americans 
Eye  Prefabrication 


A  great  interest  is  being  manifested 
in  pre-fabricated  theatres  throughout 
Central  America,  and  a  theatre  build- 
ing boom  within  the  next  few  years 
in  that  territory  will  take  place,  Irv- 
ing Maas,  20th  Century-Fox  Inter- 
national vice-president,  predicted  here 
yesterday  upon  his  return  from  a  trip 
through  the  territory. 

More  money  is  being  invested  in 
the  film  business  in  Central  Amer- 
ica, as  the  industry  there  faces  the 
future  confidently,  Maas  said.  "Can- 
taclaro,"  first  20th-Fox  production  in 
Mexico,  has  been  finished  and  will  be 
released  throughout  the  world,  he  dis- 
closed. 

Maas  said  that  "dubbing,  in  some 
countries,  is  a  definite  and  proven  suc- 
cess. Outside  of  the  main  key  city 
first-runs,  there  is  little  doubt  that  it 
is  wanted  by  the  masses." 

He  reported  that  a  9,000-seater  was 
projected  for  Mexico  by  "interests 
who  have  had  a  record  of  achieve- 
ment to  date." 


Saudek  in  New  Post 

Robert  Saudek,  sales-service  mana- 
ger for  American  Broadcasting  Co., 
has  relinquished  his  post  to  devote 
all  his  time,  temporarily,  to  special 
sales  problems,  working  directly  with 
Mark  Woods,  ABC  president,  and 
Chester  J.  LaRoche,  vice-chairman. 
Upon  completion  of  his  sales  assign- 
ment, Saudek  will  take  over  a  perma- 
nent _  post  in  the  network's  public 
relations  department,  reporting  to 
Robert  E.  Kintner,  vice-president. 
Succeeding  Saudek  as  sales-service 
manager  is  Alfred  R.  Beckman,  who 
has  been  transferred  from  the  traffic 
department. 


UK's  Stock  Quota 
Up  to  '44  Level 

London,  Sept.  20.— The  British 
Board  of  Trade  today  restored  the  in- 
dustry's raw  stock  allocation  to  1944 
consumption  levels,  thus  wiping  out 
the  last  five  per  cent  of  a  15  per  cent 
cut  that  had  been  ordered  in  March 
of  this  year,  according  to  word  re- 
ceived by  the  Kinematograph  Renters 
Society  from  the  BOT.  Earlier  resto- 
rations during  the  past  several  months 
had  brought  back  the  quota  to  90 
per  cent,  and  then  95  per  cent,  of  the 
1944  figure. 

Gradual  easing  of  the  cut  was  first 
decided  upon  in  mid-July  when  the 
U.  S.  War  Production  Board  granted 
5,200,000  feet  of  raw  stock  to  Eagle- 
Lion  Films  for  American  distribution 
of  British  pictures  during  the  12 
months  ending  next  April  1  ;  the  end 
of  the  war,  bringing  lighter  military 
demands,  has  now  made  the  full  resto- 
ration possible. 


Luporini  Will  Set 
Distribution  Tool' 


Mario  Luporini,  20th  Century-Fox's 
managing  director  for  Italy,  is  sched- 
uled to  fly  to  that  country  within  a 
few  days,  to  start  work  preparing 
for  the  physical  distribution  'pool' 
which  will  be  used  by  most  U.  S.  dis- 
tributors in  the  territory ;  20th-Fox 
will  distribute  for  all  companies,  ac- 
cording to  previous  arrangements. 
The  company  will  take  over  physical 
distribution  facilities  from  the  Army 
Psychological  Warfare  Branch.  All 
companies  will  sell  individually. 

The  'pool'  for  Italy  was  actuated  by 
the  lack  of  trucks,  vaults,  etc.,  it  is 
understood,  and  will  remain  so  long  as 
it  is  impossible  for  individual  physi- 
cal distribution. 

Necessary  arrangements  for  the 
transfer  of  40  films  which  the  U.  S. 
Office  of  War  Information  overseas 
film  bureau  has  been  exhibiting  in 
Italy,  together  with  monies  held  in 
escrow  by  the  OWI  for  the  compa- 
nies, remain  to  be  worked  out.  No 
new  films  have  been  shown  in  Italy, 
it  is  understood,  the  OWI  having  op- 
erated with  the  films  it  previously 
acquired. 

The  discriminatory  Mussolini  laws 
ar£  still  on  the  statute  books  despite 
the  promulgation  of  more  democratic 
laws  for  the  film  industry,  but  to  date 
are  still  unsigned,  said  Luporini. 


R.  D,  Socas  Joins 
U.  S.  Films,  Inc. 

Roberto  D.  Socas,  foreign  sales 
manager  of  PRC  Pictures,  who  sev- 
eral weeks  ago  tendered  his  resigna- 
tion to  Kenneth  Young,  chairman  of 
the  board  of  the  company,  is  leaving 
PRC  immediately  to  join  United 
States  Films,  as  vice-president  in 
charge  of  foreign  sales  and  distribu- 
tion. 

The  company,  recently  started,  will 
distribute  abroad  the  product  of 
American  independent  producers,  as 
well  as  Spanish  pictures  made  in  Mex- 
ico and  Argentina  and  French  and 
Italian  productions. 

Soca's  industry  background  dates 
back  to  1912  when  he  joined  Commo- 
dore Blackstone  in  his  first  venture; 
later  he  went  to  the  old  L.  J.  Selznick 
organization. 


■  ■  ■  "  " 


COWELL  GILMORE  HOAGY  CARMICHAEL  MARGARET  WYCHERLY 

Produced  by  WILLIAM  L  PEREIRA  -  Directed  by  EDWIN  L.  MARIN 

Screen  Play  by  STEVE  FISHER 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Trial  Brief 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Review 


'Behind  City  Lights" 


(Republic) 

TAKING  the  principal  participant,  Lynne  Roberts,  from  the  wholesome 
but  unglamorous  life  on  a  farm  to  the  glitter  of  the  big  city,  where  she 
suffers  disillusionment  after  a  spell  of  happy  excitement,  and  then  returning 
her  to  the  farm  may  be  borrowing  from  story  department  files,  but  with  its 
agreeable,  unelaborate  presentation  here  the  theme  makes  satisfactory  enter- 
tainment. It  is  home-spun  material  and  with  his  knowledge  of  his  patrons' 
tastes  as  criterion,  the  exhibitor  can  readily  measure  the  value  of  the  film  for 
his  situation. 

Miss  Roberts'  marriage  to  William  Terry,  her  ruffle-haired  "country  bump- 
kin," is  interrupted  when  Peter  Cookson  and  Jerome  Cowan,  from  New  York, 
crash  their  automobile  outside  the  girl's  home.  Cookson  and  Miss  Roberts 
swap  romantic  glances  during  his  convalescence  at  her  home  and  when  he  re- 
turns to  the  city  she  follows.  He,  with  Cowan,  shows  her  the  town  in  elabo- 
rate fashion.  They  reach  the  brink  of  marriage  but  before  they  go  through 
with  it,  the  police  catch  up  with  the  groom-to-be  and  Cowan,  who  are  dealing 
in  stolen  diamonds.  A  wild  chase  and  another  crash,  this  one  killing  Cowan 
immediately  and  allowing  Cookson  enough  time  to  pretend  to  Miss  Roberts 
that  he  never  really  loved  her.  Terry,  whom  she  discovers  she  really  loves, 
arrives  on  the  scene  and  takes  her  back  to  the  country.  Esther  Dale,  Victor 
Kilian,  Moroni  Olsen  and  William  Forrest  are  in  support.  Credits  include 
Joseph  Bercholz,  as  associate  producer ;  John  English,  director,  and  Richard 
Weil  and  Gertrude  Walker,  the  writers. 

Running  time,  68  minutes.    General  classification.    Release  date,  Sept.  10. 

Gene  Arneel 


6 


ments  under  which  the  affiliated  first- 
runs  are  licensed,  are  sufficiently  ex- 
tensive to  control  the  subsequent  ex- 
hibition of  major  films  in  a  majority 
of  independent  theatres. 

4.  In  the  case  of  65  per  cent  of  the 
first  runs,  the  clearance  provisions  en- 
joyed by  the  distributor  defendants 
give  protection  against  theatres  locat- 
ed as  far  as  10  miles  away ;  in  half 
the  cases,  to  distances  of  20  miles  or 
more ;  and  that  in  urban  areas,  75  per 
cent  of  the  first-run  licenses  grant  a 
protection  period  of  29  days  or  more 
against  second-runs  in  the  same  town. 

"The  Government's  case  does 
not  rest  on  any  claim  that  the 
mere  ownership  of  control  of 
all  or  a  majority  of  the  theatres 
in  communities  constitutes  a 
motion  picture  monopoly  which 
violates  Section  2  of  the  Sher- 
man Act,"  the  brief  points  out. 
The  monopoly  results  through 
cross-licensing,  fixing  of  mini- 
mum admission  prices  and  other 
trade  practices,  the  Department 
of  Justice  alleges. 

The  Department  of  Justice  contends 
that  the  distributor  defendants  with 
affiliated  circuits  derive  40-50  per  cent 
of  their  total  revenues  from  their  own 
and  the  affiliated  circuits  of  the  other 
defendants. 

Prior-Run  Theatres 

"The  majority  of  the  film  rentals  de- 
rived from  any  particular  exchange 
area  is  controlled  through  prior  run 
theatres,  priority  of  which  is  deter- 
mined by  concerted  action  among  the 
defendants,"  the  Department  claims  in 
developing  its  thesis  that  the  distribu- 
tor-defendants have  a  monopoly  in  the 
film  industry. 

Detailing  first-run  theatre  licensing 
in  the  73  cities  of  over  100,000  popula- 
tion where  the  Government  charges 
that  the  eight  distributor-defendants 
have  a  monopoly,  in  tabulated  form 
the  Department  of  Justice  contends 
that  Warner  Bros,  licenses  its  first- 
run  product  to  only  11  independents 
in  these  cities,  three  of  whom  obtain 
all  first-run  product  and  eight  split 
the  product  with  one  or  more  of  the 
affiliated  circuits ;  20th  Century-Fox 
licenses  nine,  six  of  which  are  unsplit 
by  the  independent  and  three  are  split. 
Paramount  product  goes  to  six  inde- 
pendents, three  unsplit  and  three  split ; 
Loew's,  four  with  one  unsplit  and 
three  split;  RKO,  14,  with  10  unsplit 
and  four  split;  United  Artists,  10, 
with  four  unsplit  and  six  split ;  Uni- 
versal, 21,  with  16  unsplit  and  five 
split ;  and  Columbia.  20,  with  19  un- 
split and  one  split. 

Conclusion 

Summing  up  in  the  brief  its  con- 
clusion that  divorcement  of  their  thea- 
tre circuits  from  the  producer-exhibi- 
tor defendants  is  the  minimum  relief 
required  by  the  Sherman  Act,  the 
Government  concludes,  "As  the  fore- 
going analysis  suggests,  the  Govern- 
ment will  rest  its  case  upon  a  consid- 
eration of  the  legal "  consequences  of 
the  undisputed  facts  describing  the  ex- 
tent and  nature  of  the  control  which 
the  defendants  before  the  Court  now 
exercise  over  the  domestic  motion  pic- 
ture industry.  It  does  not  propose 
to  burden  the  court  with  the  recita- 
tion of  factual  conflicts  such  as  is 
necessarily  encountered  in  private 
treble  damage  suits  in  which  the  issue 


is  the  nature  and  the  extent  of  specific 
competitive  injuries  sustained  by  par- 
particular  individuals  as  the  result 
of  illegal  control." 

"Here  there  is  no  one  other  than 
the  court  itself  which  can  affirmative- 
ly protect  and  effectively  represent  the 
predominating  interest  of  the  public  as 
a  whole  in  freedom  from  monopoliza- 
tion of  what  is  perhaps  the  most  in- 
fluential medium  of  expression  that  the 
country  enjoys." 

Regarding  the  relief  sought,  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  says,  "We  shall 
submit  the  case  upon  the  assumption 
that  the  court  will  be  primarily  guided 
by  what  that  interest  is  (the  public's) 
in  reaching  its  decision,  rather  than 
financial  injury  to  complaining  wit- 
nesses or  the  financial  injury  which 
the  defendants  would  allegedly  sustain 
if  they  were  compelled  to  abandon 
their  present  integrated  economic 
structure  in  favor  of  one  which  would 
permit  the  competitive  production,  dis- 
tribution and  exhibition  of  motion  pic- 
tures which  the  Sherman  Act  re- 
quires." 

Appendices 

Appendix  A  to  the  Department  of 
Justice's  brief  runs  64  pages  and  is 
titled  "Corporate  Structure  of  the  De- 
fendants. Their  Relations  With  Each 
Other  and  the  Domestic  Film  Indus- 
try." Appendix  B  is  259  pages  and  is 
titled  "Printed  License  Forms  Used 
bv  Eight  Major  Distributors  During 
1936-37  and  1943-44  Seasons."  Ap- 
pendix C  of  152  pages  is  titled  "Judi- 
cial and  Administrative  Decisions  and 
Official  Documents  Relating  to  the 
Monopolization  of  the  Domestic  Mo- 
tion Picture  Industry." 

It  is  learned  that  the  Department 
of  Justice  has  notified  the  distributor 
defendants  that  it  intends  to  provide 
them  with  a  list  of  additional  docu- 
ments it  will  use  supplementing  the 
original  list  of  173  pages  delivered 
Sept.  1.  These  documents,  which  will 
be  designated  next  week,  will  include 
information  gathered  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  from  independent  pro- 
ducers. 


Katzman  3-Year  Pact 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20. — Sam  Katz- 
man now  producing  a  second  serial  for 
Columbia,  has  signed  a  three-year 
contract  with  that  studio. 


Blumenstock 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

been  director  of  advertising  and  pub- 
licity in  the  East.  He  started  with 
Warner  Brothers  in  1931  as  advertis- 
ing-publicity chief  of  Warner  Broth- 
ers' circuit  of  500  theatres.  In  1936, 
when  Einfeld  shifted  his  publicity 
headquarters  to  the  studio,  Blumen- 
stock moved  from  the  theatre  sub- 
sidiary to  the  parent  company  in 
charge  of  all  advertising  and  publicity 
in  the  East. 

At  Blumenstock's  suggestion,  the 
Warners  consented  to  his  continuing 
to  make  his  headquarters  in  New 
York,  with  the  understanding  that  he 
would  be  expected  to  make  regular 
visits  to  the  studio  in  order  to  keep 
the  studio  and  New  York  promotion 
efforts  at  a  high  level.  Headquarters 
of  the  department  have  been  at  the 
studio  here  for  several  years. 

Alex  Evelove  continues  as  studio 
publicity  director,  with  enlarged 
duties,  under  the  new  setup. 

Blumenstock  expects  to  make 
changes  in  key  personnel  of  the  Bur- 
bank  publicity  organization,  and  any 
realignment  of  the  advertising-pub- 
licity executives  in  New  York  will 
await  his  return  there  next  week. 

Blumenstock  started  in  the  industry 
as  an  advertising  copy  writer  for  First 
National  Pictures  in  1922. 


Cleveland  Theatres 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

elude  all  Cleveland  theatres,  except 
major  circuits,  plus  Telenews,  two 
Drive-Ins  and  eight  independents  not 
affiliated  with  the  Cleveland  Motion 
Picture  Exhibitors  Association. 

The  union  charged  the  exhibitors 
with  failure  to  negotiate  a  new  con- 
tract and  with  disregarding  a  local 
War  Labor  Board  directive  ordering 
vacations  with  pay.  CM  PEA  denied 
the  charges,  reporting  that  the  real  is- 
sue was  elimination  of  the  local  prac- 
tice of  two  men  in  an  operating  booth. 


'Yolanda'  Tradeshow 

M-G-M  will  hold  tradeshowings  of 
"Yolanda  and  the  Thief,"  in  Techni- 
color, at  the  New  York  exchange  and 
at  the  Ambassador  Theatre,  Los  An- 
geles, on  Oct.  8. 


Friday,  September  21,  1945  j 


Meet  Clark 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  Attorney  General  was  present  on  i 
behalf  of  the  Department. 

It  was  the  brevity  of  the  meeting 
that  raised  speculation  as  to  a  decree, 
observers  pointing  out  that  it  woulcf 
not  require  much  time  to  lay  definite  | 
proposals  before  the  Attorney  General! 
for  consideration,  and  that  the  pres-if 
ence  of  high  officials  of  the  companies? 
indicated    that    the    conference  wa<T 
something  more  than  a  discussion  be- J 
tween  lawyers  of  the  procedure  to  b«T 
followed  in  the  trial  of  the  suit,  whiclf, 
is  scheduled  for  Oct.  8. 

All-Over  Basis 

If  an  out-of-court  settlement  is  be  ! 
ing  negotiated,  it  is  believed  it  will  b<T 
on  an  all-over  basis  rather  than  on  th( 
issues  covered  by  the  original  decre<  ; 
of  1940.    This  impression  is  based  oi  i 
the  fact  that  Assistant  Attorney  Gen  ' 
eral  Wendell  Berge  made  a  motion  t( 
the  court  some  time  ago  for  decre^ ! 
settlement  of  all  issues  involved  othe 
than  that  of  divorcement,  and  the  of  j 
fer  was  rejected  by  the  companies. 

The  companies  have  been  reporter  ' 
to  be  seeking  a  solution  of  the  divorce 
ment  problem  which  would  leave  then,  * 
with,    at    least,    their    "show-case  l 
houses,  and  it  is  possible  that  today' 
meeting  was  for  the  purpose  of  mak1  j 
ing  a  tender  under  which  the  distribji  j 
tors  would  give  up  some  of  their  theaJ 
tres.  ■ 

Observers  here  believe  it  quite  pos 
sible  that  Department  officials  mighj  - 
concede  the  companies'  point  that  the;'  : 
need  show-cases  for  the  purpose  c  ~ 
popularizing  their  product.    The  poiji'  \ 
was  raised  a  year  ago,  during  th 
unsuccessful  effort  to  negotiate  a  net  f 
decree  to  succeed  the  expired  194 
document,  in  connection  with  the  ques 
tion  of  new  acquisitions,  but  the  negc  l  . 
tiations  never  got  to  the  point  wher  | 
the  Deparment  took  a  final,  definit] 
position,  one  way  or  the  other. 

Other  Issues 

With  respect  to  the  other  issues  ir-  - 
volved  in  the  case,  it  is  not  believe'  fi 
the  companies  and  the  Government  ar?  f 
so  far  apart  they  could  not  readil  W 
reach  a  common  ground  for  under!  : 
standing.  On  the  question  of  divorce  S 
ment,  high  Department  officials  hav  I 
declared  their  intention  of  pressing  fc  i 
a  final  decision  but  have  never  saf|  k 
they  would  not  consider  an  offer  frot  ' 
the  companies  which  gave  the  Goverr  i 
ment  what  it  is  seeking. 

  '  IS 

Wright,  Griffith 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

filed,  after  20th-Fox  "had  seen  th 
handwriting  on  the  wall."  Kupp< 
said  that,  prior  to  the  change  in  po  ,. 
icy,  he  believed  his  firm  had  neve 
sold  a  Griffith  competitor  second-rr 
rights. 

A  Norman,  Okla.,  real  estate  ma  ; 
S.  G.  Embrister,  took  the  stand  th-  v 
afternoon  to  contradict  testimony  (j 
Mrs.   Juanita    Berry,    NdVman  ind< 
pendent  operator,  who  had  said  tl ' 
Griffiths  leased  a  theatre  "out  fro: 
under"  her  in  1938.     Embrister  sa: 
she  was  in  arrears  in  rent  and  that  1 
would  not  renew  her  lease  for  th; 
reason. 

Depositions  of  Gradwell  L.  Sear 
Ned  E.  Depinet  and  A.  Montagi 
were  being  read  as  court  adjourned 


Friday,  September  21,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Harmon 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


/intinue  to  work  with  the  WAC 
itntil  various  projects  currently  in 
•kork  are  liquidated.  These  will  in- 
jlude  completion  of  the  "historical 
jacord  oi  the  part  motion  pictures  and 
,J.e  motion  picture  industry  have 
V.ayed  in  World  War  II."  A  previous 
published  record  of  the  industry  and 
WAC  contribution  to  the  war  was 
he  book,  "Movie  Lot  to  Beachhead." 

Many  of  the  WAC  releases  will 
'and   repository    in    Washington  ar- 
■  lives.  George  Schaefer,  WAC  chair- 
nan,  said  here  yesterday  in  an  inter- 
view.  He  promised  to  consider  a  sug- 
gestion that  some  be  given  to  the 
\luseum  of  Modern  Art.    Other  un- 
inished  WAC  projects,  which  Har- 
non  will  work  on,  Schaefer  said,  will 
J)e  films  for  the  Eighth  War  Loan 
J.:1rive,  the  project  of  converting  from 
win.  to  35mm.  for  troops  overseas, 
nd  additional  films  which  may  be  re- 
-■ased  for  the  National  War  Fund  and 
>WI. 

Schaefer  pointed  out  that  Dec.  31 
5  being  considered  as  a  termination 
ate  for  the  WAC  because  no  budget 
as  been  arranged  beyond  that  date. 
Exhibitors,  distributors  and  producers 
ach  contributed  one-third  of  the 
unds  for  WAC  operation,  Schaefer 
aid. 


Dominion  Organization 
Unaffected  by  Change 

,  Toronto.  Sept.  20. — Election  of 
.Uric  A.  Johnston  as  president  of  the 
MPPDA  in  Xew  York  will  have  no 
.Effect  on  the  Dominion  organization, 
Canadian  Motion  Picture  Distributors 
[Association,  it  was  stated  here  today. 
The  Canadian  group,  of  which  Leo  M. 
Deveney  is  president,  is  entirely  di- 
vorced from  the  MPPDA,  although  it 
;had  been  a  branch  unit  when  headed 
t>y  Col.  John  A.  Cooper. 


Exhibitors 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


tivities  Committee  were  directed 
(against  the  lack  of  a  formal  organiza- 
tion, the  failure  to  define  the  author- 
ity and  responsibility  of  officers  and 
jiommittees,  and  the  refusal  of  the 
.controlling  clique  to  consult  the  mem- 
■I  ers  of  the  supposedly  governing  com- 
jinittees  or  exhibitor  organizations  on 
important  decisions,  including  the 
selection  of  campaign  chairmen,  and 
a\so  for  presuming  to  act  for  the  en- 
tire industry  on  matters  clearly  out- 
side WAC's  scope. 

"In  view  of  our  unfortunate  experi- 
ences with  earlier  attempts  at  united 
lection,  including  UMPI,  and  the  un- 
:-ettled  state  of  the  law.  I  would  want 
tto  see  a  bluenrint  before  commenting 
Vn  the  present  proposal.  However,  I 
take  this  opportunity  to  congratulate 
Johnston,  to  wish  him  well  and  as- 
Sure  him  of  my  good  will  and  that. 
I  am  sure,  goes  for  everv  member 
f  Allied." 

Leo  F.  Wolcott.  president,  Allied 
Independent    Theatre    Owners  of 
Iowa-Nebraska:    "Eric  Johnston's 
plan  has  tremendous  possibilities.  I 
am  glad  to  see  new  blood  at  the  head 
tof  the  MPPDA.     I  have  always  fa- 
-.   vored    harmonious    cooperation  be- 
tween the  various  elements  of  the  in- 
i   (lustry  and.  despite  disappointments,  I 
still  believe  such  an  organization,  fair- 
ly constituted  and  armed  with  author- 
ity and  the  will  to  do  so  could  accom- 
:  jplish  immeasurable  good  for  all." 


Review 


"The  Lost  Trail" 

(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20 

PATRONS  of  Hollywood's  Hitching  Post  Theatre,  who  are  experts  on 
the  subject  of  Western  drama,  received  Monogram's  newest  offering  plac- 
idly. There  is  enough  action  to  sustain  audience  interest  in  the  story,  which 
sticks  strictly  to  standard.  Raymond  Hatton  and  Johnny  Mack  Brown  are 
in  fine  fettle,  and  Jennifer  Holt  lends  credibility  to  the  role  of  the  daughter 
of  an  ill-fated  stage-line  operator. 

When  her  father  is  murdered  by  robbers,  who  make  off  with  a  shipment 
of  gold,  the  girl  struggles  to  keep  the  line  operating,  against  such  odds  as 
masked  bandits,  lawless  trail  hands,  and  a  sleek,  suave  master-mind  in  the 
person  of  the  local  saloon-keeper.  The  latter  is  out  to  gain  control  of  the 
line,  and  it  is  at  his  instigation  that  the  hold-ups  and  murders  take  place. 
Fortunately,  the  deceased  had  the  foresight  to  send  for  two  U.  S.  marshals, 
'Nevada'  and  'Sandy,'  who  soon  set  matters  right,  and  put  an  end  to  the  sa- 
loon-keeper's shenanigans.  Jess  Bowers  wrote  the  screenplay,  Lambert  Hill- 
yer  directed,  and  the  picture  was  produced  under  the  supervision  of  Charles 
Bigelow. 

Running  time.  53  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Sept.  29.  Thalia  Bell 


8th  War  Loan 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Si  Seadler 

Fifth  drive,  will 
ana.  Mississippi. 


a  former  national  chairman  of  previ- 
ous drives,  and  a  sixth,  "special"  zone. 

Sam  Pinanski.  chairman  of  the  Sev- 
enth  Loan   drive,   will   have  Maine, 
Massachusetts, 
C  o  nnecticut. 
New  Hamp- 
shire. Rhode 
Island  and  Ver- 
mont. Harry 
Brandt,  chair- 
man   of  the 
Sixth,  will  have 
New  York, 
Pennsylvania, 
Virginia.  West 
Virginia,  Mary- 
land. Delaware, 
District  of  Co- 
lumbia and  New 
Jersey.  R.  J. 
O  '  D  onnell. 
chairman  of  the 
have  Texas,  Louisi- 
Alabama.  Georgia. 
Florida,  North  Carolina,  South  Caro- 
lina, Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 

Charles  Skouras,  chairman  of  the 
Fourth  drive,  will  take  California, 
Oregon,  Washington.  Idaho,  Montana, 
Wyoming,  Utah,  Colorado.  New  Mex- 
ico, Arizona  and  Nevada.  L.  C. 
Griffith,  chairman  of  the  Third  drive, 
will  have  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Missouri,  Oklahoma  and  Arkansas. 
John  Friedl  of  Minnesota  Amusement 
Co.  will  have  a  special  zone,  including 
Minnesota,  North  Dakota,  South  Da- 
kota, Wisconsin,  Michigan,  Illinois, 
Indiana  and  Ohio. 

Gamble  Address 

Ted  R.  Gamble,  head  of  the  War 
Finance  Division  of  the  Treasury,  un- 
derscored the  importance  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry's  full  participa- 
tion in  the  final  drive,  in  addressing 
yesterday's  meeting. 

With  Si  Fabian  presiding,  the  fol- 
lowing attended  the  meeting :  Gamble 
and  Ned  Shugrue  of  the  Treasury ; 
campaign  chairman  Oscar  A.  Doob ; 
Francis  Harmon.  Charles  Skouras, 
Robert  J.  O'Donnell,  Harry  Brandt, 
Sam  Pinanski,  Charles  M.  Reagan, 
Jay  Emanuel,  Herman  Robbins,  Max 
A.  Cohen,  national  coordinator 
"Chick"  Lewis,  trade  press  advertis- 
ing chairman  Si  Seadler,  Harry  Ar- 
thur, Marty  Mullin,  Rick  Ricketson, 
Jerry  Zigmond.  John  Hertz,  Jr.,  Wal- 


ter Brown  and  Herman  Gluckman. 

Reagan,  who  immediately  began  set- 
ting up  Coast-to-Coast  machinery  that 
will  function  with  other  divisions, 
said :  "Distribution  is  ready  to  give 
this  drive  all  of  the  energy,  manpower, 
and  films  that  it  has  provided  in  any 
past  campaigns — plus.  All  of  us  fully 
realize  the  importance  of  making  this 
final  plunge  our  biggest." 

Seadler  announced  that  the  produc- 
ers will  again  cooperate  with  the  drive 
by  contributing  thousands  of  dollars 
of  advertising  space  in  the  trade  pa- 
pers. He  reported  that  the  trade  press 
publishers  will  again  provide  their 
liberal  quota  of  display  space  free,  in 
addition  to  unlimited  editorial  support. 


Lt.  George  Film  Aid 
In  8th  Loan  Drive 


Washington,  Sept.  20. — Lt.  Doug- 
las F.  George,  USNR,  has  been 
loaned  by  the  Navy  to  the  Treasury 
to  assist  in  the  forthcoming  'Victory 
Loan'  drive.  George  will  handle  pub- 
licity and  promotion  in  connection 
with  the  drive's  motion  picture  and 
special  events  program,  with  head- 
quarters in  the  Treasury  Department, 
here. 

Until  recently  George  was  in 
charge  of  the  Navy's  industrial  incen- 
tive film  program.  Prior  to  entering 
the  service,  George  was  with  20th 
Century-Fox,  in  New  York,  in  a  pub- 
lic relations  capacity. 


Another  Variety  Gift 

Baltimore,  Sept.  20.  —  A  new  ac- 
cident room  at  West  Baltimore  Gen- 
eral Hospital  will  have  its  complete 
equipment  installed  through  a  gift  by 
the  Variety  Club,  Baltimore  Tent, 
No.  19.  The  club's  welfare  commit- 
tee, of  which  C.  Elmer  Nolte,  Jr.  is 
chairman,  presented  the  hospital  this 
week  with  a  check  for  $4,000.  Rod- 
new  Collier,  manager  of  the  Stanley 
Theatre,  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee, also  took  part  in  the  presenta- 
tion. 


70-City  Bond  Tours 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20. — The  Holly- 
wood Victory  Committee  today  set  up 
tentative  plans  for  all-star  bond  tours 
to  cover  approximately  70  cities  in  be- 
half of  the  Victory  Loan  Drive. 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Friday,  September  21,  1945 


US  Reports  Cuba  in 
Need  of  Equipment 


Washington,  Sept.  20. — About  15 
per  cent  of  the  approximately  400 
theatres  operating  in  Cuba  will  re- 
place old  projectors  with  new  equip- 
ment as  soon  as  it  is  available,  and 
10  per  cent  of  the  sound  equipment 
also  will  be  replaced,  it  is  indicated 
by  a  survey  of  the  market  just  re- 
ceived by  Nathan  D.  Golden,  chief 
of  the  motion  picture  unit  of  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic 
Commerce,  from  James  N.  Cortada, 
economic  analyst  in  the  Embassy  at 
Havana. 

Prospects  for  the  sale  of  spare  parts 
for  projectors  are  good,  Golden  said, 
and  there  is  a  fair  potential  market 
for  motor  generators  for  bulb  rec- 
tifiers. Potentialities  for  the  sale  of 
studio  and  laboratory  equipment  are 
poor. 

Price  is  the  major  factor  in  Cuban 
purchases  of  theatre  equipment,  Cor- 
tada reported,  since  few  operators  own 
their  theatres  and  most  exhibitors 
prefer  to  invest  profits  in  outside  in- 
terests rather  than  in  replacement  of 
equipment  other  than  spare  parts. 

It  was  suggested,  however,  by  one 
local  distributor  that  a  good  market 
could  be  opened  if  it  were  possible  to 
provide  inexpensive  projectors,  with 
arc  lamps  and  a  single  two-unit  35- 
ampere  rectifier  for  about  $2,000. 


Polio  in  Pennsylvania 
Hits  More  Theatres 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  20.  —  The  in- 
fantile paralysis  quarantine  has 
reached  the  suburban  area  with  the 
Lower  Merion  Township  ordering  mo- 
tion picture  theatres,  swimming  pools, 
churches  and  Sunday  schools  closed 
to  all  children  under  16.  At  nearby 
Langhorne,  Pa.,  the  quarantine  im- 
posed last  month  in  the  South  Lang- 
horne Borough  has  been  lifted. 

Nearby  towns  in  Southern  New 
Jersey  this  week  imposed  bans  because 
of  the  "polio"  spread.  Hammonton 
and  Haddonfield  banned  all  children 
from  attending  all  public  gatherings, 
including  theatres.  A  quarantine  of 
children  14  or  younger  was  ordered 
in  Hawthorne,  and  all  children  in 
Audubon  are  also  now  prohibited  from 
attending  theatres. 


Film  Classics  Buys 
Its  Fourth  Exchange 

Film  Classics  has  acquired  its 
fourth  branch,  with  the  purchase  of 
the  Los  Angeles  exchange  of  Ben  Pes- 
kay,  H.  S.  Popkin  and  Jack  Berman, 
it  was  disclosed  here  yesterday  by 
L.  E.  Goldhammer,  the  company's 
vice-president  and  general  manager. 

Goldhammer  will  establish  head- 
quarters in  the  newly-acquired  ex- 
change, from  where  he  will  supervise 
Film  Classics'  operations  in  the  West, 
while  Irving  Wormser,  Eastern  sales 
manager,  will  direct  Eastern  opera- 
tions from  the  New  York  home  of- 
fice. The  company  also  owns  branches 
in  Albany,  Buffalo  and  Chicago. 
Other  branches  are  operated  by  local 
franchise  holders. 

'Radio  Stars'  Premiere 

Radio  personalities  in  New  York 
will  attend  the  opening  of  RKO  Ra- 
dio's "Radio  Stars  on  Parade,"  today, 
at  the  Gotham  Theatre,  here. 


Critics9  Quotes 


"PRIDE  OF  THE  MARINES"  (WB) 

Timely,  serious,  thoughtful,  inspiring,  even  eloquent.  .  .  .  one's  emotions 
are  hit  hard.  Postwar  unemployment,  peace,  race  equality  all  come  in  for 
discussion  in  the  course  of  a  rather  wordy  and  overlong  story,  but  all  in  all, 
it's  worth  seeing  .  .  .  that  Clark  boy  shows  he  merits  his  just-attained 
stardom. — W.  E.  J.  Martin,  Buffalo  Courier-Express. 

A  ringing  retort  to  the  people  who,  with  some  justification,  have  been 
charging  the  movie  industry  with  inability  to  make  a  film  about  a  handicapped 
veteran  without  sentimentalizing  it  out  of  all  resemblance  ,to  real  life  .  .  .  (it) 
depicts  war  as  a  dirty  business ;  heroes  as  sometimes  frightened  and  hysterical 
.  .  .  a  heart-tearing  tear-jerker  .  .  .  movies  like  this  can  do  much  to  build  a 
wholesome,  realistic  attitude  toward  handicaps  in  the  veteran. — Ethel  Hoffman, 
Buffalo  Evening  Neivs. 

"CAPTAIN  EDDIE"  (20th-Fox) 

"Captain"  contains  much  more  than  a  saga  of  the  war  just  ended.  It 
also  presents  something  of  that  other  World  War  and  may  be  said  to  offer 
a  panorama  of  life  and  progress  before  the  first  and  between  the  two  wars. 
.  .  .  In  filming  the  biography,  the  producers  must  have  been  tempted  to  make 
it  merely  a  film  thriller.  The  producers  have,  however,  elected  to  minimize 
the  thrills  in  favor  of  the  story  of  a  man's  faith. — Herbert  L.  Monk,  St.  Louis 
Globe-Democrat. 

"Captain  Eddie"  opens  with  the  much  publicized  Rickenbacker  adventure 
of  1942.  .  .  .  Playing  the  Pacific  ordeal  for  all  it  is  worth,  the  film  .  .  .  tells 
the  story  of  Rickenbacker  and  his  rise  to  fame  and  fortune.  The  studio, 
avoiding  anything  controversial,  revealing,  new  or  gritty  in  its  study,  tries 
to  make  up  for  these  lacks  by  bathing  its  episodes  in  the  stock  types  of 
whimsy  and  'good  taste'  that  pass  as  entertainment. — Jack  Batch.  St.  Louis 
Pos't-Dispatch. 

"YOU  CAME  ALONG"  (Paramount) 

Laugh-on-the-lips-tear-in-the-eye  story  with  a  bad  case  of  split  personality. 
.  .  .  But  the  narrative  as  a  whole  is  loose-jointed  and  the  general  tone  is  too 
wavering  and  uncertain  for  complete  credibility. — Edward  Carbcrry,  Cincinnati 
Post. 

Plenty  of  humor,  although  some  of  it  is  too  contrived  .  .  .  but  above  the 
average  of  some  of  the  exhibits  we  have  seen  lately. — Helen  Dctzcl.  Cincinnati 
Times-Star. 


AMPA  Program  for 
1 945-46  is  Underway 

David  A.  Bader,  president  of  the 
Associated  Motion  Picture  Advertis- 
ers, presided  at  a  new  members-Mar- 
tin Starr  testimonial  luncheon-meeting 
at  Ronnie's  Steak  House,  here,  yester- 
day, at  which  time  the  organization 
voted  to  send  a  congratulatory  tele- 
gram to  Eric  A.  Johnston,  newly- 
elected  president  of  the  MP  PDA.  The 
membership  also  presented  gifts  to 
former  presidents  Starr  and  Vincent 
Trotta,  for  their  services  to  AMPA. 

New  members  who  were  introduced 
at  the  meeting  included :  George  Et- 
tinger,  Henry  Spiegel,  Paul  Walker, 
William  Slater,  Albert  R.  Wilson,  Al- 
bert S.  Cadiff.  Will  Yolen,  Robert 
Follette,  Harry  A.  Samwick,  Herman 
Nadler,  Ben  Adler,  Merlin  Lewis, 
Walter  Brooks,  Paul  C.  Mooney,  Sr., 
Walter  Marcus,  Harry  McWilliams, 
Dick  Richman,  Sally  Perle,  Homer 
Harman,  Sid  Gross,  Jerome  Pickman 
and  Harold  Danziger. 

During  the  meeting  Bader  outlined 
plans  for  future  organization  activi- 
ties, which  include  plans  for  the 
AMPA  relief  fund. 


New  French  Journal 

Herman  Weinberg  has  been  ap- 
pointed American  correspondent  for 
Lc  Film  Francois.  French  trade  publi- 
cation, published  in  Paris,  under  the 
editorship  of  Lucie  Derain.  Lc  Film 
Francois  succeeds  La  Cinematogra- 
phique  Francois,  pre-war  French  film 
journal. 


Start  PRC  Exchange 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  20. — Survey- 
ors have  begun  laying  lines  for  ? 
$40,000  PRC  exchange  building  here. 


Japs  to  Increase 
Film  Production 


Jap  film  producers,  who  used  Ger- 
man and  Italians  to  play  American 
"villains"  in  war-time  propaganda 
films,  are  planning  a  vastly  expanded 
peacetime  production  schedule,  con- 
centrating on  musical  comedies,  ac- 
cording to  press  dispatches  reaching 
here  from  Tokyo. 

Japan  had  2,000  theatres  before  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  but  Allied 
bombings  reduced  this  number  to  900, 
it  was  reported.  The  Japs'  main  pro- 
duction studios,  however,  generally 
survived  air-raid  destruction.  During 
the  war  the  Jap  industry  turned  out 
two  or  three  pictures  monthly,  to  bol- 
ster home-front  morale  and  in  conse- 
quence audiences  today  are  eager  for 
lighter  screen  material,  the  com- 
muniques stated. 

A  musical  comedy  is  now  before 
the  cameras  at  a  studio  just  outside 
Tokvo. 


Bond  Conferring  Here 

Anson  Bond  is  in  New  York  from 
Hollywood  conferring  with  advertis- 
ing agencies  and  radio  stations  on 
television  productions  which  have  al- 
ready started  by  Bond-Charteris  En- 
terprises of  Hollywood  and  New 
York.  While  in  New  York,  Bond  is 
making  his  headquarters  at  the  Mc- 
Cann-Erickson   Advertising  Agency. 


Film  Firm  Incorporated 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  20.— Public 
Affairs  Films,  Inc.,  has  been  incor- 
porated. Incorporators  are :  Felix 
M.  Rosenstock,  Sidney  Rodwin  and 
Simon  Shapiro,  New  York  City.  Ro- 
senstock was  incorporating  attorney. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20t 

"WIFE  WANTED>"  novel  b> 
»'»  Robert  E.  Callhan,  has  beer- 
purchased  by  Monogram  as  the  com- 
pany's third  story  to  star  Kay  Francis 
to  be  co-produced  by  Miss  Francis  anc 
Jeffrey  Bernerd.  .  .  .  Bob  Hope  wil 
be  starred  by  Paramount  in  "My  Fa 
vorite  Brunette,"  which  is  not  designer 
as  a  sequel  to  the  comedian's  "My  Fa- 
vorite Blonde."  .  .  .  Reginald  Dennj 
has  been  signed  by -Universal  for  ai 
important  featured  role  in  "Tangier.' 
• 

M-G-M  has  purchased  "Sergean 
Nelson-  of  the  Guards,"  an  account  o 
life  in  Britain's  famed  Coldstrean 
Guards,  by  Gerald  Kersch.  .  .  .  Direc  | 
tor  Joe  E.  Lewis  has  had  his  Colum 
bia  contract  extended.  .  .  .  Monte  Hah 
will  be  featured  in  Republic's  forth 
coming  serial,  "King  of  Forest  Rang 
ers."  .  .  .  Tom  Noonan  will  have  a  tof 
role  in  "The  Bamboo  Blonde."  rum 
shooting  at  RKO  Radio. 

• 

Marjorie  Reynolds  will  portray  < 
Spanish  princess  in  Paramount': 
comedy  version  of  "Monsieur  Beau 
caire."  .  .  .  Franklin  Pangborn  anc 
Lionel  Stander  have  been  assignee 
important  roles  in  "The  Sin  of  Har 
old  Diddlebock,"  which  Prestoi 
Sturges  is  producing  and  directin; 
for  California  Pictures.  . . .  Hy  Kin; 
has  returned  to  Hollywood  fron 
New  York,  where  he  signed  a  num 
ber  of  models  for  roles  in  "Glamou 
Girl,"  which  the  King  Brothers  wil 
produce  for  Monogram,  with  skat 
ing  star  Belita  in  the  leading  role 


If 


Frank  Capra's  first  Hollywood  pic 
ture  in  four  years  will  be  "The  Great 
est  Gift,"  which  he  will  produce  am* 
direct  for  RKO  Radio,  Capra's  new 
production  unit  having  taken  offices  a 
the  RKO  studio ;  RKO  purchased  th( 
Philip  Van  Doren  Stern  original  fron 
Liberty  Films,  and  a  screen  play  wil 
be  written  therefrom  by  Alber 
Hackett  and  Francis  Goodrich.  .  . 
David  Niven  has  signed  a  new  seven 
year  contract  with  Samuel  Goldwyi 
and  will  return  to  Hollywood  in  De 
cember,  to  start  first  in  "The  Bishop'1 
Wife,"  Robert  Nathan  novel  for  whicl 
Goldwvn  reputedlv  paid  $200,000. 


Producer-director  Frits  Lang  ha. 
added  Vladimir  Sokoloff  to  the  cas 
of  "Scarlet  Street,"  Diana  productioi\  J 
for  Universal  release,  in  which  tht. 
principals  will  be  Edward  G.  Robin- 
son. Joan  Bennett  and  Dan  Duryea 
.  .  .  Maurice  Bricre  has  been  adder 
to  the  cast  of  "Heartbeat,"  which  San 
Wood  is  producing  on  his  own  foi 
RKO  Radio  release.  .  .  .  Jack  IVarnci 
will  be  host  to  Hollywood's  first  stu- 
dio welcome-home  reception  on  Sept 
28,  honoring  Jl/aync  Morris.  Ronalc 
Reagan.  Gig  Young,  Harry  Lewis  anc 
others  who  return  to  films  from  serv- 
ice with  the  Armed  Forces. 


Abbott  Succeeds  Krause 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  20.  —  Harry 
Abbott,  chief  projectionist  at  Warners 
Mastbaum,  has  been  elected  president 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Operator* 
Union,  Local  No.  307,  succeeding  Lou 
Krause,  who  retired  after  holding  that 
post  for  34  years.  Abbott  Oliver,  alsr 
of  the  Mastbaum,  is  the  new  vice 
president. 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Fridav,  September  21,  1945 


Short 
Subjects 


"The  Fox  and  the  Duck" 

<  2Qth-Fox  Tcrrytoon) 

A  duck  goes  into  business  handling 
a  string  of  prize  egg-laying  hens.  A 
fox  tries  to  break  into  the  business  and 
burglarize  it.  The  duck  goes  to  a  dog, 
a  pig  and  a  fish  for  help,  but  none  will 
help  him.  Finally  the  duck  does  what 
he  should  have  done  in  the  first  place, 
he  takes  action  himself.  Filmed  in 
Technicolor.  Running  time,  seven 
tninutes. 


'The  Bashful  Buzzard" 

li'aniers-Looney  Tunes) 
When  a  mother  buzzard  teaches  her 
young  how  to  hunt  food,  all  take  to  it 
immediately  witli  the  exception  of 
Ueaky  Buzzard  who  encounters  all 
sorts  of  difficulty.  After  many  unsuc- 
Iressful  efforts  at  finding  food,  Beaky 
surprises  everyone  by  emerging  with 
the  biggest  catch  of  the  day.  Filmed 
"in  Technicolor.  Running  time,  7  min- 
:tites.    Release  date,  September  15. 


''Memories  of  Columbus" 

i  20th  Movietone  Adventure) 

Made  in  the  Dominican  Republic, 
the  subject  catches  something  of  the 
beauty  and  customs  of  that  land  upon 
which  the  discoverer  once  set  foot. 
The  memories  of  Columbus  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  great  Cathedral,  oldest  in 
the  Western  Hemisphere,  wherein  his 
remains  are  said  to  repose  in  a  stately 
rrypt.  Narration  is  by  Lowell  Thomas. 
Running  time,  eight  minutes. 


Set  CinemaManagers 
SLRB  Hearing  Here 

A  conference  will  be  held  at  the 
office  of  the  New  York  State  Labor 
Relations  Board  here  next  Wednes- 
day between  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Operating  Managers  and  Assistant 
Managers  Guild  and  representatives  of 
Cinema  Circuit,  which  operates  10 
theatres  in  this  area. 

The  Guild  claims  sufficient  repre- 
sentation among  managers,  assistant 
managers  and  relief  managers  in 
Cinema  houses  to  be  declared  the 
collective  bargaining  representative. 
The  Guild  represents  the  managers 
and  assistant  managers  of  40  RKO 
Metropolitan  New  York  theatres. 


Exhibitors  Seeking 
New  Sound:  Altec 

Reports  from  Altec  field  personnel 
indicate  that  many  exhibitors  who 
have  plans  for  fall  renovations,  as 
previously  disclosed,  intend  to  give  at- 
tention to  improving  sound  repro- 
ducing equipment,  in  order  to  take 
advantage  of  improved  recordings  de- 
veloped at  West  Coast  studios,  Altec's 
home  office  stated  here  yesterday. 

"Overall  surveys  are  now  being 
made  to  establish  the  optimum  out- 
put quality  of  present  sound  repro- 
ducing systems  so  that  benefits 
achieved  from  higher  efficiencies  of 
new  loudspeaker  systems  may  be  re- 
tained for  better  overall  sound," 
Altec  said. 


9 


China  Plans  Films 
As  Teaching  Aid 


W  ashington,  Sept.  20. — An  Amer- 
ican expert  on  motion  pictures  may 
be  employed  by  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment Chungking  to  advise  on  the  use 
of  films  for  educational  and  other  pur- 
poses, it  was  learned  here  today. 

It  is  understood  that  the  Chinese 
authorities  are  planning  to  make  ex- 
tensive use  of  motion  pictures  in  pro- 
grams to  raise  health,  sanitation  and 
industrial  levels  which  will  reach 
every  section  of  the  country. 

It  has  not  been  disclosed  whether 
the  plan  involves  much  production. 


Pennell  Organizing 
Michigan  ATA  Meet 

Detkoit.  Sept.  20. — Fred  E.  Pen- 
nell, general  manager  for  Allied 
"l'heatres  of  Michigan,  is  general 
chairman  of  the  organization's  26th 
annual  convention,  to  be  held  in  the 
Hotel  Statler,  here,  on  Nov.  5-7.  The 
ronvention  program  includes  a  direc- 
tors' banquet  on  the  evening  of  Nov. 
5,  and  all-day  business  sessions  dur- 
ing the  following  two  days. 

Ray  Branch,  association  president, 
will  preside  at  all  sessions.  More 
than  400  members  are  expected  to 
attend  the  business  meetings. 


Texas  Allied  Annual 
Meet  Opens  Oct.  22 

Dallas.  Sept.  20—  Col.  H.  A.  Cole, 
president  of  Allied  Theatre  Owners 
V>f  Texas,  has  set  Oct.  22-23  for  the 
organization's  26th  annual  convention, 
'to  be  held  at  the  White  Plaza  Hotel, 
'  here. 

Included  in  the  program  which  Cole 
will  submit  to  the  independents  are  the 
New  York  trust  suit,  film  terms, 
checking  of  theatres  by  film  compa- 
nies. Federal  admission  taxes,  recon- 
version problems  and  expansion  pros- 
pects. 


Penna.  MPTO  Meeting 

Pittsburgh,  Sept.  20. — A  confer- 
ence committee  of  the  Allied  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  West 
Pennsylvania  has  confirmed  Oct.  22- 
-3  as  the  dates  for  the  organization's 
silver  anniversary  convention,  at  the 
William  Penn  Hotel  here. 


WARNERS 

(1945-'46) 
PRIDE  OF  THE 
MARINES 
John  Garfield 
Eleanor  Parker 
D— 120  mins.  (501) 
(Rev.  8/7/45) 

(1945-'46)  | 
RHAPSODY  IN 
BLUE 
Robert  Alda 
Joan  Leslie 
M — 139  mins.  (502) 
(Rev.  6/27/45) 

BORN  FOR 
TROUBLE 
Van  Johnson 
Faye  Emerson 

D— 57    mins.  (504) 

(1945-'46) 
MILDRED 
PIERCE 
Joan  Crawford 
Jack  Carson 
D— 111  mins.  (505) 

UNIVERSAL 

LADY  ON  A  1 

TRAIN 
Deanna  Durbin 

David  Bruce 
Ralph  Bellamy 
CD— 94  mins.  (9001) 
(Rev.  8/9/45) 

(1945-'46) 
SHADY  LADY 
Charles  Coburn 
Ginny  Simms 
Robert  Paige 
D— 93  mins.  (501) 
(Rev.  9/7/45) 

(1945-'46) 
MEN  IN  HER 

DIARY 
Louise  Albritton 
Jon  Hall 
C — 73  mins.  (173) 
(Rev.  9/13/45) 

(1945-'46) 
RIVER  GANG 
Gloria  Jean 
John  Qualen 

D — 64  mins.  (503) 
(Rev.  9/12/45) 

(1945-'46) 
THAT  NIGHT 
WITH  YOU 

Susanne  Foster 
Franchot  Tone 
Louise  Albritton 
D— (504) 

(1945-'46) 
STRANGE 
CONFESSION 
Brenda  Joyce 
Lon  Chaney 
D— (505) 

(1945-'46) 
SENORITA  FROM 
THE  WEST 
Alan  Jones 
Bonita  Granville 
M— (506) 

(1945-'46) 
NIGHT  IN 
PARADISE 

(Color) 
Merle  Oberon 
Turhan  Bey 

D— (507) 

(1945-'46) 
PURSUIT  TO 

ALGIERS 
Basil  Rathbone 
Nigel  Bruce 
D— (508) 

U.  A. 

(1945-'46) 
CAPTAIN  KIDD 
(Borgeaus  Prod.) 
Charles  Laughton 

D — 89  mins. 
(Rev.  7/30/45) 

(1945-'46) 
PARIS 
UNDERGROUND 
(C.  Bennett  Prod.) 
Constance  Bennett 
D — 97  mins. 
(Rev.  8/20/45) 

(1945-'46) 
SPELLBOUND 

(Selznick) 
Ingrid  Bergman 
Gregory  Peck 

20TH-FOX 

(1945-'46) 
(August  Release) 
A  BELL  FOR 

ADANO 
(Rev.  6/20/45) 
WILSON 
(Special) 
(Rev.  8/2/44) 
JUNIOR  MISS 
(Rev.  6/13/45) 
THE  WAY 
AHEAD 
( liritish-made) 
(Rev.  5/25/44) 

(1945-'46) 
Sept.  Releases 
CAPT.  EDDIE 
Fred  MacMurray 
D— 107  mins. 
(Rev.  6/19/45) 

CARIBBEAN 
MYSTERY 

James  Dunn 
D — 65  mins. 

(Rev.  7/16/45) 

(1945-'46) 
Oct.  Releases 

STATE  FAIR 
Jeanne  Crain 

Dana  Andrews 
Dick  Haymes 
M — 100  mins. 

(Rev.  8/20/45) 

HOUSE  ON 
92nd  STREET 
William  Eythe 

Lloyd  Nolan 

D— 88  mins.  (608) 
(Rev.  9/12/45) 

Q 
< 
K 

O 


CO  -i 

W 

j£w  a- 


to  O 


w5<  8 -si  i 


o 
o 

Zco 

P 
a* 

toZ 

< 

co 


n  n  ■ 
>  -a 

r.  u   ■  ■ 


On  os 


W  ;* 
<«  S  «i- 

Z  p.fci  C  > 

E  ~ 
O  Q 


00 

«W  o  °- 

H<  c  g 
coK  «  S  2SJ 
<->u|oo 


«  to 


"5  w 

.2  o- 

w  o 
Oh 


U 
1— I 

M 

w 
as 


Oz-co 
^H^Hoo  >, 

£*T§  Tl 


OS  <o      H  oi 

Z™  S  DK.S 
hZ  g  ZO  s 


toO  c«£ 
O2  o  !5!2 
?   <  S  5 
J  CO  J™  2  ^ 

s<+         P  Ofl^O 

«Sm&  i 

H  O 


X°  a 

°l 
-O  E 
w 

>Qoo 
OZ  | 
►J<U 


CM 
CO'—' 

J03 

<H  £ 
to£ 


5*0  »2 

<o°  >,"£ 

zQ^E 

co^«0| 
O 


?< 
SO 


co  a 


o 

>hCO 
« 
> 


3> 


to 
O 

£•  ° 

cncO< 


am  « 

M  .£ 


Si&o 

■"*<  2 
C0H7.S 
Z^gE 


0  oj  o  „•  S 
to«  m  E  c  ■* 

-"5  §•?  U 

2|    w  5 


CO  , 

M  C  CO 


WW  2  o  coo 


Geo 
toM 


m.5 

Q 


E^ 


Z 

oo 
S« 

K  0 


■S-g-s 

-t- 

O^E 

fcco^. 

< 

< 


H 

CO  Q 
3?Sm  O  O 

««Oft\  i3w^ 
-OS    O  ' 
Z 


« 

O 

to 

Z 
U 

o 


5  a 

ttoW,5^Kg  !s 
><  O-cSE 
§      W  u^ps 
«.         a  rl 


§2 

'.MS 

Vw 
•gw'p 


ui-l  ps 

•p  00 
■gag 

to  G  O  V 

^<7« 


o 

O 


<  «  S  ,r 
cow  E  «  v 
MS  I  « 


W.2  g 
>>,"£. 


SO  2  E  . 
co    co^,  1  pd 


.  w^  S 

CO  c  c  E 
coi-;  3  1 


EC 


S  CO   u  B 
!j  E 


t-H 

o 
o 


«  2C? 
a—     o  «  w  o 


5?" 


X    a  a 
cow  -gg^s 
WQwm.S.S2: 

«w£  So' 


X 


W-d  ™ 

g<p,E 

W*d  co 

Q  M 

ffiW^M 


zMo 

^  <OO.Ss 
«      i  >  e  n 

<u  Mco1-1  H 
«  pqgou« 


CO 

w 

Z 

2l« 


ffiO  E^E-    °W  2  » 


O  5 


t!  Si  c 


?  W  "2  ^  I  i    5  <  a  M  1 


CO       -vt  00 

E 


W,,  n  p  «  u 

wg^o>o« 


~  p  c  w 

3      p  "> 

OSQ  tjJTs 

r*  P  n  I 


ADVENTURES 
OF  RUSTY 
Ted  Donaldson 
Margaret  Lindsay 

D — 67  mins. 

I  LOVE  A 
BANDLEADER 
Phil  Harris 
Eddie  Anderson 

MC — 70  mins. 

(1945-'46) 
OUTLAWS  OF 
THE  ROCKIES 
Charles  Starrett 

(1945-M6) 
CRIME 
DOCTOR'S 
WARNING 
SONG  OF  THE 
PRAIRIE 

TRUE  GLORY 
(WAC) 

83  mins. 
(Rev.  8/1/45) 

(1945-H6) 
GIRL  OF  THE 
LIMBERLOST 
Dorinda  Clifton 
Ruth  Nelson 
D 

(Special — 1945-'46) 
KISS  AND  TELL 
Shirley  Temple 
BLAZING  THE 
WESTERN 
TRAIL 

(1945-'46) 
WOMAN  IN  RED 

Nina  Foch 
Dame  May  Whitty 

(1945-'46) 
VOICE    OF  THE 
WHISTLER 
Richard  Dix 
Lynn  Merrick 

5?  ^ 


be 


CO 


on 


C/J 


•a, 

t/3 


■a 


00 


O  if) 

o 


o 


o 


On 


o  N 


,,,  ARTISTS 


L~j  *•        *  8«g?^2,  .5555 — -as 

_  bTiTHESPIR 
winter  garden 


A  Premiere  of  Boxoffice  Importance 
To  Every  Exhibitor! 


Watch  the  Business  - 
It'll  Do  the  Same  For  You! 


,'OL.  58.  NO.  59 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 

NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  24,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


60  Chairmen 
Set  in  States 
For  8th  Loan 


'Can't  Quit  Now'  Theme 
Of  Acceptance  Wires 

Sixty  industry  leaders  have  ac- 
tepted  state  chairmanships  in  the 
Victory  Loan  Drive  ( numerous 
-tates  have  co-chairmen)  and  have 
f  'guaranteed'  that  the  campaign  will 
wind  up  with  a  blaze  of  action." 

"We  can't  quit  now ;  let's  finish  the 
ob."  is  the  theme  of  most  acceptance 
:t  legrams  that  have  reached  headquar- 
ters of  S.  H.  Fabian,  national  indus- 
try chairman  for  the  drive,  which  will 
ipen  Oct.  29  and  close  Dec.  8. 
.  Fabian  said  several  pointed  out  that 
:he  industry  will  be  remembered  by 
vhat  it  does  in  this  final  effort, 
i  Following  are  state  chairmen  who 
nave  accepted  to  date : 

Alabama,  R.  M.  Kennedy;  Arizona, 
[tarry  Nace ;  Colorado,  Rick  Ricket- 
on;  Connecticut.  I.  J.  Hoffman  and 
larry  Shaw ;  Delaware.  Joseph  De- 
iore ;  District  of  Columbia,  Frank 
-a  Falce ;  Florida,  J.  L.  Cartwright ; 
jeorgia.  William  K.  Jenkins;  Idaho, 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


Film  Dividends  Are 
\bove  1944  Levels 


Washington,  Sept.  23.  —  Motion 
icture  dividends  in  August  continued 
head  of  last  year,  amounting  to  $500,- 
.00,  against  $300,000,  it  was  reported 
t  the  weekend  by  the  Department  of 
ommerce.  Dividends  for  the  three 
lonths  ended  with  August  totaled 
5,800,000,  against  $5,200,000  for  the 
jorresponding  period  in  1944. 
!  For  the  first  eight  months  of  the 
i>ear,  total  dividend  payments  were 
11.100,000,  compared  with  $11,900,000 
ast  year. 


More  Exhibitors 
Sail  Johnston  Plan 


Favorable  reactions  from  exhibitor 
rganization  officials  to  Eric  A.  John- 
ton's  proposal  for  the  formation  of  a 
lotion  Picture  Institute,  comprised  of 
ill  elements  of  the  industry  and  hav- 
l  as  an  objective  the  perpetuation  in 
eacetime  of  the  industry's  coopera- 
te effort  achieved  in  wartime,  were 

{Continued  on  page  6) 


No  Chance  for  New 
Decree:  Wright 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  23.— 
Robert  L.  Wright,  special  as- 
sistant to  the  U.  S.  Attorney 
General,  here  to  wind  up  the 
Government's  anti-trust  case 
against  the  Griffith  circuits, 
said  at  the  weekend  that,  so 
far  as  he  knew,  there  is  no 
possibility  of  a  new  consent 
decree  being  signed  in  New 
York  before  Oct.  8,  when  the 
trial  against  the  major  dis- 
tributors is  scheduled  to  be- 
gin. Granting  that  a  new  de- 
cree is  legally  conceivable,  he 
said  he  knew  of  no  attempts 
by  any  of  the  defendants  to 
obtain  one  and  reiterated 
that,  if  such  a  move  were  un- 
dertaken, nothing  short  of 
theatre  divorcement  would 
satisfy  him. 


Midwest  Product 
Situation  Better 


Chicago,  Sept.  23.  —  Exhibitors  in 
this  area  will  benefit  by  one  of  the  best 
general  release  schedules  in  months, 
when  36  pictures  will  be  made  avail- 
able during  October.  Of  the  total,  only 
five  are  reissues,  none  of  them  coming 
from  major  exchanges.  Film  Classics 
will  have  three  reissues,  "Hurricane," 
"Raffles,"  "Pardon  Us,"  and  Supreme 
Pictures,  local  independent,  will  have 
two,  "Lion  Man"  and  "A  Gangster 
Talks."  United  Artists  is  the  only 
company  not  represented  on  the  Octo- 
ber schedule. 

Following  is  the  October  break- 
down :  Paramount  and  Universal,  five 
each;  PRC,  four;  M-G-M,  20th-Fox, 
RKO,  and  Columbia,  three  each  ;  War- 
ners and  Republic,  two  each,  and  Mon- 
ogram, one. 

Meanwhile,  20th-Fox  is  making 
"Wilson"  available  to  neighborhood 
houses. 


Receipts  Hold 

Strong  in 

16  Key  Cities 

By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Receipts  at  first-run  theatres  in 
16  key  cities  are  continuing  to  run 
high,  but  there  has  been  some  fall- 
ing off  from  the  recent  peak,  it  is 
disclosed  in  reports  from  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily  correspondents  in  the 
field. 

"Anchors  Aweigh,"  "Incendiary 
I  Monde"  and  "Christmas  in  Connecti- 
cut" are  the  leaders  in  both  holdovers 
and  initial  weeks,  with  "Her  Highness 
and  the  Bellboy"  and  "Rhapsody  in 
Blue"  appearing  as  new  contenders  for 
ton  box-office  honors.  "Pride  of  the 
Marines,"  "Wonder  Man"  and  "Guest 
Wife"  are  also  drawing  well. 

Circuit  executives  reporting  on 
films  drawing  the  best  receipts  cite 

(.Continued  on  page  6) 


Goldsmith  Develops 
RCA  Video  Device 


A  hand-held  viewing  device,  which 
is  said  to  give  images  on  a  regular 
black-and-white  television  screen  the 
appearance  of  being  in  color  has  been 
developed  by  Dr.  Alfred  N.  Gold- 
smith for  the  Radio  Corp.  of  America, 
Dr.  Goldsmith  disclosed  here. 

The  "Colorgnette,"  trade  name 
of  the  device,  which  resembles  a 
lorgnette,  can  be  used  with  the  regu- 
lar black  and  white  television  receiver, 
after  some  modifications,  Goldsmith 
said,  adding  that  tests  already  have 
been  made.  The  hand-held  gadget  is 
a  color  disc  in  six  sections  of  red, 
green  and  blue  transparent  coloring 
revolving  around  a  rotar  so  that  each 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


$8,000,000,000  Income  Drop  Seen 
As  Potential  Box-office  Factor 

Washington,  Sept.  23.— Potential  effects  on  the  nation's  boxoffices 
were  seen  here  yesterday  in  a  Department  of  Commerce  warning 
that  individual  income  for  the  last  half  of  this  year  will  be  $8,000,- 
000,000  less  than  for  the  first  six  months. 

Pointing  out  that  income  payments  reached  the  highest  level  in 
the  history  of  the  country  last  February,  the  Department  said  they 
have  since  been  declining  steadily,  due  in  part  to  the  cost  of  recon- 
version, and  in  part  to  the  easing  off  of  wartime  pressure  upon 
the  national  economy. 

The  decline  will  be  especially  evidenced  in  the  volume  of  wages 
paid  in  the  manufacturing  industries,  the  Department  said,  and  will 
be  reflected  in  retail  trade  and  services,  although  not  to  the  extent 
normally  to  be  expected  because  of  the  backlog  of  savings. 


Factions  Set 
Plan  to  End 
Studio  Strike 


Green  Sees  Peace  Soon; 
Say  CSU  Wins  Vote  Row 

Washington,  Sept.  23.  —  With 
heads  of  the  international  unions 
involved  in  the  Hollywood  studio 
strike  reaching  an  agreement  on  a 
formula  for  settling  that  conflict,  Wil- 
liam Green,  AFL  president,  who 
called  them  together,  predicted  at  the 
close  of  a  three-day  meeting  here  on 
Friday  that  "the  strike  will  be  ter- 
minated within  a  reasonably  short 
time." 

The  formula  calls  for  Rich- 
ard F.  Walsh,  IATSE  president, 
to  consult  his  board  at  a  meet- 
ing this  week  relative  to  with- 
drawing the  charters  of  the  new 
unions  formed  in  Hollywood  to 
replace  Conference  of  Studio 
Unions  strikers  and  provides 
for  the  establishment  of  a  five- 
member  TA'  committee  which 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Griffiths  to  Take 
Stand  This  Week 


Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  23. — Trial 
of  the  Griffith  anti-trust  suit  in  Fed- 
eral District  Court  here  is  due  to 
reach  a  climactic  point  this  week  with 
the  testimony  of  L.  C.  and  H.  J. 
Griffith,  defendants  and  directing 
heads  of  the  four  circuits  involved. 

Depositions  of  Ned  E.  Depinet, 
Gradwell  L.  Sears,  A.  Montague,  F. 
J.  A.  McCarthy  and  William  F. 
Rodgers,  read  into  the  record  Friday, 
agreed  on  the  point  that  their  com- 
panies, RKO  Radio,  United  Artists, 
Columbia,  Universal  and  Loew's,  re- 
spectively, did  not  reserve  privileges 
for  the  Griffiths. 


Nine  in  UA  Backlog; 
31  Others  in  Work 


Forty 
United 
eluding 
release, 
cameras 
tion. 

The 
"Blithe 


pictures    are    involved  in 
Artists'  present  schedule,  in- 
nine  completed  and  awaiting 
six  being  edited,  five  before 
,  and  the  others  in  prepara- 

nine  awaiting  release  are : 
Spirit,"  Noel  Coward  Techni- 
{Continucd  from  page,  <&) 


2 


Motion  picture  daily 


Monday,  September  24,  1945 


Personal 
Mention 


Tradewise  .  .  . 


By  SHERWIN  KANE 


JOSEPH  R.  VOGEL,  Loew's  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  out-of-town 
theatre  operations,  has  returned  from 
Havana,  and  has  postponed  a  sched- 
uled visit  to  South  America  for 
Loew's  International  Corp. 

• 

Durward  Duty,  Dover,  O.,  man- 
ager of  Shea  Theatres,  is  substituting 
for  Jack  Shea,  home  office  booker, 
here,  while  Shea  recuperates  from  ill- 
ness at  Salem,  Mass.  The  opposite 
had  been  previously  reported. 
• 

Sir  Alexander  Korda,  British  M- 
G-M  producer,  left  New  York  for  the 
Coast  over  the  weekend.  His  brother, 
Vincent  Korda,  M-G-M  British  stu- 
dios set  designer,  will  leave  for  Hol- 
lywood tomorrow. 

• 

Billy  Wilder,  Paramount  writer- 
director,  returned  to  the  studio  in  Hol- 
lywood yesterday  after  completing  a 
mission  for  the  War  Department. 
• 

George  Hoover,  general  manager  of 
Paramount  Enterprises,  Florida  cir- 
cuit, left  for  Miami  over  the  weekend 
after  a  visit  here. 

• 

W.  C.  Gehring,  20th  Century-Fox 
Central  sales  manager,  has  arrived  in 
Chicago  on  a  tour  of  exchanges  under 
his  supervision. 

• 

Frank  Rogers  and  Fred  Kent  of 
Florida  State  Theatres,  Paramount 
affiliate,  are  in  town  from  Jackson- 
ville. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  M-G-M  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
is  due  to  arrive  on  the  Coast  tomor- 
row. 

• 

W alter  E.  Branson,  RKO  Radio 
Western  division  sales  manager,  has 
left  for  a  tour  of  the  Midwest. 
• 

Nat  Sanders,  head  of  English 
Films  here,  returned  to  New  York  at 
the  weekend  from  London. 

E.  K.  (Ted),  O'Shea,  M-G-M's 
Eastern  sales  manager,  will  leave  to- 
morrow for  Boston. 

• 

Harold  Rodner,  Warner  Brothers 
executive,  will  return  to  New  York 
today  from  Chicago. 

• 

Marvin  Schenck,  M-G-M's  East- 
ern talent  head,  has  returned  here  from 
the  Coast. 

• 

Harry  A.  Ross,  president  of  Ross 
Federal,  and  Mrs.  Ross,  are  in  Chi- 
cago en  route  to  Hollywood. 
• 

Danny  Kaye,  accompanied  by  his 
wife,  Sylvia  Fine,  arrived  here  Sat- 
urday for  two  days. 

• 

Dorothy  Day,  fan  magazine  con- 
tact at  M-G-M,  will  return  today  from 
a  vacation. 

• 

John  Fi.ixx,  secretary  of  SIMPP. 
is  in  New  York  from  Hollywood. 


WHAT  is  perhaps  most  sig- 
nificant about  the  early  re- 
actions of  exhibitor  organization 
leaders  to  Eric  A.  Johnston's 
proposal  for  the  formation  of  a 
Motion  Picture  Institute  is  the 
apparent  receptivity  of  most  to 
the  suggestion  of  cooperative  ef- 
fort within  the  industry,  which 
is  the  nub  of  Johnston's  proposal. 
That,  surely,  is  a  good  sign.  A 
good  sign  for  the  industry  and  a 
good  one  for  Johnston. 

The  new  MPPDA  president, 
up  to  this  writing,  has  not  elab- 
orated upon  the  program  which 
he  announced  following  his  elec- 
tion last  Wednesday.  That  pro- 
gram was  published  in  full  in 
Motion  Picture  Daily  on 
Thursday,  Sept.  20.  That  part 
of  the  program  which  deals  with 
the  formation  of  a  Motion  Pic- 
ture Institute  reads  as  follows  : 

"War  taught  the  industry  the 
value  of  united,  cooperative  ef- 
fort. All  elements  of  the  indus- 
try— producers,  distributors,  ex- 
hibitors, representatives  of  the 
actors,  directors  and  writers' 
guilds  and  the  craft  unions — 
worked  together  in  the  manifold 
war  activities.  This  cooperative 
effort  must  be  carried  over  into 
the  peace.  Our  purpose  is  to 
work  with  all  these  elements  to 
form  a  Motion  Picture  Institute 
so  that  the  industry  can  assume 
its  full  share  of  the  responsibility 
of  promoting  peace  and  better 
living.  Nothing  like  this  has 
ever  been  attempted  in  any 
American  industry  in  peacetime. 
It  is  the  natural  evolution  of  po- 
litical into  industrial  democracy. 
We  cannot  maintain  democratic 
capitalism  without  industrial 
democracy.  The  motion  picture 
industry  can  set  the  example. 

"This  proposal,"  Johnston's 
statement  continues,  "is  merely 
another  way  of  saying  that  we 
Americans  must  learn  to  live  to- 
gether, to  work  together,  and 
above  all  to  talk  to  one  another 
as  though  we  were  residents  of 
the  same  planet.  Unless  we  do, 
we  might  just  as  well  stop  prat- 
tling about  promoting  the  cause 
of  international  peace.  An  Amer- 
ica divided  will  never  lead  the 
way  to  a  world  united.  We  can- 
not be  good  neighbors  until  we 
learn  to  get  along  with  our- 
selves." 

• 

What  does  that  mean  ? 

It  means  unity — cooperation. 
Nothing  more. 

Exhibitor  organization  leaders 
who  have  expressed  favorable 
reactions    to    that    proposal  of 


Johnston's  have  expressed  ac- 
ceptance of  the  principle  of  in- 
dustrial unity  and  cooperation. 
There  is  nothing  else  in  John- 
ston's statement  to  approve  of  or 
to  take  exception  to. 

The  statement  has  nothing  to 
say  about  the  organization  of  the 
proposed  Motion  Picture  Insti- 
tute, nor  its  administration.  It 
has  nothing  specific  to  say  about 
its  functions,  its  activities,  the 
realm  of  its  interests,  what  is 
within  and  what  .without  its 
sphere  of  influence. 

All  that  is  definite  is  John- 
ston's admonition  that  the  indus- 
try must  work  cooperatively, 
within  and  without  its  borders, 
and  for  that,  internal  unity  is 
essential. 

That  is  the  principle  which  is 
being  welcomed  by  all  who  have 
words  of  approval  for  Johnston's 
proposal. 

The  early  reactions  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  soil  is 
ready  for  the  seed  and  the  season 
favorable  for  sowing. 

If  there  is  a  specific  plan  al- 
ready standing  behind  Johnston's 
rhetoric,  it  would  seem  that  now 
is  the  time  to  trot  it  out.  Cir- 
cumstances call  for  an  immediate 
elaboration  of  the  principle  that 
has  been  advanced. 

Reaffirmation  of  the  industry's 
Production  Code  was  manifest  in 
three  developments  which  oc- 
curred at  the  important  meeting 
of  the  MPPDA  board  of  direc- 
tors last  Wednesday. 

In  the  resolution  which  it 
adopted  in  tribute  to  Will  H. 
Hays,  the  board  of  directors  had 
this  to  say :  "Whereas,  under  the 
leadership  of  Will  H.  Hays  this 
association,  in  behalf  of  the  en- 
tire moving  picture  industry,  has, 
by  the  establishment  and  admin- 
istration of  the  Motion  Picture 
Production  Code,  held  up  for  the 
industry  the  highest  moral  and 
artistic  standards,  and  through 
the  practice  of  self-regulation  by 
the  industry  has  earned  for  this 
great  medium  of  expression — 
the  motion  picture — that  freedom 
which  it  so  largely  enjoys  in  the 
United  States.  .  .  ." 

As  Point  4  of  the  new  MPPDA 
president's  industry  program, 
Johnston  sets  forth  that:  "En- 
lightened self-discipline  by  the 
industry  is,  and  will  continue  to 
be,  the  surest  guarantee  against 
Government  censorship  and  reg- 
ulation. The  industry,  by  trial 
and  error,  has  learned  that  de- 
cent, clean  and  truthful  entertain- 
ment is  most  surely  and  perma- 


MPPDA  Urged  to 
Act  on  'Gang  Films' 

Hollywood,  Sept.  23.— Sam- 
uel Goldwyn,  in  a  letter  to 
Eric  A.  Johnston,  MPPDA 
president,  in  Washington, 
cites  "a  dozen  efforts  and 
plans  under  way  to  produce 
gangster  films"  as  constitut- 
ing "a  problem  as  pressing 
and  urgent  as  any  I  have 
known  in  many  years." 

Goldwyn  declared  he  is 
"sure  that  if  the  case  were 
properly  presented  and  kept 
before  the  industry,  unani- 
mous support  would  back  you 
in  finding  a  solution  to  this 
great  problem." 


Cleveland  Operators 
Gain  in  Settlement 


Cleveland,  Sept.  23.— Cleveland 
theatre  owners  acceded  to  union  de- 
mands for  two  projectionists  in  a 
booth,  reportedly  the  principal  snag 
in  pre-settlement  negotiations,  in  the 
new  projectionists'  contract  signed  on 
Friday  following  the  agreement  on 
terms  Thursday,  as  previously  re- 
ported. 

All  73  houses  which  were  darkened 
for  a  week  reopened  on  Friday. 

The  contract,  to  run  four  years,  re- 
troactive to  Sept.  1,  1944,  also  in- 
cludes the  following  terms  :  two  weeks 
vacation  with  pay,  elimination  of  one- 
hour  free  time  per  week  when  a  show 
runs  past  11  P.M.,  and  graduating 
wage  increases  of  two  and  one-half  per 
cent  on  Sept.  1  of  next  year,  and  on 
Sept.  1,  1947  and  1948. 

14,000  Contracts 
For  'Joe'  Expected 

United  Artists  claims  that,  based  on 
contracts  written  to  date,  "The  Story 
of  G.  I.  Joe"  will  reach  between  13,(DJ 
and  14,000  contracts,  which,  it  is  said, 
represents  top  business  for  a  UA  pic- 
ture. This  compares  with  13,500  con- 
tracts for  Sol  Lesser's  "Stage  Door 
Canteen,"  also  a  UA  release. 

Average  UA  business  is  about  11,- 
000  contracts. 


Hill  Dies  on  Job 

Mike  Hill,  55,  veteran  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox home  office  auditor,  died 
Friday  from  a  heart  attack  while 
working  at  his  desk.  He  had  been 
with  20th  for  27  years.  Surviving  him 
are  his  widow  and  four  children. 


nently  successful.  The  lesson 
has  been  learned.  It  is  the  job 
of  all  of  us,  in  the  industry  and 
without,  to  see  that  it  is  not  for- 
gotten." 

And  stamping  its  words  with 
the  finality  of  action,  the  board 
and  new  president  formally  elect- 
ed Joseph  I.  Breen,  Production 
Code  administrator,  a  vice-presi- 
dent of  MPPDA. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Quigley, 
President;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sara  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
Golden  So,.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  the  Dost  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c.  _  .    _ 


AT  77/E 
WAY  THOSE 


IN  WONDER  LAND 


SCARLET  FEVER  PATIENT 


Dear  Editor :  Was  I  glad  I  still  had  the 
March  copy  of  True  Confessions  with 
Mrs.  Gruenberg's  article,  Happy  Hours  of 
Convalescence.  We  have  just  had  a  scarle' 
fever  quarantine  removed  and  you  can 
imagine  how  helpful  her  suggestions  were. 

When  our  four-year-old  Sandy  began 
looking  longingly  out  of  the  window  at  the 
others  having  fun — well!  Even  books, 
scissors,  paste  and  toys  lacked  zest.  As  she 
expressed  it,  after  studying  one  of  her 
"get-well  cards"  of  little  girls  in  hoop 
skirts  and  pantalettes,  dancing  on  the 
lawn  and  calling  her  to  join,  "Mother, 
I'll  be  so  happy  to  get  out  that  I'll  dance 
so  hard  my  pants  will  fall,  too!" 

Mrs.  A.  H. 

S.  Coventry,  Conn. 


THAT'S  WHAT  HURTS  MOST 

Dear  Editor :  There  are  no  truer  words 
than  those  expressed  by  Betsy  Barton 
in  To  Live  Again  in  your  May  issue. 
I  have  been  crippled  myself  since  birth. 
I  have  no  deformed  or 
paralyzed  limbs,  only  in- 
voluntary movements 
cf  the  head,  neck  and 
hands.  Thoughtless 
children  and  un- 
wise people  can 
cause  people  like 
us  deep  injury. 

M.  B.  R. 

Houston,  Texas 


/  WO/VDER  WHAT  M£  SPH/VX  Tf/Z/Vr^S  ? 


BRIDE  OF  THE  NILE 

Dear  Editor:  I  am  a  war  bride 
(my  husband  is  a  pilot).  At 
home  in  Alexandria,  Egypt, 
I  used  to  read  your  magazine 
and  really  enjoyed  it.  I  like 
very  much  the  story,  Bride  of 
lie  Nile,  in  the  May  issue. 

I  know  all  the  places  Nefisa 
Fedil  talked  about.  Some- 
times I  feel  so  lonely  and 
there  is  nobody  over  here  with 
whom  I  can  talk  about 
home.  That's  why  this  story 
meant  so  much  to  me. 

Mrs.  F.  O'N. 
Windsor,  Ontario,  Canada 


Well,  I  guess  there  isn't  much  more  to  say, 
But  I'm  sure  glad,  God,  I  met  You  today. 
I  guess  the  "zero  hour"  will. soon  be  here, 
But  I'm  not  afraid  since  I  know  You're  near. 
The  Signal!  Well,  God,  I'll  have  to  go. 
I  like  You  lots,  this  I  want  You  to  know, 
Look  now,  this  will  be  a  horrible  fight, 
Who  knows,  I  may  come  to  Your  house 
tonight. 

Though  I  wasn't  friendly  to  You  before 
I  wonder,  God,  if  You'd  wait  at  Your  door. 
Look  I'm  crying!  Me!  Shedding  tears! 
I  wish  I  had  known  You  these  many  years. 
Well,  I  have  to  go  now,  God,  good-bye! 
Strange,  since  I  met  You,  I'm  not  afraid  to 
die. 


Letters  like  these  tell  a  lot  about  True  Confessions.  They  flood  in  from  al;rt,  average 
people — the  kind  we  all  know,  like  to  know.  They  are  our  close  friends — and  they  will  be 
your  close  friends,  your  customers,  when  you  start  using  their  "Magazine  for  a  Better 
Life"  to  tell  these  2,000,000  buyers  how  you,  too,  can  help  them  live  better. 


SINCE  I  MET  YOU... 

EDITOR'S  NOTE:  To  satisfy  all  cf  your  many  requests,  we  repeat  the  poem  which 
was  found  by  a  Private  on  the  body  of  a  soldier  killed  in  action.  The  Private  sent  it 
to  his  wife  who  forwarded  it  to  James  J.  Walker.  He  read  it  over  the  air  and  we 
subsequently  published  it  in  our  June,  1944  issue. — THE  EDITOR. 

SINCE  I  MET  YOU,  I'M  NOT  AFRAID 

Look,  God,  I  have  never  spoken  to  You, 
But  now  I  want  to  say  how  do  you  do, 
You  see,  God,  they  told  me  You  didn't  exist, 
And  like  a  fool,  I  believed  all  this. 
Last  night  from  a  shell  hole,  I  saw  Your  sky 
I  figured  right  then  they  had  told  me  a  lie 
Had  I  taken  time  to  see  things  You  made, 
I'd  have  known  they  weren't  calling  a  spade 
a  spade. 

I  wonder,  God,  if  you'd  shake  my 
hand. 

Somehow,  I  feel  that  You  will 

understand, 
Funny  I  had  to  come  to  this  hellish 

place, 

Bef.j.  e  I  had  time  to  see  Your  face. 


TRUE  CONFESSIONS 


Bought  at  newsstands  by  more  than  2,000,C00 
women  a  month  for  the  living  service  it  gives. 


FAWCETT  PUBLICATIONS,  INC.,  295  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.  Y.,  World's  Largest  Publishers  of  Monthly  Marine; 


The  Great  International  Authorii 


1945-46 

INTERNATIONAL 

MOTION 


PICTURE 
ALMANAC 


EDITOR: 

TERRY    RAMS  AYE 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

GEORGE  SCHUTZ 


OP 


QUIGLEY  PUBLISHING 
COMPANY  •  NEW  YORK 


$3.25  POSTPAID  IN  U.S.A.,  $5.00  ELSEWHERE 


the  Great  International  Industry 




industry  facts  and 
I  .vents  of  1944-45 

facts  and  figures  on 
production,  distribution, 
exhibition 


NOW  PRINTING 


news  dr 
deaths] 
poll 


"ion 


corp 


$trwcti 


on 


°rati 


°f9on 


«w© 


e*ecut 
fin 


iv© 


s*ocks 


°"ci0/ 


on 

e©rSc 


$tat€ 


°"d  bt 


e*n'bitor 
9uilds 


and 
and 


unions 
taisf 


du«ers 


•  pro1 

.  filn,  serv.ee  .ea 
.  executwes  of 


rvices 

ODUCTION: 
.lay,  story  and  talent^ 
ilm  laboratories 
raw  stock  and  stora| 
producers  of  short 
and  newsreels 

ISTRIBUTION: 

•  •   .t_l  (ilm  di, 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Monday,  September  24,  194  j 


Exhibitors 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


expressed  on  Friday  by  Ed  Kuyken- 
dall,  MPTOA  president,  and  Robert 
H.  Poole,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Conference  of  Indepen- 
dent Theatre  Owners.  Their  state- 
ments are  in  addition  to  those  pub- 
lished in  Motion  Picture  Daily 
Sept.  21.  The  later  statements  follow  : 

Ed  Kuykendall,  MPTOA  presi- 
dent: "The  program  and  policy  as 
announced  by  Eric  Johnston  on  as- 
suming the  presidency  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America  should  receive  full  commen- 
dation from  all  exhibitors.  He  outlines 
a  most  ambitious  objective  and  will 
be  confronted  with  many  problems  as 
he  carries  it  through. 

"It  will  require  the  full  support  of 
everyone  in  this  industry  and  there 
can  be  no  half-way  effort  by  anyone. 
Exhibitors  should  be  especially  inter- 
ested. It  has  so  much  to  do  with  the 
future  progress  and  development  of 
our  industry.  The  postwar  era  is 
fraught  with  many  adventures.  There 
will  be  many  deviations  from  the  old- 
time  method  of  conducting  this  indus- 
try. We  must  all  hold  hands  and 
march  down  the  road  together  in  the 
interest  of  such  a  program. 

"I,  personally,  assure  Mr.  Johnston 
of  my  wholehearted  cooperation  in 
anything  that  pertains  to  the  welfare 
of  this  industry." 

R.  H.  Poole,  executive  secretary, 
PCCITO:  "We  feel  that  .the  'on-to- 
peacetime'  program  proposed  by  Eric 
Johnston  is  constructive,  providing  all 
independent  exhibitor  organizations 
have  equal  representation  in  such  an 
organization  with  the  other  industry 
branches.  If  this  is  done  it  will  be  a 
step  in  the  right  direction  to  achieve 
in  peacetime  the  fine  record  made  by 
the  industry  during  the  war." 


RCA  Video 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  the  three  colors  come  into  line  of 
focus. 

The  required  alterations  of  the 
black  and  white  receiver  to  permit 
usage  of  the  "Colorgnette"  consists 
of  adjusting  the  deflection  circuit  to 
carry  the  120  to  180  individual  pic- 
tures per  second  required  in  color  in- 
stead of  the  60  pictures  used  in  black 
and  white. 

Edwin  Jay  Quimby,  now  in  the 
Navy,  is  credited  with  having  worked 
out  the  physical  arrangements  of  the 
invention. 


Dr.  Goldsmith  Will 
Preside  at  Meeting 

Dr.  Alfred  N.  Goldsmith  will  be  the 
master  of  ceremonies  at  a  luncheon  to 
be  held  Oct.  15  in  conjunction  with 
the  Television  Institute  meeting  to  be 
sponsored  by  Televiser  Magazine  at 
the  Hotel  Commodore  here,  Oct.  15- 
16,  with  guest  speakers  expected  to  in- 
clude James  Lawrence  Fly,  Norman 
Corwin,  Dr.  E.  W.  Engstrom,  Irwin 
A.  Shane  and  William  J.  Haley,  di- 
rector general  of  BBC,  speaking  from 
London. 

Presiding  at  the  various  panels  will 
be  Richard  Hubbell,  chairman  of  the 
programming  panel;  Dr.  Goldsmith, 
chairman  of  the  operations  and  man- 
agement panels ;  John  Reed  King, 
chairman  of  the  program  production 
panel  and  George  L.  Moscovics,  the 
advertising  panel. 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"WHERE  DO  WE  GO  FROM  HERE?"  (20th  Century-Fox) 

Gay  and  entertaining  in  many  ways,  but  terribly  disappointing  in  others. — 
Ann  Marsters,  Chicago  Herald- American. 

MacMurray  at  his  MacMurrayist  and  Gregory  Ratoff  at  his  zaniest — a 
refreshing  but  not  too  stimulating  session. — Lois  Baur,  Chicago  News. 

...  its  humor  is  more  mellow  than  sparkling,  and  much  more  purposeless 
than  pointed.  What  results  is  a  pleasant  Technicolor  photoplay  that  provides 
a  certain  somnolent  form  of  relaxation  without  ever  really  creating  a  stir. — 
Henry  T.  Murdoch,  Chicago  Sun. 

There  have  been  better,  sharper  fantasies  on  the  screen,  and,  in  general, 
this  seems  like  aimless  nonsense.  But  it  is  also  high-spirited  and  amusing — 
thanks  to  Mr.  MacMurray's  air  of  oafish  wisdom,  and  to  the  authors  who 
have  provided  frequent  comic  touches. — Doris  Arden,  Chicago  Times. 

It's  fairly  sophisticated  nonsense  but  it's  a  pretty  big  dose.  The  musical  and 
dance  sequences  frequently  seem  superfluous  but  MacMurray  can  carry  a  lot 
on  his  broad  shoulders. — Mae  Tince,  Chicago  Tribune. 


Receipts 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


8th  Loan 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Walter  Lee  Casey ;  Illinois,  John  Bal- 
aban,  Jack  Kirsch  and  Jules  Rubens  ; 
Indiana,  Marc  Wolf;  Iowa,  A.  H. 
Blank ;  Kansas,  Howard  Jameyson ; 
Kentucky,  Lew  Hensler ;  Louisiana,  E. 
V.  Richards;  Maine,  C.  J.  Russell; 
Massachusetts,  M.  J.  Mullin ;  Michi- 
gan, Ray  Branch  and  Carl  Buermele ; 
Missouri  (Eastern),  Fred  Wehren- 
berg;  (Western),  Elmer  Rhoden ; 
Mississippi,  Burgess  Waltmon  and 
Arthur  Lehmann;  Montana,  J.  A.  En- 
glish ;  Nebraska,  William  Miskell ; 
Nevada,  Homer  Leballister ;  New 
Hampshire,  Mel  Morrison. 

Other  Chairmen 

Also:  New  Jersey  (Northern), 
Harry  Lowenstein  and  Frank  Damis  ; 
(Southern),  Isadore  Epstein;  New 
Mexico,  George  Tucker ;  New  York 
(Albany  Area),  C.  J.  Latta;  (Buf- 
falo), Robert  T.  Murphy;  North 
Carolina,  H.  F.  Kincey;  North  Da- 
kota, M.  Cooper  and  Ed  Kraus; 
Ohio  (Cleveland  Area),  Meyer  Fine; 
(Cincinnati  Area),  Col.  Arthur  Frud- 
enfeld ;  Oklahoma,  C.  B.  Akers ;  Ore- 
gon, O.  J.  Miller  and  Albert  Finke ; 
Pennsylvania  (Eastern),  John  Nolan; 
(Western),  M.  A.  Silver  and  Morris 
Finkel ;  Rhode  Island,  Ed  Fay ;  South 
Carolina,  Warren  Irvin ;  South  Da- 
kota, Byron  McElligott  and  Fred 
Larkin ;  Tennessee  (Western),  M.  A. 
Lightman ;  Texas,  John  Q.  Adams ; 
Utah,  John  Rugar  and  Tracy  Bar- 
ham  ;  Vermont,  Frank  Venett ;  Vir- 
ginia, Ben  Pitts ;  Washington,  Frank 
Newman,  Sr. ;  Wyoming,  Les  New- 
kirk. 


Donahue  and  Coe  to 
Aid  Victory  Loan 

E.  J.  Churchill,  president  of  Dona- 
hue and  Coe,  Inc.,  national  advertis- 
ing agency  here,  volunteered  at  the 
weekend  to  place  his  organization  at 
the  disposal  of  'Victory  Loan'  cam- 
paign director  Oscar  A.  Doob. 

Doob  appointed  O.  A.  Kingsbury 
liaison  between  the  drive  committee 
and  Donahue  and  Coe,  and  named 
Carl  Rigrod  to  handle  radio  activities 
for  the  drive.  William  Schneider  was 
put  in  charge  of  art  for  posters,  adver- 
tisements and  a  campaign  book,  with 
Jack  Thall,  Al  Weiss,  Lloyd  Seidman 
and  others  assisting. 


Promote  Film  Legion 

George  Fraser  of  20th  Century-Fox 
home  office  publicity  and  Mort  Gerber 
of  Warners  are  promoting  plans  for 
an  American  Legion  post  composed  of 
film  industry  personnel  in  New  York. 


Studio  Strike 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


will  meet  with  five-member  com- 
mittees from  each  of  the  other 
unions  involved  and  take  up 
jurisdictional  problems.  Should 
they  fail  to  reach  an  agreement 
within  five  days,  all  unsettled 
questions  will  be  referred  to  the 
officers  of  the  international  un- 
ions, who  will  meet  at  an  early 
date  to  make  the  final  decision. 
Simultaneous  with  the  AFL  action 
came  a  report  that  the  National  Labor 
Relations  Board  has  decided  to  rule  as 
ineligible  for  voting  the  50  'IA'  mem- 
bers who  cast  ballots  in  the  set  deco- 
rators' jurisdictional  election  several 
months  ago,  with  the  result  that  a  62-0 
decision  in  favor  of  the  CSU-affiliated 
Set  Decorators  Union  is  likely.  NLRB 
will  make  an  announcement  this  week 
after  the  writing  of  a  formal  opinion. 
Meanwhile,  there  has  been  no  official 
comment. 

Aftermath  Considered 

Much  of  the  talk  at  the  AFL  meet- 
ing was  relative  to  what  the  situation 
in  Hollywood  would  be  if  the  'IA' 
charters  were  revoked  in  accordance 
with  an  AFL  executive  council  order. 

The  Hollywood  strike  was  dis- 
cussed with  Secretary  of  Labor  Lewis 
Schwellenbach  Friday  by  Representa- 
tives Helen  Gahagan  Douglas,  Ned  R. 
Healy  and  Ellis  E.  Patterson,  all  of 
Los  Angeles,  who,  urging  Schwellen- 
bach to  straighten  out  the  Govern- 
ment's machinery  for  handling  labor 
controversies  in  general,  gave  this  one 
as  an  example  of  the  delay  and  lack 
of  effectiveness  which  now  mark  set- 
tlement efforts. 


20th -Fox   to   Talk  Pact 
With  New  Office  Union 

Hollywood,  Sept.  23.  —  Twentieth 
Century-Fox  has  announced  its  inten- 
tion to  enter  into  contract  discussions 
with  an  independent  union  being 
formed  by  members  of  the  'Screen 
Office  Employes  Guild  who  have  been 
continuing  to  work  at  the  studio  in 
defiance  of  SOEG  instructions  to  ob- 
serve the  strike  picket  lines.  The  stu- 
dio's statement  maintained  that  those 
working  constituted  a  majority  of  its 
office  personnel ;  strike  leaders  said 
the  20th-Fox  procedure  would  be  in 
violation  of  National  Labor  Relations 
Board  rules  and  that  protests  would 
be  lodged  with  that  agency. 


Engineers  to  Meet 

Institute  of  Radio  Engineers  will 
hold  its  annual  technical  meeting  at 
the  Hotel  Astor,  here,  Jan.  23-26. 


"Anchors  Aweigh,"  "Christmas 
Connecticut,"  "Lady  on  a  Train," 
Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  "Ov(" 
21,"  "State  Fair,"  "The  Story  of  G. 
Joe,"  "Back  to  Bataan,"  "Her  Higl 
ness  and  the  Bellboy,"  "A  Bell  fi 
Adano,"  "Along  Came  Jones,"  "Junu 
Miss,"  and  "Guest  Wife." 

Cities  checked  by  Motion  Picti/1 
Daily  correspondents  were  Los  Ay 
geles,  San  Francisco,  Kansas  Cit 
Omaha,  Milwaukee,  St.  Louis,  Ind 
anapolis,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Ch 
cago,  Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia,  Toroi 
to,  Baltimore,  Buffalo  and  Boston 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  drew  outstant 
ing  business  in  initial  weeks  in  Ch 
cago  and  Buffalo,  and  drew  heavi 
in  second  weeks  in  Milwaukee  and  S 
Louis.  Third  week  receipts  in  Clev 
land  were  outstanding,  and  good 
Baltimore,  Kansas  City,  Cincinnaf 
San  Francisco  and  Baltimore. 

"Incendiary  Blonde"  was  outstant 
ing  in  initial  weeks  in  Kansas  C|| 
and  Toronto;  it  continued  to  drai 
strongly  in  holdovers  and  moveove* 
in  San  Francisco,  Cincinnati,  Boston 
Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia,  while  a 
initial  week's  receipts  in  Clevelan 
were  good. 

'Connecticut'  Big 

"Christmas  in  Connecticut"  was  bi 
in  an  initial  week  in  Pittsburgh, 
drew  strongly  in  holdovers  and  mov< 
overs  in  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  Clev< 
land,  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  and 
was  good  in  an  initial  week  as  a  duj 
in  Omaha. 

"Her  Highness  and  the  Bellboj 
and  "Rhapsody  in  Blue"  both  dre 
strongly  in  initial  weeks  in  three  the; 
tres  _  in  Los  Angeles.  "Rhapsod) 
continued  big  in  a  third  week  in  Phil;1 
delphia,  while  "Her  Highness  and  tl 
Bellboy"  was  good  in  a  third  Philade, 
phia  week. 

"A  Thousand  and  One  Nights"  w;, 
outstanding  in  initial  weeks  in  Chicag. 
and  Milwaukee ;  "Duffy's  Taveri 
was  a  leader  in  Los  Angeles,  for  in 
tial  weeks  in  two  theatres,  and  "Fin 
Yank  Into  Toyko"  was  big  in  an  in 
tial  week  in  two  theatres. 

"The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle  Ha 
ry"  was  good  in  an  initial  week 
Baltimore,  "The  Naughty  Ninetie 
was  a  leader  in  three  Kansas  Ci 
theatres  teamed  with  "True  Glon 
and  was  big  in  an  initial  week 
Omaha. 

"Back  to  Bataan"  was  big  in  an  ir' 
tial  week  in  Chicago  as  a  dual,  "Juni 
Miss"  drew  strongly  in  initial  weel 
in  Boston  and  Indianapolis  as  a  du: 


UA's  Backlog 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


color  production,  opening  at  the  Wi 
ter  Garden  early  in  October;  "Spe 
bound,"  produced  by  Alfred  Hitc 
cock  for  Selznick  International,  so< 
to  be  shown  on  Broadway;  "Capta 
Kidd,"  Benedict  Bogeaus  productioi 
"The  Outlaw,"  Howard  Hughes  pr 
duction ;  "Caesar  and  Cleopatrj 
Gabriel  Pascal  production  in  Techi 
color,  scheduled  later  for  the  Wint 
Garden ;  "Paris  Underground,"  Co 
stance  Bennett  production,  directed  1 
Gregory  Ratoff ;  "Henry  V,"  Lau 
ence  Olivier  production  in  Tecln 
color ;  "This  Happy  Breed,"  produc 
by  Noel  Coward,  in  Technicolor,  ai 
"2,000     Women,"     a     Two  Citi 


•Holiday.  September  24,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Xewsreel 
°arade 


Frenchman  Says  U.S. 
Films  Are  Needed 


lEVe/L"  A.  JOHXSTOX,  newly- 
V*  elected  MPPPA  president,  is 
Mured  in  all  current  newsreel  is- 
\i:s.  Other  subjects  include  the 
Ijfci  of  the  three  B-29's  from  Japan 
>  the  ('.  S..  Florida  hurricane  scenes, 
f.  S.  Marines  taking  oi'er  Wake  Is- 
ind.  newly-appointed  War  Secretary 
[ttterson  mid  Supreme  Court  Justice 
jrton.  sports  shots,  and  additional 
Vms  of  current  interest.  Complete 
nts  follow: 

MOVIETONE  NEWS,  No.  7.— Three 
-J9's  flv  non-stop  from  Japan  to  U.  S. 
r.mcane  lashes  Florida.  Eric  A.  Johnston. 
[  S.  Marines  arrive  at  Wake  Island.  Pre- 
futing  "Raffles,"  the  talking  bird.  Sports: 
arnival  on  ice;  Daredevils  on  wheels. 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  20S*— Marines 
'  iok  on  Wake  Island.     Films  of  Florida's 

urricane.     Eric  Johnston  chosen  head  of 

imerican  film  producers.  Berliners  en-lure 
.Heal  by  masked  bagpipe  bands.  Wash- 

iKton    Spotlight:    Burton    and  Patterson. 

I'ost-war  Icecapadcs."  Pendleton  round - 
|  p  thrills. 

PARAMOUNT  NEWS,  No.  8.— First 
liapan-U.  S.  express,  Eric  Johnston  joins 
[ildstry.    The  Duke  goes  home.  Washing- 

tu  Headliners:  Burton  named  to  Supreme 
'ourt;  new  Secretary  of  War:  Labor  pow- 
t  rs  broadened.  Ice  skaters  make  debut, 
remember  Wake  Island! 

RKO-PATHE  NEWS,  No.  IB.  Truman 
Us  three  important  posts.  B-29's  fly  from 
Ipan  to  Washington.  Eric  Johnston  named 
T.P.   chief.     $50,000,0)0  loss   in  hurricane. 

(tasked    pipers    let    Berliners    "have  it." 

i  [nrines  return  to  Wake  Island. 

i  UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  435. 

,  -29's  make  Japan-U.  S.  non-stop.  Chinese 
I  ictory  parade.  Personalities  in  the  News: 
Ifctterson  and  Burton.  Eric  Johnston  heads 

Im     industry.       Pittsburgh  Icecapades. 

ii'ety  last. 


Pointing  out  that  French  theatres 
will  need  from  200  to  250  films  a  year, 
and  that  native  production  before  the 
war  reached  150,  Andre  Bernheim, 
film  liasion  for  the  French  Ministry 
of  Information,  declared  here  Friday 
that,  "we  need  American  films  for  a 
lot  of  reasons."  Bernheim,  who  is 
here  from  Paris,  was  guest  at  a  lunch- 
eon given  bv  Simon  Schiffrin,  head  of 
the  French  Press  and  Information 
Service  film  bureau  here.  While  in 
the  U.  S.,  Bernheim  will  seek  to  ef- 
fect better  relations  between  this  coun- 
try and  France  from  the  cultural  point 
of  view  by  exchanging  educational 
films. 

Elimination  of  double  features  in 
France,  he  pointed  out,  will  permit 
the  avoidance  of  what  he  termed  'sec- 
ond class  pictures.' 

Bernheim  will  confer  with  officials 
of  the  French  Embassy,  the  film  bu- 
reau and  Ministry  of  Information.  He 
will  leave  for  the  Coast  today  to  in- 
spect American  studios  and  to  con- 
fer with  executives  of  the  French 
Research  Foundation,  with  which 
Charles  Boyer  is  identified. 

The  Ministry  official  will  return  to 
France  next  month. 


Philadelphia  Takes 
Lead  in  UA  Drive 


Columbia  Officials 
Iff  to  New  Orleans 

■  Columbia  home  office  executives 
•  ill  leave  New  York  today  for  New 

rleans  where  the  third  of  a  series  of 
i"iir  zone  meetings  will  be  held  Sept 
;o-28  at  the  Hotel  Roosevelt.  In  the 
r-oup  will  be  A.  Montague,  Rube 
rtekter.  Louis  Weinberg,  George 
rDsephs  and  H.  C.  Kaufman. 
.  Six  branches  will  be  represented  at 

it  convention  by  division  managers, 
^'anch  managers  and  salesmen  from 
,  tlanta,  Charlotte.  Dallas,  Memphis, 
jiw  Orleans  and  Oklahoma  City. 


jaRoche  Leaves  ABC 
rop  Executive  Post 

I  Chester  J.  LaRoche,  vice-chairman 
n  American  Broadcasting  Co.,  who 
• as  been  executive  head  of  the  corn- 
any,  will  no  longer  continue  to  be 
■tire  in  an  executive  capacity.  He 
'  ill  continue  as  a  stockholder,  direc- 
<r  and  advisor.  He  desires  to  devote 
--•creasing  attention  to  his  other  busi- 
i  ?ss  interests  and  to  public  service. 


Screen  Guild  Prod. 
Concludes  Meeting 

Establishment  of  a  New  York  of- 
fice for  Screen  Guild  Productions  and 
the  selection  of  a  general  sales  man- 
ager, as  well  as  other  organization 
matters,  some  of  them  pertaining  to 
production,  have  been  placed  in  the 
hands  of  John  J.  Jones,  president  of 
SGP,  and  John  L.  Franconi,  secre- 
tary, for  final  decision. 

The  two-man  committee  was  elected 
by  directors  and  franchise  holders  of 
the  organization  at  the  closing  session 
of  a  two-day  meeting  at  the  Park  Cen- 
tral hotel  here  on  Friday.  SGP  head- 
quarters are  now  in  Dallas. 


United    Artists'    Philadelphia  ex 
change,  managed  by  Mort  Magill,  i: 
now   in    first   place   in   the  current 
'Grad    Sears    Sales    Drive,'  having 
overtaken  Detroit,  the  early  pace  set- 
ter,  it   is  disclosed   by   Edward  M. 
Schnitzer,  home  office  executive  an 
national  drive  captain.    Buffalo  is  in 
second  place,  the  spot  formerly  oc 
cupied  by  Philadelphia,  while  Detroit 
has  slipped  to  third  position.  Others 
placing  in  the  first  ten  branches  are : 
Omaha,   New   Haven,   Kansas  City, 
Dallas,    Los    Angeles,    Boston  and 
Washington,  in  that  order. 

In  the  district  competition,  New 
England  still  retains  its  August  lead 
with  the  Prairie,  Western  and  South- 
ern districts  following,  likewise  in 
that  order.  The  contest,  which  started 
Aug.  4,  will  continue  through  Dec.  1. 


St.  Cloud  Appeals 
Clearance  Award 

The  St.  Cloud  Amusement  Corp., 
operating  the  Sussex  Theatre,  Sussex, 
N.  J.,  has  appealed  the  award  of  the 
New  York  tribunal  on  its  clearance 
complaint  against  the  five  consent  de- 
cree companies,  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  reports. 

Although  clearance  of  the  Sussex 
after  the  Ritz,  Strand  and  Royal  the- 
atres, Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  was  re- 
duced to  seven  days,  from  14.  the 
complainant  had  originally  asked  that 
clearance  either  be  eliminated  entirely 
or  reduced  to  one  day. 


WNEW  Launches  Its 
Industry  History 

Radio  station  WNEW,  New  York, 
yesterday  broadcast  the  first  pro- 
gram in  its  contemplated  13-week  ser- 
ies of  dramatizations  entitled  "His- 
tory of  the  Movies."  The  program 
is  an  unsponsored  series  of  one-half- 
hour  shows  with  PZugene  O'Neill,  Jr., 
as  narrator. 

"History  of  the  Movies"  series  was 
designed  to  pay  tribute  to  the  indus- 
try. WNEW  carries  film  radio  ad- 
vertising which  is  estimated  fo  run 
over  $100,000  annually.  Initial  script, 
written  by  Max  Berton,  and  directed 
by  Jack  Grogan,  dealt  with  the  early 
motion  picture  struggles,  both  here 
and  abroad  with  the  development  of 
the  Kinetescope  highlighted. 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollyivood,  Sept.  23 

HUNT  STROMBERG  has  con- 
cluded negotiations  with  Hedy 
Lamarr  and  Jack  Chertok  whereby 
the  former  will  be  starred  in  "Dis- 
honored Lady,"  with  Chertok  handling 
production  reins ;  shooting  will  start 
immediately  upon  completion  of 
Stromberg's  "The  Strange  Woman." 
• 

"Golden  Ear  Rings,"  an  unpublished 
ovel    by    Yolanda    Foldes,  whose 
"Street  of  the  Fishing  Cat"  zvon  the 
'All-Xations"    price     contest  some 
years    back,    has    been    acquired  by 
Paramount.  .  .  .  James     Craig  and 
:rtnucs  Gifford,  who  scored  as  a  ro- 
mantic   duo    in    "Our    Vines  Have 
T ender  Grapes,"  have  been  selected  by 
M-G-M  for  leading  roles  in  "Army 
Brat,"   which    will   feature  "Butch" 
Jenkins  and  Sharon  McManus. 
• 

Phil  Karlson  has  been  signed  to 
direct  "Stepping  Around,"  first  of 
Monogram's  new  'Bowery  Boys'  se- 
ries to  be  produced  by  Jan  Grippo. 
Leo  Gorcey,  Huntz  Hall  and  Billy 
Benedict  have  been  signed  for  the 
series  .  .  .  Ken  Curtis  has  been 
chosen  for  a  lead  in  Columbia's 
"Secret  Story." 


Set  FCC  Video  Rules 
Hearings  for  Oct.  4 

Washington,  Sept.  23. — The  Fed- 
eral Communications  Commission  has 
announced  here  that  it  will  open 
hearings  Oct.  4  on  proposed  tele- 
vision rules  and  invited  all  interested 
in  the  matter  to  make  reservations. 

Applications  for  places  on  the  sched- 
ule of  witnesses  must  be  filed  by  Oct. 
1,  it  was  said  and  written  briefs  also 
may  be  submitted  up  to  that  date 
Twenty-five  copies  of  each  brief  must 
be  filed. 


^owan  Leaves  OWI 

Louis  G.  Cowan  of  Chicago,  on  Sat- 
"day,  left  the  post  of  chief  of  the 
ew  York  overseas  branch  of  the  Of- 
:e  of  War  Information.  At  the  same 
me,  Edward  W.  Barrett,  retiring 
rector  of  the  branch,  disclosed  the 
>pointment  of  Thomas  A.  Malley  as 
nief  of  the  New  York  office  of  the 
nterim  International  Information 
ervice  of  the  State  Department, 
■  hich  is  taking  the  overseas  functions 
,F  the  OWI. 


Cuba  Grosses  Rise 

Box  office  receipts  at  Cuban  motion 
picture  theatres  were  up  30  per  cent 
during  the  first  six  months  of  1945, 
compared  with  those  in  the  corre- 
sponding period  of  1944,  according  to 
the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Do- 
mestic Commerce. 


TMA  Hails  Para.  Drive 

Toronto,  Sept.  23.  —  The  St.  Cath- 
arines, Ont.,  Theatre  Managers  Asso- 
ciation celebrated  the  33rd  anniversary 
of  Paramount  Pictures  with  the  hold- 
ing of  a  local  drive  featured  by  the 
publication  of  a  special  two-page 
'spread'  in  the  St.  Catharines  news 
paper. 


Standard  Time  Bill 
Signed  This  Week 

Washington,  Sept.  23. — Legisla- 
tion turning  the  clocks  back  to  Stand- 
ard Time  Sept.  30  is  before  President 
Truman  for  approval  and  will  be 
igned  early  this  week.  The  measure, 
recommended  by  the  President,  was 
~>assed  last  week  by  both  .House  and 
Senate  without  debate  and  without 
opposition. 

Wartime  Daylight  Saving  was 
adopted  in  Jan.,  1942.  Like  other 
wartime  measures,  its  expiration  date 
was  set  for  six  months  after  the  end 
f  the  war,  but  opposition  to  the  law 
.  as  recognized  by  the  Administration. 


$50,000  Fire  Loss 

Carrollton,  Ga.,  Sept.  23.  —  Hugh 
and  Roy  Richards'  Playhouse,  Carroll- 
ton's  newest  theatre,  has  been  totally 
destroyed  by  fire  of  undetermined 
origin.  Loss  is  estimated  to  be  in  ex- 
cess of  $50,000. 


Video  Meet  Sept  26 

Edward  "Sobol,  NBC  television  pro- 
ducer, will  preside  at  the  first  of  the 
new  season's  discussion-group  meeting 
of  the  American  Television  Society,  at 
the  Hotel  Sheraton,  here,  on  Sept.  26. 


Disney  Tribute  to  PRC 

Described  as  an  unusual  feature  of 
a  national  campaign,  to  promote 
PRC's  "Enchanted  Forest,"  will  be  a 
quoted  tribute  to  the  picture  by  Walt 
Disney,  appearing  in  advertising  copy, 
according  to  Arnold  Stoltz,  PRC  ad- 
vertising-publicity chief. 


RKO  RADIO  PICTURES,  Inc. 

KANSAS  CITY  TRADE  SHOWING 


of 


II 


THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

tin  Technicolor) 

will  be  held  at  the 
KIMO  THEATRE,   KANSAS  CITY, 
WED.,  OCT.  3,  at  2:30  P.M. 

and  not  at  the  Paramount  Projection  Room,  as  previously  advertised. 


DISPLAY  THIS  POSTER/ 


A  VA I L ABLE  IN  40x60  or  30x40 
AT  ALL  NSS  EXCHANGES 


.  .  »  for Theatres/ 


You've  come  to  the  right  spot,  Mister  Exhibitor 
...  for  Lobby,  Front  and  Screen  SERVICE! 
*  *  *  It's  all  here  . . .  under  one  roof . . .  the  100- 
Octane  SELLING-POWER  that  puts  ZIP  into 
your  LOBBY  . . .  SOCK  into  your  FRONT  . . . 
and  DYNAMITE  on  your  Screen! 

Yes,  we  have  a  complete  supply  of  everything 
you  need  ...  and  for  special  occasions  .  .  . 
there  are  SPECIAL  TRAILERS ...  to  add  that 
Extra  SPARK  .  .  .  that  carries  you  over  the 
rough  spots  *  *  *  You'll  find  The  PRIZE  BABY 
. . .  always  at  your  SERVICE . . .  with  seat-sell- 
ina  advertising  . . .  so  . . .  FILL  'ER  UP! 


naTionfli 


SERVICE 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 


tion 


Picture 
Industry 


J  VOL.  58.  NO.  60 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  TUESDAY.  SEPTEMBER  25,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


•Blueprint'  8th 
Promotions 
For  Theatres 


Doob  Issues  Highlights 
On  Victory  Campaign 


Blue-prints  of  "Victory  Loan" 
promotions  for  exhibitors  were 
completed  here  yesterday  by  Oscar 
\.  Doob,  Loew  Theatres  advertis- 
ing manager,  who  is  campaign  man- 
ager for  the  eighth  loan  drive,  and  are 
10  be  circulated  by  all  state  and  local 
committees  in  the  field,  to  help  the 
Treasury  Department  sell  $2,000,000.- 
'  »00  in  'E'  bonds  between  Oct.  29  and 
,!)cc.  8.  inclusive. 

National  "Victory  Drive"  chairman 
Si  H.  Fabian  and  Dood  will  fly  to 
Hollywood  tomorrow  for  a  confer- 
ence with  Louis  B.  Mayer.  Hollywood 
I'hairman ;  Ken  Thomson,  Hollywood 
Victory  committee  member ;  George 
Murphy,  head  of  Screen  Actors  Guild, 
and  others.  They  will  discuss  details 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Many  Affected  by 
Elevator  Strike 


The  elevator  operators'  and  main- 
tenance workers'  strike  which  crip- 
pled 1.575  Manhattan  office  buildings 
yesterday  had  its  effect  on  film  com- 
pany home  office  and  exchange  opera- 
tions in  various  degrees. 

Republic's  home  office  sent,  em- 
ployees to  lunch  at  2  :30  p.  m.  instruct- 
ing them  that  they  need  not  return 
for  the  day ;  a  skeleton  force  remained. 
Republic's  personnel  was  instructed  to 
return  to  work  today,  however,  and  to 
bring     lunches     in     the     event  of 

(Continued  on  pane  6) 


Truman  Will  Order 
War  Surplus  Sale 


Washixgtox.  Sept.  24. — Transfer 
to  the  State  Department  of  the  task 
•A  disposing  of  surplus  war  property, 
much  of  it  of  a  film  industry  nature, 
leld  abroad  will  be  ordered  shortly 
by  President-Truman,  it  was  disclosed 
here  today  by  Reconversion  Director 
John  W.  Snyder. 

One  of  the  potential  benefits  of  the 
transfer  is  the  bargaining  power  it 
.vill  give  the  Department  in  securing 
commercial    rights    and  concessions 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Strike  Issues 
Clear:  Walsh 


Recognition  of  the  fact  by  both  par- 
ties that  jurisdictional  disputes  exist 
in  the  Hollywood  studio  strike  and  the 
taking  of  definite  steps  in  an  attempt 
to  resolve  them  was  hailed  here  yes- 
terday by  Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE 
international  president,  as  one  of  the 
most  constructive  steps  taken  thus  far 
to  settle  the  seven-month-old  contro- 
versy. 

Walsh  poined  out  that  until  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Labor  international  presidents  in- 
volved in  the  jurisdictional  dispute  in 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


Hope  for  Early  End 
Of  Strike  Fades 


Hollywood,  Sept.  24.— Hopes  for 
an  early  end  to  the  Hollywood  strike- 
kindled  last  week  by  Washington 
press  dispatches  faded  today  when 
both  the  promised  National  Labor  Re- 
lations Board  decision  in  the  set 
decorators'  case  and  the  program  of 
inter-union  discussion  of  other  juris- 
dictional disputes,  decided  upon  by 
international  presidents  of  the  unions 
at  loggerheads,  took  on  shapes  that 
promised  to  postpone  settlement  some- 
what. 

Local  NLRB  representative  Stew- 

(Continued  on  page  4) 


N.Y.  Theatres 
Drawing  Big 
On  Holdovers 


Receipts  continue  strong  at  New 
York's  first-run  theatres  with  hold- 
overs predominating.  Weekend 
business  was  again  big  as  cool 
weather  prevailed  and  Sunday  was 
overcast,  cutting  down  on  motoring. 
Xew  films  are  scheduled  to  arrive  at 
the  Roxy,  Capitol,  Strand,  Victoria 
and  Gotham  this  week. 

"Duffy's  Tavern"  at  the  Para- 
mount ;  "Our  Vines  Have  Tender 
Grapes,"  at  Radio  City  Music  Hall ; 
"Lady  on  a  Train,"  at  the  Criterion, 
and  "Love  Letters,"  at  the  Rivoli,  are 
all  standouts  in  extended  holdovers. 
"Anchors  A  weigh,"  combined  with  a 
stage  bill  including  Paul  Whiteman 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


V aught  Asks  for  List 
Of  Griffith  Holdings 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  24. — Judge 
Edgar  S.  Vaught,  showing  an  increas- 
ing interest  in  the  extent  of  Griffith 
circuit  operations  and  expansions,  to- 
day in  Federal  District  Court  here 
requested  counsel  for  the  anti-trust  de- 
fendants to  produce  lists  of  their 
holdings,  city  by  city,  as  compared 
with  their  competitor  exhibitors. 

Direct  examination  of  B.  J.  Mc- 
Kenna,  general   manager   of  Griffith 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Reach  a  New  Deadlock  in 
French  Film  Negotiations 


Hays  Will  Return 
To  Sullivan  Soon 

Will  H.  Hays,  who  resigned 
last  week  as  president  of  the 
MPPDA,  a  post  which  he  held 
for  more  than  23  years,  will 
leave  New  York  soon  for  his 
homestead  in  Sullivan,  Ind., 
where  he  started  as  a  lawyer. 
Hays  will  spend  most  of  his 
time  between  Sullivan  and  his 
ranch  in  Hidden  Valley,  Cal., 
making  periodic  trips  to  New- 
York  and  to  Hollywood  in  his 
capacity  as  MPPDA  advisor. 

Hays  will  no  longer  main- 
tain a  residence  here,  as  h? 
has  for  years  in  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  Towers. 


Negotiations  are  again  deadlocked 
between  French  government  officials 
and  MPPDA  representatives  in 
France,  after  several  weeks  of  re- 
sumed discussions  seeking  a  settlement 
of  conditions  under  which  American 
film  companies  would  be  permitted  to 
distribute  their  films  in  France,  ac- 
cording to  word  received  by  MPPDA 
here  from  Paris. 

Negotiations  were  resumed  in  Paris 
several  weeks  ago,  following  meetings 
in  Washington  between  U.  S.  State 
Department  officials  and  members  "  of 
a  French  economic  delegation  which 
accompanied  General  Charles  De- 
Gaulle,  provisional  president  of  France, 
from  Paris,  but  although  hope  was 
held  out  then  for  an  early  settlement 
of  the  impasse  which  has  kept  Ameri- 
can films  out  of  commercial  distribu- 
tion in  France  since  the  end  of  the 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Court  Denies 
Rehearing  of 
Goldman  Case 


Distributors  Considering 
Supreme  Court  Petition 


Philadelphia,  Sept.  24.- — The 
U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  has  denied 
petitions  by  the  defendants  for  a 
re-hearing  of  the  anti-trust  suit  of 
William  Goldman  against  Warner 
Theatres  and  distributors.  Over- 
ruling a  lower  District  Court  decision, 
the  Appeals  Court,  in  a  unanimous  de- 
cision on  Aug.  2,  upheld  Goldman's 
charge  of  monopoly  against  the  com- 
panies. The  suit  involves  Goldman's 
Erlanger  Theatre  for  which,  he 
charges,  he  was  refused  first-run 
product. 

Two  separate  petitions  were  en- 
tered, one  in.  behalf  of  Warners  circuit 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Settlement  Is  Near 
In  Jacocks  Action 


Settlement  of  the  $150,000  anti-trust 
suit  brought  by  Capans  Amusement 
Co.,  of  which  Don  Jacocks  is  presi- 
dent, against  11  distributors  and  seven 
other  defendants,  appeared  imminent 
yesterday  with  the  hearing  on  a  mo- 
tion for  an  injunction  made  by  Capans 
Amusement,  scheduled  to  be  argued  in 
U.  S.  District  Court  here  today,  being 
adjourned  at  the  consent  of  all  parties. 

In.  his  motion  for  a  preliminary  ih- 
(Continucd  on  page  7) 


Johnston  Shaping 
MPPDA  Program 


Washington,  Sept.  24. — No  pres- 
sure of  any  kind  will  be  placed  upon 
United  Artists  and  Warner  Brothers 
to  return  to  the  MPPDA  fold,  but, 
new  president  Eric  Johnston  hopes  to 
make  the  Association  so  effective  that 
the  two  companies  will  come  back  vol- 
untarily, it  was  disclosed  here  today. 

An    inquiry   at   Johnston's   U.  S. 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Reviewed  Today 

Review  of  "Sunbonnet  Sue' 
appears  on  page  8. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  25,  1945 


Coming 
Events 


Today  and  Tomorrow  —  Annual 
managers'  conference  of  20th 
Century  Theatres,  King  Edward 
Hotel,  Toronto. 

Sept.  26-28 — Columbia  zone  meet- 
ing. Hotel  Roosevelt,  New  Or- 
leans. 

Sept.  27 — Joint  Defense  Appeal  din- 
ner honoring  Jack  Cohn,  Waldorf 
Astoria  Hotel,  New  York. 

Sept.  28 — Special  stockholders  meet- 
ing, Consolidated  Film  Industries, 
New  York. 

Oct.  1-12 — Western  Electric  world- 
wide conference,  Waldorf-Astoria 
Hotel,  New  York. 

Oct.  2 — Annual  convention,  West 
Virginia  Managers'  Association, 
Daniel  Boone  Hotel,  Charleston, 
W.  Va. 

Oct.  2-4 — Columbia  zone  meeting, 
Ambassador  Hotel,  Los  Angeles. 

Oct.  4-7 — Equipment  Dealers  Asso- 
ciation convention,  Edgewater 
Beach  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Oct.  9 — New  Jersey  Allied  conven- 
tion, Ritz  Restaurant,  Passaic. 
N.  J. 

Oct.  15-17 — Semi-annual  conference, 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engi- 
neers, Hotel  Pennsylvania,  New 
York. 

Oct.  22-23 — Allied  Theatre  Owners 
of  Texas,  annual  convention, 
White  Plaza  Hotel,  Dallas. 

Oct.  22-23 — Allied  Theatre  Owners 
of  Western  Pennsylvania,  annual 
convention,  William  Penn  Hotel, 
Pittsburgh. 

Oct.  23— Annual  general  meeting, 
Motion  Picture  Theatres  Associa- 
tion of  Ontario,  King  Edward 
Hotel,  Toronto. 

Nov.  5-7 — Allied  Theatres  of  Mich- 
igan, annual  convention,  Hotel 
Statler,  Detroit. 


Schlaifer  Changes 
20th-Fox  Ad  Dep't 

A  reorganization  of  20th  Century- 
Fox's  advertising-publicity  depart- 
ment, following  the  recent  resignation 
of  Hal  Home,  who  formerly  headed 
the  department,  has  been  effected  by 
Charles  Schlaifer,  temporary  super- 
visor of  the  department,  it  was 
learned  here  yesterday. 

The  following  resignations  have 
taken  place :  Jerome  Pickman,  assist- 
ant to  Home  and  assistant  publicity- 
manager;  Chester  Feital,  in  charge  of 
tie-ups ;  George  Fraser  in  charge  of 
field  service ;  George  Gomperts,  press- 
book  editor,  and  Ruth  Winkler,  assist- 
ant to  Feitel. 

Bernie  Lewis  has  been  reported  as 
slated  to  be  Schlaifer's  assistant,  but 
no  official  announcement  has  been 
made  as  yet. 


Thomas  at  Cohn  Dinner 

Lowell  Thomas,  radio  news  com- 
mentator, will  appear  as  narrator  in  a 
presentation  of  a  dramatic  sketch, 
titled  "This  Is  Our  Cause,"  which  will 
be  a  feature  of  the  Joint  Defense  Ap- 
peal dinner  honoring  Jack  Cohn  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  New  York, 
Thursday  night. 


Personal  Mention 


BEN  KALMENSON,  Warners' 
general  sales  manager,  left  Holly- 
wood for  New  York  yesterday,  and 
will  visit  Kansas  City  and  Chicago  en 
route.  Mort  Blumenstock,  advertis- 
ing-publicity director,  will  remain  at 
the  studio  for  another  week.  Samuel 
Schneider,  vice-president,  will  leave 
the  Coast  for  the  home  office  today. 
• 

Samuel  Burger,  Loew-Internation- 
al  Latin  American  supervisor,  left 
New  York  yesterday  for  a  three- 
months'  Central  and  South  American 
tour. 

• 

Howard  Dietz,  M-G-M  vice-presi- 
dent and  advertising-publicity  director, 
will  leave  New  York  today  for  the 
Coast. 

• 

Sgt.  William  Sirica,  former  man- 
ager of  the  Lido,  Waterbury,  Conn., 
is  expected  home  from  London  shortly. 
• 

E.  W.  Aaron,  M-G-M  circuit  sales 
head,  will  leave  Kansas  City  today  for 
Denver,  on  a  cross-country  trip. 
• 

William  R.  Ferguson,  M-G-M  ex- 
ploitation director,  will  return  to  New 
York  today  from  Boston. 

• 

Bob  Savini,  president  of  Astor  Pic- 
tures, is  en  route  to  Charlotte  and 
New  York  from  Atlanta. 

• 

Carl  Banford,  head  of  Banford- 
Publix  Theatres,  Asheville,  N.  C,  was 
a  recent  New  York  visitor. 

• 

E.  L.  Scanlon,  Vanguard  execu- 
tive, is  en  route  to  New  York  from 
Culver  City. 


EK.  (TED)  O'SHEA,  M-G-M's 
•  Eastern  sales  manager,  will  leave 
New  York  today  for  circuit  and  ex- 
change conferences  in  Boston,  return- 
ing Saturday. 

• 

James  Allen,  Warner  studio  ex- 
ecutive, and  Mrs.  Allen,  and  Monroe 
Rubinger  of  the  studio  publicity  staff, 
and  Mrs.  Rubinger,  became  parents, 
last  Friday,  of  a  boy  and  girl,  respec- 
tively, both  at  Cedars  of  Lebanon 
Hospital  on  the  Coast. 

• 

Sir  Alexander  Korda,  M-G-M 
British  producer,  is  due  to  arrive  on 
the  Coast  tomorrow  from  New  York. 
His  brother,  Vincent,  designer  at 
M-G-M's  London  studios,  will  leave 
New  York  today  to  join  him. 
• 

Ted  Lloyd,  20th  Century-Fox  radio 
promotion  manager,  will  be  in  Wash- 
ington today,  with  radio  commentators 
Ted  Malone,  Maggi  McNellis  and 
Bessie  Beatty,  for  a  tour  of  FBI 
headquarters. 

• 

Mack  Millar,  press  agent  for  Bob 
Hope  and  others  on  the  Coast,  left 
New  York  yesterday  for  Hollywood. 
• 

Oscar  Oldknow,  vice-president  of 
National  Theatre  Supply,  Atlanta,  is 
in  New  York. 

Marine  Lt.  Tyrone  Power  arrived 
in  Tokyo  last  weekend,  according  to 
press  dispatches. 

• 

Joan  Crawford,  Warner  star,  ar- 
rived in  New  York  yesterday  from 
Hollywood. 


Meeting  on  Broader 
Program  for  MPS  A 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — Francis  Al- 
stock,  executive  of  the  Office  of  the 
Coordinator  of  Inter-American  Af- 
fairs, has  arrived  here  for  confer- 
ences with  Harold  Hopper,  president 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Society  for  the 
Americas  ;  C.  Merwin  Travis,  execu- 
tive secretary ;  Y.  Frank  Freeman, 
chairman  of  the  board ;  E.  J.  Man- 
nix  and  Joseph  I.  Breen,  vice-presi- 
dents, and  several  producers  regarding 
State  Department  policies  in  connec- 
tion with  motion  pictures.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  a  revised  and  broadened 
program  for  the  MPSA  will  result 
from  the  conferences,  which  will  last 
several  davs. 


Luporini  to  Italy 
On  U.  S.  'Pooling' 

Mario  Luporini,  20th  Century-Fox 
managing  director  for  Italy,  will  leave 
today  for  that  territory,  where,  upon 
his  arrival,  he  will  start  to  set  up  the 
physical  distribution  'pool'  which  20th- 
Fox  will  operate  for  most  U.  S.  dis- 
tributors. All  companies  will,  how- 
ever, sell  in  that  territory  individually. 

The  U.  S.  Office  of  War  Informa- 
tion overseas  film  bureau  is  scheduled 
to  return  the  40  films  it  acquired 
from  eight  companies,  together  with 
monies  held  in  escrow  by  OWI  for 
the  companies. 


Harman  Will  Resume 
Production  Oct,  8 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — Hugh  Har- 
man, now  completing  a  four-year 
schedule  of  training  films  for  the 
Army  and  Navy,  will  resume  normal 
production  activities  on  Oct.  8.  Dur- 
ing the  war,  Harman  made  more  than 
100  high  priority  films,  "V-D"  and 
oral  hygiene  shorts  for  the  Public 
Health  Service  and  films  for  '  all 
branches  of  the  military. 

His  first  straight  commercial  film 
will  be  "Hallowe'en,"  based  on  a 
symphonic  composition  of  that  name 
by  Lionel  Barrymore.  It  will  be  fea- 
ture length,  in  color  and  made  in  what 
the  producer  calls  "Animaction."  Two 
other  feature  cartoons,  combining 
"live"  action,  are  likewise  planned ; 
these  will  be  "Hollywood  Story"  and 
"King  Arthur." 


Espy  Due  Today  for 
PRC  Product  Talks 

Reeves  Espy,  PRC  vice-president  in 
charge  of  production,  is  due  in  New- 
York  from  the  Coast  today  for  a 
series  of  meeetings  this  week  with 
Kenneth  M.  Young,  president  of  the 
company,  Harry  H.  Thomas,  vice- 
president  of  world-wide  distribution : 
Karl  Herzog,  treasurer,  and  Lloyd 
Lind,  assistant  general  manager.  Dis- 
cussions of  the  1945-'46  production  pro- 
gram are  on  the  agenda. 


Hal  Roach  Reenters 
Production  Jan.  1 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24,— Hal  Roach 
will  reenter  the  production  field  on 
Jan.  1,  launching  "the  most  ambitious 
all-comedy  production  program"  of  his 
career.  The  Roach  studio  in  Culver 
City  will  be  vacated  by  the  Army 
Air  Forces  motion  picture  unit  on  the 
date  the  producer  plans  to  get  started. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  .   Rockefeller  Center 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes" 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 
Eddie  BRACKEN 
Veronica  LAKE 
Diana  LYNN 

'OUT  OF 

THIS  WORLD' 


IN  PERSON 

Atlantic  City 
Bathing  Beauty 
Winners 

starring 

'MISS  AMERICA 
OF  1945' 

(Bess  Myerson 
fromtheBromt^. 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 

"DUFFY'S  TAVERN" 

Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/dwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 


CONTINUOUS 


POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


U 


BATAAN" I 


Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINN  I 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


Pierre  ^Tffji* 


•WALT  DISNEY'S" 


WONDERFUL  ADVENTURES  OF 

PI\OCCHI© 

ffUeatulrNe%h  TECHNICOLOR 


Distributed  by 
th  FUN 
FILLED 
WEEK 


6 


RKO    Radio    Pictures  Inr 
B'way  51st  St. 
Doors  open 


REPUBLIC 


8:30  A.M. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Ouigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigle\ 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  2170  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  \ork  Martin  yuigiej . 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President :  Thco.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer ;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  fecke, .  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Jrditor;  London  Bureau, 
4  Golden  Sq.,  Ixmdon  Wl.  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley  Publications :  Motion  Picture  Herald.  Better  1  neatres. 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N-  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  li>/y.  ^inscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


CHANGE  OF  TITLE 


The  title  of  Universale  very  warming  and  heart -appealing  love 
story  which  is  directed  by  William  Dieterle,  based  upon  the 
famous  stage  play  by  Pirandello,  is  now  appropriately  changed  to 

"THIS  LOVE  OF  OURS" 

Based  as  it  is  upon  a  love  theme  which  will  appeal  to  every 
man  and  woman  who  ever  was  in  love  or  ever  will  be  in  love, 
"This  Love  Of  Ours"  will  be  advertised  in  the  largest  circulation 
magazines  between  now  and  the  release  of  the  picture  on 
November  23rd. 

In  our  opinion  "This  Love  Of  Ours"  will  take  its  place  among 
other  great  love  stories  as  exemplified  by  "Back  Street"  and 
"Stella  Dallas."  . 

Remember  the  title,  "This  Love  Of  Ours" — formerly  known  as 
"As  It  Was  Before." 

More  later. 

UNIVERSAL  PRESENTS 

Mede  OBERON  •  GLude  RAINS  •  Gka*U  KORVIN 

in   -  , 

"THIS  LOVE  OF  OURS" 

with  CARL  ESMOND  •  SUE  ENGLAND  •  JESS  BARKER  •  RALPH  MORGAN  •  FRITZ  LEIBER  •  HARRY  DAVENPORT 

Screenplay  by  Bruce  Manning,  John  Klorer  and  Leonard  Lee 
Based  upon  the  play  entitled  "Come  Prima  Meglio  De  Prima"  by  Luigi  Pirandello 
Directed  by  WILLIAM  DIETERLE  •  Produced  by  HOWARD  BENEDICT 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  25,  1945 


Studio  Strike 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Strike  Issues 


(Continued  from  page  1 ) 


Film  Library  to  Be 
Proposed  in  Bill 


Washington,  Sept.  24. — New  leg- 
islation providing  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  national  motion  picture  li- 
brary is  being  prepared  for  introduc- 
tion in  Congress  in  the  near  future, 
it  was  disclosed  here  today. 

The  bill  will  incorporate  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  measure  introduced  last 
January  by  Rep.  Fritz  Lanham  of 
Texas. 

Johnston's  Unity  Aim 
Indorsed  by  Stern 

Approval  of  Eric  A.  Johnston's 
proposal  for  cooperative  industry  ef- 
forts was  expressed  yesterday  by  Jesse 
L.  Stern,  president  of  Unaffiliated  In- 
dependent Exhibitors,  Inc.,  and  mod- 
erator of  the  Conference  of  Independ- 
ent Exhibitors. 

"I  am  willing  to  lend  my  efforts  to 
any  proposition  which  has  for  its  end 
the  unity  of  all  phases  of  the  indus- 
try," Stern  said.  "I  am  firmly  con- 
vinced that  Mr.  Johnston  should  bring 
to  our  industry  a  fresh  and  objective 
approach,  and  he  has  it  within  his 
power  now  to  do  a  great  job." 

Four-Million  Jump  in 
Canada  Attendance 

Ottawa,  Sept.  24. — Government 
figures  on  theatre  operations  in  Can- 
ada last  year,  released  today,  disclosed 
total  paid  admissions  of  208,167,180,  or 
almost  four  millions  more  than  in 
1943.  The  total  for  1939,  the  year 
world  hostilities  developed,  was  only 
137,896,668,  it  was  reported  in  com- 
parison. 

According  to  the  official  .  figures 
based  on  federal  admission  tax  returns, 
box-office  receipts  last  year  were  $53,- 
173,325,  compared  with  $52,567,989  in 
1943,  these  figures  being  exclusive  of 
all  ticket  or  receipt  taxation.  Total 
receipts  in  1939  were  $34,010,115. 

$7,000  'G.  I/  Opener 

Chicago,  Sept.  24. — Ernie  Pyle's 
"Story  of  G.  I.  Joe"  opened  Friday 
at  the  Oriental  Theatre,  here,  to  what 
is  reported  to  have  been  the  biggest 
first  day  business  in  the  history  of  the 
downtown  loop  house,  the  Lester 
Cowan-United  Artists  production, 
grossing  more  than  $7,000  with  the 
second  day  exceeding  this  figure  by 
more  than  $2,000. 


Freeman  to  Atlanta 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — Y.  Frank 
Freeman  flew  to  Atlanta  yesterday 
following  notification  that  his  mother- 
in-law,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Harris,  had  died 
after  a  protracted  illness. 


THANK  YOU- 

GLOBE  customers  for  your 
patience  in  understanding 
our  problems  during  the  try- 
ing times  just  past. 

GLOBE  TICKET  CO. 

154  West  14th  Street,  New  York  City 


art  Meacham  received  official  notifi- 
cation that  oral  hearings  in  the  set 
decorators'  case  were  to  be  held  in 
Washington  on  Friday  with  the 
agency's  decision  to  follow  at  a  later, 
undesignated  date.  Both  factions  in 
the  strike  reiterated,  however,  that 
this  decision  has  become  a  minor  item 
in  the  controversy. 

Brewer  Statement 

IATSE  international  representative 
Roy  M.  Brewer  on  the  eve  of  de- 
parture by  plane  tonight  for  New 
York,  where  he  will  confer  with 
IATSE  president  Richard  F.  Walsh 
on  details  of  compliance  with  AFL 
president  William  Green's  program 
of  meetings  aimed  at  settling  the  strike 
"on  local  levels,"  said  he  will  not  ap- 
point a  negotiating  committee  before 
returning  here,  probably  next  week. 
Under  the  plan,  he  said,  the  IATSE 
committee  when  appointed,  will  re- 
quire five  days  of  negotiation  with 
each  of  the  six  committees  to  be  set 
up  by  the  striking  unions,  and  that 
these  meetings  will  run  consecu- 
tively. 

Strike  leaders,  on  the  other  hand, 
declared  they  will  proceed  at  once  to 
appoint  the  required  committees,  ex- 
pecting to  have  them  ready  by  the 
weekend.  They  said  they  would  be 
prepared  to  conduct  the  six  sets  of 
negotiations  concurrently  but  ad- 
mitted this  was  a  matter  which  the 
IATSE  could  control. 

Brewer  said  he  expected  the  new 
negotiations  to  be  no  more  productive 
than  earlier  meetings  held,  since  no 
new  element  had  been  introduced  into 
the  basic  problem,  but  he  concurred 
in  the  strikers'  admission  that  a  clear- 
cut  decision  in  the  set  decorators' 
case  might  supply  a  'fresh  starting 
point  for  the  discussions. 


SAG  Calls  on  AFL  to 
Avoid  Future  Strikes 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — The  Screen 
Actors  Guild  in  its  annual  meeting 
here  last  night  called  on  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor  executive  com- 
mittee "to  establish  adequate  machin- 
ery to  deal  in  the  future  with  dis- 
putes" (such  as  the  one  which  caused 
the  present  Hollywood  strike)  "which 
may  arise  within  its  own  ranks,  and 
to  make  it  mandatory  that  all  AFL 
unions  utilize  such  machinery."  Also 
sought  by  SAG  is  "an  unbiased  com- 
mittee to  settle  the  jurisdictional 
problem  which  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  present  strike." 

Officers  elected,  unanimously,  at  the 
meeting  were :  George  Murphy,  first 
vice-president ;  Anne  Revere,  'third 
vice-president ;  Paul  Harvey,  record- 
ing secretary,  and  Russell  Hicks, 
treasurer. 

Seligman  Acquires  6 
'Scattergood'  Films 

Trans  -  America  Pictures  has  ac- 
quired reissue  rights  from  RKO 
Radio  to  the  six  Clarence  Budding- 
ton  Kelland  series  of  "Scattergood 
Baines"  features,  Leo  Seligman,  gen- 
eral sales  manager  of  the  recently- 
formed  company,  has  announced  here. 

The  six  films,  which  star  Guy  Kib- 
bee,  are :  "Scattergood  Baines,"  "Scat- 
tergood Meets  Broadway,"  "Scatter- 
good Pulls  the  Strings,"  "Scatter- 
good Rides  High,"  "Scattergood  Sur- 
vives a  Murder"  and  "Cinderella 
Swings  It." 


Washington,  as  held  last  week,  the 
other  international  union  heads  had  re- 
fused to  admit  that  jurisdictional  dif- 
ferences existed,  characterizing  the 
studio  strike  as  a  walkout  of  the  Stu- 
dio Set  Decorators  with  other  Con- 
ference of  Studio  Unions  affiliates  re- 
fusing to  cross  the  picket  lines  which 
they  had  established. 

The  directive  promulgated  by  the  in- 
ternational union  heads  involved,  in- 
cluding painters,  electricians,  carpen- 
ters, plumbers  and  machinists,  says : 
"It  is  agreed  by  the  representatives 
of  the  organizations  involved  in  Hol- 
lywood that  the  parties  involved  shall 
proceed  to  take  up  the  settlement  of 
jurisdictional  differences  with  the  un- 
derstanding that  when  said  jurisdic- 
tional differences  are  adjusted,  the 
membership  of  each  international  un- 
ion will  be  accorded  the  right  to  work 
at  jobs  defined  in  the  jurisdictions 
finally  agreed  upon  and  that  those 
who  participated  in  the  Hollywood 
strike  since  March  11  shall  be  ac- 
corded the  right  to  resume  work." 

Walsh  said  yesterday  that  the  "IA" 
executive  board,  which  began  a  week- 
ly series  of  meetings  here  yesterday, 
will  take  action  later  in  the  week  on 
the  charters  issued  to  replacements  of 
striking  studio  workers. 


Indicate  Further  N.  Y. 
Theatre  Picketing 

Union  plans  to  picket  all  New  York 
City  theatres,  "all  day  and  every  day," 
drawing  the  placard  bearers  from  a 
pool  of  25,000  local  union  members, 
here;  appear  to  be  taking  shape.  How- 
ever, the  time  when  sidewalks  around 
local  film  houses  are  to  become  a 
promenade  for  supporters  of  the  /Hol- 
lywood studio  striking  unions  will  not 
be  disclosed  by  spokesmen  here. 

The  Eastern  strategy  committee  and 
representatives  of  eight  of  the  involved 
New  York  locals  yesterday  met  in  a 
closed  session  to  work  out  final  de- 
tails for  the  mass  picketing. 

Representatives  of  the  New  York 
Painters  Council  No.  Nine  and  the 
American  Association  of  Machinists 
went  on  the  march  outside  13  Broad- 
way first-runs  Saturday,  to  inform 
"the  people  in  the  East  that  there  is  a 
strike  in  Hollywood."  Placards  read- 
ing, "Don't  Patronize  Movies  Made 
by  Strikebreakers,"  were  carried. 

The  unions  did  not  picket  the  May- 
fair,  since  the  house  was  showing 
"Blood  on  the  Sun,"  which  did  riot 
run  into  labor  issues  in  production. 
"In  respect  to  General  Eisenhower," 
the  Victoria,  playing  "The  True 
Glory,"  also  was  not  affected. 

Roger  McDonald,  representative  of 
the  Studio  Set  Decorators  Local  No. 
1421,  Hollywood,  has  said  that  he  has 
the  support  here  of  67  New  York 
unions  of  both  the  American  Federa- 
tion of  Labor  and  the  Congress  of  In- 
dustrial Organizations. 


Services  for  Levin 

Bridgeport,  Sept.  24. — Funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  here  today  for  Charles 
Levin,  well  known  Connecticut  ex- 
hibitor who  headed  Strand  Amuse- 
ment Co. 


AAA  Names  Bramcamp 

Allen  L.  Bramcamp  has  been  named 
arbitrator  in  the  Cincinnati  tribunal, 
succeeding  Don  Burkholder,  the 
American  Arbitration  Association  re- 
ported here  yesterday. 


Czechs  Take  Over 
All  Film  Activity 


The  Czechoslovak  government  will 
exclusively  operate  native  film  stu- 
dios, handle  laboratory  processing  of 
films,  distribution  and  exhibition  and 
take  possession  of  "all  articles  for 
processing  films,  cash,  raw  and  other 
materials  on  hand,  and  also  all  manu- 
facturing facilities,"  according  to  the 
official  text  of  the  decree  nationalizing 
all  phases  of  the  film  industry,  it  was  I 
learned  here  yesterday. 

Compensation  for  property  taken 
over  will  be  "based  upon  prevailing 
prices,"  except  for  property  of  persons 
"who  are  to  be  considered  as  State  un- 
reliable." These  include  "Germans, 
Hungarians,  traitors  and  collabora- 
tionists," whose  property  will  be  for- 
feited to  the  state. 

Profits  gained  from  the  operations 
according  to  this  decree  will  be  used 
by  the  Ministry  of  Information  for 
"the  administration,  the  building  and 
further  development  of  the  Czechoslo- 
vakian  film  industry  in  all  its 
branches." 


McCormick,  Turner 
Set  'Main9  Plans 

RKO  Radio  Pictures  has  set  the 
first  of  a  series  of  area  premieres  on 
"The  Spanish  Main,"  S.  Barret  Mc- 
Cormick and  Terry  Turner  having 
completed  a  nation-wide  campaign  to 
launch  the  Technicolor  film  with  Oc- 
tober key  situations  set  in  Boston, 
Cedar  Rapids,  Chicago,  Cincinnati, 
Cleveland,  Columbus,  Davenport,  Day- 
ton, Denver,  Des  Moines.  Dubuque. 
Kansas  City,  Los  Angeles,  Marshall- 
town,  New  Orleans,  Omaha,  Provi- 
dence, San  Francisco,  Sioux  City, 
Syracuse,  Trenton,  Washington  and 
Waterloo. 


47  WB  Shorts  Ready; 
Others  Are  in  Work 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — Warner  Bros, 
has  completed  47  short  subjects  on  its 
1945-46  schedule,  with  the  remainder 
expected  to  be  finished  by  Gordon 
Hollingshead,  head  of  the  short  sub- 
ject production,  soon  after  Jan.  L 
The  current  season's  program  will  be 
approximately  the  same  as  last  year,, 
when  86  shorts  were  made. 

Finished  pictures  include  eight  two- 
reel  Technicolor  "specials,"  six  black- 
and-white  "featurettes,"  eight  "Melody 
Master  Bands,"  13  "Sport  Parades," 
six  "Vitaphone  Varieties"  and  six 
Technicolor  "adventure  specials." 

$2,100,000  Goal  Set 
In  1st  United  Appeal 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24.  —  Campaign 
chairman  David  L  Loew  set  a  goal  of 
$2,100,000  for  the  industry's  first  an- 
nual United  Appeal  at  a  luncheon  at- 
tended by  representatives  of  the  studios 
and-  talent  guilds,  held  today  at  the 
Beverly  Hills  Hotel.  Louis  B.  Mayer 
was  host. 


Reeder  in  Hollywood 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — John  F. 
Reeder,  newly-elected  Disney  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  ar- 
rived here  today  to  assume  his  post. 
William  B.  Levy,  in  charge  of  world 
distribution  of  Disney  products,  ar- 
rived for  several  weeks  of  conferences 
with  Walt  and  Roy  Disney. 


SATURDAY  REVIEW 
OF  LITERATURE 

says: 

"The  Lost  Weekend'  is  an 
uncompromising  and  mag- 
nificent  adaptation  of  CKarles 
Jackson's  novel,  and  proves  anew 
that  Billy  Wilder  and  Charlie 
Brackett  are  just  about  in  a  class 
by  themselves  as  a  writer-producer 
team  in  Hollywood  today.  Ray 
Milland's  portrayal  .  .  :  is  so  real 
.  .  .  I  can  recommend  this 
picture  without  reservation, 


THE 


TALK, 

«  IS 
SPREADING 


Paramount 


PREDICTS  THAT  THE 
MOST  TALKED-ABOUT 
PICTURE  SINCE  "GOING 
MY  WAY"  WILL  BE 


The  Lost 


RAY  MILLAND 
JANE  WYMAN 

with  Phillip  Terry  Howard  da  Silva 
Doris  Dowling  •  Frank  Faylen 


BRAC^|      R.  Screen 


Kove 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Tuesday,  September  25,  194i 


Critics'  Quotes  .  .  . 


"MEN  IN  HER  DIARY"  (Universal) 

Several  good  character  actors  are  involved  in  this  movie  mishap,  but  they 
might  better  have  kept  their  respective  skirts  and  trousers  clean.  Maxie  Ros- 
enbloom  is  the  only  player  who  is  able  to  breeze  along  on  a  sway-backed  con- 
tinuity as  though  he  were  riding  a  thoroughbred. — Howard  Barnes,  New  York 
Herald  Tribune. 

A  moderately  diverting  little  comedy  that  has  the  benefit  of  a  pleasant  cast 
and  the  handicap  of  uneven  direction  and  scripting.  Anyway,  young  Miss 
Ryan  gives  a  good  account  of  herself. — Rose  Pelswick,  New  York  Journal- 
A  merican. 

A  modest  little  bright  idea  isn't  enough  to  make  a  good  movie.  Execution 
counts,  too.  In  this  case  the  execution,  though  lifted  by  character  contribu- 
tions of  Ernest  Truex,  Maxie  Rosenbloom,  Alan  Mowbray  and  Eric  Blore, 
is  more  of  a  punishment  than  a  polishing. — Archer  Winsten,  New  York  Post, 

"Men  in  Her  Diary"  is  an  undisciplined  little  picture,  one  that  badly  needs 
whipping  into  shape  .  .  .  usually  misses  the  merriment  it  seeks. — Eileen  Creel- 
man,  New  York  Sun. 

Perhaps  this  basic  idea  had  sparkle  and  merit  originally,  but  as  presented 
on  the  screen  it  is  largely  a  contrived  and  uneven  affair,  which  is  rarely 
humorous  and  often  dull. — Abe  Weiler,  New  York  Times. 

The  idea,  suggests  smart,  sly  comedy,  but  that  is  not  what  this  picture  has  in 
mind.  This  one  aims  at  violence  and  commotion  and  doesn't  bother  much 
about  anything  else. — New  York  W orld-T  elegram. 


French 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

European  war,  little  progress  has  made 
in  the  resumed  negotiations  in  Paris, 
according  to  foreign  distribution  rep- 
resentatives of  American  film  com- 
panies, here. 

Representatives  of  the  French  indus- 
try are  again  proposing  the  imposition 
of  decrees  which  would  make  it  man- 
datory for  French  theatres  to  devote 
seven  out  of  every  13  weeks  of  play- 
ing time  to  French  product,  which  is 
described  by  American  film  executives 
as  being  tantamount  to  "a  quota  of  the 
worst  kind."  American  distributors 
would  be  granted  access  to  the  market 
along  with  British  and  Russian  films 
for  the  remaining  six  out  of  every  13 
weeks. 

Foreign  distribution  representatives 
of  American  companies  have  received 
assurances  that  the  State  Department 
will  continue  to  maintain  a  'stiff'  atti- 
tude toward  French  officials  in  seeking 
a  solution  to  the  film  problem. 

Meanwhile  an  early  solution  is  ex- 
pected in  effecting  the  re-entry  of 
American  films  on  a  larger  scale  into 
Spain,  foreign  distribution  representa- 
tives report.  Spanish  authorities  are 
described  as  being  anxious  to  secure 
American  raw  stock  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. Fayette  W.  Airport,  MPPDA 
representative  in  Europe,  is  presently 
in  Madrid  conferring  with  Spanish 
government  officials. 


FREE  & 
PETERS,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  Chairman.  H. 
Preston  Peters,  President.  Since 
1932,  exclusive  national  sales 
representatives  of  leading  radio 
stations  from  coast  to  coast. 
Offices  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit,  Atlanta,  San  Francisco 
and  Hollywood.  Now  planning 
post-war  expansion  in  FM  and 
Television  representation. 

WRIGHT - 

SONOVOX,  Inc. 

James  L.  Free,  President. 
Since  1941,  exclusive  develop- 
ers and  licensors  of  Sonovox 
"Talking  and  Singing  Sound," 
exploiting  commercial  and  artis- 
tic uses  of  Gilbert  Wright's 
basic  patented  invention,  in 
radio  and  motion  pictures. 
Headquarters  in  Hollywood. 

JAMES  L.  FREE 
PRODUCTIONS 

James  L.  Free,  Producer.  Nor- 
man Wright,  Director.  Head- 
quarters in  Hollywood.  Fred 
Mitchell,  New  York  Represen- 
tative. Now  producing  series 
of  one-reel  quality  shorts  for 
major  release,  plus  television: 
"The  Wonderful  Ears  of  John- 
nie McGoggin,"  using  Sonovox 
Talking  and  Singing  Sound. 
Also  producing  motion  picture 
commercials  for  experimental 
television,  and  "minute  movies" 
for  theatre  distribution. 

NEW  YORK !  444  Madison  Ave. 

Plaza  5-4130 
CH1CACO:  180  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
Franklin  6373 

IIOLLY WOOD :  6331  Hollywood 
Blvd.,  Hollywood  2151 


Elevator  Strike 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

the  strike's  running  into  today.  To- 
tally unaffected  were  Warner  and 
20th  Century-Fox  -home  offices  which 
are  housed  in  company-owned  and 
operated  buildings;  also,  United  Art- 
ists and  Columbia  home  office  person- 
nel, at  729  Seventh  Avenue,  where 
elevator  operators  did  not  walk  out. 

The  Paramount  Building  expe- 
rienced a  walk  out,  but  Paramount' s 
home  office  there  on  floors  six  to  12 
were  fully  manned  yesterday  and  will 
continue  to  be  manned  throughout  the 
strike.  Although  the  walk-out  pre- 
vailed in  the  Loew  Building,  occupied 
by  Loew's  and  M-G-M,  the  lifts  were 
operated  all  day  yesterday  by  relief 
operators,  guarded  by  police. 

Elevator  operators  were  on  strike 
in  buildings  occupied  by  Monogram 
and  PRC  offices,  and  home  office  per- 
sonnel walked. 

Newsreels 

Of  the  newsreel  companies,  Uni- 
versal was  most  seriously  affected. 
The  company  occupies  the  11th  floor 
at  630  Ninth  Avenue,  and  personnel 
had  to  use  the  stairs.  Other  newsreel 
offices  are  situated  on  the  third  and 
fourth  floors  of  their  respective  build- 
ings which  made  walking  more  or  less 
inconsequential. 

Film  companies'  exchange  personnel 
generally  were  forced  to  use  stair- 
cases yesterday  to  get  to  their  offices, 
several  of  which  are  located  in  the 
Film  Center  Building,  where  the 
strike  was  in  effect.  Exchanges  re- 
ported they  will  continue  office  opera- 
tions throughout  the  strike,  the  incon- 
venience of  walking  notwithstanding. 
Elevators  in  the  building  occupied  by 
the  MPPDA  at  28  West  44th  Street 
were  in  operation  all  day. 


NBC  Engineers  'Stranded' 
In  Empire  State  Building 

Anticipating  the  strike  of  elevator 
operators  in  the  Empire  State  Build- 
ing, engineers  of  National  Broadcast- 
ing's television  station  WNBT 
reached  the  85th  floor  where  the  sta- 
tion's transmitter  is  located,  and, 
stranded  in  the  highest  place  in  the  city 
during  the  strike,-  the  engineers  pre- 
pared to  remain  in  their  offices  for 
three  or  four  days,  having  equipped 
themselves  with  beds,  stove,  icebox 
and  food. 


Johnston 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Chamber  of  Commerce  headquarters  as 
to  whether  he  planned  to  make  a  trip 
to  the  Coast  to  talk  with  United  Art- 
ists and  Warner  Brothers  officials 
brought  the  answer  that  he  has  no 
plans  for  an  immediate  trip  and  would 
not,  in  any  event,  approach  the  com- 
panies with  a  suggestion  that  they  re- 
enlist  in  the  Association. 

Johnston's  idea,  it  was  explained,  is 
to  make  the  organization  so  effective 
and  do  such  an  efficient  job  for  the  in- 
dustry that  most  companies  will  want 
to  be  in  it,  but  they  will  have  to  make 
the  decision  and  come  in  voluntarily 
because  they  "would  like  to  be  part  of 
an  organization  that  is  doing  some- 
thing." 

Not  a  'Czar' 

Johnston  will  be  head  of  the 
MPPDA  but  he  will  not  be  a  "czar," 
it  was  asserted.  "Czars  are  out,"  it 
was  stated  flatly,  and  Johnston  will  be 
president  and  nothing  more.  The  new 
general  term  for  -the  MPPDA,  previ- 
ously known  as  the  "Hays  Office," 
probably  will  be  the  "Motion  Picture 
Association,"  it  was  said.  Offices  are 
now  being  sought  in  Washington,  one 
of  the  tightest  cities  in  the  country  so 
far  as  office  space  is  concerned,  those 
now  occupied  by  the  Association  being 
too  small  for  the  work  that  will  be 
carried  on  here. 

Plans  for  the  Motion  Picture  Insti- 
tute outlined  by  Johnston  last  week 
but  not  yet  completely  worked  out 
were  interpreted  here  as  being  in  line 
with  Donald  M.  Nelson's  independent 
association  for  shoulder-to-shoulder 
work  with  the  MPPDA,  as  well  as 
all  segments  of  industry  management 
and  labor,  on  problems  affecting  the 
industry  as  a  whole. 

Pending  the  securing  of  offices, 
Johnston  will  carry  on  such  of  the 
Association's  work  as  requires  his  at- 
tention while  in  Washington  from  his 
Chamber  of  Commerce  headquarters. 
He  is  expected  to  disclose  his  plans  in 
more  detail  some  time  next  week. 


Nayfack  Back  at  MGM 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — Nicholas 
Nayfack  returned  to  an  executive  post 
at  the  M-G-M  studio  today  following 
his  discharge  from  the  service. 


'Blueprint' 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

of  "Stars  Over  America"  tours  for  tjhj 
Victory  Loan. 

Preliminary  plans  indicate  that  thi 
effort_  will  be  the  peak  star-participa 
tion  idea  of  all  bond  drives,  WAX 
said  yesterday,  with  more  stars  taking 
part,  and  more  cities  visited. 

Fabian  will  fly  back  to  New  Yorl 
Friday  night ;  Doob  will  remain  ii| 
Hollywood  to  attend  a  mass  meeting 
of  actors,  directors  and  producers,  oi,, 
Sunday  night. 

The  "blueprint"  advised  that,  "Thi 
drive  must  be  framed  in  a  victorious 
joyous,  thankful  atmosphere."  "Bon 
premieres"  and  "Free  Movie  Day 
will  again  be  highlighted,  with  dis 
tributors  cooperating  under  the  nation 
al  distribution  chairmanship  of  Charle 
M.  Reagan  of  Paramount. 

A  campaign  book  is  in  preparation 
it  will  be  augmented  with  bulletin 
and  "flashes."  A  series  of  poster 
also  is  in  work,  likewise  a  basic  one,, 
sheet  carrying  President  Truman' 
tribute  to  the  industry ;  another  poste 
will  be  on  the  two-reel  production' 
"Hollywood  Caravan,"  for  lobby  user 
Other  posters  will  cover  "Free  Movi- 
Day,"  Armistice  Day,  and  a  Thanks 
giving  appeal.  Distribution,  as  usual 
is  through  courtesy  of  National  Screei 
exchanges. 

Four  Films 

Four  films  are  in  work.  The  chie 
appeal  is  the  two-reel  subjects  witl 
top  stars  (produced  by  Paramount) 
There  will  be  1,200  prints,  to  be  rout! 
ed.  Three  additional  short  trailer:' 
will  be  released. 

For  Navy  Day,  Oct.  27,  the  Nav; 
has  agreed  to  let  the  "Victory  Loan 
capitalize  on  its  plans,  and  for  Na 
tional  Victory  Loan  Parade  Day,  oi 
Oct.  29,  the  Army  is  going  after  I 
Victory  Loan  "premiere"  plan,  witl 
parades  from  Coast-to-Coast,  and 
turnout  of  Army  personnel  and  equip 
ment. 

Special  plans  are  in  work  fo 
Armistice  Day,  Nov.  11,  and  fo 
Thanksgiving  Day,  Nov.  29,  a  special 
Thanksgiving  tieup  will  be  effectiv. 
throughout  November,  with  a  clima: 
on  the  holiday. 

A  new  'E'  bond  will  be  included  m 
this  drive — a  $200  Roosevelt  bone, 
bearing  the  photograph  of  the  lat 
President. 

Reagan,  as  chairman  of  the  dis 
tribution  division  for  the  drive,  wil 
meet  today  with  Tom  Connors  wh) 
held  a  similar  post  for  the  Sevent 
War  Loan  drive,  on  final  steps  toward 
the  formation  of  the  distribution  com. 
mittee.  Herman  Gluckman,  assistan 
to  the  chairman,  also  will  attend  th 
meeting,  to  be  held  in  Connors'  of 
fice. 


The 

NEW  YORK  UNIVERSITY 

course  in 

MOTION  PICTURE 
THEATER  MANAGEMEN1 

Publicity,  Advertising 
and  Exploitation 
starts  on  Thursday,  Sepfember  2 
at  6:75  p.m. 
REGISTER  NOW 

DIVISION   OF   GENERAL  EDUCATION 

NEW  YORK  UNIVERSITY 

100  Washington  Sq.  E.  New  York  3,  N.  1 

Telephone   SPring    7-2000,    Ext.  291 


Tuesday,  September  25,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


N.Y.  Grosses 


(Continued  from  page  1  ) 

1«nd  his  orchestra,  will  conclude  a  10th 
,mnd  final  week  at  the  Capitol  tomor- 
frow  night  with  a  strong  $68,000  ex- 
^Wlpected  for  the  final  week  to  give  the 
jfiheatre  a  tremendous  $885,000  for  the 
1  10  weeks,  or  a  weekly  average  of  $88,- 
500,  to  surpass  the  performance  of  any 
(  ther   film  in  the  theatre's  history ; 
"  Her  Highness  and  the  Bellboy"  and 
■'Jn  stage  bill  with  Gene  Krupa  and  his 
'Ivrchestra  will  take  over  Thursday. 
_  I     "Duffy's  Tavern,"  and  a  stage  bill 
Mjwith  the  Andrews  Sisters,  are  headed 
"  *por  a  terrific  $100,000  for  a  third  week 
"''fiat  the  Paramount.    "Our  Vines  Have 
?  'Tender  Grapes"  is  expected  to  bring  a 
big  $120,000  in  its  third  week  at  the 
'  .Music  Hall,  which  will  equal  the  sec- 
'  i  'lid  week's  receipts ;  it  will  continue 
for  a  fourth  wick  and  possibly  longer 
"''l-'hefore  making  way  for  "Weekend  at 
^the  Waldorf."  "Lady  on  a  Train"  is 
Ifl!headed  for  a  big  $35,000  for  its  sec- 
"^•nd  week  at  the  Criterion,  following 
7  ;*n  initial  week's  $41,500.    "Love  Let- 
"*'hers"  is  headed  for  a  strong  $57,000  for 
;   fifth  week  at  the  Rivoli  following  a 
:<>urth  of  $58,000. 
"State  Fair"  will  conclude  a  highly 
^[Vrofitable  27-day  run  at  the  Roxy,  to- 
-night, with  a  big  $76,000  expected  for 
*:ithe  final  six  days.    "The  House  on 
"2nd  Street"  and  a  stage  bill  featuring 
Monte    Proser's    Copacabana  Revue, 
Carl  Ravazza  and  Rosario  and  An- 
"f.'/tonio.  will  open  there  tomorrow. 

Fifth  and  final  week's  receipts  for 
I 'ride  of  the  Marines,"  at  the  Strand. 
',  f'will  be  almost  as  big  as  the  fourth 
"^week's  $45,000;  "Mildred  Pierce"  and 
Ja  stage  bill  featuring  Russ  Morgan 
hand  his  orchestra  will  open  there  Fri- 
.day.     "Back    to    Bataan"  continues 
"Istrong  in  a  second  week  at  the  Palace, 
with  a  good  $30,000  expected;  it  will 
continue,  with  "George  White's  Scan- 
,  . vials"  and  "Johnny  Angel"  now  booked 
'•'to  follow,  in  that  order. 

Holdovers 

Long-run  holdovers,  "Rhapsody  in 
:!lue,"  at  the  Hollywood,  and  "Wond- 
ir  Man,"  at  the  Astor,  continue  to 
:    'draw  satisfactorily.    Sixteenth  week's 
i  eceipts  for  "Wonder  Man"  will  reach 
...k  strong  $28,000,  which  would  better 
'•  jithe  15th  week's  gross.    "Rhapsody"  is 
."'Jalso  doing  better  in  a  13th  week  than 
Al|in  the  previous  few   weeks,  with  a 
...strong  $24,000  expected.     Both  will 
lontinue    indefinitely,    with  "Spell- 
*;lt>ound"  to  follow  "Wonder  Man,"  and 
r* 'Saratoga  Trunk"  following  "Rhap- 
:  .tody." 

-  H    "Isle  of  the  Dead"  continues  strong 
:,jfet  the  Rialto,  with  a  good  $8,500  ex- 
Jjjpected  for  a  third  week;  it  will  hold 
'..for  a  fourth,  to  be  followed  by  "River 
Gang."     Sixth    week's    receipts  for 
J'  The  Wonderful  Adventures  of  Pinoc- 
"""^chio,"  at  the  Republic,  will  be  near  the 
^Ififth  week's  $11,000.     "True  Glory" 
will  bring  a  satisfactory  $12,000  for  a 
j||Y  'third  and  final  week  at  the  Victoria ; 
"'The  Fall  of  Berlin"  will  open  there 
tomorrow.    "Radio  Stars  on  Parade" 
f     is  expected  to  draw  a  moderate  $7,000 
..ytrfor  a  week  at  the  Gotham;  "Wanderer 
ItNllcf  the  Wastelands"  will  follow  on  Fri- 
day.  The  Globe  will  remain  dark  until 
Oct.  5  or  6  for  renovations  and  the 
jrcpening  of  "The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe." 
'■'     "The  Southerner"  drew  $6,800  for  the 
tfinal  three  davs  of  a  fourth  week. 


^  Sinatra  5-Year  Pact 

Hollywood.  Sept.  24. — M-G-M  has 
.given  Frank  Sinatra  a  five-vear  con- 
>=^tract. 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"ANCHORS  AWEIGH"  (M-G-M) 

.  .  .  buoyant  and  irresistible.  .  .  .  Director  George  Sidney  has  managed  to 
keep  his  human  and  comic  little  tale  pretty  well  in  focus  and  almost  anybody 
should  have  a  very  happy  couple  of  hours.  Kelly  .  .  .  dances  with  grace  and 
virility;  he  is  in  excellent  voice. — Ethel  Hoffman,  Buffalo  Evening  News'. 

.  .  .  the  musical  masterpiece  of  1945.  Its  143  minutes  seem  scarcely  more 
than  an  hour.  Finest  accomplishment  to  date  in  combining  cartoons  with 
living  actors  .  .  .  synchronization  and  timing  are  perfect.  The  story  .  .  . 
rather  incidental.— W.  E.  J.  Martin,  Buffalo  Courier-Express.' 

Gene  Kelly,  one  of  this  department's  favorite  screen  entertainers,  is  back 
again  after  a  stint  in  the  Navy.  He  is  still  in  Navy  uniform  though,  in 
"Anchors  Aweigh."  Co-starred  with  Gene,  also  as  a  seagoing  lad  with  a 
landbound  lass  in  his  eye,  is  Frank  Sinatra.  They  make  an  effective  two- 
some in  providing  slick  and  amusing  stuff  in  entertainment.  .  .  .  M-G-M  has 
a  real  discovery  in  a  young-boy  actor.  The  kid  is  Dean  Stockwell. — Jaek 
Baleh,  St.  Louis  Post-Dispateh. 


Goldman  Case 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


and  all  its  affiliates  and  the  other  in 
behalf  of  the  distributors.  With  both 
petitions  denied,  the  only  recourse  left 
for  the  defendants  is  to  appeal  to  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court. 

( Industry  attorneys  in  New  York 
pointed  out  yesterday  that  the  distrib- 
utors are  not  free  as  yet  to  take  an  ap- 
peal to  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  in  the  Goldman  case  until  a 
final  judgment  is  entered  in  the  case. 

District  Court  First 

It  was  pointed  out  that  the  Gold- 
man interests  must  go  into  the  U.  S. 
District  Court  in  Philadelphia  and 
have  the  court  appoint  a  master,  who 
will  institute  hearings  to  determine 
the  nature  and  extent  of  the  damages 
to  be  awarded  Goldman.  Then,  after 
the  court  renders  a  judgment  on  the 
extent  of  the  damages,  the  defendants 
are  free  to  take  an  appeal  to  the  Su- 
preme Court.) 

It  was  reported  that  attorneys  for 
the  defandants  will  meet  this  week  to 
decide  on  the  possibilities  of  a  petition 
to  the  Supreme  Court  to  hear  the  case. 
The  Circuit  Court  not  only  upheld 
Goldman's  anti-trust  charges,  but  also 
ordered  the  lower  court  to  assess 
monetary  damages  sought  by  Goldman 
as  a  result  of  being  forced  to  keep  his 
house  dark.  In  his  original  suit  Gold- 
man asked  for  triple  damages  amount- 
ing to  more  than  $1,000,000. 

Second  Case 

Based  on  the  decision  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  Goldman  filed  a  second  anti- 
trust action  against  the  same  defend- 
ants last  week  in  behalf  of  his  Karlton 
and  Keith's  theatres,  second-run  houses, 
for  failure  to  get  first  run  as  when  the 
Warner  circuit  operated  the  houses. 

In  addition  to  the  Warner  circuit 
and  W'arner  Brothers,  the  other  dis- 
tributors joined  as  defendants  in  the 
action  include  United  Artists,  Univer- 
sal, 20th  Century-Fox.  M-G-M.  Para- 
mount, Columbia  and  RKO  Radio. 


Brunet  Appeals  AAA 
New  Orleans  Ruling 

R.  J.  Brunet,  operating  the  Imper- 
ial Theatre,  New  Orleans,  has  ap- 
pealed the  award  of  the  New  Orleans 
tribunal  on  his  combination  clearance 
and  some-run  complaint  against  20th 
Century-Fox,  the  American  Arbitra- 
tion Association  reported  here  yester- 
day. 


Jacocks 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


junction,  Jacocks  had  asked  that  for 
the  duration  of  the  suit,  half  the  prod- 
uct of  each  of  the  11  film  companies 
be  made  available  first-run  to  his 
Strand  Theatre  in  Taunton,  Mass. 

Jacocks'  suit  followed  his  unsuccess- 
ful attempt  to  secure  first-run  product 
for  the  Strand  following  his  taking 
over  the  lease  from  M.  and  P.  Thea- 
tres in  March,  Jacocks  said.  Named 
as  defendants  were  Paramount, 
Loew's,  20th  Century-Fox,  RKO  Ra- 
dio, Warners,  Universal,  Columbia, 
United  Artists,  Republic,  Monogram, 
PRC,  Paramount  Theatres  Service 
Corp.,  New  England  Theatres,  M.  and 
P.  Theatres,  Barney  Balaban,  Leon- 
ard H.  Goldenson,  Martin  J.  Mullin 
and  Samuel  Pinanski. 


Griffith 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Amusement  Co.,  continued  today,  with 
McKenna  describing  Griffith  expan- 
sions in  Shawnee,  Seminole  and  We- 
oka,  Okla.,  where  it  was  alleged  their 
operations  had  squeezed  out  A.  B.  Mo- 
mand.  The  witness  stated  that  his 
company  never  had  "an  expansion 
department"  as  such. 

Robert  Wright,  special  assistant  to 
the  Attorney  General,  asked  Mc- 
Kenna if  the  circuit  increased  prices 
generally  during  the  period  from  1933 
through  1939,  covered  by  the  action. 
Considerable  wrangling  developed  when 
McKenna  said,  "Not  to  speak  of." 

Vaught  overruled  Wright's  objec- 
tion to  an  exhibit  offered  by  Griffith 
counsel  purporting  to  disprove  Gov- 
ernment intimations  that  the  circuit 
had  erected  a  sign  on  a  vacant  lot  in 
Lubbock,  Tex.,  describing  a  new  the- 
atre to  be  built  there,  merely  as  a 
threat  to  an  independent  operator. 
Griffith's  exhibit  consisted  of  archi- 
tects' plans  for  the  building. 


Truman 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


from  foreign  governments  in  return 
for  surplus  goods,  thus  furthering  the 
administration's  program  for  the 
breaking  down  of  trade  barriers, 
among,  them  those  detrimental  to  the 
motion  picture  business. 

Snyder  made  known  the  plan  to 
have  the  Department  take  over  the 
disposal  functions  of  the  Army-Navy 
Liquidation  Commission  at  hearings 
before  the  Senate  War  Investigating 
Committee. 


BIGGEST  RIVER  IS  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


BIGGEST 

MOTION  PICTURE  EVER  PRODUCED  .  .  . 


Jh-  *  « 


<3 


J 


8 


Tuesday,  September  25,  194 


14  Films  Are 
Finished;  46 
Now  in  Work 


Hollywood,  Sept.  24. — The  produc- 
tion index  fell  to  46,  from  51,  as  15 
films  were  completed,  and  eight  went 
before  cameras  during  the  week.  The 
production  scene  follows : 
Columbia 

Finished:  "Meet  Me  on  Broadway" 
(formerly  "Song  of  Broadway"), 
"One  Way  to  Love"  (formerly  "Hail 
the  Chief"),  "Tars  and  Spars." 

Started:  "Secret  Story,"  with  Jim 
Bannon,  Ross  Hunter,  Loren  Tindall, 
Ken  Curtis. 

Shooting:  "Gilda." 

M-G-M 

Finished-  "Up  Goes  Maisie,"  "What 
Next,  Corporal  Hargrove?",  "The 
Hoodlum  Saint." 

Started:  "Time  for  Two,"  with  Lu- 
cille Ball,  John  Hodiak. 

.Shooting:  "No  Leave,  No  Love," 
"Holiday  in  Mexico,"  "The  Green 
Years,"  "The  Yearling,"  "Boys' 
Ranch,"  "Bad  Bascomb,"  "Two  Sis- 
ters from  Boston,"  "The -Postman- Al- 
ways Rings  Twice,"  "Adventure." 
Monogram 

Finished:  "Lonesome  Trail." 

Started:  "Stepping  Around,"  with 
Leo  Gorcey,  Huntz  Hall,  Billy  Bene- 
dict. 

Shooting:  "Charlie  Chan  in  Mex- 
ico." 

Paramount 

Finished:  "Tokyo  Rose"  (Pine- 
Thomas). 

Started:  "Monsieur  Beaucaire,"  with 
Bob  Hope,  Joan  Caulfield,  Marjorie 
Reynolds,  Hillary  Brooke,  Reginald 
Owen,  Cecil  Kellaway,  Joseph  Schild- 
kraut. 

Shooting:  "Take  This  Woman," 
"Blue  Skies." 

PRC 

Finished:  "Buster  Crabbe  No.  1." 

Started:  "Caravan  Trails,"  with  Ed- 
die Dean,  Forrest  Taylor,  Al  Larue, 
Jean  Carlin. 

Shooting:  "I  Ring  Doorbells." 
Republic 

Finished:  "Sun  Valley  Cyclone." 

Started:  "The  Madonna's  Secret," 
.with  Francis  Lederer,  Gail  Patrick, 
Ann  Rutherford,  Edward  Ashley ; 
"Days  of  Buffalo  Bill,"  with  Sunset 
Carson,  Peggy  Stewart. 

Shooting:  "Valley  of  the.  Zombies," 
"Murder  in  the  Music  Hall,"  "Con- 
certo." 

RKO  Radio 

Started:  "Badman's  Territory,"  with 
Randolph  Scott,  Ann  Richards,  Law- 
rence Tierney,  Morgan  Conway,  James 
Warren,  George  (Gabby)  Hayes,  Isa- 
bel Jewell. 

Shooting:  "Bamboo  Blonde,"  "From 
This  Day  Forward,"  "Some  Must 
Watch,"  "The  Kid  from  Brooklyn" 
(Goldwyn)  ;  "Heartbeat"  (Hakim- 
Wood)  ;  "Tarzan  and  the  Leopard 
Woman"  (Lesser). 

20th  Century-Fox 

Finished:  "Doll  Face,"  "Smoky." 

Shooting:   "Precinct  33,"  "Centen- 
nial Summer,"  "Sentimental  Journey." 
United  Artists 

Finished:  "Tom  Breneman's  Break- 
fast in  Hollywood"  (Golden). 

Shooting:  "The  Sin  of  Harold  Did- 
tllebock"  (California). 

Universal 

Finished:  "The  D'a"l  tons  Hide 
Again." 

Started:  "The  House  of  Dracula," 


Review 


'Sunbonnet  Sue' 


(Monogram ) 

Hollywood,  Sept.  24 

THIS  is  Monogram's  first  important  e-xcursion  into  the  field  of  nostalgic 
musicals,  and  the  library  of  memorable  melodies  selected  for  the  manner 
of  revival,  which  never  fails  to  charm  the  customers,  including  in  addition 
to  the  title  song,  such  unforgettables  as  "School  Days,"  "By  the  Light  of  the 
Silver  Moon,"  "Roll  Dem  Bones,"  "Yip-I-AddyT-Ay,"  "Ain't  You  Comin' 
Out  Tonight  ?"  "The  Bowery,"  and  some  others,  in  the  Irish  idiom.  They 
are  strung  through  a  story  about  New  York's  Bowery  at  the  turn  of  the 
century,  with  emphasis  about  evenly  divided  between  music  and  narrative, 
the  combination  of  script  and  score  doubling  the  appeal  of  the  picture  to  that 
broad  and  broadening  audience  element  shopping  for  escapism. 

Gale  Storm  plays  the  title  role  with  charm,  whether  singing,  or  dancing, 
or  enacting  the  winsome  daughter  of  a  Bowery  saloonkeeper,  played  in  picture- 
stopping  style  by  George  Cleveland ;  and  Phil  Regan,  as  her  sweetheart, 
takes  care  of  several  singing  assignments.  Charles  Judels,  Raymond  Hatton, 
Minna  Gombell,  Gerald  O.  Smith  and  Billy  Green  are  in  the  supporting  cast, 
which  is  dominated  by  Charles  D.  Brown  and  Alan  Mowbray  in  especially 
proficient  portrayals. 

The  story,  an  original  by  Paul  Gerard  Smith  and  Bradford  Ropes,  adapted 
by  director  Ralph  Murphy  (whose  skilled  veterancy  the  film  reflects  through- 
out) and  Richard  A.  Carroll,  relates  the  tribulations  which  beset  a  Bowery 
saloonkeeper  and  his  friends  when  his-  socially-minded  sister-in-law  brings 
about  the  closing  of  his  place  of  business.  There  is  much  amusing  comedy 
before  the  closing  occurs,  followed  by  some  human  interest  stuff  during  the 
time  the  place  is  shut,,  and  followed  in  turn  by  joyous  goings-on  when  it  is 
opened  again.  Production  by  Scott  R.  Dunlap,  under  executive  directorship 
of  Trem  Carr,  is  high  grade  in  every  particular. 

Running  time,  89  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
Oct.  6. 

William  R.  Weaver 


ITOO  Assents  to  3% 
Preview  Trailer  Tax 

Columbus,  O.,  Sept.  24. — Theatre 
owners  of  Ohio  are  advised  to  pay  the 
three  per  cent  sales  tax  on  coming- 
attraction  trailers  by  P.  J.  Wood,  In- 
dependent Theatre  Owners  of  Ohio 
secretary.  Wood  has  notified  War- 
ners, Loew's,  and  National  Screen 
Service  in  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati 
that  at  a  recent  meeting  of  ITOO's 
board  of  directors,  it  was  decided 
unanimously  to  recommend  this  ac- 
tion. The  subject  of  a  three  per  cent 
tax  on  trailers  has  for  a  long  time 
been  a  subject  of  controversy  between 
ITOO  and  the  Ohio  Tax  Commis- 
sion. 

Wood  states  that  the  tax  commis- 
sioner has  waived  the  15  .per  cent 
penalty  included  in  the  assessment 
covering  the  tax  on  trailers  ;  the  pen- 
alty will  not,  however,  be  waived  on 
transactions  other  than  trailers. 


Landen  With  Sun  Dial 

Rick  T.  Landen,  radio  writer  and 
member  of  the  program  staff  of  Tele- 
vision station  W2XJT,  has  joined 
Sun  Dial  Films,  New  York,  as  assist- 
ant director  in  charge  of  motion  pic- 
tures for  television. 


WB  Workers  Adopt  Lad 

Employees  of  Warner  Brothers, 
with  Ruth  Schwartz  as  foster  parent 
group  secretary,  have  'adopted'  Simon 
Mell,  14-year-old  Polish  boy  in 
Belgium,  through  the  Foster  Parents' 
Plan  For  War  Children. 


with  Lon  Chaney,  John  Carradine, 
Onslow  Stevens,  Lionel  Atwill,  Glenn 
Strange,  Ludwig  Stossel,  Charles  Ju- 
dels, Billy  Green. 

Shooting:  "Murder  Mansion,"  "Be- 
cause of  Him,"  "Canyon  Passage," 
"Scarlet  Street." 

Warners 

Shooting:  "The  Verdict,"  "Never 
Say  Goodbye,"  "The  Man  I  Love," 
"Confidential  Agent,"  "Iter  Kind  of 
Man,"  "Night  and  Day." 


Radio  Week  Set  for 
Nov.  4-10  by  NAB 

National  Radio  Week,  to  be  held 
from  Nov.  4  to  10,  which  will  climax 
the  observance  of  radio's  25th  anni- 
versary, will  be  spearheaded  by  co- 
operation by  all  four  major  networks, 
according  to  the  National  Association 
of  Broadcasters. 

Meeting  here  last  week  with  Wil- 
lard  D.  Egolf,  NAB  director  of  pub- 
lic relations,  network  officials  out- 
lined programming  and  promotion 
plans  to  celebrate  the  25  years  of 
American  radio.  The  committee  on 
network  participation  is  composed  of 
Mark  Woods,  ABC ;  Dr.  Frank  Stan- 
ton, CBS;  Robert  Swezey,  MBS,  and 
Frank  Mullen,  NBC. 


PRC  Trailer  Promotion 

Harry  H.  Thomas,  PRC  vice-ore-<;i- 
dent  in  charge  of  distribution,  has  ar- 
ranged for  company  salesmen  to  show 
special  trailers  of  PRC's  newest  color 
features,  "The  Enchanted  Forest"  and 
"Song  of*  Old  Wyoming,"  to  exhibi- 
tors, in  their  theatres.  In  addition  to 
the  trailers,  Thomas  reports,  the  sales- 
men will  also  be  equipped  to  show 
stills  in  color,  an  innovation  which 
PRC  is  using  for  all  color  features. 


Froman  to  Meet  Press 

Jane  Froman,  film-radio  star,  re- 
turned from  a  USO  overseas  tour, 
will  be  interviewed  by  the  press  today 
at  USO  here.  Miss  Froman  made  her 
recent  USO  tour  in  spite  of  physical 
incapacitation  brought  about  by  a  Lis- 
bon Clipper  accident  some  three  years 
ago. 


Nebraska  IATSE  Elects 

Omaha,  Sept.  24.  —  The  state 
IATSE  has  elected  the  following: 
Art  Kimball,  Local  No.  42-,  Omaha, 
president;  Alvin  Kostlan,  Local  343. 
Omaha,  vice-president ;  Roy  Warner 
Local  151,  Lincoln,  second  vice-pres- 
ident; Clyde  Cooley,  Omaha,  treas- 
urer. 


Short 
Subjects 


"Swooning  the  Swooners' 

(20th-Fox  Terrytoon) 

This  hilarious  cartoon  in  Techni 
color  looks  into  the  cat  world,  and  itt 
celebrated  singing  star,  Frankie,  showi. 
in  action  before  a  'mike'  as  he  'wows 
his  excited  audience  of  Tx>bby-sock^ 
cats  into  hysterics,  also  almost  driving 
a  sleep-desiring  farmer  out  of  hir 
mind.  The  subject  abounds  in  laughs'! 
Running  time,  seven  minutes. 


"Peck  Up  Your  Troubles' 

(W amers-Merrie  Melodies) 

The  peaceful  existence  of  a  littl<1 
woodpecker  is  molested  when  a  hun| 
gry  cat  decides  to  make  a  meal  of  the 
bird.  The  woodpecker  manages  t< 
elude  the  cat's  grasp.  A  dog  joins  in 
the  excitement,  and  the  pace  grow: 
more  furious  until,  finally,  the  film  end5 
in  an  explosion.  Technicolor  cartoon 
Running  time,  7  minutes.  Release  date 
September  22. 


"Bountiful  Alaska" 

(2Qth-Fox  Movietone  Adventure) 

Father  Hubbard,  the  famous  Jesui 
explorer,  shows  the  far  reaches  anc 
wealth  of  Alaska  in  this  Cinecolor  reel 
having  filmed  the  gold  mines,  fisheries 
fur  collections  and  farm  lands  o 
Alaska.    Running  time,  eight  minutes 


Schiffrin  to  Report 
On  U.  S.  Market 

Simon  Schiffrin,  head  of  the  Frencl 
Press  and  Information's  film  bureai 
here,  will  leave  for  Paris  at  the  em 
of  the  month  to  report  to  Jacques' 
Soustelle,  French  Minister  of  Infor 
mation,  and  Fourre-Carmeray,  directoi"; 
general  of  the  French  cinema. 

Schiffrin  will  advise  the  French  in 
dustry  as  to  what  type  of  film  i 
should  produce  for  the  U.  S.  and  hov\ 
they  should  be  released  here.  He  wil 
also  participate  in  discussions  on  tW 
eventual  disposition  of  the  film  bureai 
and  the  Ministry  of  Information,  here 
The  possibility  exists  that  they  ma: 
be  absorbed  by  the  Foreign  Ministry 


n 


To  Cite  NBC  for  'Light' 

The  Jewish  Theological  Seminar; 
of  America  will  give  a  citation  of  dis 
tinguished  merit  to  National  Broad 
casting  in  connectiong  with  the  firs 
anniversary  of  the  network's  "Eter 
nal  Light"  radio  program.  A  luncheo 
in  honor  of  those  who  have  beeil 
mainly  responsible  for  the  establishf 
ment  and  continuation  of  the  prograi 
will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf  As 
toria,  here,  next  Monday. 


Two  New  NBC  Outlets 

Two  Mississippi  radio  stations 
WGRM,  Greenwood,  and  WMIS 
Natchez,  have  joined  National  Broad 
casting's  network  as  members  of  th 
South  Central  group,  according  ti 
Easton  C.  Woolley,  director  of  NBC 
stations  department. 


Globe  Being  Remodeled 

The  Globe  Theatre,  here,  is  beini 
altered,  including  replaced  seats,  witi 
the  job  to  be  finished  in  time  for  th 
premiere  of  "G.  I.  Joe,"  United  Art 
ists-Lester   Cowan  production. 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 

InteWigei 

aMy 

to  the^J 

qtion 

Picture 

Industry 

VOL.  58.  NO.  61 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  26,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Warn  Europe 
On  Unlawful 
Film  Showings 

Instruct  U.  S.  Embassies 
To  Seek  'Bootlegging' 


Washington,  Sept.  25. — The 
State  Department  has  "cracked- 
<lown"  on  unlicensed  showings  of 
American  pictures  in  Yugoslavia, 
warning  the  government  there  that  it 
must  not  permit  the  showing  of  any 
picture  without  first  securing  neces- 
sary rights  from  their  American  own- 
(c  rs,  and  is  prepared  to  issue  similar 
'warnings  against  unlawful  exhibitions 
under  the  international  copyright  laws 
to  other  European  countries,  through 
'State  Department  missions  and  em- 
bassies.    This    follows  Yugoslavia's 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Blumberg  to  Talk 
New  Rank  Deal 


Nate  Rlumbcrg,  president  of  Uni- 
versal Pictures,  will  make  his  first 
business  trip  to  England  and  Europe 
when  he  leaves  Oct.  1  on  the  S.S. 

Queen  Mary 
with  Joseph 
S  e  i  d  e  1  m  an, 
p  r  e  s  i  d  e  nt  of 
Universal  I  n  - 
ternational. 

Universal  pic- 
tures in  Great 
Britain  are  dis- 
tributed  by 
General  Film 
Distributors,  a 
J.  Arthur  Rank 
subsidiary,  and 
it  is  understood 
that  d  u  ring 
their  visit  to 
London,  Blum- 
and  Seidelman  will  hold  discus- 

(Continucd  on  page  6) 


Nate  Bliimherisr 


Pres.  Truman  Signs 
Standard  Time  Bill 

Washington,  Sept.  25. — War- 
time Daylight  Saving  Time 
will  go  into  the  history  books 
Sunday.  President  Truman 
today  signed  the  bill  return- 
ing the  Nation  to  Standard 
Time  at  two  A.  M.  Sept.  30. 


Academy  Unworried 
By  Video  Transition 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25. — "Im- 
mediate transition  of  tele- 
vision from  the  experimental 
stage  into  a  working  industry 
is  not  likely  to  bring  any 
sudden  or  unforeseen  de- 
velopments to  seriously  dis- 
turb the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry," according  to  a  report 
made  to  producing  companies 
by  the  Academy  Research 
Council's  Television  Commit- 
tee, reconstituted  under  the 
chairmanship  of  John  Liva- 
dary;  the  report  is  based  on 
a  three  months'  study. 


Study  Answer 
To  U.S.  Brief 


Counsel  for  distributor  defendants 
in  the  New  York  film  anti-trust  suit 
are  understood  to  be  studying  the  ad- 
visability of  filing  answers  to  the  De- 
partment of  Justice's  trial  brief,  which 
was  delivered  to  them  last  week. 

Final  decision  on  the  preparation  of 
an  answer  is  expected  shortly,  with 
the  possibility  that  it  can  be  prepared 
for  presentation  to  the  three-judge 
statutory  court  which  is  scheduled  to 
hear  the  case  in  U.  S.  District  Court, 
here,  starting  Oct.  8,  before  trial  be- 
gins. 

Counsel  for  distributor  defendants 
have  been  holding  almost  daily  meet- 
ings to  map  trial  strategy.  The  Gov- 
ernment's trial  brief  has  figured 
prominently  in  the  discussions  and  it 

(Cont'nued  on  page  6) 


68  Are  Named  for 
Field  Promotion 
Of  'Victory  Loan' 


Sixty-eight  promotion  men  and 
women  from  Coast-to-Coast  have  al- 
ready been  named  state  publicity  chair- 
men for  the  "Victory  Loan,"  wires  of 
acceptance  having  reached  campaign 
director  Oscar  A.  Doob  from  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Alabama,  Bill  -Wolfson ;  Arizona, 
Arthur  G.  Pickett;  Arkansas,  Sam 
B.  Kirby ;  California  (Southern),  Sey- 
mour Peiser,  Mort  Goodman;  (North- 
ern), Fay  Reeder;  Colorado,  Ted 
Halmi  and  Harold  Rice ;  Connecticut, 
Lou  Brown;  Delaware,  Edgar  J. 
Doob ;  District  of  Columbia,  Frank  La 
Falce ;  Florida,  J.  L.  Cartwright  and 
Hal  Kopplin ;  Georgia,  Frank  Hen- 
son  ;  Idaho,  Nevin  McCord ;  Illinois, 
Bill  Bishop  and  W.  K.  Hollander ;  In- 
diana, Boyd  Sparrow  and  Ken  Col- 
lins ;  Iowa,  Russell  Fraser ;  Kentucky, 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Italy  Liberalizes 
Its  Industry  Laws 


Washington,  Sept.  25. — New  film 
legislation  intended  to  provide  fair 
and  equitable  treatment  for  American 
motion  pictures,  drawn  up  by  Italian 
and  American  authorities,  has  been 
approved  by  the  Italian  Council  of 
Ministers,  it  was  disclosed  here  today 
by  the  State  Department. 

Official  text  of  the  decree  has  not 
vet  been  published,  but  the  Depart- 
ment was  assured  that  all  of  the  re- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


6i 


The  Dolly  Sisters" 


[  20th  Century-Fox  ] 

Hollynvood,  Sept.  25 

TO  the  long  list  of  this  studio's  successful  Technicolor  expeditions 
into  the  yesterdays  of  show  business  is  now  to  be  added,  at  or  close 
to  the  top,  this  rich  recounting  of  the  period  in  which  the  Dolly 
Sisters  rose  to  fame  and  nourished  flamboyantly  in  the  entertainment 
capitals  of  two  continents.  With  Betty  Grable  and  June  Haver  brilliantly 
performing  the  title  roles,  expertly  accompanied  by  John  Payne  and  a 
bountifully-gifted  cast,  the  picture  rates  with  the  best  of  its  kind  from 
this  or  any  studio  in  any  season.  It  is  the  first  picture  produced  by 
George  Jessel,  a  circumstance  no  exhibitor  should  overlook  in  his  billing 
of  it,  and  the  production  is  as  much  more  veracious  and  genuine  in  the 
spell  it  casts  as  its  producer's  experience  is  more  intimate  than  most. 

In  common  with  its  predecessors,  "The  Dolly  Sisters"  travels  fastest" 
and  best  on  its  songs,  and  the  one  singled  out  for  steady  reiteration  as 
setting  the  theme  of  the  story  and  the  period  is  "I'm  Always  Chasing 
Rainbows,"  always  a  hit,  but  probably  never  before  performed  as  per- 
fectly as  in  each  of  its  many  and  varied  treatments  here.  If  the  picture 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


U.S.  to  Watch 
New  Theatre" 
Construction 


Anticipate  Possible  New 
AMliated-Circuit  Runs 


Washington,   Sept.   25.  —  The 
Department  of  Justice  is  keeping 
a  monitory  eye  on  the  announced 
plans  of  exhibitors  for  construction 
of  new  theatres,  and  when  the  present 
restrictions  of  the  WPB  construction 
order  No.  L-41  are  lifted,  on  Oct.  15, 
operations  will  be  closely  watched. 
Department     officials,  how- 
ever, said  their  check  on  con- 
struction activities  in  the  in- 
dustry is  more  or  less  routine, 
pointing  out  that  they  had  kept 
in  contact  with  building  opera- 
tions during  the  war,  under  the 
arrangement  whereby  the  WPB 
Office  of  Civilian  Requirements 
cleared  construction  authoriza- 
tions through  the  Department. 
It  was  said  that  reports  indicate  that 
major  companies  as  well  as  indepen- 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


Bernhard  Receives 
High  Navy  Award 


Washington,  Sept.  25. — The  Dis- 
tinguished Civilian  Service  award, 
highest  honor  that  can  be  conferred 
by  the  Navy  on  a  civilian,  was  pre- 
sented to  Joseph 
Bernhard,  gen- 
eral manager  of 
Warner  Thea- 
ters, at  a  din- 
ner in  the  Hotel 
Statler  tonight. 
Artemus  Gates, 
Under  -  Slecre- 
tary  of  the 
Navy,  made  the 
p  r  e  s  e  n  tation, 
which  was  in 
recognition  o  f 
Bernhard's  war- 
time service 
with  the  Navy 
Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks. 

(Continued  on  page  6) 


■Joseph  Bernhard 

The 


Also  Reviewed  Today 

In  addition  to  "The  Dolly 
Sisters,"  in  adjoining  col- 
ums,  a  review  of  "Man  Alive" 
appears  on  page  6. 


2 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  September  26,  1945  j 


Personal 
Mention 


Insider 's  Outlook 


By  RED  KANN 


A  RTHUR  MAYER,  operator  of 
i*  the  Rialto,  on  Broadway,  is  to 
leave  this  morning  for  Washington, 
en  route  by  plane  to  the  Orient  on  a 
mission  for  the  American  Red  Cross. 
He  is  to  spend  three  months  in  India, 
China  and  Japan  and  hopes  to  be  home 
by  Christmas. 

• 

Greer  Garson,  M-G-M  star,  is  due 
to  arrive  in  New  York  from  the  Coast 
via  Washington  today.  She  will  be 
accornpanied  by  her  husband,  Lt. 
Richard  Ney,  and  William  Golden, 
head  of  the  special  service  department 
at  the  M-G-M  studios. 

• 

William  Healy,  assistant  to  Aus- 
tin Keough,  Paramount  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  counsel,  has  been 
named  executive  assistant  to  Will 
Yolen,  president  of  the  New  York 
Publicity  Club. 

• 

Mary  Nossaman,  assistant  pub- 
licity director  of  the  War  Activities 
Committee,  has  left  New  York  by 
plane  for  Hollywood  on  a  WAC  as- 
signment, to  be  gone  about  three 
weeks. 

• 

Joel  Bezahler,  home  office  assistant 
to   M-G-M   Midwest   sales  manager 
J.  E.  Flynn,  is  due  back  in  New  York 
today  from  an  exchange  tour. 
• 

William  C.  Gehring,  20th  Ceh- 
turv-Fox  Central  and  Canadian  dis- 
trict manager,  is  in  Chicago  on  busi- 
ness. 

• 

George  Schaefer,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  Lester  Cowan  Productions, 
returned  here  yesterday  from  Bos- 
ton. 

• 

Robert  B.  Wilby,  president  of  Wil- 
by-Kincev  Theatres,  Atlanta,  was  in 
town  yesterday  for  a  brief  visit. 
• 

Earl  Hudson,  president  of  United 
Detroit  Theatres,  was  a  New  York 
visitor  yesterday. 

• 

John  Caskey,  20th  Century-Fox 
counsel,  has  returned  to  New  York 
from  Oklahoma  City. 

• 

Joel  Levy,  out-of-town  booker  for 
Loew's  here,  has  returned  from  a  va- 
cation. 

Pickman  Is  Named  to 
20th  Foreign  Dep't 

Jerome  Pickman  of  the  20th  Cen- 
tury-Fox domestic  organization  has 
joined  the  company's  International 
Corp.  for  ultimate  assignment  to  a 
sales  post  abroad,  Murray  Silverstone, 
2  0th  International  president,  an- 
nounced here  yesterday. 

Silverstone  stated  that  this  appoint- 
ment is  in  keeping  with  the  company's 
policy  to  give  new  members  of  his 
organization  the  benefit  of  head  of- 
fice operation  before  assignment  to  a 
foreign  post. 

Pickman  is  a  veteran  of  World 
War  If. 


|"  HAT  man  Selznick  is  on  the 
*  move  again.  Still  burning 
brightly  is  the  ambition  to  make 
and  sell  'em  under  his  own  name. 
It  becomes  a  good  guess  to  ad- 
vance again — for  the  fourth  or 
fifth  time  in  the  last  17  months 
— that  his  restlessness  will  not 
subside  until  this  issue,'  so  im- 
portant to  him,  is  joined. 

The  joining  process  could  be 
slow.  It  could  be  fast. 

■ 

Available  to  Selznick,  as  often 
reported,  is  the  five-picture  es- 
cape route  from  United  Artists. 
"Spellbound"  is  the  third,  while 
"Duel  in  the  Sun"  heads  in  as 
fourth.  Depending  upon  speed, 
he  might  pry  himself  loose  in 
about  a  year  in  the  light  of  the 
meticulous  production  standard 
to  which  he  so  faithfully  sub- 
scribes. It  might  Jiave  been  done 
earlier  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  three-cornered  deal  recently 
closed  with  RKO. 

Those  who  know  how  care- 
fully David  watches  his  people 
do  not  doubt  that  he  will  be  an 
influence,  largely  behind  scenes, 
in  the  making  of  that  trio.  Not 
bad  for  RKO,  either. 

■ 

Yet,  there  can  be  other  es- 
capes. These  other  ways  are 
two  and  about  them  there  is  talk 
without  decision.  The  first 
whisper  revives  the  strategy 
authoritatively  attributed  to 
Selznick  many  moons  ago  — -  a 
manoeuvre  to  acquire  control  of 
UA  by  stock  purchase.  Nothing 
ever  came  of  it,  but  it  does  not 
follow  nothing  cannot  in  the 
future. 

The  other  whisper  bears  on 
the  possibility  of  checking  out 
of  UA  altogether,  under  terms 
to  be  agreed,  with  delivery  of 
^'Spellbound"  which  is,  or  will 
be,  in  UA's  hands  shortly.  Key- 
tioters  here,  of  course,  are 
Charlie  Chaplin  and  Mary  Pick- 
ford.  Both  have  been  known  to 
be  unpredictable. 

Presumably  unrelated  to  this 
general  activity,  but  no  so  at  all, 
was  the  arrival  in  New  York 
from  Culver  City  yesterday  of 
E.  T.  Scanlon,  a  Selznick  execu- 
tive on  the  top  level.  He  will 
confer  at  length  with  Neil  F. 
Agnew.  He  will  look  over  charts 
and  graphs,  figures  and  costs 
already  awaiting  him  for  detailed 
study.  This  statistical  array  has 
been  assembled  for  a  single  pur- 
pose, and  the  purpose  is  a  blue- 
print looking  toward  Selznick's 
own  national  sales  machinery. 
■ 

It  is  understood  Agnew  has 


whipped  up  several  master  plans 
capable  of  operating  at  $20,000  a 
week.  There  would  be  no  hordes 
of  salesmen  because  the  approach 
sees  no  need  for  hordes  of  sales- 
men. The  idea,  in  the  rough,  is 
geared  to  a  parallel  of  the  Rolls 
Royce  versus  the  Chevrolet, 
Which  gives  an  indication  of 
what  Selznick  thinks  of  his 
merchandise. 

Anyone  who  wants  a  Rolls 
may  buy  one,  all  in  good  time, 
if  he's  got  the  dollars.  But  the 
prospect  list  always  has  been 
limited  for  reasons  obvious. 
1 

This  does  not  suggest  Selznick 
and  associated  attractions  would 
be  confined  to  the  de  luxe  houses 
under  the  proposal.  Selling,  how- 
ever, would  be  confined  to  a 
limited  group  of  supervisors  and 
salesmen,  maybe  one  for  a  key 
city  or  one  for  a  batch  of  geo- 
graphically adjacent  key  cities. 
Circuit  deals  would  be  concen- 
trated in  New  York,  so  far  as 
possible.  Subsequent  runs  would 
be  expected  to  trail,  an  old  habit 
of  theirs  anyway.  Smaller  situa- 
tions might  even  be  closed  by  the 
mail-order  routine.  Overall  sales 
cost :  Low. 

■ 

There  is  a  decided  meanwhile, 
too.  Meanwhile,  those  Ross  Fed- 
eral offices  in  key  cities  continue 
in  operation.  They  draw  upon 
5,000  bonded  checkers,  spelling 
a  manpower  pool  which  would 
be  interesting  to  explore  for  its 
productive  capabilities.  The  man- 
power equation,  generally,  is  no 
longer  so  tight.  Any  new  dis- 
tributor, whether  he  flies  high 
or  low,  inevitably  attracts  job 
seekers. 

Moreover,  Ross  Federal  of- 
fices have  their  floor  space,  their 
desks,  their  telephones,  typewrit- 
ers. Film  vaults,  never  regard- 
ed as  a  particular  worry  during 
the  war,  are  no  worry  at  all 
now.  The  parcel  post  system 
draws  no  lines,  plays  no  al- 
legiances and  neither  do  express 
companies  and  film  carriers. 
Raw  stock  restrictions  are  ended 
B 

What  this  tries  to  point  out  is 
that  the  Ross  organization  is  in 
handy  existence.  What  this  ar- 
ray of  factors  should  avoid  is 
any  final  conclusion  that  Ross 
need  necessarily  supply  the 
framework.  A  start  may  be  made 
from  scratch. 

Third  whisper  has  it  one  of. 
Hollywood's     genuinely  top- 
ranking   producers   is  showing 
keen   interest   in   the  blueprint. 
His  name?    Not  today. 


Broidy  Gives  Reply 
On  Gangster  Films 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25. — In  a 
letter  to  Eric  Johnston, 
MPPDA  president,  following 
lay  press  publication  of  Sam- 
uel Goldwyn's  letter  to  John- 
ston condemning  gangster  pic- 
tures, Steve  Broidy,  Mono- 
gram vice-president,  likewise 
releasing  the  text  to  the 
press,  declared,  "I  have  read 
in  the  newspapers  Sam  Gold- 
wyn's letter  regarding  gang- 
ster pictures.  His  position  on 
the  subject  in  general,  and 
'Dillinger'  in  particular,  is 
most  amazing,  coming  as  it 
does  from  the  man  who  not 
only  produced  'Dead  End,' 
one  of  the  first  pictures  in 
this  cycle,  but  who  permitted 
the  reissue  rights  to  be  sold, 
as  a  result  of  which  'Dead 
End'  is  now  being  exhibited 
in  theatres  throughout  the 
country.  It's  about  time  this 
press  agents'  paradise  were 
thoroughly  debunked." 


Hollywood  Near  100% 
American:  Dickstein 

Washington,  Sept.  25. — Asserting 
that  charges  of  un-Americanism  in 
Hollywood  are  unfounded  and  "a  lot 
of  ballyhoo,"  Representative  Samuel 
Dickstein,  N.  Y.,  chairman  of  the 
House  Immigration  Committee,  said 
today  that  the  motion  picture  capita! 
has  been  found  "almost  100  per  cent 
American"  by  a  subcommittee. 

Dickstein  made  it  plain  that  he  w  as 
commenting  on  charges  recently  made 
by  the  Un-American  Activities  Com- 
mittee. He  said  that  studies  had  been 
made  at  the  M-G-M,  Universal,  21th 
Century-Fox  and  Paramount  studios 
and  that  less  than  one-half  of  one  per 
cent  of  their  22,000  employes  were 
aliens. 

Hays  Will  Maintain 
New  York  Residence 

It  was  erroneously  reported  _in  Mo- 
tion Picture  Daily  yesterday  that 
Will  H.  Hays  "will  no  longer  maintain 
a  residence  here,  as  he  has  for  years 
in  the  Waldorf-Astoria  Towers." 

Hays,  instead,  will  move  from  the 
37th  floor  apartment  in  the  Waldorf 
Towers  which  he  has  occupied  in  re- 
cent years  to  a  new  apartment  on  the 
35th  floor  of  the  Towers  on  Oct  1.  As 
reported  in  yesterday's  story,  Hays 
plans  to  spend  more  time  hereafter  at 
his  Sullivan,  Ind.,  home  and  at  his 
ranch  at  Hidden  Valley,  Cal. 

Rosenberg  Is  Named 
Publicity  Assistant 

Frank  P.  Rosenberg,  who  has  just 
returned  to  New  York  from  a  three 
weeks'  vacation  in  Hollywood,  will 
assume  the  post  of  assistant  director 
of  publicity  and  exploitation  at 
Columbia  Pictures,  it  was  announced 
here  yesterday  by  David  A.  Lipto'i, 
Columbia's  director  of  advertising, 
publicity  and  exploitation. 


l,V'  •  '  "  rURE  r,A"-Y.  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley 
FubllShing  Company,  inc.,  2170  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  CTrclc  7  .1100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York."  Martin  Ouiglev, 
I  resident;  Red  Kami,  Vice-President:  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer ;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Tames  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau, 
4  (,.M<-n  <|..  London  W 1 .  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Ouigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres, 
International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscription 
rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


3!fl|l 

l«  I 


IF  IT'S 

M'G'M 

IT'S  A 

BIG  ONE! 


LET'S  FINISH  THE  JOB  ! 
VICTORY  LOAN  —  OCT.  29 -DEC.  8. 


4 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Canadian  Industry 
20th  Circuit  Officials 


Newsreel 
Parade 


Inconveniences  of 
Lift  Strike  Grow 

New  York's  widespread  office  build- 
ing elevator  tie-up  worked  further 
hardships  on  operations  of  several  film 
home  offices  and  exchanges  yesterday 
as  the  operators'  iand  maintenance 
workers'  strike  continued  in  its  second 
day  on  an  augmented  scale.  In  the 
case  of  the  Loew  Building,  which 
houses  Loew-M-G-M  offices,  a  placard 
was  posted  in  the  lobby  yesterday  as- 
serting that  the  strike  had  been 
"settled,"  and  full  operation  of  eleva- 
tors in  that  building  followed.  A  sim- 
ilar sign  was  in  evidence  yesterday 
at  the  entrance  of  729  Seventh  Ave- 
nue, which  houses  Columbia  and 
United  Artists. 

Hardest  Hit 

Most  seriously  affected  film  offices 
were  those  of  Paramount  and  Repub- 
lic. Paramount's  private  'lift'  in  the 
Paramount  Building  was  barred  to 
general  usage  yesterday  and,  in  conse- 
quence, the  company's  offices  situated 
on  floors  six  to  12  were  only  about  60 
per  cent  manned.  Employes  were  pro- 
vided with  free  lunches  by  the  man- 
agement. Continuation  of  the  strike 
for  even  a  week  will  make  "very  se- 
vere" difficulties,  according  to  a  Para- 
mount spokesman. 

Republic's  home  office  was  likewise 
manned  by  only  about  60  per  cent  yes- 
terday. Among  those  who  accepted 
the  challenge  of  the  stair  climb  to  the 
company's  17th  floor  were  Herbert  J. 
Yates,  president  of  Consolidated  Film 
Industries,  and  James  R.  Grainger, 
Republic  president.  Some  employes 
brought  lunches  yesterday,  and  for 
those  who  did  not  the  company  sent 
out  for  food. 

PRC,  Monogram  and  Vanguard 
employes  continued  yesterday  to  walk 
up  in  their  respective  buildings.  RKO- 
Radio's  home  office  is  unaffected  by 
the  strike. 

"Employe  attendance  was  poor"  at 
the  Universal  Exchange's  11th  floor 
office  at  630  9th  Ave.,  yesterday,  ac- 
cording to  a  company  spokesman. 
Other  company  exchanges  here,  and 
the  newsreel  companies  as  well,  were 
adequately  manned,  although  it  was 
necessary  for  employes  to  walk  up 
three  or  more  flights  to  work. 

Warner  Brothers  and  20th  Century- 
Fox  home  offices  which  are  housed  in 
company-owned  and  operated  build- 
ings, are  unaffected  by  the  strike.  Ele- 
vators in  the  building  occupied  by  the 
MPPDA,  where  all  but  four  of  the 
operators  are  non-union,  continued  in 
operation  all  day  yesterday. 

SCTOA  Open  Forum 
Is  Set  for  Oct  4 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  25. — Southern 
California  Theatre  Owners  Associa- 
tion will  hold  its  first  "open  forum" 
meeting  Oct.  4  at  Variety  Club  head- 
quarters in  the  Ambassador  Hotel  here. 
William  F.  Rodgers  will  be  guest 
speaker.  Similar  meetings  will  be 
held  periodically,  with  prominent 
speakers  addressing  the  SCTOA 
membership. 

  i 

Loew  Names  Drutman 

Arthur  Loew,  president  of  Loew's 
International  Corp.,  announces  the  ap- 
pointment of  Irving  Drutman  to  take 
charge  of  publicity  for  M-G-M  Iriter- 
9  national  Films  Corp.  Drutman  form- 
erly held  publicity  posts  with  Samuel 
Goldwyn  and  Warners. 


Toronto,  Sept.  25. — The  Canadian 
film  industry  paid  tribute  to  20th  Cen- 
tury Theatres,  Toronto  affiliate  of 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.,  at 
the  10th  anniversary  dinner  of  the  On- 
tario circuit  of  more  than  50  theatres 
at  the  King  Edward  Hotel,  last  even- 
ing. 

The  function,  attended  by  200  from 
Famous  Players,  Odeon  Theatres  of 
Canada,  Allen  Theatres,  B.  and  F. 
Theatres  and  other  circuits,  and  rep- 
resentatives of  distributing  companies, 
opened  the  10th  annual  convention  of 
20th  managers,  .who  were  also  present 
at  the  dinner,  with  departmental  heads 
of  the  company,  headed  by  Nat  Taylor. 
The  convention  had  ,been  slated  for 
last  June  but  postponement  was  nec- 
essary because  of  the  government  or- 
der restricting  travel  facilities  and  ho- 
tel accommodation. 

At  the  dinner  tribute  was  paid  to 
Taylor,  general  manager  Raoul  Auer- 
bach,  Myer  Axler,  director  of  theatre 
operations,  Harry  Mandell  who  is 
comptroller,  Charlie  Stephenson,  di- 
rector of  advertising,  Barney  Fox, 
head  booker,  Syd  Roth,  city  super- 
visor, and  other  20th  Century  officials. 

New  season's  plans  and  announce- 
ments regarding  the  prospective  ex- 
pansion were  discussed  at  private  ses- 

Montague  Presides 
At  Third  Meeting 

New  Orleans,  Sept.  25. — Columbia 
will  open  the  third  in  a  series  of  four 
zone  meetings  tomorrow  at  the 
Hotel  Roosevelt,  New  Orleans ;  the 
convention  will  run  three  days. 
Twenty-eight  delegates,  comprising 
home  office  executives,  division  man- 
agers, branch  managers  and  sales 
staffs  from  six  exchanges  will  be 
present.  Among  home  office  execu- 
tives attending  will  be :  A.  Montague, 
who  will  preside,  Rube  Jackter,  Louis 
Weinberg,  George  Josephs  and  H.  C. 
Kaufman. 

Present  from  the  field  will  be  the 
following :  Atlanta :  Southeast  divi- 
sion manager  R.  J.  Ingram ;  salesmen 
Brins  Wallace,  Frank  Barry,  Stephen 
Justus,  William  Aiken;  Charlotte: 
Branch  manager  George  Roscoe ; 
salesmen  Robert  Williamson,  Carl 
Patterson ;  Dallas :  Southwest  divi- 
sion manager  Jack  Underwood ; 
salesmen  Walter  Penn,  Byron  Gibson, 
Jack  Gruben,  Marvin  L.  Goodman ; 
Memphis :  Branch  manager  J.  J.  Rog- 
ers ;  salesmen  Herman  Chrisman, 
Loyd  Bond  Miller,  Edward  Doherty; 
New  Orleans :  Branch  manager  H. 
Duvall ;  salesmen  John  Winberry, 
James  Ricketts ;  Oklahoma  City : 
Branch  manager  Dewey  Gibbs ;  sales- 
men Sid  Gibbs,  James  Smith. 

The  fourth  and  final  meeting  will 
be  held  in  Los  Angeles,  at  the  Am- 
bassador Hotel,  October  2-4. 


Preview  Yorke  Film 

"Lease  on  Life,"  an  Emerson 
Yorke  production  in  the  interest  of 
peacetime  health  measures,  will  be 
previewed  at  the  National  Archives 
in  Washington  today  for  an  official 
group.  Yorke  and  Dr.  Charles 
Lyght  of  the  National  Tuberculosis 
Association  will  be  present. 


sions  throughout  the  day,  and  open 
house  was  conducted  at  20th' s  head- 
office  today,  with  managers  also  taking 
in  a  number  of  special  screenings. 

At  the  proceedings  was  Charlie 
Stephenson,  one  of  Canada's  oldest 
film  men  who  managed  the  circuit's 
first  theatre,  the  College  at  Kitchener, 
Ont.,  10  years  ago. 

Wearing  seven  gold  bars  on  his 
sleeve,  Capt.  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons,  Jr.,  of 
the  U.  S.  Army,  son  of  president  Fitz- 
gibbons of  Famous  Players  Canadian 
Corp.,  was  given  an  ovation  by  the 
guests  at  the  conventnon  dinner,  when 
he  was  introduced  by  Hye  Bossin, 
master  of  ceremonies.  The  young  of- 
ficer is  home  on  discharge  leave  after 
service  in  the  Pacific  during  which  he 
twice  won  the  Bronze  Star. 

A  feature  of  the  function  was  the 
presentation  of  an  office  radio  by  M. 
L.  Axler  to  Taylor  and  Auerback  as 
a  token  of  esteem  from  the  circuit 
staff. 

Speakers  included  L.  M.  Frost, 
provincial  treasurer ;  chairman  O.  J. 
Silverthorne.  of  the  provincial  censor 
board ;  T.  J.  Bragg,  representing 
Odeon ;  Fitzgibbons  of  Famous  Play- 
ers ;  Harry  Mandell,  and  Haskell 
Masters,  in  behalf  of  Canadian  dis- 
tributors. 


UA  Eastern  Sales 
Meet  Here  Friday 


Branch  managers  from  United  Art- 
ists' New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston, 
Buffalo,  New  Haven  and  Washing- 
ton branches  will  attend  an  Eastern 
district  meeting  in  New  York  on  Fri- 
day, to  be  presided  over  by  Sam  Lef- 
kowitz,  co-manager  of  the  Eastern 
district;  Harry  L.  Gold,  Eastern  sales 
manager,  and  Edward  M.  Schnitzer, 
home  office  executive,  with  the  'Grad 
Sears  Sales  Drive'  as  the  chief  topic 
of  discussion.  Schnitzer  is  national 
captain  of  the  drive. 

Branch  managers  attending  the  all- 
day  session  will  include  Jack  Ellis, 
New  York;  Mort  Magill,  Philadel- 
phia ;  Mark  Silver,  Washington  ;  Matt 
V.  Sullivan,  Buffalo;  John  Dervin, 
Boston;  Ray  Wylie,  New  Haven. 


Sherman  Talking 
To  UA  on  Deal 

United  Artists  and  Harry  Sher- 
man are  understood  to  be  conferring 
on  a  deal  whereby  UA  would  release 
an  undetermined  number  of  Sherman 
productions.  Next  meeting  of  the 
UA  board  of  directors,  which  may 
take  place  sometime  next  week,  will 
be  called  upon  to  ratify  the  deal. 

Some  years  ago,  UA  acquired  a 
number  of  "Hopalong  Cassidy"  films, 
produced  by  Sherman,  from  Para- 
mount in  order  to  fill  out  its  program 
when  ,  it  could  not  secure  sufficient 
product  from  its  own  producers. 


L.  A.  Hearings  Friday 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  25. — Following 
preliminary  discussions  this  morning, 
the  City  Council  here  postponed  until 
Friday  morning  hearings  on  a  pro- 
posed five  per  cent  tax  on  theatre 
grosses. 


EW    YORK    CITY'S  elevate, 
strike  is  featured  in  two  of  th 
latest  newsreels:  News  of  the  Dal 
and     Universal    Newsreel.  Subject 
matter  appearing  generally  in  curren 
reels  includes  the  resignation  of  Henr 
L.    Stimson   as   Secretary    of  Wat 
Shirley  Temple's  wedding,  the  Britis  ) 
Army  in  Hong  Kong,  Joe  Louis  re 
ceiving  the  Legion  of  Merit  azvart 
radio-controlled   target   planes,  foot 
ball,  and  other  items.  Contents  of  th 
current  reels  follow : 

MOVIETONE    NEWS,    No.    8.— Londc 
conference    of    "Big    Five"     maps    peat*  i 
treaties.  Life  in  the  ruins  of  bombed  Toky 
under    occupation.    Names    in    the  new! 
Secretary     Stimson,     Regent     of  Greec 
Madame  Oiiang  Kai  Chek.  Ingenious  avi; 
tion  devices  shown  in  U.   S.  Army  test' 
latest  control  of  planes,  new  cable  air  fielfjr 
Sports:  Joe  Louis  decorated;  pigskin  parad! 
Good  news  girls! — Nylon  stockings  are  bacjf 
again.  ifj 

NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  No.  2KB.— Elevaf  f 
strike  in  New  York.  British  take  ovnf" 
Hong  Kong.  Introducing  "Tokyo  Rose  9 
Notables  in  the  news:  President  hono! 
Stimson,  medal  for  Joe  Louis.  Weddirm 
bells  for  Shirley  Temple.  Gridiron  thriller W 
Duke  swamps  South  Carolina,  Illinois  beaJR 
Pittsburgh.  Wild  horses  rounded  up  ^ 
Alberta.  New  landing  device  to  aid  aviatio 

i  I 

PARAMOUNT    NEWSv    No.    9'.— Radii  II 
controlled  target   planes.   Headline  peop] 
Madame  Chiang,  Joe  Louis,  Shirley  Temp* 
Freak  plane  collision.  Pacific  cleanup. 

RKO-PATHE  NEWS,  No.  11.— Retirii 
Secretary  Stimson  honored.  Japs  surrend 
Hong  Kong.  First  pictures  of  "Tok 
Rose."  Round  up  wild  horses  for  Euroi 
Toe  Louis  given  Legion  of  Merit  awai 
Shirley  Temple  weds  in  Hollywood.  Londo 
First  foreign  ministers'  meeting.  Army  ge 
erals  inspect  Tokyo. 

UNIVERSAL    NEWSREEL,    No.  i36. 

Strike  hits  New  York  skyscrapers.  Rob 
plane  for  targets.  Personalities  in  the  new; 
Shirley  Temple,  Joe  Louis,  President  Tr 
man,  Madame  Chiang.  Horsemeat  f 
Europe.    Purdue  beats  Marquette. 

McKenna  Still  Giving 
History  of  Griffiths 

Oklahoma  City,  Sept.  25. — B.  ii:- 
McKenna,  general  manager  of  Gri«« 
fith  Amusement  Co.,  recited  more  conH 
pany  history  during  his  cross-examin? 
tion  today,  and  indications  were  thl  r 
the  Griffith  anti-trust  hearing  in  Feo  . 
eral  District  Court  here  would  dri  I 
far  into  next  week.  Robert  L.  Wrigh 
counsel  for  the  Department  of  Justic 
questioned  him  concerning  price  pol  I 
cies  in  many  individual  towns. 

Both  H.  J.  Griffith  and  L.  C.  (in  t 
fith,  as  well  as  several  key  executive  1 
are  yet  to  be  called  to  the  stan 
though  originally  the  defense  thoug 
the  hearing  could  be  completed  th 
week. 

WB's  Kaplan,  Mose 
Safe  in  the  Orient 

Two  more  managers  of  Warner  o  i 
fices  in  the  Orient  have  been  locate 
and  found  to  be  safe,  and  both  wi 
resume    operations    immediately,  a 
cording  to  word  reaching  the  hon 
office,  here,  yesterday.  A.  L.  Kapla 
Shanghai     manager,     is     to  sta 
again  in  his  territory  while  E.  Mosi 
has  advised  from  Singapore  that  1 
was  liberated  from  a  prison  camp  r'  i, 
cently  by  the  British  and  is  aga 1  4 
open  for  business. 

Moses   said  the   Singapore  offio 
were  in  good  shape,  with  25  pre-w;]  !jj 
films  on  hand.   Kaplan  has  about  tl-  J| 
same   amount  of  product.  \, 


N 


MOST  FASCINATING  FILM 
OF  THE  ENTIRE  WAR ! 


...  The  whole  thrilling  story  from 
ID-Day  to  V-E  Day . . .  Now  told 
for  the  first  time -by  the 
guys  who  ^ 


lived  it! 


Gen.  Dwight  D. 
Eisenhower's 


Brought  to  the  Screen  by  Two  Great  Directors! 

3apt.  GARSON  KANIN  •  CAROL  REED 

(for  the  United  States)  (for  Great  Britain) 

Distributed  by  COLUMBIA  PICTURES 

'for  Office  of  War  Information  through  War  Activities  Committee 
—  Motion  Picture  Industry 


fit* 


7 


'""the 


6 


Motion  Picture  daily 


Wednesday,  September  26,  194 


68  Named 


{Continued  from  page  1) 


Review 


'Man  Alive' 


(RkO  Radio). 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25 

SEEN  any  good  Irish  comedies  lately?  No,  because  nobody's  made  any. 
Which  is  why  this  complete  departure  from  the  worn  channels  of  domestic 
comedy  collects  laughs  in  mounting  measure  as  it  sprints  through  its  70  min- 
utes. With  Adolphe  Menjou,  Ellen  Drew  and  Rudy  Vallee  as  his  principal 
companions,  Pat  O'Brien  goes  back  to  the  type  of  dialect  the  Irish  comedians 
used  to  rely  on  for  laughs  in  the  days  of  Eddie  Foy,  and  it  rolls  off  the 
screen  as  screamingly  as  it  came  across  the  footlights. 

It  is  a  different  type  of  story  which  executive  producer  Robert  Fellows 
secured  from  Jerry  Cady  and  John  Tucker  Battle,  in  essence  a  yarn  about  a 
husband,  presumed  dead,  although  actually  only  dead  drunk,  who  returns  home 
after  his  own  funeral  and  tries  posing  as  his  own  ghost  as  a  means  of  restor- 
ing himself  to  his  rightful  place  in  the  affections  of  a  wife  who,  obeying  advice 
given  her  in  his  will,  is  about  to  marry  an  old  friend..  The  device  is  a  bit 
fantastic,  but  the  uses  to  which  it  is  put  in  Edwin  Harvey  Blum's  screen- 
play are  ludicrous  and  absurd  in  a  manner  that  the  Hollywood  preview  cus- 
tomers found  delightful. 

Theron  Warth  was  associate  producer  and  Ray  Enright  director,  both  rat- 
ing endorsement  for  maintaining  a  high  rate  of  movement  and  for  devising  at 
least  three  incidents  sure  to  click  in  any  company. 

Running  time,  70  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set. 

W.  R.  W. 


Lew  Hensler ;  Kansas,  Senn  Lawler 
and  Woody  Barrett. 

Also :  Louisiana,  Maurice  F.  Barr ; 
Maine,  Harry  Bartwick ;  Maryland, 
Louis  E.  Schecter ;  Massachusetts, 
Harry  Browning ;  Michigan,  Alice  N. 
Gorham;  Minnesota,  Charles  Win- 
chell ;  Mississippi,  Burgess  Waltmon  ; 
Missouri  (Eastern),  M.  L.  Plessner ; 
(Western),  M.  D.  Cohn ;  Montana, 
Jack  Edwards  ;  Nebraska,  Ted  Emer- 
son ;  Nevada,  Harry  Hunsaker ;  New 
Hampshire,  F.  D.  Scribner ;  New  Jer- 
sey (Northern),  George  Kelly; 
(Southern),  Isador  Perlin ;  New 
Mexico,  George  Tucker ;  New  York 
(Metropolitan),  Harry  Mandel ;  (Al- 
bany area),  Charles  Smakwitz ;  (Buf- 
falo area),  Charles  B.  Taylor;  North 
Carolina,  Roy  L.  Smart ;  North  Da- 
kota, Ed  Kraus;  Ohio  (Cleveland 
area),  Ed  Fisher  and  Charles  Dear- 
dourff  ;  (Cincinnati  area),  J.  E.  Wat- 
son. 

Also :  Oklahoma,  Robert  Busch ; 
Oregon,  Jack  Matlack ;  Pennsylvania 
(Eastern),  Michael  Weiss  and  Ever- 
ett Callow;  (Western),  James  Tot- 
man  ;  Rhode  Island,  Ed  Reed  and  Jos. 
G.  Samartano ;  South  Carolina,  Sam 
Suggs ;  South  Dakota,  Clifford  Knoll 
and  Norman  Pyle ;  Tennessee  (East- 
ern), James  Pepper;  (Western), 
Cecil  Vogel  and  Todd  Ferguson ; 
Texas,  Ray  Beall ;  Utah,  Helen  Gar- 
rity ;  Vermont,  Edward  J.  Briteau ; 
Virginia,  Brock  Whitlock ;  Washing- 
ton, V.  C.  Gauntlett ;  West  Virginia 
(partial),  James  M.  Totman ;  Wis- 
consin, William  V.  Geehan ;  Wyom- 
ing, Homer  Hisey. 


Fabian  Names  Baily 
Treasury  Liaison 

Tom  Baily,  who  served  in  Wash- 
ington as  liaison  between  the  film  in- 
dustry and  the  U.  S.  Treasury  during 
the  Seventh  War  Loan  drive,  has  ac- 
cepted appointment  by  "Victory  Loan" 
chairman  S.  H.  Fabian  to  fill  the 
same  post  during  the  Victory  cam- 
paign. 

Baily?  loaned  by  the  California 
Theatre  Council,  is  now  in  Hollywood 
working  on  details  of  the  Victory 
Loan  35mm.  film  program,  which  will 
include  three  trailers  and  a  two-reel 
subject,  "Hollywood  Victory  Cara- 
van." He  will  return  to  the  East  late 
this  week. 


Gamble  and  Shugrue  Meet 
Smakwitz  and  Latta 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  25.— Ted  R. 
Gamble,  national  War  Finance  Direc- 
tor, and  Ned  Shugrue  of  the  Treasury 
Department  in  Washington,  today 
held  a  meeting  here  with  regional  up- 
state New  York  Treasury  Depart- 
ment representatives,  mapping  plans 
for  the  forthcoming  "Victory  Loan" 
camuaign,  Oct.  29-Dec.  8. 

Also  attending  the  meeting  were 
Charles  Smakwitz  and  C.  J.  Latta, 
state  chairman  for  the  motion  picture 
division  of  War  Activities  Commit- 
tee, and  Walter  Brown  of  the  WAC 
New  York  office. 


Prize    Bond  Stunts 
Are  Being  Assembled 

In  response  to  a  request  from  cam- 
paign director  Oscar  Doob,  publicity 
state  chairmen  are  rushing  to  the  in- 
dustry's "Victory  Loan"  headquarters 
the  most  productive  bond  selling  stunt 
used  in  each  state  during  previous 
drives. 


Paramount  Is  Set 
For  Italy,  Levant 


Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  25.  —  Para- 
mount Films  of  Italy,  Inc.,  has  been 
incorporated  here  to  carry  on  a  film 
business  in  New  York,  with  an  author- 
ized capital  stock  of  $10,000,  $100  par 
value.  This  incorporation,  presum- 
ably, has  been  made  for  the  purpose 
of  readying  the  company's  entrance 
into  the  Italian  market. 

At  the  same  time,  Paramount  Films 
of  Levant  States,  Inc.,  was  likewise 
incorporated,  with  an  authorized  cap- 
ital stock  of  $2,000,  $100  par.  The 
Levant  states  include  Syria,  Iran  and 
Iraq. 

Directors  of  both  corporations  are 
the  same:  Roger  C.  Clement,  who 
was  incorporating  attorney,  George 
Weltner,  Paramount  International 
president  and  Milton  Kirshenberg, 
New  York. 


Italy  Liberalizes 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

strictions  of  the  Mussolini  regime 
have  been  abolished  and  provision 
made  for  free,  competitive  enterprise, 
it  was  said  here. 

The  decree  is  the  result  of  many 
weeks  of  negotiation  between  an 
American  mission  and  Italian  govern- 
ment officials  who  were  described  as 
anxious  to  undo  the  restrictive  acts 
of  their  Fascist  predecessors.  The 
document  reportedly  was  perfected 
more  than  a  month  ago,  but  no  ex- 
planation has  been  received  of  the 
delay  in  approving  it. 

Answer  to  Brief 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

is  learned  that  there  are  many  alle- 
gations contained  in  the  brief _  to 
which  the  distributors'  lawyers  object, 
leading  to  the  suggestion  of  filing 
answers  even  before  the  trial  begins ; 
tliis  is  understood  to  be  an  unusual 
procedure. 

There  are  growing  indications  daily 
that  there  will  be  no  delay  in  the  start 
of  the  trial  here  on  Oct.  8  and  that  if 
there  are  any  further  moves  toward 
trying  for  a  new  consent  decree,  they 
will  not  come  until  after  the  opening 
of  the  trial. 


Ritehey  Will  Set 
Europe  Distribution 

_  Norton  Ritehey,  Monogram's  for- 
eign sales  head,  will  leave  for  England 
and  the  Continent  as  soon  as  he  se- 
cures his  passport  from  the  State  De- 
partment, in  order  to  set  up  foreign 
distribution  facilities  for  the  company. 
A  supervisory  and  sales  office  will  be 
opened  in  Paris,  which  will  act  as 
headquarters  for  the  rest  of  the  Conti- 
nent. 

Ritehey,  who  plans  a  trip  of  several 
months,  expects  to  visit,  in  addition 
to  France,  Belgium,  Holland,  Den- 
mark and  other  Scandanavian  coun- 
tries. Monogram  will  set  up  its  own 
sales  offices  or  make  deals  with  local 
distributors,  depending  upon  the  re- 
sults of  a  survey  which  Ritehey  will 
make. 

The  company  will  shortly  announce 
the  appointment  of  a  number  of  repre- 
sentatives in  the  foreign  field  in  sev- 
eral areas. 

Pathe  Pictures,  Ltd.,  will  continue 
to  distribute  for  the  company  in 
England. 


U.  S.  to  Watch 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 

dents  have  plans  for  new  theatres  and 
it  was  admitted  major  company  con- 
struction would  have  special  interest 
in  view  of  the  divestiture  phase  of  the 
New  York  anti-trust  suit.  • 

Two  factors  are  tending  to  accen- 
tuate the  theatre  construction  situa- 
tion, one  the  normal  desire  to  catch 
up  with  several  years  in  which  no 
new  houses  could  be  built,  and  the 
other  resulting  from  the  wartime 
shifts  in  population  which  have  devel- 
oped many  spots  in  which  new  thea- 
tres are  not  only  desirable  but  neces- 
sary to  serve  communities  which  will 
retain  new  war-residents  permanently. 


PRC  Shifts  in  Omaha 

Omaha,  Sept.  25. — Morton  Eichen- 
berg,  former  Columbia  salesman,  has 
joined  the  PRC  sales  force  here.  A. 
J.  Lee  is  branch  manager  of  the  Des 
Moines-Omaha  territory  at  Des 
Moines,  and  Sol  Rief  is  in  charge  of 
the  Omaha  office. 


Warn  Europe 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

confiscation  of  the  films  of  four  Amer 
ican  companies. 

Present  representations  can  be  mad*, 
only  in  general  terms,  it  was  explains 
here  because  there  are  available  no  in 
ventories  of  pictures  which  might  have, 
been  on  hand  in  the  various  countrie 
when  the  war  broke  out.  Better  in 
formation  on  which  to  base  discussion: 
will  be  available  when  the  Americai 
companies  get  back  into  busines- 
abroad  and  can  furnish  lists.  Unti 
the  situation  becomes  more  settled 
Department  officials  expect  that  there 
will  be  considerable  "bootlegging"  o 
American  pictures  in  eastern  and  cen 
tral  Europe. 

The  Department  has  also  asked  al 
U.  S.  missions  to  file  reports  on  tin 
status  of  Office  of  War  Informatioi 
films  which  may  have  been  taken  infi 
the  various  markets  and  to  make  sun 
that  they  are  in  American  hands. 

Hopeful  on  Francs 

Department  officials  were  represent 
ed  today  as  hopeful  that  the  recen 
conversations  with  members  of  tin 
economic  mission  which  accompaniee 
French  Provisional  President  Charles 
De  Gaulle  to  this  country  last  montl 
will  result  in  an  agreement  respecting 
the  treatment  of  American  films  h\ 
France  which  will  protect  the  rela- 
tive position  of  the  companies  as  ii 
was  in  1936,  when  the  U.  S. -Freud 
trade  agreement  was  signed. 

It  was  warned,  however,  that  the 
number  of  American  films  permittee 
to  be  circulated  in  France  will  un- 
doubtedly be  cut  from  the  pre-wai 
agreed-upon  180  a  year,  but  effort- 
are  being  made  to  secure  more  thai 
the  180,  which  industry  representatives 
said  was  the  absolute  minimum  or 
which  they  could  operate  in  that  coun- 
try. 

It  was  explained  that  France,  in  at- 
tempting to  re-establish  her  motion 
picture  industry  on  a  sound  basis,  is-)1 
sued  a  regulation  banning  double-fea- 
ture programs  in  French  theatres' 
This  is  expected  to  give  French  pic-s 
tures  a  preferred  acceptance  over  tin 
general  run  of  American  films. 


Bernhard  Award 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Warner  executive's  direction  of  the 
conservation  activities  of  this  bureau' 
for  18  months,  according  to  the  cita- 
tion, "averaged  savings  to  the  Navy, 
of  over  $20,000,000  per  month  from' 
the  time  it  was  established." 

Among  guests  at  the  dinner  were 
Vice-Admiral  and  Mrs.  Ben  Moreell. 
Rear  Admiral  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Smith! 
and  more  than  25  other  officials  of  thcr 
Navy.  Bernhard  was  accompanied  tc 
Washington  by  his  wife  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harry  Goldberg.  Lieut.  Lepn-' 
ard  Schlesinger,  former  Warnerj 
Theaters  executive,  and  Mrs.  Schles- 
inger, also  were  present. 

1 

Blumberg 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

sions  with  Rank  relative  to  the  re-! 
newal  and  extension  of  the  distribu-, 
tion  agreement  between  General  and 
Universal.  It  is  expected  that  Blum- 
berg  and  Seidelman  may  also  visit 
Universal's  Continental  offices  on  the 
trip. 


ednesiluy.  September  26.  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


iieatres  Here  Give 
Proposals  to  '300' 

I  Counter  proposals  made  by  repre- 
sentatives 01  Loew's  and  RKO  circuits 
pud  New  York  and  Brooklyn  first-run 
kieatres  to  IATSE  New  \ork  projec- 
tionists Local  No.  3Ut>.  tor  a  new  con- 
i  -act  to  replace  agreements  wbicli  ex- 
fired  Aug.  31,  include  a  suggestion 
t  lat  wage  rates  paid  under  the  old 
agreement  be  continued  under  a  new 
J  0-year  contract  but  that  individual 
l  perators  be  provided  with  an  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  more  by  working  long- 
er hours. 

The  circuit  representatives  suggest 
a  new  10-year  contract  with  a  no- 
etrike  pledge  and  the  elimination  of 
1  rcmium  pay  paid  by  some  of  the 
■Smaller  houses  of  Loew's  and  RKO, 
I  >  bring  those  scales  more  in  line  w  ith 
I  lie  pay  of  operators  in  independent 
circuits. 

;j  The  10-year  contract  would  provide 
|<>r  reopening  for  wage  discussions 
during  the  first  few  years,  with  an  ar- 
bitration board  having  'unlimited  au- 
tmrity'  empowered  to  determine  the 
:xtent  of  wage  increases  or  decreases, 
based  upon  existing  living  conditions 
kt  the  time.  All  benefits  would  be  re- 
troactive to  Sept.  1. 

Hours  Suggested 

t)  The  proposals  state  that  operators 
•lit  deluxe  houses  are  now  paid  on  the 
basis  of  an  average  hourly  rate  of 
f 3.24  per  hour  for  a  20-22  hour  week, 
fertile  circuit  projectionists  receive  an 
Average  of  $2.36  per  hour  for  an  aver- 
age of  26  hours  per  week.  Suggested 
-  -  -  increase  in  hours  to  36  for  cir- 
cuit projectionists  and  an  increase  to 
iiO  hours  for  operators  in  deluxe 
iiouses.  Local  306's  attempt  to  elimi- 
nate the  'request  clause'  from  new 
contracts  is  characterized  as  unfair. 
(1  Apparent  dissatisfaction  of  Local 
I  (6  with  the  counter  proposals  is  in- 
licated  by  a  meeting  called  for  Oct. 
,1  to  discuss  a  possible  strike.  How- 
ever, Richard  F.  Walsh,  IATSE  in- 
ternational president,  who  has  been 
.mediator  in  the  contract  dispute,  indi- 
cated yesterdav  that  he  would  not  au- 
mrize  any  strike  by  Local  306  until 
fiis  own  mediation  efforts  had  failed. 
IValsh  has  been  unable  to  continue  in 
pis  role  of  mediator  during  the  past 
rvo  weeks,  due  to  his  presence  in 
(Washington  at  an  AFL  meeting  and 
(this  week  he  is  tied  up  at  the  'IA' 
rExecutive  board  meeting.  He  said 
Yesterday  that  he  might  be  able  to  ar- 
range to  attend  a  meeting  between 
Local  306  negotiators  and  theatre 
/epresentatives  before  the  conclusion 
If  the  IATSE  board  meet. 


The  Dolly  Sisters 


fATSE  Board  Meet 
Continues  Here 

The    executive    board    meeting  of 
.  ATSE  continued  here  yesterday  with 
I'Utine  business  of  problems  of  indi- 
vidual locals  highlighting  the  agenda. 
Richard  F.  Walsh.  IATSE  interna- 
tional president,  said  the  board  will 
lot  reach  a  discussion  of  the  Holly- 
i  k'  lod  studio  strike  situation  and  take 
|  irtion  on  charters  issued  to  replace- 
:  2-nts  for  strikers  until  tomorrow  or 
ririday. 

,  The  IATSE  will  also  probably  defer 
t  i  til  late  this  week  the  selection  of 
fs  five-man  committee  to  consult  on 
tnsdictional  problems  involved  in 
J'fie  studio  strike,  as  agreed  upon  at 
jhe  American  Federation  of  Labor 
Meeting  in   Washington,   last  week. 


{Continued  from  page  1) 

doesn't  put  it  on  the  "Hit  Parade,"  something's  wrong  with  the  radio 
program's  checking  system. 

The  story,  a  reasonable  facsimile  of  the  facts  in  the  Dolly  Sisters'  career 
up  to  the  point  where  the  picture  stops,  opens  in  1904  with  their  arrival,  as 
children,  in  Xew  York.  Shortly  it's  1912  and  they're  meeting  Harry  Fox 
(John  Payne)  in  vaudeville,  a  section  of  the  film  which  only  a  man  who 
lived  it  as  Jessel  did  could  produce  so  realistically,  and  the  romance  between 
Jenny  Dolly  and  Payne  begins.  Ultimately  it  becomes  1917,  and  World  War  I 
takes  its  place  in  the  chronicle,  and  after  a  while  it's  post-war  and  the  story- 
goes  on  through  the  "Terrific  20's,"  closing  on  the  occasion  of  an  undated 
Broadway  benefit  performance  with  the  principals  reunited.  It's  an  original 
screenplay  by  John  Larkin  and  Marian  Spitzer,  and  an  excellently  contrived 
narrative. 

PERFORM.  WCES  by  the  Misses  Grable  and  Haver  are  matched  to  per- 
fection, and  director  Irving  Cummings  called  for  more  than  the  singing 
and  dancing,  in  which  the  pair  are  a  double  delight,  for  the  script  has  drama 
and  pathos  in  it  as  well  as  sunshine  and  laughter.  In  this  respect  the  produc- 
tion beggars  most  of  its  predecessors,  appealing  more  directly  and  effectively 
to  the  earnest  emotions  than  many  a  hard-meant  drama  aimed  directly  at 
that  objective.  "Heart"  is  the  word  for  it. 

Production  numbers  are  many  and  magnificent,  perhaps  the  standout  among 
them  being  a  "Darktown  Strutter's  Ball"  job  which  follows  none  of  the 
established  patterns,  yet  both  dazzles  and  fascinates.  Runner-up  to  this  one 
may  be  a  beauty-parlor  number  based  on  "Don't  Be  Too  Old  Fashioned,"  one 
of  two  new  songs  written  by  Mack  Gordon  and  James  Monaco  to  go  with  the 
score  of  unforgettable  old  ones  that  warm  ear  and  eye  with  their  nostalgic 
charm. 

S.  Z.  Sakall,  Reginald  Gardiner,  Frank  Latimore,  Gene  Sheldon,  Sig  Rumann, 
Trudy  Marshall.  Gillette  Lyons,  Evon  Thomas,  Donna  Jo  Gribble,  Robert 
Middlemass,  Paul  Hurst,  Lester  Allen  and  Frank  Orth  round  out  the  cast. 

Running  time,  114  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date 
not  set. 

William  R.  Weaver 


Surplus  Equipment 
Saved  for  'Needy' 


Washington,  Sept.  25. — Regula- 
tions requiring  the  setting  up  of  re- 
serves of  Government  surplus  com- 
modities to  take  care  of  preferential 
buyers,  issued  today  .by  the  Surplus 
Property  Board,  were  seen  as  assur- 
ing that  such  early  supplies  of  surplus 
projectors  and  films  as  are  received 
from  the  War  Department  will  go  to 
the  educational  and  community  groups 
for  which  they  are  intended. 

Additional  regulations,  soon  to  be 
issued,  will  permit  needy  institutions 
to  obtain  surpluses  at  discounts,  which 
will  range  down  to  nominal  prices. 
Earlier  this  month,  the  SPB  an- 
nounced that  no  surplus  projectors 
and  pictures  would  be  sold  at  low 
cost  to  institutions  whose  financial 
resources  would  permit  them  to  buy 
regular  supplies. 


Film  Actors  Donated 
53,056  War  Aid  Acts 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25.  —  Hollywood 
Victory  Committee  survey,  completed 
preliminary  to  undertaking  plans  for 
participation  in  the  "Victory  Loan" 
drive,  shows  Hollywood  personalities 
made  53,056  free  appearances  for  pa- 
triotic purposes,  principally  entertain- 
ing troops,  since  Pearl  Harbor. 

HYC  chairman  Ken  Thomson  said. 
"We  cite  our  past  record  at  this  time 
only  to  give  emphasis  to  the  size  of 
the  job  that  confronts  Hollywood  ac- 
tors now.  The  job  must  be  finished 
to  make  that  record  important." 


Willis  and  Son  Killed 

Watertown,  Tenn.,  Sept.  25.  —  R. 
L.  Willis  and  his  son,  owner  and 
operator  of  the  theatre  here,  were 
killed  in  an  automobile  accident  on 
Sept.  19. 


Universal  Workers 
Get  Wage  Boosts 


Universal  Pictures  and  IATSE 
Motion  Picture  Home  Office  Em- 
ployes Union,  Local  No.  H-63,  have 
reached  an  agreement  on  wage  in- 
creases for  about  185  'U'  home  office 
'white  collarites,'  under  which  they 
will  receive  an  eight  per  cent  wage 
increase  and  other  benefits,  retroac- 
tive to  July  1. 

Increases  which  were  negotiated 
under  a  wage-reopening  provision 
clause  in  the  two-year  contract  be- 
tween Universal  and  the  union  are  to 
bp  granted  to  every  employe  with  a 
year  or  more  service  with  the  com- 
pany. In  addition,  employes  will  be 
brought  up  to  classification  minimums 
with  the  establishment  of  11  new  class- 
ifications. 

John  J.  O'Connor,  Universal  vice- 
nresident,  and  James  Murphy,  person- 
nel director,  participated  in  the  nego- 
tiations for  Universal,  while  Russell 
M.  Moss,  business  agent,  represented 
the  union.  Many  employes  involved 
are  in  the  newsreel  and  non-theatrical 
divisions. 


Abelson  Will  Manage 
Film  Classics  Branch 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  25. — Robert  P. 
Abelson  has  been  appointed  branch 
manager  of  Film  Classics  office  here, 
L.  E.  Goldhammer,  the  company's 
vice-president  and  general  sales  man- 
ager has  announced.  Lloyd  Katz  has 
been  appointed  booker. 

Goldhammer  recently  established 
headquarters  here. 


'Races'  Shown  Oct.  16 

"She  Went  to  the  Races"  will  be 
tradeshown,  by  M-G-M,  for  exhibitors 
in  all  key  centers  on  Oct.  16.  No  na- 
tional release  date  has  been  set. 


Hollywood 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25 

ALEXANDER  KNOX,  star  of 
"Wilson,"  will  be  co-starred  with 
Rosalind  Russell  in  "Sister  Kenny," 
RKO's  picturization  of  the  life  and 
achievements  of  the  Australian  nurse. 
.  .  .  Hal  B.  Wallis  has  borrowed  Van 
Hetlin  from  M-G-M  for  the  romantic 
male  lead  opposite  Barbara  Stanwyck 
and  Lizabeth  Scott  in  "Love  Lies 
Bleeding,"  which  Wallis  will  produce 
tor  Paramount  release ;  this  will  be 
Heflin's  first  picture  since  his  dis- 
charge from  the  Army. 

• 

Henry  Hathaway's  next  direc- 
torial assignment  at  20th  Century- 
x"'ox  wili  De  'The  Dark  Corner," 
psychological  murder  mystery;  Fred 
Kohlmar  is  slated  to  produce.  .  .  . 
Myrna  Loy's  first  starring  role  un- 
der her  new  RKO  contract  will  b? 
in  "Come  Share  My  Love,"  story  of 
a  sophisticated  song-writer  who 
talis  in  love  with  a  cowboy;  it  is 
based  on  Kay  Swift's  book,  "Who 
Could  Ask  for  Anything  More?"; 
Harriet  Parsons  will  produce  the 
picture. 

• 

Kane  Richmond  has  been  signed  to 
star  in  the  title  role  of  "The  Shadozv" 
scries,  to  be  filmed  by  Monogram  zvith 
Joseph  Kaufman  as  producer.  .  .  . 
Jeanne  Crain  and  John  Payne  have 
been  cast  for  the  romantic  leads  in 
"City  of  Flozuers,"  Technicolor  musi- 
cal based  on  the  annual  flozver  festival 
held  in  San  Jose,  Costa  Rica;  William 
Bachcr  will  produce  for  20th-Fox.  • 


More  A p plications 
For  Video  Stations 

Washington,  Sept.  25.  —  Applica- 
tions for  new  commercial  television 
stations  in  Pittsburgh  and  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  and  in  Dallas,  have  been  filed 
with  the  FCC. 

.  The  Allen  B.  Du  Mont  Laboratories, 
of  Passaic,  N.  J.,  applied  for  channel 
No.  2  in  Pittsburgh.  Du  Mont  oper- 
ates WABD  in  New  York  and  also 
has  applications  pending  for  stations  in 
Boston  and  Washington. 

KRLD  Radio  Corp.'  of  Dallas, 
owned  by  the  Times-Herald  Publish- 
ing Co.,  seeks  channel  No.  2  in  Dallas, 

vhile  WGAL,  Inc.,  of  Lancaster,  Pa., 
.  as  applied  for  channel  No.  4  in  Lan- 
caster. 


Sokolove  to  Paramount 

Hollywood,  Sept.  25. — Richard  So- 
kolove, former  M-G-M  and  Columbia 
story  executive,  has  joined  Paramount 
in  the  same  capacity. 


FOR  RENT 

LICENSED  AND  APPROVED 

Mmmn  film  vaults 
* 

BONDED  FILM  STORAGE  CO. 
1600  BROADWAY 

Circle  6-0081 


8 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Wednesday,  September  26,  1945 


1,500  at  Tribute 
To  Cohn  and  JDA 


More  than  1,500  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture and  related  industries  will  attend 
the  testimonial  dinner  in  honor  of 
Jack  Cohn,  vice-president  of  Colum- 
bia Pictures,  tomorrow  evening,  at 
the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel,  in  behalf 
of  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal,  accord- 
ing to  Barney  Balaban,  honorary 
chairman,  and  Nate  B.  Spingold,  chair- 
man of  the  event. 

The  event  will  launch  an  industry- 
wide campaign  to  enlist  support  of  the 
fight  against  anti-Semitism  waged  by 
the  American  Jewish  Committee  and 
the  Anti-Defamation  League  of  B'nai 
B'rith. 

A  committee  of  more  than  200  has 
been  working  for  several  weeks  on 
the  event.  It  will  feature  the  showing 
of  "This  Is  Our  Cause,"  depicting  the 
work  of  the  American  Jewish  Com- 
mittee and  the  Anti  -  Defamation 
League. 

Climaxing  the  program,  the  Cinema 
Lodge  'Honor  Scroll'  will  be  pre- 
sented to  Cohn  for  his  pioneering 
work  on  behalf  of  the  Anti-Defamation 
League. 


Stars  Sign  'Covers' 
To  Aid  War  Fund 

Fifty-six  first  day  'covers,'  each  au- 
tographed by  a  film  star,  are  to  be 
auctioned  off  for  the  National  War 
Fund  at  the  Stamp  Collectors  Club, 
New  York,  Oct.  30  at  eight  P.M.  The 
covers  bear  the  Iwo  Jima  flag-rais- 
ing stamp.  Former  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral James  A.  Farley  will  be  one  of 
the  auctioneers. 

'Arrangements  for  obtaining  the 
covers  were  made  through  the  War 
Activities  Committee  and  the  Public 
Information  Committee  of  Hollywood, 
with  Leon  J.  Bamberger,  RKO  Ra- 
dio, handling  arrangements  in  New 
York,  and  Arch  Reeve  of  the  PIC 
securing  signatures  at  studios. 


Take  Depositions  in 
Park- Butte  Action 

Attorneys  for  distributors  in  New 
York  have  started  to  take  depositions 
from  their  sales  executives  to  be  used 
on  behalf  of '  the  defendants  in  the 
anti-trust  suit  brought  by  the  Park- 
Butte  Theatre  Co.  of  Butte,  Montana 
against  20th  Century-Fox,  National 
Theatres  and  other  defendants. 

Richard  Morgan,  Paramount  New 
York  attorney,  and  Alf  C.  Kramer, 
counsel  for  Paramount  in  Butte,  have 
already  taken  the  deposition  of  George 
A.  Smith,  Paramount  Western  divi- 
sion sales  manager. 


Theatre  Rugs  Coming 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  25.  —  Rugs 
and  carpets,  drastically  curtailed  dur- 
ing the  war,  will  soon  be  available, 
Fred  Dodge  of  the  Alexander  Smith- 
Maisland  Companies  said  recently  at 
a  meeting  here.  Film  theatres,  along 
with  other  places,  have  long  been  in 
need  of  new  carpeting. 


Linet  to  Address  Lion's 

Allentown,  Pa.,  Sept.  25. — Henry 
A.  Linet,  executive  assistant  to  Mau- 
rice Bergman,  Universal's  Eastern  ad- 
vertising-publicity director,  will  ad- 
dress the  monthly  meeting  of  the 
Lion's  Club  here,  on  "Motion  Picture 
Advertising." 


Critics9  Quotes  .  .  . 

"CHRISTMAS  IN  CONNECTICUT"  (Warners) 

The  nicest  thing  about  "Christmas  in  Connecticut"  are  the  shots  of  the  up- 
North  farm  in  lovely  Connecticut  to  which  the  plot  moves  its  people  half  way 
through  the  picture.  The  farm,  with  its  rambling  stone  Colonial  house,  looks 
like  a  city  dweller's  dream  of  private  paradise.  .  .  .  The  plot's  doings,  while 
having  a  certain  sparkling  quality  at  times  that  makes  a  proper  blend  with  the 
scenery,  do  not,  by  and  large,  come  up  to  the  natural  settings.  They  have 
the  appearance  of  fugitives  from  burlesque  skits  that  have  wandered  into  the 
Northlands  by  mistake.  And  the  people  are  equally  unreal. — Jack  Balch,  St. 
Louis  Post-Dispatch. 

"THE  TRUE  GLORY"  (Columbia) 

Powerful  and  moving  as  only  a  film  can  be  whose  actors  have  not  had 
time  to  rehearse  their  parts  before  the  camera  and  who  are  unaware  of  the 
next  step  in  the  plot.  .  .  .  Material  given  you  with  a  continuity  and  an  over- 
allness  that  is  impressive. — Echvard  Carberry,  Cincinnati  Post. 

"JOHNNY  ANGEL"  (RKO) 

An  enjoyable  dish  ...  as  interesting  a  bunch  of  characters  as  were  ever 


stirred  together  in  a  cinematic  stew.  .  .  .  Excellently  directed  . 
work. — Helen  Detsel,  Cincinnati  Times-Star. 


fine  camera 


C.  B.  DeMille  Cited 
For  Americanism 

Cecil  B.  De  Mille,  Paramount  pro- 
ducer-director, was  awarded  the  1945 
'Americanism  Medal'  of  the  Wall  St. 
Post  of  the  American  Legion  in  a 
Bill-of-Rights-Day  ceremony  on  the 
steps  of  the  Sub-Treasury  Building, 
here,  yesterday.  He  was  cited  for 
having  fought  "electrifyingly  for  his 
fundamental  freedoms  as  he  saw  them." 

Barney  Balaban,  Paramount  pres- 
ident, and  vice-president  of  the  Bill 
of  Rights  Commemorative  Society, 
presented  De  Mille  with  a  rare  fac- 
simile of  the  Library  of  Congress  copy 
of  the  Bill  of  Rights.  Claude  Lee,  pub- 
lic relations  executive  for  Paramount, 
who  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  so- 
ciety, also  was  present  at  the  cere- 
mony. 


'Objective  Burma'  Is 
Withdrawn  in  Britain 

London,  Sept.  25. — Warners'  "Ob- 
jective Burma"  has  been  withdrawn 
from  the  Warner  Theatre  here  and 
also  from  general  release  following 
public  expression  of  a  feeling  that  it 
overemphasizes  the  part  American 
troops  played  in  the  Burma  campaign 
and  minimizes  the  British  effort. 

The  London  Times  quotes  "embar- 
rassment" expressed  by  Col.  William 
H.  Taylor,  "one  of  the  Americans 
who  were  in  the  minority  in  these  par- 
ticular operations."  The  paper  also  ac- 
cuses other  U.  S.  films  of  being  mis- 
leading in  regard  to  Britain's  war  ef- 
fort. 

Withdrawal  of  "Burma"  from  As- 
sociated British  Cinemas  bookings 
was  taken  at  the  instance  of  Sir  Philip 
Warter,  ABC  chairman. 


Arthur  Mayer  Hails 
M.P.  Institute  Plan 

Formation  of  a  Motion  Picture  In- 
stitute to  preserve  the  industry's  co- 
operative efforts  achieved  in  wartime, 
as  proposed  by  Eric  A.  Johnston, 
MPPDA  president,  was  commended 
yesterday  by  Arthur  L.  Mayer,  New 
York  theatre  operator,  on  the  eve  of 
his  departure  for  the  Far  East  on  a 
mission  for  the  American  Red  Cross. 
Mayer  said :  "I  am  leaving  today  for 
China  and  India,  countries,  which  like 
the  motion  picture  industry,  in  spite  of 
their  strength  and  vast  potential 
power,  have  been  pushed  around  be- 
cause of  their  lack  of  unity. 

"Although  not  fully  conversant  with 
the  details  of  Eric  Johnston's  proposal 
for  a  Motion  Picture  Institute,  I 
strongly  favor  an  organization  which 
will  give  proper  and  equal  represen- 
tation to  all  branches  of  the  industry, 
and  which  will  consolidate  our  joint 
resources,  manpower  and  experience, 
so  that  we  can  defend  our  common  in- 
terests and  attain  the  fullest  freedom 
foi*the  motion  picture  as  the  outstand- 
ing medium  of  American  entertain- 
ment, ideals  and  democracy." 


Sol  Rosenblatt  Back 

Sol  A.  Rosenblatt,  industry  attor- 
ney, has  returned  from  active  duty 
with  the  Army  Air  Forces  and  has  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law.  A  brother, 
Herman  Rosenblatt,  who  recently  re- 
turned from  service  with  the  Navy, 
also  has  returned  to  the  law  firm. 


New  Ampro  Projector 

Chicago,  Sept.  25. — The  Ampro 
Corp.  announces  a  new  Amprosound 
'Premier-10'  16mm.  projector  with 
aluminum  castings,  equipped  for  both 
silent  and  sound  film  speeds  and  re- 
verse operation. 


Astor  to  Produce  Two 

Astor  Pictures  will  begin  shooting 
the  first  of  two  planned  full-length 
Negro  musical  dramas  in  about  a 
month,  Robert  Savini,  the  company's 
president,  disclosed  at  the  home  office 
here  yesterday.  The  productions  will 
be  filmed  at  studios  in  the  Bronx,  he 
said.  Savini  has  arrived  in  New  York 
from  a  Southern  field  tour,  and  will 
depart  again  in  two  weeks  for  visits 
to  Western  franchise  holders'  offices. 


Lionel  Toll  Discharged 

Capt.  Lionel  J.  Toll,  who  handled 
newsreels  and  motion  picture  activi- 
ties for  the  War  Department  Bureau 
of  Public  Relations,  here,  will  receive 
his  discharge  from'  the  Army  this 
week.  His  last  official  mission  was 
War  Department  liaison  with  the  in- 
dustry's War  Activities  Committee  on 
General  Eisenhower's  film,  "The  True 
Glory."  Toll  will  resume  his  posi- 
tion as  editor  of  The  Independent, 
trade  publication. 


Short 
Subjects 


) 


"Unusual  Occupations" 

(Paramount) 

The  reel  contains  shots  of  Rasmus 
Peterson  who  has  made  a  lifetime  oc- 
cupation of  creating  miniature  rock 
castles,    bridges    and    little    houses,  "j 
Shown  in  other  sequences  are  the  med 
als  of  the  United  States  given  for 
courage  in  battle,   a  barber  chair  situ-- 
ated  in  the  middle  of  a  river  while  the' 
owner  relaxes,  waiting  for  the  fish  to 
bite,  Gerrit  Tenbrink's  hobby  of  wood-1 
en  shoemaking,  the  art  of  making  fine... 
fighting  knives,  and  a  concluding  se-^  « 
quence  which  shows  two  fighters  in.  k. 
action  with  a  woman  as  the  referee. 
Running  time,  10  minutes. 


'Busy  Bakers" 


Filmack  Agency  Deal 

Chicago,  Sept.  25. — Filmack  Trail- 
ers announces  the  appointment  of  the 
Craig  E.  Dennison  Advertising  Agen- 
cy as  its  advertising  representative. 


(  Warners) 

In  this  "Blue  Ribbon  Hit  Parade' 
cartoon,  an  old  baker's  business  is  get 
ting  worse  and  worse.  Just  before  he 
gets  ready  to  close  up,  an  old  man 
,enters  and  asks  for  something  to  eat, 
and  the  baker  gives  him  the  last  bit  of 
food  in  the  store.  But  the  'beggar 
turns  out  to  be  a  dwarf  who  rounds 
up  all  his  friends  and  returns  to  the 
shop.  There  the  good  little  men  busy 
themselves  in  filling  up  the  shelves 
with  pies,  cakes  and  bread.  The  film 
is  in  Technicolor.  Running  time 
minutes.    Release  date,  Sept.  15. 


f 


"Hill-Billy  Artist" 

(Universal  Person  Oddity) 

Contents :  Paul  Webb,  creator  of 
Esquire's  mountain  boys',  at  work  in 
New  Canaan,  Conn. ;  Mary  Speers  has 
a  collection  of  6,000,000  buttons  at  her 
home  in  Sonora,  Cal.;  champagne  is 
made  on  Middle  Bass  Isle,  Ohio;  R 
V.  Fisher  has  a  collection  of  7,000 
miniatures  at  Rochester,  Pa. ;  Kathleer 
Walker  puts  her  trained  bull  through' 
its  paces  at  Oglesby,  Tex.  Running 
time,  nine  minutes. 


:: 


"Louisiana  Springtime" 

(20th-Fox  Movietone  Adventure) 

The  almost  poetic  beauty  of  Louisi 
ana  in  springtime  has  been  captured  in 
Technicolor.  Bayou  country,  river; 
steamboat,  levee  road,  old  New  Or 
leans,  the  French  quarter,  Creole  cook- 
ing, plantation  homes,  cotton  field; 
and  Southern  hospitality  come  to  life 
in  this  entertaining  subject.  Running 
time,  eight  minutes. 


1  h 

Albany  Variety  Dinner  <  ft 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  25. — Tent  No 
9,  Albany  Variety  Club,  held  the  first 
of  its  weekly  dinners  for  the  fall  anc 
winter,  at  the  Ten  Eyck  Hotel,  last 
evening.  The  speaker  was  the  Rev. 
Father  Marurus  Fitzgerald  of  Sienaf  I 
College.  Chief  barker  Herman  Ripps^  ') 
M-G-M  branch  and  district  manager, 
and  Edward  Susse,  his  office  manager, 
comprised  the  committee  on  arrange- 
ments. 


Finn,  Levine  Produce 

Hartford,  Sept.  25.  —  Max  Finn 
general  manager  for  E.  M.  Loew': 
circuit  in  New  England,  has  entered 
the  producing  field  with  "Gasligh 
Follies,"  together  with  Joe  Levine  o 
Boston  and  the  world  premiere  wilj|: 
be  held  at  E.  M.  Loew's  theatre 
Hartford,  on  Friday. 


First  in 


MOTION  PICTURE 

DAILY 


Alert, 


to  the  T^Qtion 
Picture 
Industry 


OL.  58.  NO.  62 


NEW  YORK.  U.S.A..  THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  27,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Capital  Trust    Bernhard  in  Production, 


Suit  Names 
WB  Theatres 


Lust's  Action  Seeks 
Dissolution  of  Circuit 


i  Washington,  Sept.  26. — Charg- 
ing that  Warner  Bros,  were  prepar- 
ing to  erect  theatres  in  areas  where 
independent  exhibitors'  plans  for 
'ronstruction  of  new  houses  were  held 
hp  because  of  wartime  restrictions. 
Sidney  B.  Lust,  operator  of  seven 
.theatres,  today  filed  an  anti-trust  suit 
in  Federal  District  court  here.  The 
action  asks  that  a  receiver  be  appoint- 
ed for  Warner  Bros.  Circuit  Manage- 
ment Co.,  and  for  the  dissolution  of 
its  theatre  circuit,  wbicb  has  21  houses 
in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

In  addition  to  the  theatre  company, 
the  suit  names  Warner  Bros.  Pictures, 
Inc.;     Warner     Bros.  Distributing 

(.Continued  on   page  6) 


Victory  Loan 
Cabinet  Set 


The   industry's   headquarters'  Vic- 
-:f.tory  Loan  "cabinet"   was  completed 
" 'fere  yesterday  with  the  appointment 
Tjt>f  Frank   P.  Rosenberg  as  national 
.  'publicity  director,  according  to  S.  H. 
""Fabian,   national   chairman.  Rosen- 
erg,  assistant  director   of  publicity 
and  exploitation  for  Columbia,  will 
^.tvork  at  War   Activities  Committee 
eadquarters,  where  he  has  already 
.  iken  up  his  duties  as  associate  of 
ijfr  Oscar  A.   Doob.  campaign  director: 

(Continued  on  pane  6) 


Griffith  Trial  Ends 
By  Next  Wednesday 

Oklahoma    City,    Sept.   26. — The 
1  Government     introduced  newspaper 
hies   from    Shawnee.   Okla.,    in  the 
Griffith  anti-trust  trial  in  Federal  Dis- 
trict Court  here  today  in  an  effort  to 
impeach  testimony  of  B.  J.  McKenna, 
:  Griffith  Amusement  Co.  general  man- 
|  £ger,  regarding  price  policies  in  that 
|  town  during  the  1930's. 

This  Justice  Department  counter-at- 
tack preceded  an  announcement  by 
,  Robert  L.  Wright,  special  assistant  to 
ithe  XJ.  S.  Attorney  General,  that  he 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Kalmine  in  Line  for  Post 


The  resignation  of  Joseph  Bernhard 
is  a  vice-president  and  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  Warner  Bros. 
Pictures,  Inc.,  was  announced  by  the 
company  yesterday  following  a  meeting 
of  the  board  on  Tuesday  night.  He  re- 
signed to  become  president  of  a  new 
producing  organization,  United  States 
Pictures,  Inc..  to  be  formed  by  him  in 
association  with  Milton  Sperling.  Dis- 
tribution, it  is  understood,  will  be 
through  Warners. 

Bernhard  is  also  general  manager  of 
Warner  Theatres,  a  post  which  he  will 
relinquish  later,  and  for  which  Harry 
Kalmine,  assistant  general  manager, 
is  understood  to  be  in  line.  Bernhard 
will  leave  New  York  for  Hollywood 
next  week. 

Bernhard  joined  Warner  Brothers 
in  Jan..  1931,  and  two  years  later  was 
appointed  by  Harry  M.  Warner  to  the 


post  of  general  manager  of  Warner 
Theatres.  In  1936  he  was  elected  a 
vice-president  and  member  of  the 
board  of  directors. 

He  was  the  first  chairman  of  the 
theatres  division  of  the  War  Activities 
Committee,  formed  to  coordinate  the 
industry's  war  efforts,  and  was  nation- 
al chairman  of  the  motion  picture  di- 
vision of  the  Red  Cross  Drive  last 
year.  He  also  organized  a  conserva- 
tion bureau  for  the  Navy  Department's 
Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  for  which 
he  was  awarded  the  Navy's  highest 
civilian  honor,  Tuesday  night. 

Sperling  was  a  producer  for  20th 
i  entury-Fox  before  going  into  the 
Marine  Corps  two  years  ago.  He  has 
just  been  discharged  from  the  service 
with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  will  be 
vice-president  of  the  newly-formed 
company. 


31  on  Dais  at  Colin 
Testimonial  Tonight 


Final  details   were  completed  late 
yesterday   for  tonight's  Waldorf-As- 
toria dinner  in  honor  of  Jack  Cohn, 
Columbia    Pictures    vice-president,  it 
w  a  s  reported 
last    night  by 
Barney    B  a  1  a- 
b  a  n,  honorary 
chairman,  and 
Nate   B.  Spin- 
gold,  dinner 
chairman. 

Named  for 
the  dais,  in  ad- 
dition to  the 
aforemen- 
tioned, were  the 
following :  Bar- 
ney  Balaban, 
Joseph  Bern- 
hard,  Nate 
B  1  u  m  b  e  r  g, 
Harry  Brandt.  Jules  Brulatour,  Rabbi 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


Jack  Cohn 


Hammons  Becomes 
President  of  Ross 


F.  W.  Hammons,  pioneer  in  short 
subject  production  and  distribution, 
has  been  elected  president  of  Ross 
Federal  Service,  it  was  announced  here 
y  e  s  t  e  rday  by 
Harry  A.  Ross, 
who  moves 
from  the  presi- 
dency to  board 
chairman. 

Ross  ex- 
plained the 
move  will  give 
him  more  time 
to  spend  in  the 
fi  e  1  d  "with 
branch  m  a  n  - 
agers ;  at  least 
six  months  will 
be  needed  to 
make  extended 

visits     to     each         E.  W.  Hammons 

branch."     Hammons  will  have  "full 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Lyon,  Bebe  Daniels 
Join  20th,  Roach 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26. — Bebe  Dan- 
iels and  her  husband,  Ben  Lyon,  who 
have  appeared  together  in  many  Holly- 
wood and  British  pictures,  have  be- 
come associated  with  Hal  Roach  and 
20th  Century-Fox,  respectively. 

Lyon  has  joined  20th-Fox  as  a  tal- 
ent executive  and  reportedly  will  go 
to  London  in  November  to  act  as  a 
talent  liaison  between  Europe  and 
America.  His  wife  will  produce  a 
series  of  'streamlined'  comedies  for 
Roach. 


U.  S.  Operates  50 
German  Theatres 

A  number  of  American  features 
are  being  released  to  the  SO  theatres 
operating  in  the  U.  S.  zone  of  oc- 
cupation in  Germany,  according  to 
word  reaching  Government  sources 
here  from  abroad.  Brig.-Gen.  Robert 
R.  McClure's  Army  Information  Con- 
trol Division  is  supervising. 

Morris  Goodman,  who  will  be  the 
industry's  Motion  Picture  Export  Co. 
representative  in  Germany,  will  serve 
as  liaison  between  the  industry  and  the 
Armv. 


Independents 
May  Have  Own 
Export  Plans 

Nelson  Sees  Solutions 
On  Individual  Basis 


Stressing  that  the  overall  opera- 
tional plans  of  the  distributors' 
Motion  Picture  Export  Co.  are 
more  directly  concerned  with  the 
distribution  end  rather  than  with  pro- 
duction and  the  specific  releasing  prob- 
lems of  the  Society  of  Independent 
Motion  Picture  Producers,  Donald  M. 
Nelson,  SIMPP  president,  has  indi- 
cated that  the  independent  produc- 
ers might  attempt  to  resolve  their  for- 
eign distribution  problems  on  an  in- 
dividual basis  rather  than  by  concert- 
ed action  through  SIMPP. 

Nelson  again  pointed  out  that  the  in- 
dependents would  stand  side-by-side 
with  distribution  companies  in  seeking 
(Continued  on  page  6) 


Will  Keep  Tax 
On  Admission 


Washington,  Sept.  26. — Hopes  of 
exhibitors  for  early  repeal  of  wartime 
theatre  admission  tax  rates,  as  origi- 
nally expected,  were  dashed  today 
when  the  House  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  announced  it  would  not 
consider  excise  taxes  in  the  transi- 
tional tax-relief  bill  which  it  is  now 
preparing  to  write. 

The  Committee  explained  that  since 
it  will  be  necessary  to  enact  the  legis- 
lation by  Nov.  1,  to  be  made  effective 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Absenteeism  Grows 
In  Home  Offices 


New  York's  business-paralyzing 
elevator  tie-up  continued  in  its  third 
day  yesterday,  and  employe  absentee- 
ism mounted  to  greater  proportions 
in  Paramount  and  Republic  home  of- 
fices, located  in  buildings  gripped  by 
the  strike.  Strike-created  film  and 
supply  delivery  hardships  put  a  heav- 
ier strain  on  exchange  operations. 

Meanwhile,  a  beneficial  aspect  of 
the  strike  from  an  industry  standpoint 
was  evidenced  yesterday  by  the  al- 
most unprecedented  crowds  of  office 
(Continued  on  page  7) 


2 


Motion  Picture  dail\ 


Thursday,  September  27,  194 


Golden  to  Address 
Dealers  Convention 


Personal  Mention 


Chicago,  Sept.  26.  —  Nathan  D. 
Golden,  motion  picture  officer  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  who  was 
a  featured  speaker  at  the  convention 
of  the  Theatre  Equipment  Dealers 
Protective  Association  last  year,  will 
address  the  group  at  the  Edgewater 
Beach  Hotel  here  on  Oct.  6,  the  sec- 
ond day  of  TEDPA's  three-day  meet- 
ing. He  will  bring  the  dealers  and 
manufacturers  up  to  date  on  foreign 
market  conditions. 

Other  speakers  on  the  program,  re- 
vealed by  Ray  Colvin,  TEDPA's  sec- 
retary, include :  D.  B.  Joy  of  National 
Carbon ;  C  R.  Stover,  of  General 
Electric's  Midland  lamp  division,  and 
L.  P.  Hanson,  chief  engineer  of  U.  S. 
Air  Conditioning's  marine  division. 

Colvin  will  arrive  from  St.  Louis 
Monday  to  handle  last-minute  details. 
Some  175  dealers  and  manufacturers 
are  expected. 

The  're-vitalized'  Theatre  Equip- 
ment and  Supply  Manufacturers  As- 
sociation will  hold  individual  and  joint 
meetings,  under  the  leadership  of  Os- 
car Neu  and  E.  A.  Williford. 

Columbia  Board  to 
Meet  on  the  Coast 

Columbia's  board  of  directors  will 
hold  a  meeting  on  the  Coast,  probably 
some  time  next  week,  although  no  defi- 
nite date  has  been  set.  Attending  will 
be  the  following  home  office  execu- 
tives, who  will  leave  New  York  to- 
morrow :  Jack  Cohn,  Nate  Spingold, 
Charles  Schwartz,  Donald  Stralem, 
Theodore  Blancke  and  Leo  Jaffe. 

A.  Montague  will  go  to  Hollywood 
for  the  meeting  direct  from  New  Or- 
leans where  he  has  been  participating 
in  a  company  regional  convention. 
Abe  Schneider,  who  is  already  on  the 
Coast,  will  also  attend  the  meeting. 

Accompanying  the  group  who  will 
leave  here  will  be  Art  Schmidt,  re- 
cently discharged  from  the  Armed 
Forces,  who  has  been  named  advertis- 
ing consultant  and  assistant  to  Harry 
Cohn  there.  Lt.  Bob  Taplinger,  soon 
to  be  discharged  from  the  Navy,  will 
also  depart  for  Hollywood  tomor- 
row, and  with  his  return  to  civilian 
life  will  rejoin  Columbia  as  Cohn's 
production  aide. 


Richey  Will  Attend 
W.  Va.  Meeting  Oct  2 

Henderson  M.  Richey,  director  of 
exhibitor  relations  for  M-G-M,  will 
leave  New  York  this  week  for  Charles- 
ton to  attend  the  convention  of  the 
Managers  Association  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, on  Oct.  2. 

Another  exhibitor  association  meet- 
ing to  be  set  is  a  two-day  conference 
of  the  Independent  Theatre  Owners  of 
Wisconsin  and  Upper  Michigan,  at  the 
Hotel  Schroeder,  Milwaukee,  be- 
ginning Oct.  31. 


Copelan  Back  to  Warners 

Herbert  Copelan,  formerly  manager 
of  Warner  circuit  houses  in  Atlantic 
City,  has  returned  to  the  theater  de- 
partment staff  at  the  Warner  home  of- 
fice following  a  military  discharge. 


A J.  O'KEEFE,  Universal  West- 
•  ern  division  sales  manager,  will 
return  to  New  York  today  from  Chi- 
cago. 

A.  Montague,  Rube  Jackter, 
George  Josephs  and  H.  C.  Kaufman 
of  Columbia  will  arrive  in  Los  Ange- 
les Monday  from  New  Orleans  for  a 
three-day  zone  sales  meeting  at  the 
Ambassador  Hotel  starting  Tuesday. 
• 

Jack   Sanson,  manager  of  War- 
ners' State  at  Manchester,  Conn.,  is 
chairman  of  a  civic  committee  ar- 
ranging for  State  Guard  Day  there. 
• 

Cecil  B.  DeMille,  Paramount  pro- 
ducer-director now  in  New  York,  is 
scheduled  to  address  the  Executive's 
Club  in  Chicago  tomorrow. 

• 

Morey  Goldstein,  Monogram's 
Eastern  sales  manager,  has  returned 
to  New  York  after  a  10-day  Cleveland 
and  Cincinnati  trip. 

• 

J.  H.  Thompson  of  Martin  and 
Thompson  Theatres,  Hawkinsville, 
Ga.,  is  visiting  in  Atlanta. 

• 

Paul  Richrath,  assistant  to  E.  K. 
O'Shea,  M-G-M  Eastern  Sales  man- 
ager, has  returned  from  vacation. 
• 

Sylvan  Goldfinger,  Midwest  su- 
pervisor for  Telenews,  has  returned  to 
Chicago  from  New  York. 

• 

Ted  Toddy,  president  of  Toddy  Pic- 
tures, New  York,  is  visiting  the  At- 
lanta Branch. 

• 

Bob  Hickey,  RKO  Midwest  field 
supervisor,  Chicago,  is  visiting  in  Kan- 
sas City. 

Frank  Merritt,  president  of  Acme 
Theatres,  Inc.,  Birmingham,  is  visit- 
ing in  Atlanta. 

• 

Louis  J.  Kaufman,  Warner  The- 
atres executive,  is  in  Cleveland  and 
will  return  here  later  this  week. 
• 

Arthur  C.  Bromberg,  president  of 
Monogram  Southern  Exchanges,  At- 
lanta, is  visiting  in  Charlotte. 
• 

Dave  Epstein  will  return  to  the 
Coast  today. 

Hal  B.  Wallis  is  due  in  New 
York  from  Hollywood  on  Monday. 


Buddy  Rogers  To  Do 
Six  Annually  for  UA 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26. — Buddy  Rog- 
ers will  produce  six  streamlined 
comedy  features  annually  for  United 
Artists  release,  a  UA  spokesman  con- 
firmed here  today. 


Julius  Korngold  Dies 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26. — Julius  Korn- 
gold, 84,  who,  with  his  son,  Erich 
Wolfgang  Korngold,  wrote  the  Acad- 
emy-award-winning score  for  "Robin 
Hood,"  died  here  yesterday. 


IX 7  ILLIAM  C.  GEHRING,  Cen- 
VV  tral  sales  manager  for  20th 
Century-Fox,  is  in  Detroit. 

• 

Seymour  Schussel,  manager  of 
Film  Classics  New  York  exchange, 
has  announced  the  engagement  of  his 
daughter,  Corinne,  to  Harry  Egelman 
of  Long  Island. 

• 

Danny  Kaye,  in  Chicago  this  week 
in  the  interests  of  the  Community 
War  Fund,  is  scheduled  to  leave  Sat- 
urday for  the  South  Pacific  on  a  six- 
weeks'  USO  tour. 

• 

R.  F.  Branon,  RKO  branch  mana- 
ger in  Charlotte,  is  recovering  from 
a  recent  illness  at  the  Tryon  Hospi- 
tal, there. 

Benjamin  Harris,  manager  of  the 
American  Film  Exchange,  Philadel- 
phia, has  entered  Jefferson  Hospital 
there  for  an  operation. 

Walter   Gettinger,   co-owner  of 
the    Vogue    Theatre,    Baltimore,  is 
spending  several  days  in  New  York. 
• 

B.  D.  Garner,  vice-president  of 
Florida  State  Theatres,  Jacksonville, 
is  visiting  Atlanta. 

Bucky  Harris,  RKO  exploitation 
representative  in  Philadelphia,  is  re- 
covering after  an  operation. 

• 

Harry  Tugend,  Paramount  pro- 
duction executive,  is  expected  here 
from  the  Coast  on  Oct.  8. 

• 

Alexander  Korda  has  arrived  in 
Hollywood  from  New  York  and  Lon- 
don. 

Walter  Brooks,  assistant  to  H.  M. 
Richey  at  Loew's,  will   leave  here 
Monday  on  a  Midwestern  tour. 
• 

Sol  Lesser  and  Mike  Rosenberg 
will  leave  Hollywood  by  train  tomor- 
row for  Chicago. 

• 

Edward  Small,  independent  pro- 
ducer, is  expected  in  New  York  from 
the  Coast  over  the  weekend. 

• 

Fred  Rohrs,  PRC  Southeastern  di- 
vision  manager,   is   visiting  Atlanta 
franchise  holders  Ike  and  Harry  Katz. 
• 

George  Jessel  left  Hollywood  yes- 
terday by  plane  for  New  York. 


Mayor  Entertains  Today 

Mayor  LaGuardia  and  the  Army 
and  Navy  will  honor  the  Broadway 
entertainment  world  with  a  reception 
at  City  Hall  at  five  o'clock  this  after- 
noon. Mrs.  Eleanor  Roosevelt  will 
attend.  Passes  are  being  issued  to 
service  men. 


Films  May  Help  Center 

Newbold  Morris,  president  of  the 
New  York  City  Council,  told  a  Mutual 
Broadcasting  audience  last  night  that 
motion  picture  interests  may  help 
finance  plays  at  the  City  Center. 


Lober  and  Picker 
Leave  OWI  Oct.  1 

Louis  Lober  will  leave'  his  post  a 
head  of  the  Office  of  War  Informatioi 
overseas  film  bureau,  now  operatin 
within  a  State  Department  setup,  t 
assume  on  Oct.  1  his  new  post  witl 
Loew's  International  as  assistan 
regional  director  for  Europe,  Nort 
Africa  and  the  Near  East.  He  wil 
however,  continue  to  assist  the  burea 
and  will  be  available  as  consultant. 

At  the  same  time,  Arnold  Picke 
OWI  film  bureau  executive,  will  re 
linquish  his  Government  job  to  retun 
to  Columbia's  foreign  department.  Be;i 
fore  entering  the  OWI,  Picker  was  an 
assistant  to  Joseph  McConville,  pres' 
ident  of  Columbia  International. 

John  Lefebre,  who  used  to  be  witl 
M-G-M  in  Germany  and  Centra 
Europe,  will  handle  industry  films  ant 
documentaries  distributed  by  the  filn 
industry  at  the  OWI.  Lefebre  re 
cently  returned  from  abroad,  where  h 
was  chief  of  the  film,  theatre  an 
music  section  for  Germany  in  Londo 

Al  Hemsing  will  continue  in  hi 
present  capacity  at  the  OWI  as  hea 
of  non-theatrical  distribution  of  1 
and  35  mm.  films.  Frank  Smith  wi 
have  general  supervision  of  the  office 

Weitman,  Nizer  ai 
Gen.  Rose  Memorial 

Robert  M.  Weitman,  Louis  Nizerl 
Moss  Hart,  Ed  Sullivan,  Jan  Peerc; 
and  Arthur  Szyk  are  members  of  tb 
General  Rose  Memorial  Committc 
which  will  hold  a  luncheon-meeting  a 
the  Hotel  Waldorf  Astoria,  here,  oi 
Tuesday,  in  honor  of  the  memory  o 
the  late  Major  General  Maurice  Rose, 
who  was  slain  by  the  Nazis  on  th 
eve  of  victory  in  Europe. 

The  luncheon  will  highlight  th 
drive  in  New  York  for  funds  for  th 
General  Rose  Memorial  Hospital  i 
Denver.  Eddie  Dowling  will  be  mas 
ter  of  ceremonies  and  the  luncheon  wi 
feature  the  presentation  of  a  $30,00 
check,  representing  contributions  o 
over  10,000  'G.  I.'s'  who  served  unde 
Rose.  Col.  John  A.  Smith,  Jr.,  flow? 
from  Europe  as  an  emissary  of  Geii 
Dwight  D.  Eisenhower,  will  make  th 
presentation.  George  Gordon  Battl 
will  be  honorary  chairman. 

SWG  Seeks  Denial  on 
Disqualified  Strikers 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26. — The  Screes 
Writers  Guild  last  night  telegrapher 
the  National  Labor  Relations  Boar' 
urging  an  early  statement  denying  r,e 
ports  that  the  board  had  decided  t 
disqualify  votes  cast  by  strikers  in  th) 
set  decorators'  election. 

The  strike  Strategy  Committee  an 
nounced  that  the  National  Lawyer 
Guild  will  have  ranking  labor  attor 
neys  present  at  the  NLRB  hearings  ii 
Washington  on  Friday  as  'friends  o 
the  board,'  and  that  California  con 
gressmen  also  will  attend. 

The  Screen  Actors  Guild  telegraphc 
the  NLRB  urging  an  early  decisio 
in  the  set  decorators'  case  and  passe- 
a  resoluton  calling  on  the  America 
Federation  of  Labor  to  establish  new 
fast-acting  machinery  for  the  settle 
ment  of  jurisdictional  problems. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Ouigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday,  Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigle 
Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  2170  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  New  York  Martm  Quiglej 
President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary;  Sherwin  Kane.  Editor;  James  P.  Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertisin 
Manager;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representative;  Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureai 
4  Golden  Sq.,  London  WI,  Hope  Bitmap,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor;  cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatre- 
[nternational  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second  class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y-,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879.  Subscripts 
rat'-:  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  single  copies,  10c. 


CAt4T 
STOP 


HINKING- 
ABOUT 


,rs  r„r  ***** 


/ 


ING 


JOAN  CRAWFORD  ..  MILDRED  PIERCE 
JACK  CARSON  AM>  ZACHARY  SCOTT 


—  EVE  ARDEN  ANN  BLYTH  .  BRUCE  BENNETT  ■  Sc™  EXSKTSWESSr  N°ve'  '  JERRY  WALD       uirHABL  CU&lt 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  27,  1945 


By  THALIA  BELL 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26 

VIRGINIA  GREY  has  been  sign- 
by  Paramount  producers  Bill  Pine 
and  Bill  Thomas  for  one  of  the  leads 
in  "Swamp  Fire,"  drama  of  the  Louis- 
iana bayous,  with  Johnny  Weissmuller 
in  the  leading  male  role,  and  Buster 
Crabbe  as  the  'heavy.'  .  .  .  Louis  de 
Rochemont,  whose  last  production  for 
20th  Century-Fox  was  "The  House  on 
92nd  Street,"  has  had  his  option  lifted. 
.  .  .  Jim  Bannon  is  set  for  the  lead  in 
"The  Head,"  second  in  Columbia's  "I 
Love  a  Mystery"  series.  .  .  .  The  King 
brothers  have  purchased  "My  Brother 
Jake,"  by  Eustace  Cockrell,  for  pro- 
duction early  in  1946.  .  .  .  Martha 
O'Driscoll  will  have  the  lead  opposite 
Lon  Chaney  in  Universal's  newest 
horror  film,  "House  of  Dracula." 
• 

Randolph  Scott  and  Joan  Blondell 
have  been  signed  by  20th  Century- 
Fox  for  top  roles  in  "Our  Moment 
Is  Swift,"  which  Joseph  Mankiewicz 
will  direct  and  Andy  Lawler  will 
produce.  .  .  .  Dean  Jagger  will  re- 
sume his  Hollywood  career  with  an 
important  role  in  RKO  Radio's  "Sis- 
ter Kenny,"  which  will  co-star  Rosa- 
lind Russell  and  Alexander  Knox. 
.  .  .  Dore  Schary's  assistant  on  Van- 
guard's "Some  Must  Watch,"  will  be 
Edgar  Peterson,  who  acted  as  civil- 
ian assistant  to  Frank  Capra  on  the 
War  Department's  "Why  We  Fight" 
series. 


Six  Are  Named  to 
Pick  German  Films 


Nominations  by  the  American 
Civil  Liberties  Union  of  three  repre- 
sentatives to  advise  the  U.  S.  Alien 
Property.  Custodian  on  the  disposi- 
tion of  German  and  Austrian  films 
were  announced  here  yesterday.  The 
three  are :  Thurman  Arnold,  Wash- 
ington, former  judge  of  U.  S.  Circuit 
Court;  Dr.  Alexander  Meiklejohn, 
former  president  of  Amherst  College 
and  of  the  Experimental  College  at 
the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and 
Charles  A.  Horsky,  Washington  at- 
torney of  the  firm  of  Covington,  Bur- 
ling, Rublee,  Acheson  and  Shorb. 

They  will  serve  with  three  repre- 
sentatives appointed  by  Congresswom- 
an  Helen  Gahagan  Douglas,  who  op- 
poses the  release  of  the  films.  Her 
representatives  are  Ulric  Bell,  chair- 
man of  Americans  United;  Louis  Do- 
livet,  editor  of  Free  World  Magazine, 
and  Robert  K.  Lamb,  legislative 
representative  of  the  United  Steel 
Workers,  CIO.  The  Alien  Property 
Custodian  requested  the  appointment 
of  the  committee  after  receiving  pro- 
tests from  the  opposing  groups. 

The  differences  of  view  between  the 
two  groups,  according  to  the  Civil 
Liberties  Union,  are  that  Mrs.  Doug- 
las and  her  supporters  oppose  the 
release  of  any  films  made  in  Germany 
and  Austria  on  the  ground  that,  how- 
ever innocent,  they  are  bound'_  to  re- 
flect pro-German  and  pro-Nazi  senti- 
ments, while  the  Civil  Liberties  Union 
holds  that  all  films  should  be  released 
except  those  containing  Nazi  propa- 
ganda. 


Films  on  Television 
Held  Undesirable 


CHICAGO  RECORDS  FALL 


WITH 


fflpfttt  of  U  win 

The  picture  the  world  waited  six  years  to  see! 


CD692  NL  PD  2  EXJRA=CH  ICAGO  ILL  17 
ARTK I  NO  PICTURES= 

723  SEVENTH  AVE  NYK=* 

CONGRATULATIONS  FALL  OF  BERLIN  SMASHED  TWELVE  YEAR  RECORD 
FOR  FIRST  THREE  DAYS  THIS  HOUSE  LONG  LINES  FORMED  BEFORE 
BOX  OFFICE  OPENED  AND  LASTING  ALL  DAY  AUDIENCE 
REACTION  EXCELLENT= 

WORLD  PLAYHOUSE  CHICAGO  A  TIETEL       MGR  D1R". 


NEW  YORK  OPENING 
VICTORIA  THEATRE 
TODAY 


NOW  BOOKING 

Artkino  Pictures 
723  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y. 

BRyant  9-7680 


The  technical  perfection  of  motion 
pictures,  designed  to  entertain  large 
groups  simultaneously,  makes  films  un- 
desirable as  subjects  for  television 
programming  where  material  possess- 
ing spontaniety  and  intimacy  is  de- 
sired, in  the  opinion  of  Edward  Sobel, 
National  Broadcasting  television  pro- 
ducer. 

Addressing  over  100  members  and 
guests  of  the  American  Television  So- 
ciety at  a  luncheon  at  the  Hotel 
Sheraton  here,  yesterday,  Sobel  out- 
lined the  techniques  of  television  pro- 
duction'. George  Shupert,  of  Para- 
mount Pictures,  ATS  president,  pre- 
sided in  the  absence  of  Richard  Man- 
ville,  who  was  scheduled  to  be  chair- 
man of  the  panel  discussion  at  the 
meeting. 

Stage  Actors  Best 

Stage  actors  who  possess  the  quick- 
est abilities  to  memorize  lines  make 
the  best  actors  in  television,  according 
to  Sobel,  who  rated  them  above  radio 
and  motion  picture  personalities  as 
possibilities  for  television  acting.  The 
maximum  time  for  a  dramatic  show  in 
television  cannot  be  more  than  one 
hour,  Sobel  believes,  in  contrast  to  a 
motion  picture,  which  is  usually  long- 
er. Possible  eyestrain  makes  a  long- 
er television  show  undesirable,  he  said. 

Sobel  traced  programming  for  tele- 
vision from  the  initial  stages  of  se- 
curing the  rights  to  literary  material 
and  adapting  it,  through  the  produc- 
tion stages  of  putting  the  program  on 
the  air.  He  also  pointed  out  that  pro- 
hibitive costs  of  films  do  not  make 
them  feasible  as  direct  subjects  for 
television  programs.  He  stressed  that 
the  film  industry  now  regards  televi- 
sion as  a  potential  competitor,  and  is 
no  longer  willing  to  make  new  films 
available  to  television. 

Shupert  announced  that  ATS  will 
hold  meetings  this  season  at  the  Bar- 
bizon  Plaza,  instead  of  at  the  Museum 
of  Modern  Art,  where  last  year's 
meetings  were  held. 


Short 
Subjects 


"A  Self -Made  Mongrel" 

(Paramount-Novel  toons) 

Packed  with  gags,  the  subject  re- 
volves around  a  talking  'mutt'  who  is 
the  pet  of  a  wealthy  eccentric.  Want- 
ing to  play  cops  and  robbers,  the  mas- . 
ter  dons  a  mask.    Hilarious  complicaj  1 
tions  develop  when  a  real  burglar  en'  * 
ters  the  scene.    A  mirthful  finish  sees; 
the  burglar  moving  the  house  with  a 
block  and  tackle  while  the  two  are 
placing  the  blame  for  the  mixup.  In. 
Technicolor.      Running    time,  eight 
minutes. 


'G.I.  Joe9  Enlisted  in 
War  Fund  Campaign 

The  New  York  National  War  Fund 
will  launch  its  campaign  on  the  evening 
of  Oct.  5  at  Hunter  College  with  a 
program  featuring  inaugural  exer- 
cises and  a  special  invitation  showing 
of  "The  Story  of  G :  I.  Joe,"  United 
Artists-Lester  Cowan  production. 
Carl  Whitmore,  president  of  the  New 
York  Telephone  Co.,  is  city-wide 
chairman  of  the  drive.  Offer  of  a 
benefit  New  York  premiere  of  "G.  I. 
Joe"  was  made  by  UA  and  Cowan. 

The  Hunter  College  ceremonies 
will  be  followed  in  the  campaign  period 
thereafter  with  a  city-wide  canvassing 
program  to  be  participated  in  by  thou- 
sands of  volunteer  workers  in  order 
to  raise  $16,723,222  in  support  of  the 
USO,  Defense  Recreation,  Veterans 
Services  and  other  related  organiza- 
tions. 


Gross-Paramount  Deal 

Gross  Theatre,  which  includes  10 
houses  in  Alaska,  has  signed  a  new 
product  deal  with  Paramount,  Del 
Goodman,  Los  Angeles  district  man- 
ager, reports.  The  deal  was  set  in 
Juneau  by  Dwight  Spracher,  sales- 
man attached  to  the  Seattle  exchange, 
who  covers  Alaska  and  flies  there 
twice  a  year. 


"Go  North" 

(Universal-Variety  View) 

The  film  shows  the  economic  possi 
bilities  in  the  Canadian  Northwest 
and  in  Alaska.  Some  of  the  engineer -' 
ing  work  on  the  Alcan  highway  ie' 
shown,  together  with  mining,  agricul- 
ture and  industrial  opportunities^  o1 
this  new  frontier.  Action  is  providee 
with  scenes  of  'shooting  the  rapids. 
Also  included  are  shots  of  construction 
work  on  airfields.  Running  time,  nine1 
minutes. 


"The  Lost  Lake" 

(20th-Fox  Movietone  Adventure) 

A  geographical  mystery  is  solved  b) 
Father  Hubbard  in  this  Cinecolor  sub1 
ject.  The  priest-explorer  discovers  th< 
cause  of  the  periodic  floods  that  yearb 
ravage  Taku  Valley,  and  in  so  doinj 
presents  some  hitherto  unphotographet 
scenes  of  Alaskan  grandeur.  Narra 
tion  is  by  Lowell  Thomas.  Runninf 
time,  eight  minutes. 


Legion  Classifies  7 
Additional  Films 

The  National  Legion  of  Decency  ha 
given  a  Class  B  rating  to  "Mildre< 
Pierce,"  Warners.  In  Class  A-I  ar 
"Bad  Men  of  the  Border,"  Universal 
"Girl  of  the  Limberlost,"  Columbia- 
"Rough  Riders  of  Cheyenne,"  Repub; 
lie,  and  "Sunset  in  El  Dorado,"  Re 
public. 

A  class  A-II  rating  was  given  "Co 
Effingham's  Raid,"  20th  Century-FoN 
and  "Strange  Confession,"  Universal. 


Reade  to  Publish  Paper 

As  bury  Park,  N.  J.,  Sept.  26- 
Walter  Reade,  theatre  circuit  owner 
will  establish  a  daily  newspaper  her! 
shortly  in  the  Merchants  Nations 
Bank  Building,  which  he  has  pur 
chased  from  the  Asbury  Park  an 
Ocean  Grove  Bank  for  $75,000.  Assc 
ciated  with  Reade  in  the  enterprise  wil 
be  former  attorney  general  and  count 
prosecutor  John  J.  Quinn  of  Red  Banl 
The  newspaper  will  be  called  The  A.\ 
bury  Park  Evening  Sun. 


'V-Mail'  Ends  Oct.  31 

'V-Mail,'  the  miniature-film  metho 
by  which  1,500,000,000  letters  wer 
speeded  to  and  from  servicemen  i 
World  War  II,  will  cease  at  mid 
night,  Oct.  31,  according  to  word  re 
ceived  by  Eastman  Kodak.  Thoug 
letters  written  on  'V-Mail'  stationer 
will  be  sent  by  air  after  that  dati 
Kodak's  operation  of  microfilmin 
stations  in  New  York,  Chicago,  Sac 
Francisco,  and  Honolulu  will  cease. 


Thursday,  September  27,  1945 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


5 


Senate  Groups  Set 
.Meet  on  Research 


Washington,  Sept.  26. — The  Sen- 
ate Military  Affairs  and  Senate  Com- 
merce Committees  will  institute  joint 

j  hearings  Oct.  8  on  President  Tru- 
man's recommendation  for  centraliza- 
tion of  Federal  research,  which  is  seen 
as  enabling  the  Government  to  under- 
take studies   in   the  motion  picture, 

''radio  and  practically  any  field  under  a 
mandate  to  support  investigation  "in 
all  matters  pertaining  to  the  defense 
and  security  of  the  Nation." 

Under  the  President's  program,  a 
single  Federal  research  agency  would 
be  set  up  to  promote  and  support 
fundamental  research  and  development 
projects,  encourage  research  in  vari- 
ous fields,  and  coordinate  the  scien- 
tific activities  of  the  various  Govern- 
ment agencies,  the  fruits  of  studies 
financed  by  Federal  funds  to  be  made 
available  to  commerce  and  industry 
generally. 

Industry  Opposition 

While  the  plan  is  being  given  the 
support  of  high  Federal  officials,  in- 
dustry spokesmen  have  indicated  they 
would  oppose  it  strongly  on  the 
ground  that  it  would  stifle  private  re- 
search and  eventually  make  all  indus- 
try dependent  upon  Government  sci- 
ence. 

They  will  point  out  that  individual 
companies  have  expended  large  sums 
on  research  to  improve  their  products 
and  find  new  uses  and  applications,  in 
the  hope  of  improving  their  competi- 
tive position,  but  are  unlikely  to  con- 
tinue on  the  same  scale  if  they  have 
reason  to  believe  that  the  Government 
might  undertake  studies  in  the  same 
field  and  make  results  available  gen- 
erally. 


St.  Louis  'I A'  Gets 
Contract  Proposals 

St.  Louis,  Sept.  26.  —  St.  Louis 
theatres  have  proposed  to  Local  No: 
6,  IATSE,  a  new  contract  covering 
points  decided  by  the  War  Labor 
Board,  it  is  announced  by  Loui*  An- 
sel) of  Ansell  Brothers  Theatre*,  chair- 
man of  an  exhibitors  committee.  The 
contract  would  run  to  June  1,  1947. 

Elmer  Moran,  business  agent  for 
the  union,  explained  that  the  union 
will  submit  a  counter  proposal  within 
a  few  days.  Unsettled  in  the  negotia- 
tions thus  far  are  the  questions  of  ret- 
roactive pay  to  Jan.  15,  1944,  and  ret- 
roactive vacations.  Also  undeterm- 
ined is  the  question  of  when  the  re- 
duction of  one  stagehand  at  each  of 
five  first-run  houses  shall  be  made. 


Film  Heads  to  Aid 
Boston  War  Fund 

Boston,  Sept.  26. — Local  film  ex- 
ecutives will  again  aid  the  Greater 
Boston  United  War  Fund  to  help  put 
over  its  $7,750,000  campaign  for 
local  health,  youth  and  social  services 
and  for  such  continuing  war-related 
appeals  as  the  USO,  United  Sea- 
men's Service  and  agencies  sending  re- 
lief to  Europe,  Philippines  and  China. 

Heading  theatres  during  the  Oct. 
1-17  campaign  are  Joseph  Brennan  of 
Allied  Theatres  and  M.  J.  Cavanaugh, 
general  manager  of  Shubert  theatres. 
Distributors  are  headed  by  co-chair- 
men Maurice  N.  Wolf  of  M-G-M, 
and  John  J.  Dervin  of  United  Art- 
ists. 


Tom  Clark  Called  'Champ 9 
In  Courtroom  and  Kitchen 


Tom  C.  Clark 


With  Tom  C.  Clark  as  Attorney 
General,  "one  thing  at  least  seems  to 
be  certain — the  day  of  the  so-called 
academic  lawyer  has  reached  its  sun- 
set in  the  De- 
partment 
of  Justice." 

So  writes 
Jack  Alexander 
in  this  week's 
Saturday  Eve- 
ning Post.  His 
enlight  en- 
ing  article  on 
Clark,  entitled 
"The  Presi- 
dent's New 
Lawyer,"  takes 
first  position  in 
the  magazine, 
and  leads  off 
with  a  page- 
length  photo  of  Clark,  apron-bedecked 
and  cigar  in  mouth,  flipping  hot  cakes 
over  a  gas  range  in  the  family  kitchen 
of  a  Sunday  morning. 

The  articles  quotes  the  Attorney 
General  from  Dallas,  Texas,  as  saying, 
in  discussing  the  kind  of  subordinates 
he  wants  in  the  Department :  "I  want 
boys  who  have  been  in  a  courthouse 
and  know  how  to  rassle  juries.  I  want 
boys  that  not  only  know  the  law  but 
know  how  to  enforce  it." 

Has  Patience 

"Clark  has  immense  reserves  of  pa- 
tience," Alexander  writes,  "and  isn't 
likely  to  use  his  anti-trust  club  or  any 
of  the  other  weapons  in  the  Attorney 
General's  arsenal  until  he  is  reasonably 
confident  of  getting  results.  .  .  .  One 
of  Clark's  favorite  legal  maxims  is 
that  a  case  well  prepared  is  90  per 
cent  won.  Another  is  A  good  lawyer 
doesn't  file  a  suit  unless  he  is  sure 
he'll  win'.  In  Washington  jargon, 
Clark  is  an  'operator' — that  is,  an  of- 
ficial who  has  a  tender  respect  for 


his  record  and  who  doesn't  jeopardize 
it  by  swinging  wildly,  but  moves  out 
of  his  coiner  only  to  make  a  kill." 

"As  the  Attorney  General,  by  rea- 
son of  his  advisory  status,  is  closer  to 
the  President  than  any  other  Cabinet 
member,  Clark  will  doubtless  have  a 
strong  effect  on  the  character  of  the 
Administration,"  Alexander  writes. 
"The  Attorney  General  sets  the  tone 
of  Federal  justice  throughout  the  coun- 
try. As  adviser  to  the  President,  he 
plays  a  strong  hand  in  determining 
what  kind  of  Federal  judge  or  district 
attorney  is  appointed  when  a  vacancy 
occurs.  As  chief  prosecutor  of  the 
nation,  he  can  see  that  all  offenders 
against  Federal  law  are  impartially 
prosecuted  or  he  can,  if  so  minded, 
refrain  from  seeking  an  indictment 
when  political  pressure  is  exerted." 


Clark  Says  Policy  Is: 
"Be  Fair,  but  Be  Firm' 

Attorney  General  Tom  C.  Clark,  in 
an  address  before  the  Commerce  and 
Industry  Association  of  New  York  on 
Tuesday,  said  it  will  be  his  purpose  to 
cooperate  with  industry  in  an  effort  to 
arrive  at  an  understanding  concerning 
the  anti-trust  laws. 

"We  want  to  be  fair  in  this  matter 
but  at  the  same  time  we  intend  to  be 
firm  about  it,"  Clark  said.  "We  will 
listen  to  both  sides,  and  I  intend  to 
hear  both  sides.  This  means  that  the 
lawyers  on  the  other  side  can  come 
into  my  office  and  we'll  be  glad  to 
talk  it  over  with  them  so  that  you 
(industry)  can  proceed  on  a  better 
business  basis  than  shooting  in  the 
dark." 

"We  do  not  intend  to  make  persecu- 
tors out  of  prosecutors,"  Clark  said. 
"There  will  be  no  witch-hunting,  no 
persecution,  but  there  will  be  a  practi- 
cal, commonsense  viewpoint  in  regard 
to  industry." 


Lawrence  Due  for 
Talks  with  Korda 


Laudy  Lawrence,  former  European 
manager  for  M-G-M,  and  now  serving 
with  the  Government  in  the  Psycholo- 
gical Warfare  Branch,  is  expected  to 
arriye'  here  next  week  from  abroad, 
to  discuss  details  of  his  new  alignment 
with  Sir  Alexander  Korda,  and  to  de- 
cide on  the  possible  establishment  of 
officers.  Korda  is  now  in  Hollywood 
for  studio  conferences  with  M-G-M 
executives. 

Although  Lawrence's  duties  with 
Korda  are  not  completely  defined  as 
yet,  it  is  believed  he  will  act  as  a 
personal  and  business  representative. 
Korda,  who  is  M-G-M  production 
head  in  London,  owns  the  rights  to 
many  films  which  he  produced  and 
of  which,  at  one  time,  he  was  on  the 
verge  of  consummating  a  deal  for  the 
reissuance. 

The  new  M-G-M  regional  global 
setup,  recently  announced  by  Arthur 
Loevv,  Loew's  International  president, 
is  believed  to  take  care  of,  for  the 
moment,  the  company's  top  European 
personnel  line-up.  David  Lewis  is 
now  acting  regional  director  for 
Europe,  North  Africa  and  the  Near 
East,  with  Louis  Lober,  assisting. 


Fabian  to  Address 
N.  J.  Allied  Meet 

S.  H.  Fabian,  head  of  the  industry's 
Victory  Loan  drive,  will  be  the  prin- 
cipal speaker  at  the  convention  of 
Allied  of  New  Jersey  at  the  Ritz  Res- 
taurant, Passaic,  on  Oct.  9.  Other 
speakers  will  be  :  Frank  Damis,  Harry 
H.  Lowenstein,  Sidney  Samuelson  and 
Irving  Dollinger.  The  meeting  will 
be  followed  by  a  beefsteak  dinner. 


I.T.T.  Buys  'John  Doe' 

International  Theatrical  and  Tele- 
vision Corp.  has  obtained  from  War- 
ner Brothers,  16mm.  distribution 
rights  on  Frank  Carpa's  "Meet  John 
Doe." 


Warner  Club  Meeting 
Set  for  October  20 

Annual  meeting  of  the  Warner 
Club,  Inc.,  social  and  welfare  organ- 
ization for  Warner  employees,  will  be 
held  at  the  home  office  on  Oct.  20. 

Delegates  elected  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing include:  Philip  Abrahams,  J.  H. 
Barry,  Ted  Bodwell,  Rae  Braman, 
Ralph  Budd,  Charles  Davis,  John 
Foy,  Frank  L.  Gates,  Ella  Glennon, 
L.  B.  Griffin,  Samuel  R.  Kahn,  Frank 
Kiernan,  Charles  Kontulis,  Walter  R. 
Koppe,  Louis  Levine,  Barry  O'Con- 
nor, Elkan  Reiner,  Robert  S.  Salo- 
mons. William  Schoenfelder,  Elsie 
Torbach  and  Jack  Wuhrman.  Martin 
F.  Bennett  is  president  of  the  club. 


Audio  Reorganized 

Toronto,  Sept.  26. — Audio  Pictures, 
Ltd.,  has  been  reorganized  at  Toronto, 
according  to  announcement  by  Arthur 
Gottlieb,  head  of  Film  Laboratories 
of  Canada,  Ltd.,  of  which  Audio  is 
a  subsidiary.  Appointed  director  of 
film  production  is  Hans  Tiesler. 
Audio  will  specialize  in  the  making  of 
educational  and  sales  films. 


Mexican  Union  Merger 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  26.  —  The 
scenarists  union  and  that  of  the 
dramatists  have  merged  here. 


M-G-M  TRADE  SHOWS 

YOLANDA  AND 
THE  THIEF" 

NEW  YORK -NEW  JERSEY  and  LOS  ANGELES 
TERRITORIES  ONLY 


NEW  YORK-NEW  JERSEY 

MONDAY,  OCTOBER  8  J2?^£  p.  m 

M-G-M  SCREEN  ROOM-630  NINTH  AVENUE 


LOS  ANGELES 

MONDAY,  OCTOBER  8  •  2:00  P.M. 

AMBASSADOR  THEATRE— AMBASSADOR  HOTEL 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Thursday,  September  27,  1945 


Frank  Rosenberg 


Victory  Loan 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

he  will  have  contact  with  the  entire 
national  field  through  state  publicity 
directors. 

The  "cabinet"  now  comprises^  Fa- 
bian, Doob,  Chick  Lewis,  campaign 
coordinator ;  Charles  M.  Reagan,  dis- 
tribution chairman ;  Max  Cohen,  as- 
sistant to  the 
national  chair- 
man ;  Louis  B. 
Mayer,  chair- 
man of  the  Hol- 
lywood commit- 
tee ;  co  -  chair- 
men :  Charles 
P.  S  k  o  u  r  a  s, 
West;  Bob 
O'D  o  n  n  e  1  1, 
South ;  Harry 
Brandt,  East ; 
Sam  Pinanski, 
New  England ; 
John  J.  Friedl, 
Midwest;  L.  C. 
Griffith,  Cen- 
tral, and  the  following  co-chairmen  on 
industry  sales :  Henry  Ginsberg  of 
Paramount  for  the  West,  and  Sani 
Schneider  of  Warner's  for  the  East. 

Herman  Robbins,  president  of  Na- 
tional Screen  Service,  is  special  con- 
sultant;  Si  Seadler,  director  of  ad 
vertising  for  M-G-M,  is  handling- 
trade  paper  advertisements;  Tom  W. 
Baily,  of  the  California  Theatre  Coun- 
cil, is  Washington  liaison ;  Bill  Orn- 
stein,  M-G-M  trade  paper  representa- 
tive, will  handle  trade  press  contacts  ; 
Walton  C.  Ament,  editor  of  Pathe 
News,  is  newsreel  representative,  and 
Richard  F.  Walsh,  president  of  the 
IATSE,  is  chairman  of  labor  partici- 
pation. 

Promotion  Men 

More  promotion  representatives  of 
the  industry  have  joined  the  commit- 
tee at  WAC  headquarters.  Irving 
Blumberg,  of  Warner's  Philadelphia 
publicity  staff,  has  already  begun  a 
several  weeks'  volunteer  term  to  work 
with  Doob.  The  campaign  book  staff 
is  headed  by  Ed  Schreiber,  vice-presi- 
dent of  Richard  Condon,  Inc.  With 
him  are  Henry  Spiegel,  Paul  Walker, 
Harold  Danziger  and  George  Ettinger, 
all  loaned  by  David  Lipton,  advertis- 
ing director  for  Columbia. 

Janet  Sawyer  has  been  loaned  by 
20th  Century-Fox  and  will  handle  fan 
magazine  publicity.  Helen  Gwynn  of 
Warner's  home  office  publicity  depart- 
ment also  has  been  loaned  as  special 
"planter"  for  magazines  and  newspa- 
pers. Ed  Goth,  publicity  director  for 
Fabian  Theatres  in  Richmond,  S.  I., 
has  been  loaned  for  the  duration  of 
the  drive.  George  Frazer  has  been 
added  to  the  publicity  lineup  through 
the  cooperation  of  RKO. 

Trade  paper  publishers  and  their 
representatives  met  yesterday  at  WAC 
headquarters  to  discuss  the  drive  with 
Fabian,  Doob,  Lewis,  Cohen,  Rosen- 
berg and  Ornstein. 


Gamble  and  Shugrue  Hold 
Meeting  in  Cleveland 

Continuing  their  tour  of  preliminary 
meetings  with  Treasury  Department 
regional  directors  and  representatives 
of  the  War  Activities  Committee  on 
behalf  of  the  Victory  Loan  Cam- 
paign, Ted  R.  Gamble,  national  War 
Finance  director,  and  Ned  Shugrue  of 
the  Treasury  Department  in  Washing- 
ton, met  yesterday  in  Cleveland.  To- 
day they  will  meet  in  Dallas,  with 
John  Q.  Adams  of  Interstate  Circuit 
representing  Bob  O'Donnoll.    On  Sat- 


Review 


"Outlaws  of  the  Rockies 

(Monogram) 

Hollywood,  Sept.  20 

CHARLES  STARRETT,  as  the  newly-appointed  sheriff  of  the  small 
Western  town  of  Corvallis,  finds  himself  in  a  peck  of  trouble  when  his 
friend,  'Tex'  Harding,  is  accused  of  robbery,  and  placed  in  Starrett's  custody. 
Despite  Starrett's  advice,  'Tex'  breaks  jail,  and  the  indignant  citizens  are  all 
for  lynching  Starrett  in.  reprisal.  The  latter  dons  his  'Durango  Kid'  outfit 
and  sets  about  clearing  his  own  name  as  well  as  Tex's. 

The  trail  is  long  and  the  chase  is  hard  before  the  bandits  are  brought  to 
justice.  Moments  of  comedy,  by  'Dub'  Taylor,  and  moments  of  music,  by 
Spade  Cooley  and  Carolina  Cotton,  provide  intervals  of  comparative  calm, 
but  for  the  most  part  Colbert  Clark's  production  stresses  action.  A  rip 
roaring  explosion  brings  the  film  to  a  thunderous  climax.  The  cowboy  friends 
escape  unhurt ;  the  villains  meet  the  fate  they  so  richly  deserve.  J.  Benton 
Cheney  wrote  the  original  screenplay.  Ray  Nazarro  directed  at  a  thrill-a- 
minute  pace. 

Running  time,  55  minutes.  General  audience  classification.  Release  date, 
not  set. 

•  Thalia  Bell. 


Export  Plans 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


to  effect  distribution  of  their  films 
where  foreign  government  film  mono- 
polies prevent  normal  circulation,  such 
as  in  Holland.  "Monopolies  must  be 
fought  with  monopolies,"  he  declared. 

Nelson  indicated  that  the  indepen- 
dent producers  would  seek  to  effect 
their  own  distribution  in  foreign  coun- 
tries where  a  specified  number  of 
American  films  would  be  granted  ac- 
cess to  the  market,  such  as  is  now  be- 
ing discussed  for  France.  As  report- 
ed in  Motion  Picture  Daily  on  Sept. 
12,  United  Artists,  which  represents 
many  of  SIMPP's  independents,  is 
studying  the  possibility  of  joining  the 
Export  Co. 

While  admitting  that  he  has  held 
discussions  with  Government  repre- 
sentatives concerning  foreign  distribu- 
-ion  problems  of  independent  produc- 
ers, Nelson  declined  to  discuss  the  na- 
ture of  the  discussions  and  the  con- 
clusions arrived  at. 


Mexico  in  Film  Fete 

Mexico  City,  Sept.  26. — Mexico  is 
to  be  represented  with  delegates  and 
government-selected  pictures  at  the 
film  festival  that  will  open  in  Cannes, 
France,  in  November. 


urday  a  meeting  will  be  held  in  Mi- 
ami, attended  by  Sidney  Meyers  of 
the  Wometco  Circuit.  Next  Tuesday 
Gamble  and  Shugrue  will  hold  a  meet- 
ing in  Milwaukee,  attended  by  Harold 
J.  Fitzgerald,  head  of  the  Fox  Wis- 
consin Circuit.  On  October  4,  a  meet- 
ing will  be  held  in  Portland,  attended 
by  O.  J.  Miller  and  Al  Finke. 


Fabian  and  Doob  Leave 
For  Coast  Conference 

S.  H.  Fabian,  national  chairman  for 
the  Victory  Loan  Campaign,  and  Os- 
car A.  Doob,  campaign  director,  left 
here  by  plane  last  night  for  Holly- 
wood, where  they  will  confer  today 
with  Louis  B.  Mayer,  Hollywood 
chairman  ;  Ken  Thomson,  of  the  Hol- 
lywood Victory  Committee ;  George 
Murphy,  head  of  Screen  Actors  Guild, 
and  others..  Plans  for  "Stars  Over 
America"  tours  to  spur  public  inter- 
est will  be  discussed. 

Fabian  will  leave  Hollywood  to- 
morrow night.  Doob  is  slated  to  re- 
main for  the  Sunday  night  mass  meet- 
ing of  actors,  directors  and  producers. 
He  will  leave  for  New  York  by  plane 
Monday,  arriving  the  following  day. 


Trust  Suit 


(Continued  from  page  1) 


Corp. ;  Stanley  Qo.  of  America ;  Chev- 
erly  Theatres  Co.,  alleged  to  have  been 
created  to  build  competitive  theatres 
wherever  there  are  independent 
houses ;  Kass  Realty  Co.,  and  A.  Juli- 
an Brylawski,  real  estate  manager 
here  for  Warners ;  Garfield  I.  Kass, 
local  realty  operator,  and  John  J.  Pay- 
ette, Warner  Zone  manager  here,  who 
are  alleged  to  be  in  partnership  with 
the  operation  of  Cheverly. 

The  complaint  charges  that  Chever- 
ly last  year  announced  plans  to  con- 
struct a  theatre  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  a  site  on  which  Lust  had 
previously  announced  he  would  build 
but  had  had  to  defer  construction  be- 
cause of  the  L-41  restrictions  of  the 
War  Production  Board.  It  charges 
also  that  Cheverly  announced  plans  to 
build  in  other  strategic  areas  with  a 
view  to  barring  independents. 

The  petition  alleges  that  the  defend- 
ants have  also  "engaged  in  activities 
to  block  the  plaintiffs  from  acquiring 
theatre  sites"  and  that  "the  Warner 
monopoly  in  this  area  has  resulted  in 
oppressive  and  discriminatory  prac- 
tices against  the  plaintiffs  and  other 
independent  exhibitors." 

The  complaint  alleges  that  plaintiff 
has  been  unable  to  obtain  feature  pic- 
tures on  the  same  basis  as  the  Warner 
theatres,  and  contends  that  dissolution 
of  Warner  affiliates  and  subsidiaries 
operating  or  holding  theatre  properties 
is  necessary  to  break  the  monopoly 
which  it  charges  Warners  now  hold. 

Lust  stated  that  the  suit  was 
brought  only  after  he  had  made  un- 
successful overtures  to  the  company  to 
persuade  local  representatives  to  drop 
their  plans  for  theatre  expansion  in 
the  Washington  area. 


WHTD  to  Join  Mutual 

Radio  station  WHTD,  Hartford, 
will  become  affiliated  with  Mutual 
Broadcasting  as  a  full-time  affiliate 
on  Dec.  1,  according  to  Carl  Haver- 
lin,  MBS  station  relations  director. 
WHTD  is  currently  affiliated  with 
American  Broadcasing. 


New  Ohio  Station 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  26. — The  Queen 
City  Broadcasting  Co.  has  been  in- 
corporated at  Columbus  by  Mary  Bar- 
rett, Hugh  Ritchy  and  William  Mc- 
Kenzie  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a 
new  radio  station  here. 


Lesser  and  Kinzler 
Head  Drive  in  N.Y. 


Irving  Lesser,  associate  general 
manager  of  the  Roxy  Theatre,  and 
Morris  Kinzler,  of  Kayton-Spiero  Co., 
advertising  agency,  have  been  appoint- 
ed general 
chairman  and 
campaign  direc- 
tor, respective- 
1  y ,  for  the 
"Victory  Loan" 
drive  for  the 
New  York 
Area  of  the 
War  Activities 
Committee,  i  t 
was  announced 
here  yesterday 
by  Charles  C. 
M  o  s  k  o  w  itz, 
WAC  chairman 
for  New  York. 

Lesser  and 
Kinzler  served  in  the  same  capacities 
for  the  Seventh  War  Loan,  during 
which  the  700  theatres  in  the  territory 
established  an  all-time  record  in  both 
the  number  of  "E"  bonds  sold,  and  in 
maturity  value.  Lesser  and  Kinzler 
have  been  active  in  all  of  the  indus- 
try's war-effort  activities,  having 
served  in  various  capacities  in  previous  \ 
war  loans,  Red  Cross,  March  of 
Dimes,  and  other  industry  drives. 


Irving  Lesser 


'Dolly'  Premiere  in 
Chicago  on  Oct.  5 

Chicago,  Sept.  26.— The  Loop's  j 
first  world  premiere  of  a  major  film 
in  five  years  will  be  staged  at  the 
Chicago  Theatre  on  Oct.  5  with  the 
opening  of  "The  Dolly  Sisters,"  to 
which  20th-Fox  will  send  George  Jes-i 
set,  June  Haver,  Vivian  Blaine,  Cesar  I 
Romero  and  Phil  Silvers. 

Events  will  include  a  State  Street 
parade,  an  outdoor  show  by  the  stars, 
who  will  arrive  Oct.  3  for  a  round 
of  hospital  shows,  and  a  press  party  to 
precede  the  opening. 

Arrangements  for  the  affair  are  be- 11 
ing  made  by  Tom  Connors,  20th-Fox } 
vice-president,  and  John  Balaban, 
Balaban  and  Katz  general  manager. 
Sid  Blumenstock,  assistant  exploita- 
tion director,  is  here  to  handle  the 
event. 


Memphis  to  Get  New 
1,400-Seat  Theatre 

Memphis,  Sept.  26.  —  A  building 
project  including  a  1,400-seat  de  luxe 
theatre  costing  more  than  $200,000 
will  be  erected  at  Cleveland  and 
Ocerton  Park  streets  here,  M.  A. 
Lightman,  president  of  Malco  The- 
atres, announced  today. 

Operation  of  the  theatre  will  be  by 
a  partnership  consisting  of  Malco  in- 
terests, Paul  Zerilli  and  Joseph 
Maceri.  Completion  of  construction  r 
is  scheduled  for  early  next  year. 


Forrestal  at  Exhibit 

Secretary  of  the  Navy,  James  V. 
Forrestal  will  be  the  guest  of  honor 
of  the  Press  Photographers  Associa- 
tion at  the  invitation  preview  of  its 
10th  annual  exhibit  in  the  Museum  of 
Science  and  Industry,  here,  tomorrow ; 
night.  The  Secretary  will  present  the  , 
awards  to  prize-winning  cameramen. 
This  part  of  the  ceremonies  will  be 
broadcast.  Several  film  industry 
cameramen  are  members  of  the  PPA. 


Thursday,  September  27,  1945 


motion  Picture  Daily 


7 


Critics'  Quotes  .  .  . 


"CHINA  SKY"  (RKO  Radio) 

That  war  again — in  China  this  time — renders  "China  Sky"  a  little  an- 
tiquated in  theme.  However,  patrons  will  find  plenty  of  action,  romance  and 
heart  interest  appeal  in  this  film,  taken  from  the  Pearl  Buck  novel — enough, 
we  hope,  to  make  up  for  lack  of  timeliness. — Sara  Hamilton-,  Los  Angeles 
Examiner. 

The  peculiar  notion  that  China's  eight  years  of  resistance  to  Japanese 
aggression  were  fought  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  movie  scenarists  is  again 
exemplified  in  "China  Sky".  .  .  .  Corny  though  the  story  structure  may  be, 
it  is  not  nearly  so  offensive  as  the  condescending  attitude  the  characters  are 
called  upon  to  display  to  the  Chinese. — Daind  Hannan,  Los'  Angeles  Daily 
News. 

A  bit  late,  "China  Sky"  would  have  rated  the  word  "timely"  up  to  Aug. 
14.  Now  it  is  a  reminder  of  Jap  treachery  and  brutality.  This  is  a  rather 
verbose  picture  with  a  more  or  less  fairy-tale  premise,  but  performances  are 
convincing  and  clear  cut. — John  L.  Scott,  Los  Angeles  Times. 

A  talky,  highly  improbable  yarn  of  two  American  doctors  who  waste 
iheir  skill  and  talent  in  a  small  Chinese  village  aiding  a  small  group  of  Japa- 
nese bomb  victims.  .  .  .  The  action  is  dated,  what  with  hostilities  having 
ceased,  and  the  makers  of  the  film  would  have  been  smart  to  reword  the 
foreword  and  bring  it  more  into  line  with  today's  events. — George  Jackson, 
I. as  Angeles  Herald-Express. 

Caught  in  the  surge  of  rushing  events,  "China  Sky"  has  been  outdated  by 
i he  sudden  surrender  of  the  Japanese.  The  picture  presents  the  eternal  tri- 
ngle,  this  time  in  a  wartime  Oriental  setting,  and  if  the  love  interest  isn't 
enough  to  intrigue  you  there's  some  downright  melodramatic  action  which 
unfolds  before  the  culprits  are  all  eliminated  in  the  last  reel. — Lloyd  L.  Sloan, 
Hollywood  Citiccn-Nnvs. 


Absenteeism 


(Continued  from  page  1 ) 

workers  on  enforced  holidays  flooding 
theatres  in  the  Times  Square  and  sur- 
rounding areas. 

Reports  from  Paramount  and  Re- 
public home  offices  reveal  that  a 
smaller  number  of  employes  appeared 
for  work  yesterday  than  did  on  the 
strike's  second  day.  Sending  out  for 
employe  luncheons  at  Paramount  yes- 
terday appeared  impractical  and  as  a 
result  many  who  left  for  lunch  at 
noontime  did  not  return  for  the  after- 
noon. Republic  reports  that  several 
of  its  employes  who  climbed  16  and 
18  flights  in  its  building  on  the  second 
day  of  the  strike  were  under  doctors' 
care  yesterday. 

Handling  of  Prints 

Although  film  prints  are  moving 
satisfactorily  in  and  out  of  exchange 
and  newsreel  offices  by  use  of  freight 
elevators  the  reluctance  of  delivery- 
men  to  cross  picket  lines  made  it  nec- 
essary for  office  personnel  to  carry 
supplies  to  and  from  elevators  which 
they  were  barred  from  using  as  pas- 
sengers. The  Fire  Department,  which 
enforces  stringent  rules  in  the  han- 
dling of  films  in  buildings  like  the 
Film  Center,  appealed  to  the  union, 
at  the  distributors'  request,  and  an 
emergency  freight  elevator  operator 
was  placed  on  duty  at  the  Center 
which  houses  most  exchanges. 

Delay  in  distributors'  receiving 
press  books  was  regarded  as  a  poten- 
tial factor  yesterday  since  printers' 
buildings  generally  are  involved  in 
the  strike. 

The  strike  also  prevails  in  buildings 
occupied  by  PRC,  Monogram  and 
Vanguard. 


Cohn  Testimonial 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

Judah  Calm,  Philip  Chasin,  Max  Coh- 
en, Jack  Cohn,  Emil  Friedlander,  Leo- 
pold Friedman,  Abel  Green,  Will 
Hays,  Marcus  Heiman,  Dr.  Herbert 
Kalmus,  Malcolm  Kingsberg,  Law- 
rence Langner,  Carl  Leserman,  Jack 
Levin,  Lou  Levy,  Paul  Moss,  Ferdi- 
nand Pecora,  Herman  Robbins,  M.  A. 
Schlesinger,  Albert  Senft,  Spyros 
Skouras,  Nate  Spingold,  Major  Al- 
bert Warner,  Edmund  Waterman,  Ed- 
win Weisl  and  Robert  Weitman. 

The  affair  is  being  held  fn  behalf 
of  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal  of  the 
American  Jewish  Committee  and  the 
Anti-Defamation  League  of  B'nai 
B'rith,  with  more  than  1,500  attending. 

Cohn  became  associated  with  motion 
pictures  in  1911.  when  he  joined  IMP 
(Carl  Laemmle  Co.).  In  1912  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  a  Universal  news- 
reel  and  created  "Animated  News 
Weekly."  In  1920.  Cohn  left  Univer- 
sal and  formed  his  own  company  in 
association  with  his  brother,  Harry, 
and  Joe  Brandt,  calling  it  Cohn, 
Rrandt  and  Cohn,  which  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  present  Columbia  Pic- 
tures. 


Award  for  Irving  Berlin 

Irving  Berlin  will  receive  a  special 
CLEF  award  from  Major  General 
loseph  W.  Byron,  director  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  Special  Services,  for 
writing  "God  Bless  America."  Presen- 
tation will  take  place  at  Carnegie  Hall 
here  tomorrow  evening  under  the  aus- 
pices of  Tune-Dex  Digest. 


Griffith  Trial 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

would  have  "several"  rebuttal  wit- 
nesses after  defense  testimony  is  com- 
pleted, possibly  this  week.  A  con- 
ference between  rival  lawyers  and 
Judge  Edgar  S.  Vaught  determined 
that  the  hearing  should  be  ended  by 
Wednesday  of  next  week  at  the  lat- 
est. Wright,  however,  said  he  plans 
to  leave  here  Friday,  leaving  the 
cleanup  to  P.  T.  Kime  and  Milton 
Kallus. 

H.  R.  Falls,  chief  booker-buyer  for 
Griffith  Amusement,  stated  on  direct 
examination  today  that  his  company 
never  varied  from  a  "dog-eat-dog" 
policy  in  its  dealings  with  distribu- 
tors. He  said  the  former  distributor 
defendants  always  thought  much  more 
of  their  product  than  the  Griffiths  did. 

Competition  Rates 

Falls,  upon  questioning  by  C.  B. 
Cochrane,  defense  counsel,  said  he 
never  learned  what  other  exhibitors 
in  this  area  were  paying  for  pictures 
when  he  negotiated. 

Other  witnesses  today  were  A.  R. 
Powell,  Griffith  partner  in  Guthrie, 
Okla.,  and  W.  T.  Spears,  a  partner 
in  Altus.  Okla.  Both  testified  con- 
cerning competitive  situations  there 
during  the  1933-39  period. 

Last  witnesses  for  the  defense  will 
be  the  individual  defendants  them- 
selves,   H.    J.    arid    L.    C.  Griffith. 

Henry  Griffing,  chief  defense  attor- 
ney, said  H.  J.  Griffith  likely  would 
reach  the  stand  tomorrow. 


Admission  Tax 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

at  the  start  of  next  year,  there  will 
not  be  time  available  in  which  to  go 
into  the  field  of  excise  levies. 

The  Committee's  action  leaves  the 
wartime  admission  rates  dependent 
upon  either  a  resolution  by  Congress, 
declaring  the  war  at  an  end,  which 
would  restore  the  pre-war  rates  auto- 
matically six  months  thereafter,  or 
specific  provisions  in  more  general 
revenue  legislation  which  Congress  is 
expected  to  consider  next  year. 


Per g anient  to  Produce 

Hollywood,  Sept.  26.— S/Sgt.  Har- 
vey Pergament.  discharged  from  the 
service,  will  remain  in  Hollywood, 
having  formed  Cavalcade  Pictures,  to 
enter  production.  He  will  also  re- 
tain his  New  York  company  of  the 
same  name,  continuing  to  represent 
foreign  distributors,  importing  and 
exporting  films  as  well  as  continuing 
domestic  distribution. 


E.  W.  Hammons 


(Continued  from  page  1) 

powers  to  conduct  the  general  direc- 
tion of  the  company,  relieving  me 
from  duties  now  facing  the  organiza- 
tion during  the  postwar,"  Ross  added. 
Hammons  was  for  years  president 
of  Educational  Pictures,  and  has  had 
considerable  experience  in  the  16mm. 
field.  Ross  Federal  currently  is  de- 
veloping arrangements  for  16mm.  dis- 
tribution for  industrial  companies. 

Hammons  declared  his  new  position 
will  give  him  an  opportunity  to  "de- 
liver to  the  industry  a  clarification  of 
the  intent  and  objectives  of  checking 
percentage  pictures,  by  Ross.  New 
formulas  for  further  cooperation  be- 
tween exhibitor  organizations  and  dis- 
tributors are  being  developed,  it  was 
said.  Hammons  said  he  will  make 
known  new  Ross  Federal  policies 
within  10  days. 

Motion  pictures  first  claimed  Ham- 
mons' interest  after  dealings  in  real 
estate  and  other  fields.  He  experi- 
mented briefly  with  educational  shorts. 
Subsequently  he  worked  on  comedy 
and  novelty  shorts.  He  organized 
Educational  Pictures  and,  later,  be- 
came president  of  Grand  National 
Pictures,  in  Oct.,  1938,  following  ex- 
piration of  a  distribution  contract  for 
Educational  with  Fox  Film.  Grand 
National  went  into  receivership  in 
1939  and  Hammons,  in  1942,  became 
a  short  subjects  producer,  releasing 
through  Paramount. 


Wheeler  Named  Manager 

Dallas,  Sept.  26.  —  Clarence  J. 
Wheeler,  salesman  at  RKO  Radio's 
exchange  here,  has  been  promoted  to 
sales  manager. 


You 

Don't 
Catch  Us 
Napping 


Remember  what  happened  to  Samson— 
the  strong-haired  guy?  He  snoozed  while 
Delilah  snipped. 


"Mighty  foolish",  you  say,  "to  be  caught 
napping  when  your  strong  points  are  at  stake". 
That's  why  you  just  don't  take  chances  with 
theatre  equipment— not  when  the  strength  of  the 
whole  show  is  rooted  in  your  booth.  But  here's 
one  thing  you've  got  on  Samson— Altec  protection! 
When  that  breakdown  threatens  your  box-office 
"take",  Altec's  on  the  job  to  restore  vitality 
to  disabled  parts.  Learn  how  Altec  cuts 
trouble  short— write  or  phone  today! 


250  West  57th  Street 
New  York  19,  N.  Y. 


THE  SERVICE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 


RECORDS! 

WORLD  PREMIERE 
YESTERDAY. . . 


ROXY,  N.Y.C. 


THE  HOUSE  ON  92nd  STREET 


from  f  ^  O  J  Century-Fox 


OTION  PICTURE 


OL.  58.  NO.  63 


NEW  YORK,  U.S.A.,  FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  28,  1945 


TEN  CENTS 


Strikes,  Gas 
Shortage  Cut 
Receipts  10% 

'Rhapsody',  'State  Fair', 
'Anchors'  and  'Joe'  Lead 


By  MILTON  LIVINGSTON 

Receipts  at  first-run  theatres 
■rere  off  an  average  of  10  per  cent 
uring  the  week,  especially  in  terri- 
tories East  of  the  Mississippi, 
nvhere  strikes  have  gripped  industrial 
areas  and  gasoline  is  running  short 
oecause  of  a  petroleum  industry  strike, 
according  to  circuit  executives. 

However,  reports  from  Motion 
Picture  Daily  correspondents  in  16 
<ey  cities  indicate  that  several  films 
.ontinue  to  draw  strongly,  although 
few  are  doing  really  outstanding  busi- 
less. 

"Rhapsody    in    Blue"    and  "State 
Fair"  are  the  new  leaders  at  first-runs 
n    the    16    keys,    with  "Anchors 
\weigh"  and  "The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe" 
ontinuing   to   lead   in   the  holdover 

(.Continued  on  page  7) 


Hear  Defense 
Of  Griffiths 


Oklahoma  City,  Sepf.  27. — H.  J. 
Griffith,  president  of  R.  E.  Griffith 
Theatres.  Inc.,  Dallas,  took  the  stand 
today  in  his  own  defense  in  the  trial 
of  the  Government's  anti-trust  suit  in 
Federal  District  Court  here  and  de- 
nied that  lie  had  made  threatening  re- 
marks to  independents  during  expan- 
sion negotiations.  Late  in  the  day 
his  brother,  L.  C.  Griffith,  began  a  re- 
cital of  the  history  of  the  family's 
film  enterprises. 

H.  R.  Falls,  Griffith  Amusement 
(Continued  on  pane  7) 


Segal  and  Picker  Are 
Elected  by  Columbia 


Jack  Segal,  assistant  foreign  man- 
ager for  Columbia,  was  elected  vice- 
president  and  treasurer ;  Arnold 
Picker  was  elected  vice-president,  and 
Herman  Golden,  controller,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  board  of  directors  of 
Columbia  International  Corp.,  it  was 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Aid  JDA  at 
Cohn  Dinner 


Approximately  1,500  members  of  the 
film  and  related  industries  joined  in  a 
tribute  to  Jack  Cohn.  Columbia  Pic- 
tures vice-president,  at  a  dinner  at  the 
Hotel  Waldorf-Astoria  here  last  night 
sponsored  by  the  Joint  Defense  Ap- 
peal. The  occasion  was  a  recognition 
of  Cohn's  leadership  in  philanthropic 
and  communal  causes  and  a  mobiliza- 
tion on  behalf  of  the  work  of  the 
Joint  Defense  Appeal,  with  which  the 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


4306'  Rejects  Offer; 
Calls  Monday  Meet 


Rejecting  counter  proposals  made 
by  Loew's  and  RKO's  New  York 
circuits,  and  by  New  York  and  Brook- 
lvn  first-runs,  for  a  new  contract, 
IATSE  New  York  Motion  Picture 
Machine  Operators  Union,  Local  No. 
306,  will  hold  a  midnight  member- 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


State  Dep't 
Film  Man  for 

Europe  Seen 

Attache  Would  Be  Given 
Roving  Commission 

Washington,  Sept.  27. — Rein- 
vigoration  of  the  MPPDA  under 
Eric  Johnston  may  lead  to  the  ap- 
pointment by  the  State  Department 
of  a  European  motion  picture  attache, 
probably  to  be  attached  to  the  Em- 
bassy at  Paris,  but  with  a  roving  com- 
mission as  a  trouble-shooter,  it  was 
learned  here  today. 

At  the  Department,  it  was  said  that 
such  an  appointment  is  not  currently 
under  consideration  and  that  film  mat- 
ters are  being  handled  by  the  staffs 
of  Embassies  and  Consulates  abroad. 
But  it  was  indicated  that  if  a  strong 
request  was  made  by  the  industry  it 
would  be  sympathetically  received. 

For  some  years  prior  to  the  Nazi- 
fication  of  Europe,  the  Department  did 
have  such  an  attache,  the  post  being 

(Continued  on  page  7) 


Meeting  Which  Named  New  MPPDA  President 


Irst  published  photo  of  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
potion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.,  at  which 

Jric  A.  Johnston  was  elected  president,  succeeding  Will  H.  Hays. 

'eated,  left  to  right:  N.  Peter  Rathvon,  RKO;  Spyros  P.  Skouras, 
\€th  Century-Fox;  Nate  J.  Blumberg,  Universal;  Barney  Balaban, 

'aramount;  Adolph  Zukor,  Paramount;  Johnston;  Hays;  Nicholas  M. 


Schenck,  Loew's;  Earl  W.  Hammons.  Standing,  left  to  right:  Austin 
C.  Keough,  Paramount ;  Joyce  O'Hara,  assistant  to  Johnston;  Carl  E. 
Milliken,  MPPDA;  Jack  Cohn,  Columbia;  George  Borthwick,  MPPDA; 
W.  C.  Michel,  20th  Century-Fox;  John  J.  O'Connor,  Universal;  J.  Robert 
Rubin,  Loew's;  Francis  S.  Harmon,  MPPDA. 


2 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  September  28,  1945 


Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 
Is  Named  QP 
Associate  Editor 


Martin  Quigley,  Jr. 


Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  who  was  on 
leave  of  absence  from  Quigley 
Publications  since  December,  1941, 
has  resumed 
his  connection 
and  has  been 
appointed  as- 
sociate editor. 

Quigley  was 
graduated 
m a  gn  a  cu m 
lav.de  from 
Georgetown 
University  in 
June,  I939.  In 
the  following 
October  he 
joined  the  edi- 
torial staff  of  Motion  Picture  Her- 
old.  From  December,  1 94 1,  to  No- 
vember, 1 942,  he  was  associ- 
ated with  the  Foreign  Information 
Service  of  the  Coordinator  of  In- 
formation and  the  Overseas  Divi- 
sion of  the  Office  of  War  Infor- 
mation. During  the  first  part  of 
that  period  he  was  assigned  to  a 
study  of  the  use  of  motion  pictures 
in  wartime.  Commencing  in  March, 
1 942,  he  participated  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  United  Newsreel, 
the  joint  government-industry  ef- 
fort to  tell  America's  wartime  story 
to  the  peoples  of  the  world.  In 
1 943  he  went  to  Eire  to  deal  with 
problems  arising  out  of  the  Irish 
neutrality  censorship  of  films  made 
by  the  American  industry.  From 
December,  1 944,  until  last  month 
he  was  connected  with  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Allied  Commission 
in  Rome  and  was  concerned  with 
an  investigation  of  motion  picture 
conditions  in  Italy  and  adjacent 
territories. 

He  is  a  vice  president  and  a 
director  of  Quigley  Publishing 
Company,  Inc.,  publishers  of  Mo- 
tion Picture  Herald,  Motion  Pic- 
ture Daily,  Better  Theatres,  Mo- 
tion Picture  Almanac  and  Fame. 


New  York  ITOA  Will 
Probe  Power  Charges 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Independent 
Theatre  Owners  Association  of  New 
York,  held  here  yesterday  at  the 
Hotel  Astor,  David  Weinstock  was 
appointed  chairman  of  a  light  and 
power  committee  which  was  empow- 
ered to  engage  an  electrical  engineer 
to  study  local  light  and  power  rates, 
with  the  end  in  view  of  obtaining  a 
reduction  in  present  charges. 


Repuhlic-CFI-Setay 
Merger  Up  Today 

Stockholders  will  meet  to- 
day to  vote  upon  a  merger  of 
Consolidated  Film  Industries, 
Setay  and  Republic;  the  con- 
solidated corporation  would 
be  named  Republic  Pictures 
Corp.  The  meeting  will  be 
held  at  Consolidated's  corpor- 
ate offices  in  Wilmington. 

Basic  purposes  of  the  merg- 
er are  to  liquidate  existing 
arrearages  on  Consolidated 
preferred  stock,  which,  as  of 
July  1,  1945,  amounted  to  $5,- 
400,000;  to  make  Republic's 
earnings  available  for  distri- 
bution as  dividends ;  to  reduce 
an  annual  charge  of  $800,000 
representing  the  annual  divi- 
dend requirement  on  out- 
standing preferred  of  Consol- 
idated; and  to  raise  capital 
through  the  issuance  of  new 
securities. 


Says  Rank  Financed 
UA  'Showcase'  Lease 


J.  Arthur  Rank  agreed  to  finance 
the  leasing,  by  United  Artists,  of  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre  here  as  a 
showcase  "where  Rank's  pictures  can 
be  introduced  with  all  the  necessary 
ballyhoo,"  the  October  issue  of  For- 
tune magazine,  published  today,  as- 
selts  in  a  lengthy,  illustrated  article 
on  the  British  industry  leader,  enti- 
tled "Movie  Missionary." 

The  article  states  that  "Rank's  pres- 
ent plans  are  to  switch  to  Universal 
as  his  U.  S.  distributor  as  soon  as  he 
fulfills  his  commitments  to  United 
Artists." 


Split  of  FEA  Follows 
Rift  on  British  Aid 

Washington,  Sept.  27.  —  Leo  T. 
Crowley,  one  of  the  minority  advocat- 
ing that  Britain  revamp  trade  restric- 
tions before  receiving  a  loan  from  the 
U.  S.,  resigned  today  as  head  of  the 
Foreign  Economic  Administration. 
Accepting  the  resignation,  President 
Truman  abolished  FEA  and  divided 
its  functions  among  four  agencies : 
the  Reconstruction  Finance  Corp.  and 
the  State,  Agriculture  and  Commerce 
Departments — with  the  latter  getting 
jurisdiction  over  export  controls  and 
the  facilitation  of  foreign  trade. 


Says  Germany  Is  Out 
In  Equipment  Field 

It  is  expected  that  Germany,  once 
the  principal  supplier  of  motion  pic- 
ture equipment  in  Europe,  will  no 
longer  regain  this  control,  according 
to  a  cable  received  here  yesterday  by 
J.  H.  Hoffberg,  U.  S.  film' distributor, 
from  Reklame  Aktien  Gesellschaft  of 
Zurich,  Switzerland. 

Hoffberg  was  instructed  to  immedi- 
ately purchase  varoius  types  of  eight 
mm.r  16  mm.  and  35  mm.  sound  and 
silent  equipment. 


Personal 
Mention 


WILL  H.  HAYS,  Gen.  Mark 
Clark  and  Herman  G.  Wells, 
educator,  received  honorary  Masonic 
Order  33rd  degrees,  on  Wednesday 
night,  in  Boston.  Hays,  with  Mrs. 
Hays,  returned  here  yesterday. 
• 

Felicia  Parker,  formerly  associ- 
ate production  manager  of  Dell  Pub- 
lications, is  now  promotion  manager 
of  the  Hunter  Screen  Unit,  which  in- 
cludes Screenland,  Silver  Screen  and 
Movie  Show. 

• 

Danny  Kaye  will  leave  the  U.  S. 
shortly  after  his  CBS  radio  show 
from  Chicago  tonight  to  entertain 
troops  in  the  Pacific  theatre  and 
Asiatic  mainland. 

• 

William  F.  Rodgers,  Loew's  vice- 
president  and  general  sales  manager, 
will  arrive  in  Los  Angeles  today  after 
several  days  in  San  Francisco. 
• 

Charles  K.  Stern,  Loew's  assist- 
ant treasurer,  and  William  Gleich- 
er  of  M-G-M's  sales  department,  will 
leave  here  tomorrow  for  Chicago. 
• 

Ed  Hinchy,  head  of  the  Warner 
playdate  department,  is  due  back  in 
New  York  today  from  Cleveland  and 
Pittsburgh. 

• 

Howard  Dietz,  Loew's  vice-presi- 
dent and  director  of  advertising,  pub- 
licity and  exploitation,  will  leave  here 
today  for  the  Coast. 

• 

Jules  Lapidus,  Eastern  division 
sales  manager  for  Warners,  returns 
to  New  York  today  from  Washing- 
ton. 

• 

Roy  Haines,  Warner  Western 
and  Southern  division  manager,  is  on 
a  Western  tour. 

• 

E.  K.  O'Shea.  M-G-M '  Eastern 
sales  manager,  is  due  back  here  from 
Boston  todav. 


Rules  Actors  Can 
Turn  Down  Roles 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — The  U.  S. 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  at  San  Fran- 
cisco has  upheld  an  earlier  Federal 
Court  decision  sustaining  Robert  Cum- 
mings  in  cancelling  his  Universal  con- 
tract in  1943,  following  a  five  weeks' 
suspension  for  his  refusal  to  accept  a 
role  in  "Fired  Wife." 

The  decision,  considered  to  have  far- 
reaching  importance,  and  a  precedent, 
supports  the  contention  that  a  per- 
former has  the  right  to  reject  a  role 
which  he  considers  unsuitable  with- 
out sustaining  a  penalty. 

The  Court  said :  "To  an  actor,  sal- 
ary is  the  most  important  right  under 
his  contract ;  refusal  to  pay  him  and 
prohibition  of  the  right  for  him  to  of- 
fer services  to  other  employers  could 
deny  to  him  forever  the  right  to  earn 
his  livelihood." 

ft  is  believed  Universal  will  carry 
the  case  to  the  Supreme  Court. 


NEW  YORK  THEATRES 


RADIO    CITY    MUSIC  HALL 

Showplace  of  the  Nation  .   Rockefeller  Center 

Edward  G.  Robinson 
Margaret  O'Brien 

"Our  Vines  Have  Tender  Grapes" 

with  Jackie  "Butch"  Jenkins 
A  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Picture 
SPECTACULAR   STAGE  PRESENTATION 


ON  SCREEN 

Robt.  CUMMINGS 
Lizabeth  SCOTT 
Don  DeFore 

'YOU  CAME 
ALONG' 


IN  PERSON 


8  Ml 


PARAMOUNT    Presents    ED  GARDNER'S 


DUFFY'S  TAVERN' 


Featuring  32  Hollywood  Stars 
IN  PERSON 
THE     ANDREWS    SISTERS     plus  TIM 
HERBERT,  VIC  SCHOEN  and  His  Orchestra 


Samuel  Go/cfwyn 
presents 
DANNY  KAYE 

"Wonder  Man" 

in  Technicolor 


ASTOR 

Broadway 
and  45th  St. 

CONTINUOUS 

POPULAR 
PRICES 


PALACE 


B'WAY  & 
47th  St. 


"BACK  to  BATAAN" 

Starring  John  WAYNE  -  Anthony  QUINN 
An  RKO  RADIO  PICTURE 


William 
EYTHE 
( 


Lloyd 
NOLAN 


Signe 
HASSO 


THE  HOUSE  ON  92nd  STREET' 

A  20th  Century -Fox  Picture 
PLUS  OX  STAGE  CARL  RAVAZZA 
Monte  Proser's  Pv+rn'         Rosario  &. 

Copacabana  Review        cxrra.  Antonio 

BUY  MORE  Q         y      7th  Ave'  & 


BONDS 


50th  St. 


ALSO  AT  THE  ROXY 


I 


THE  PALESTINE 
PROBLEM 


MARCH 

of  TIME 


Reception  for  Rogers 

Roy  Rogers  will  be  the  guest  of  Re- 
public Pictures  at  a  press  reception 
Tuesday  afternoon  in  the  Hotel  Astor. 


MOTION  PICTURE  DAILY,  Martin  Quigley,  Editor-in-Chief  and  Publisher;  Sherwin  Kane,  Editor;  Martin  Quigley.  Jr..  Associate  Editor.  Published  daily  except  Saturday. 
Sunday  and  holidays,  by  Quigley  Publishing  Company,  Inc.,  1270  Sixth  Avenue,  Rockefeller  Center,  New  York  20,  N.  Y.  Telephone  Circle  7-3100.  Cable  address,  "Quigpubco. 
New  York."  Martin  Quigley,  President;  Red  Kann,  Vice-President;  Martin  Quigley,  Jr.,  Vice-President;  Theo.  J.  Sullivan,  Treasurer;  Leo  J.  Brady,  Secretary:  James  P. 
Cunningham,  News  Editor;  Herbert  V.  Fecke,  Advertising  Manager;  David  Harris,  Circulation  Director;  Chicago  Bureau,  624  South  Michigan  Avenue,  Sam  Honigberg,  Representa- 
tive; Hollywood  Bureau,  Postal  Union  Life  Bldg.,  William  R.  Weaver,  Editor;  London  Bureau,  4  Golden  Sq.,  London  Wl,  Hope  Burnup,  Manager;  Peter  Burnup,  Editor: 
cable  address,  "Quigpubco,  London."  Other  Quigley  Publications:  Motion  Picture  Herald,  Better  Theatres,  International  Motion  Picture  Almanac,  Fame.  Entered  as  second 
class  matter,  Sept.  23,  1938,  at  the  post  office  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  under  the  act  of  March  3.  1879.  Subscription  rates  per  year,  $6  in  the  Americas  and  $12  foreign;  Single 
copie3,  10c.  . 


THE  HOUSE  ON 
92nd  STREET 


NON-HOLIDAY 
OPENING  RECORD 

AT  THE  ROXY, 
NEW  YORK  CITY! 

CENTURY-FOX 


KO  PROUDLY  WELCOMES 

RANK  CAPRA 
VILLIAM  WYLER 
i  AMU  EL  J.  BRISKIN 

>  begin  early  production  of 
teir  important  new  program 
f  nine  top-budget  pictures! 

ES,  THIS  IS  AN  RKO  YEAR 


6 


Motion  Picture  Daily 


Friday,  September  28,  1945 


Talk  Stars'  Taxes 
With  Eric  Johnston 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — Screen 
Actors  Guild  confirms  it  has 
discussed  actors'  specialized 
income  tax  problems  with 
Eric  Johnston  and  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  Fred  Vin- 
son, taking  the  position  that 
stars  are  inequitably  penal- 
ized due  to  the  necessity  of 
paying  top  level  rates  during 
their  brief  average  top  earn- 
ing period.  Meanwhile  Screen 
Writers  Guild  attorney  Wil- 
liam Pomerance  flew  to  Wash- 
ington last  night  to  attend 
NLRB  hearings  in  the  set 
decorators  case  tomorrow. 


More  Home  Office 
Workers  Climbing 


Paramount  and  Republic,  the  two 
film  companies  whose  home  office  op- 
erations have  been  the  most  seriously 
affected  by  the  New  York  elevator 
operators'  strike,  reported  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  employes  at  work 
yesterday,  all  of  whom  had  to  climb 
stairs  on  the  fourth  day  of  the  tie-up. 
"In  excess  of  70  per  cent"  of  Para- 
mount's  normal  complement  were  at 
work  yesterday,  according  to  a  com- 
pany spokesman,  while  about  85  per 
cent  of  Republic's  staff  reported. 

Twentieth  Century-Fox's  publicity 
staff  of  the  building  at  1775  Broad- 
way left  there  yesterday  for  the  dura- 
tion of  the  strike  and  is  now  in  the 
company's  home  office  on  56th  Street. 
The  strike  does  not  prevail  in  that 
company-owned  and  operated  build- 
ing. 

The  strike  is  also  still  in  progress 
at  the  Film  Center  Building,  occupied 
by  many  exchanges  and  most  em- 
ployes are  walking.  A  freight  eleva- 
tor is  in  operation  there  permitting 
movement  of  prints  and  other  supplies. 
Newsreel  offices  likewise  have  over- 
come strike-imposed  difficulties. 

Illmer  Named  Head 
Of  New  ITOA  Unit 

Kansas  City,  Sept.  27. — Herman 
Illmer,  operator  of  four  neighborhood 
theatres  here,  has  been  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  new  Kansas  City  Inde- 
pendent Theatre  Owners  Association. 
Other  officers  are:  Herbert  E.  Wal- 
ters, manager  of  the  Strand  and 
Vogue,  vice-president,  and  Ed  Hart- 
man,  manager  of  Motion  Picture 
Booking  Agency,  secretary-treasurer. 
The  board  of  directors  comprises  the 
officers  and  Dan  Bodney,  Rube  Finkel- 
stein  and  Charles  Potter. 


Cohn  Branch  Sets  Pace 

PRC's  San  Francisco  exchange, 
managed  by  Armand  Cohn,  is  the  first 
of  the  company's  offices  to  reach  its 
quota  in  advance  for  the  first  eight 
weeks  of  the  Harry  H.  Thomas  play- 
date  drive,  the  company's  home  office 
here  reports. 


Hazen  Heading  East 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — Joseph  H. 
Hazen,  president  of  Hal  Waills  Prod., 
entrained  here  today  for  New  York 
following  a  summer  visit,  during  which 
the  company's  production  plans,  pos- 
sibly including  production  in  Eng- 
land, were  gone  over. 


Name  First  Strike 
Settlement  Group 


Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — Ray  Gelston, 
international  representative  of  Painters 
Local  1421,  comprising  set  decorators, 
was  appointed  today  by  the  Holly- 
wood Strike  Strategy  Committee,  along 
with  the  local's  president,  business 
representative  and  two  rank-and-file 
members,  to  meet  with  an  IATSE 
committee  and  attempt  settlement  of 
jurisdictional  disputes  at  issue  in  the 
studio  strike,  as  provided  at  a  recent 
meeting  called  by  American  Federa- 
tion of  Labor  president  William 
Green  in  Washington.  Committees 
for  other  striking  unions  are  expected 
to  be  completed  over  the  weekend. 

D.  T.  Wayne,  who  represented  the 
HSSC  at  the  Washington  conference, 
said  today  that  the  international  pres- 
idents of  the  unions  agreed  to  spend 
three  days  in  an  attempt  to  adjust  any 
differences  referred  to  them  by  local 
committees  or  to  settle  upon  a  disin- 
terested party  to  act  as  arbitrator 
should  they  fail  to  reach  an  agree- 
ment. He  added  that,  contrary  to  the 
understanding  expressed  by  'iA'  inter- 
national representative  Roy  M. 
Brewer,  the  meetings  of  the  TA'  com- 
mittees with  committees  from  the 
striking  unions  are  intended  to  run 
concurrently,  according  to  the  Wash- 
ington plan. 


IATSE   Hits  Strike 
Aid  by  Congressmen 

The  IATSE,  through  Roy  M. 
Brewer,  international  representative, 
has  written  to  Congressmen  Ellis  E. 
Patterson,  Ned  Healy  and  Helen  Ga- 
hagan  Douglas  protesting  against 
their  support  of  the  Hollywood  studio 
strikers. 

"The  14,000  members  of  our»  unions 
now  employed  in  the  studios  deeply 
resent  the  biased  position  which  you 
have  taken  in  this  dispute,"  the  TA' 
declared. 

Warners  Lose  Third 
Phila.  First-Run 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  27. — The  Fox 
Theatre,  one  of  eight  mid-town  first 
run  houses,  will  revert  to  its  original 
owner,  20th  Century-Fox,  next  Thurs- 
day. It  had  been  leased  to  Warners 
in  1936,  when  the  Fox-Penna  Corp. 
bought  the  property.  This  comes  on 
the  heels  of  a  petition-denial  for  War- 
ner Brothers  and  co-defendants  in 
William  Goldman's  monopoly  suit. 
Goldman  has  acquired  the  Karlton 
and  Mid-City  theatres  within  the  last 
two  years.  They  were  both  leased  to 
W arners  previously. 

It  was  assumed  that  a  new  lease 
would  be  drawn  between  Warners  and 
20th.  The  theatre  was  built  in  1923 
by  William  Fox  for  $13,000,000. 


$16,000  for  (92nd  Street 

"The  House  on  92nd  Street"  set  a 
new  non-holiday  opening  day  record, 
Wednesday,  at  the  Roxy,  here,  draw- 
ing close  to  $16,000,  to  surpass  the 
previous  opening  figures  of  about  $14,- 
500,  set  by  both  "State  Fair"  and  "A 
Tree  Grows  in  Brooklyn." 


National  PRC  Ads 

PRC  Pictures  announces  that  it  will 
enter  the  national  advertising  field  with 
its  first  extensive  campaign  on  the  all- 
color  production,  "The  Enchanted  For- 
est." The  advertising  is  being  placed 
through  the  Weiss  and  Geller  Agency. 


Newsreels  Promise 
Drive  Cooperation 


Cooperation  of  the  newsreels  for 
the  'Victory  Loan'  drive  has  been 
assured  by  Walton  C.  Ament,  editor 
of  Pathe  News  and  chairman  of  the 
newsreel  committee  for  the  drive. 

Ament  met  yesterday  with  S.  H. 
Fabian,  national  chairman  for  the 
campaign ;  Oscar  A.  Doob,  campaign 
director ;  Max  A.  Cohen,  assistant  to 
Fabian,  and  'Chick'  Lewis,  campaign 
coordinator,  at  WAC  headquarters, 
here,  where  plans  for  cooperation  were 
discussed.  Frank  P.  Rosenberg,  na- 
tional publicity  chairman,  also  at- 
tended. 


Lesser  Names  11  to 
'Victory'  Committee 

Irving  Lesser,  general  chairman  of 
the  Greater  New  York  area  for  the 
War  Activities  Committee,  has  ap- 
pointed his  executive  committee  for 
the  'Victory  Loan'  drive,  as  follows : 
Harry  Brandt,  Max  Cohen,  Oscar 
Doob,  Wilbur  England,  Si  Fabian, 
Malcolm  Kingsberg,  Harry  Mandel, 
C.  C.  Moskowitz,  Sam  Rinzler,  Fred 
Schwartz  and  William  White. 

Cite  100  Here  for 
Free  Admissions 

Over  100  leaders  of  the  New  York 
film,  stas^e  and  sports  worlds,  members 
of  the  entertainment  section  of  the 
city's  Defense  Recreation  Committee, 
received  citations,  in  a  reception  at 
City  Hall  yesterday,  for  their  con- 
tributions of  nearly  11,000,000  free  ad- 
missions to  personnel  of  the  Armed 
Forces. 

The  reception,  attended  by  Mrs. 
Eleanor  Roosevelt  and  by  many  in  uni- 
form, was  under  the  sponsorship  of 
Mayor  LaGuardia,  Maj.  General 
Thomas  A.  Terry  and  Brig.  Gen. 
Sumner  Waite  of  the  Army's  Second 
Service  Command ;  Vice- Admiral 
Herbert  Fairfax  Leary,  commandant 
<of  the  Eastern  Sea  Frontier,  and  Rear 
Admiral  Monroe  Kelly,  commandant 
of  the  Third  Naval  District. 

3  Corporations  Are 
Chartered  on  Coast 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — Phil  L.  Ryan 
Enterprises,  Inc.,  has  filed  incorpora- 
tion papers  at  Sacramento.  The  third 
Ryan  producing  company,  this  one 
lists  Ryan  as  president ;  Harry  Soko- 
lov,  vice-president,  and  Howard  Hen- 
shey,  secretary-treasurer. 

Also  incorporated  yesterday  were 
Astra  Attractions,  headed  by  C.  C. 
Burr,  industry  pioneer,  and  Murphy 
and  Taylor  Co.,  a  non-theatrical  pro- 
ducing organization  formed  by  Gene 
Murphy  and  Sam  Taylor. 


Finn-Levine  'Follies' 

Hartford,  Sept.  27. — Industry  lead- 
ers in  the  East  and  Connecticut  press 
and  radio  representatives  will  be 
guests  at  a  dinner  at  the  Hotel  Bond, 
here,  Saturday,  prior  to  the  world 
stage  premiere  of  "Gaslight  Follies" 
at  George  Landers'  E.  M.  Loew's  the- 
atre, here.  Hosts  will  be  co-produc- 
ers Max  Finn,  general  manager  of 
E.  M.  Loew's  theatres  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  Joseph  Levine  of  Boston. 
This  is  their  first  venture  into  the 
producing  field. 


UK  Looks  to 
One  Liaison 


London,  Sept.  27. — In  the  hope 
that  ultimately  he  will  represent  the 
entire  British  industry  in  all  govern- 
ment and  international  economic  dis- 
cussions, the  British  Film  Producers 
Association  has  appointed  Hugh 
Gaitskell,  MP,  as  its  vice-president 
and  economic  adviser,  succeeding  W. 
G.  Hall,  who  became  a  governmental 
minister  following  the  Labor  Party's 
victory  in  the  recent  elections. 

Gaitskell,  author  of  numerous 
Labor  Party  pamphlets  on  economic 
problems,  resigned  as  chief  of  the 
British  Board  of  Trade's  films  divis- 
ion to  run  for  Parliament  as  the 
Labor  candidate  in  South  Leeds.  Prior 
to  his  overwhelming  election,  he 
stated  that  whichever  party  emerged 
in  power  would  want  to  ensure  a 
flourishing  film  industry. 

Son  of  wealthy  Yorkshire  parents, 
Gaitskell  was  educated  at  Winches- 
ter School  and  Oxford  University  and 
attained  distinction  in  the  economic 
field  under  the  tutelage  of  Hugh  Dal- 
ton,  now  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
who  appointed  him  to  the  Economic- 
Warfare  Ministry  and  later  transfer- 
red him  to  the  films  division  post. 

Gaitskell  goes  to  the  BFPA  in  a 
salaried  capacity. 


Rosmarin  Will  Head 
Monogram  Affiliate 


Charles  Rosmarin,  former  Columbia 
manager  in  Venezuela,  has  been  ap- 
pointed Argentina  manager  for  Mon- 
ogram. 

Norton  V.  Ritchey,  president  of 
Monogram  International  Corp.,  an- 
nounces that  a  wholly-owned  subsidi- 
ary is  being  organized,  under  the  name 
of  Monogram  Pictures  Argentina,  to 
distribute  the  company's  product  in 
Argentina,  Uruguay  and  Paraguay. 
The  company  will  operate  through  the 
offices  of  Films  Mundiales  Argentina. 

Rosmarin,  who  is  manager  of  the 
new  Monogram  Argentina,  has  spent 
many  years  in  the  business  in  the  Ar- 
gentine. He  will  arrive  in  New  York 
today  from  Caracas  for  conferences 
with  Ritchey. 

Western  Pa.  Allied 
Meeting  Dec.  10-11 

Pittsburgh,  Sept.  27. — Annua'l  con- 
vention of  the  Allied  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  of  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, originally  scheduled  for  Oct. 
22-23,  has  been  deferred  to  Dec.  10-11. 
It  will  be  held  at  the  William  Penn 
Hotel,  here. 

William  J.  Blatt  and  William  Finkel 
are  co-chairmen  in  charge  of  the 
meeting,  which  will  observe  the  silver 
anniversary  of  the  association. 

To  Set  'Truly'  Plans 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27.  —  William 
Keighley  entrained  here  today  for 
New  York  to  discuss  financing  and 
release  of  his  production  "I  Love  You 
Truly,"  based  on  the  life  of  Carrie 
Jacobs  Bond. 


L.  A.  Tax  Vote  Today 

Los  Angeles,  Sept.  27. — The  City 
Council  here  is  expected  to  vote  to- 
morrow morning  on  a  five  per  cent 
theatre  gross  tax. 


Friday.  September  28,  1945 


Motion  Picture  daily 


7 


Review 


4. 


Mildred  Pierce' 


(  Warner  Bros.) 

JOAN   CRAW  FORD  is  the  attractively  merchandisable  feature  of  this 
story  of  a  mother  whose  love  and  sacrifices  for  a  self-centered  daughter 
bring  tragedy  to  both  .of  them. 

Through  the  method  employed  for  the  screen  version,  the  James  M.  Cain 
novel  has  been  given  the  characteristics  of  a  murder  mystery.  It  opens  with 
the  fatal  shooting  of  Zachary  Scott  by  an  unseen  assailant.  His  wife,  played 
by  Miss  Crawford,  is  apprehended  and  under  questioning  recites  the  story  of 
her  married  life,  which  is  told  in  flashbacks. 

Her  first  husband,  played  by  Bruce  Bennett,  leaves  her  following  a  quarrel. 
To  provide  for  their  two  daughters,  she  obtains  employment  as  a  waitress  and, 
with  the  help  of  a  family  friend,  played  by  Jack  Carson,  ultimately  develops 
a  chain  of  profitable  restaurants.  The  youngest  daughter,  played  by  Jo  Ann 
Marlowe,  dies  of  pneumonia  and  the  mother  lavishes  her  love  on  the  remain- 
ing child,  played  by  Ann  Blvth.  indulging  her  every  whim,  as  her  prospering 
business  permits.  The  spoiled  child  eventually  breaks  with  her  mother  when 
the  latter  frustrates  the  daughter's  polite  blackmailing  of  the  family  of  a  youth 
she  had  married  secretly. 

Unable  to  live  apart  from  the  girl,  the  mother  marries  Scott,  in  the  role  of 
scion  of  an  old,  but  impoverished  California  family,  hoping  by  the  marriage 
to  attract  the  daughter  to  the  fashionable  home  she  establishes.  Her  strategy 
works  but  the  expensive  scale  of  living  she  has  chosen  puts  her  finances  to 
serious  strain.  Prompted  by  Scott,  her  creditors  are  about  to  take  control  of 
her  business.  She  traces  Scott  to  a  beach  house  where  she  finds  him  with  her 
daughter.  After  the  mother's  departure,  Scott  spurns  the  daughter  and  is 
shot  by  her.  Police  apprehend  the  daughter  for  the  final  unraveling  of  the 
story. 

Somewhat  overlOng  and  involved  in  its  telling,  the  story  has  a  number  of 
unsavoury  incidents  and  implications  which  make  it  unsuitable  for  children. 
Under  the  direction  of  Michael  Curtiz,  all  performances  are  good.  In  addition 
to  the  principals,  Eve  Arden,  Moroni  Olsen  and  Butterfly  McQueen  make 
important  contributions.  It  has  been  handsomely  produced  by  Jerry  Wald. 
The  screen  play  is  by  Ranald  MacDougall  and  Catherine  Turney. 

Running  time.  111  minutes.    Adult  classification.    Release  date,  Oct.  20. 

Sherwin  Kane 


Receipts  Cut 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


Colin  Dinner 

(Continued  fr&m  page  1) 

Columbia  executive  is  prominently 
identified. 

Barney  Balaban,  president  of  Para- 
mount, was  honorary  chairman,  and 
Nate  B.  Spingold  of  Columbia  was 
dinner  chairman.  Both  are  active 
workers  in  the  Joint  Defense  Appeal. 

One  highlight  of  the  evening  was  the 
presentation  of  the  tableau,  "This  Is 
Our  Cause,"  which  revealed  how  the 
Joint  Defense  Appeal  makes  possible 
the  combined  activities  of  the  Ameri- 
can Jewish  Committee  and  the  Anti- 
Defamation  League  of  B'nai  B'rith. 
Lowell  Thomas  was  narrator. 

The  turnout  of  more  than  1,500  was 
hailed  by  Balaban  as  an  unusual  de- 
monstration of  loyalty  to  the  cause  of 
democracy.  In  response  to  the  appeal 
of  Max  A.  Cohen,  Harry  Brandt  and 
Robert  Weitman,  contributions  were 
raised  and  the  results  were  a  "typical 
big-hearted  display  of  the  industry's 
interest  in  worthwhile  communal 
causes,"  said  Balaban. 

Scroll  Presented 

Climaxing  tributes  to  Cohn,  the 
"Honor  Scroll"  of  the  Cinema  Lodge, 
B'nai  B'rith,  was  presented  to  him  by 
Jack  H.  Levin,  vice-president  of  the 
lodge.  Levin  stressed  Cinema  Lodge's 
appreciation  of  Cohn's  work  on  behalf 
of  the  Anti-Defamation  League.  • 

In  response,  Cohn  expressed  appre- 
ciation for  the  industry's  "generosity 
to  a  cause  that  seeks  to  uphold  and 
strengthen  the  time-honored  American 
tradition  of  tolerance  and  equality." 

Major  Henry  Thomas  Plitt  of  the 
101st  Airborne  Division,  who  was  one 
of  the  first  paratroopers  to  land  in 
Normandy  on  D-Day,  and  who  later 
captured  Julius  Streicher,  was  also  a 
guest  speaker.  Dr.  Judah  L.  Cahn, 
Rabbi  of  Temple  Israel  of  Cedarhurst, 
L.  I.,  and  assistant  national  director 
of  the  Hillel  Foundation,  delivered  the 
invocation  and  benediction. 

As  the  next  phase  of  the  drive,  Bal- 
aban and  Spingold  declared  that  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  will  contact  all 
persons  who  have  not  yet  pledged  1945 
contributions  to  the  Joint  Defense 
Appeal. 

Others  Present 

Among  others  who  attended  the  din- 
ner were :  Will  Hays,  Spyros  Skouras, 
Major  Albert  Warner,  Nate  Blum- 
berg,  Joseph  Bernhard,  Jules  Brula- 
f(j  tour.  Dr.  Herbert  Kalmus,  Herman 
Robbins.  Edwin  Weisl,  Malcolm 
Kingsberg,  James  R.  Grainger,  Neil 
Agnew.  Charles  M.  Reagan.  Sam 
Dembow,  Jr.,  George  Dembow,  Mar- 
tin Quigley.  Abel  Green,  Charles  E. 
(Chick)  Lewis,  William  Morris,  Mau- 
rice Kann,  Terry  Ramsaye,  Leopold 
Friedman,  Emil  Friedlander,  Carl 
Leserman,  Paul  Moss.  Ferdinand  Pe- 
cora,  M.  A.  Schlesinger.  Albert  A. 
Senft,  Edmund  Waterman,  Leon  J. 
Bamberger. 

Also.  Charles  Boasberg,  A.  W. 
Schwalberg,  S.  H.  Fabian,  Harry  Git- 
tleson.  Louis  D.  Frohlich,  Marcus 
Heiman.  Sherwin  Kane,  Theodore  J. 
Sullivan.  Milton  Livingston,  Sam  Lef- 
kowitz.  Harry  Mandel,  Harold  Mir- 
isch,  Alex  Moss,  Samuel  Rinzler,  Da- 
vid Robbins,  Samuel  Rosen,  Joseph  L 
Stein,  David  Weiss.  Jacob  Wilk,  Sol 
Schwartz,  Walter  Reade,  William 
German,  Harry  Thomas,  Budd  Rog- 
ers, Leo  Jaffe.  Walter  Titus,  Herman 
Starr. 

Also.  Walter  Gould,  Paul  Lazarus, 
Harry  Gold.  Arthur  Dickinson,  Ar- 


Film  Attache 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

filled  for  10  years  by  George  Canty, 
now-  in  charge  of  motion  picture  mat- 
ters in  the  Telecommunication  Divi- 
sion here. 

It  was  explained  that,  since  normal- 
ly motion  picture  problems  arise  only 
from  time  to  time  in  any  given  coun- 
try, it  is  not  considered  advisable  to 
have  film  experts  attached  to  the  Eu- 
ropean Embassies.  Currently,  of 
course,  foreign  film  situations  are  in 
the  forefront  in  a  number  of  countries 
and  much  of  the  time  of  Embassy  at- 
taches is  being  devoted  to  them.  This 
has  become  a  matter  of  some  concern 
in  Washington,  since  the  Embassies 
and  Consulates  already  have  their 
hands  full  in  dealing  with  economic 
and  commercial  matters. 

The  big  peacetime  postwar  problem 
will  be  to  break  into  the  Central  and 
Eastern  European  markets,  it  was 
said. 


Segal,  Picker 

(Continued  from  page  1) 


nounced  here  yesterday.  Picker,  who 
has  been  an  executive  of  the  Of- 
fice of  W  ar  Information  overseas 
film  bureau  for  the  past  two  years, 
will  return  to  Columbia  International 
Monday  as  a  special  assistant  to 
Joseph  A.  McConville,  president  of 
the  latter. 


Equity  Meeting  Today 

First  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Ac- 
tors' Equity  Association  council  for 
1945-46  will  be  held  today  at  the  Hotel 
Astor,  here. 


thur  Israel,  Jr.,  David  Levy,  Edward 
M.  Schnitzer,  Arnold  Stolz,  Louis 
and  Harold  Frisch,  Jack  Ellis  and  I. 
F.  Dolid. 


Griffiths 

(Continued  from  page  1) 

Co.  booker,  testified  that  some  pictures 
bought  by  the  circuit  were  not  played 
because  they  were  not  worth  playing ; 
he  added  that  they  were  too  inferior  to 
be  sold  to  another  theatre.  Explain- 
ing circuit  bookings  on  first,  second 
and  third  runs,  Falls  said  they  were 
arranged  to  suit  the  needs  of  individual 
theatres. 

To  show  how  the  Griffiths'  early 
operations  were  connected  with  outside 
financial  interest,  L.  C.  Griffith  testi- 
fied that  in  1926  the  brothers  con- 
tracted with  Universal  Chain  Theatri- 
cal Enterprises,  headed  by  A.  E.  Fair, 
New  York,  for  backing. 


'306'  Rejects 

(Continued  from  page  I) 


ship  meeting  here  Monday  night  to 
map  'appropriate'  action. 

What  form  of  action  '306'  might 
take  was  a  matter  of  speculation  here 
yesterday,  since  Richard  F.  Walsh, 
IATSE  international  president,  who 
has  been  acting  as  mediator  in  the 
negotiations,  has  not  yet  given  up  his 
attempts  to  effect  a  settlement.  Local 
306  could  not  call  a  strike  without 
permission  from  the  IATSE. 


Name  Samish  to  Head 
American's  Programs 

Adrian  Samish,  formerly  national 
director  of  production  for  American 
Broadcasting,  has  been  promoted  to 
head  the  program  department,  accord- 
ing.to  Mark  Woods,  ABC  president. 

Samish  succeeds  Hubbell  Robinson, 
Jr.,  who  has  resigned,  effective  Oct.  1. 
Samish  was  producer  of  the  radio 
show  "The  March  of  Time." 


class.  Six  others,  including  "Over 
21,"  "Wonder  Man,"  "You  Came 
Along,"  "The  Great  John  L.,"  "Pride 
of  the  Marines"  and  "Incendiary 
Blonde,"  drew  strongly,  while  four 
otliers :  "Christmas  in  Connecticut," 
"The  Strange  Affair  of  Uncle  Harry," 
"Lady  on  a  Train"  and  "Guest  Wife," 
drew  well. 

Circuit  executives  cited  "Anchors 
Aweigh,"  "The  Story  of  G.I.  Joe" 
and  "State  Fair"  as  being  the  best 
money  makers  of  the  week.  •  "Love 
Letters"  and  "Our  Vines  Have 
Tender  Grapes"  are  beginning  to  show 
strength  in  the  new-film  class,  with 
"Along  Came  Jones,"  "Christmas  in 
Connecticut,"  "Wonder  Man,"  "You 
Came  Along"  and  "The  Corn  Is 
Green"  also  cited." 

Cities  Checked 

The  16  keys  checked  by  Motion 
PlCT  ure  Daily  correspondents  were : 
Los  Angeles,  San  Francisco,  Denver, 
Omaha,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee,  Cincinnati,  Cleve- 
land, Toronto,  Pittsburgh,  Philadel- 
phia, Buffalo,  Boston  and  Baltimore. 

Reports  from  these  cities  gave 
"Rhapsody  in  Blue"  an  outstanding 
$114,000  in  five  engagements  in  three 
cities,  where  par  is  $92,200. 

"State  Fair"  was  a  leader  in  Cin- 
cinnati, while  it  drew  strongly  in  three 
theatres  in  Kansas  City  and  in  Balti- 
more, all  for  first  weeks. 

"Anchors  Aweigh"  continued  to.  set 
an  unusual  box  office  pace  in  hold- 
overs, highlighted  by  a  standout'  sec- 
ond week  in  Chicago. 

Led  by  an  outstanding  initial  week 
with  a  stage  show  in  Chicago,  "The 
Story  of  G.I.  Joe"  was  still  big  in  a 
seventh  week  in  San  Francisco  and  in 
inoveovers  and  holdovers  in  Milwau- 
kee and  Denver.  An  initial  week  in 
Kansas  City,  on  a  dual,  was  also  big. 

Smart  '21'  Draw 

"Over  21"  drew  a  smart  $104,000  in 
four  engagements  in  four  cities,  led  by 
a  big  initial  week  with  a  stage  show, 
in  Chicago;  "Wonder  Man"  brought 
$45,300  in  three  holdovers  and  move- 
overs  ;  "You  Came  Along"  registered 
$69,500  in  five  engagements ;  "The 
Great  John  L."  was  good  in  an  initial 
week  in  Kansas  City,  on  a  dual,  and  in 
second  weeks  in  Philadelphia  and 
Pittsburgh,  also  on  a  dual ;  "Pride  of 
the  Marines"  was  strong  in  initial 
weeks  in  three  Denver  theatres,  and 
in  holdovers  in  Pittsburgh  and  Balti- 
more, while  "Incendiary  Blonde"  drew 
$71,300  in  six  holdovers  and  move- 
overs. 

"Love  Letters"  was  outstanding  in 
an  initial  week  in  Chicago,  drawing 
$38,000  against  a  house  average  of 
$29,000,  and  it  drew  $35,000,  against 
a  $28,000  house  average,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. "Duffy's  Tavern"  continued  big 
in  second  weeks  in  two  Los  Angeles 
theatres.  "Junior  Miss"  was  strong  in 
initial  weeks  in  both  Philadelphia  and 
Milwaukee. 


Nelson  Back  on  Coast 

Hollywood,  Sept.  27. — Donald  Nel- 
son, president  of  the  Society  of  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers, 
arrived  here  today  following  several 
weeks  in  New  York  and  Washington. 
He  will  be  the  principal  speaker  at  a 
dinner  to  be  given  by  the  Los  Ange- 
les Newspaper  Publishers  Association 
at  the  Biltmore  Bowl  on  Oct.  2. 


< 

o 
o 

CO 

w 

P 

H 

O 

E 

g 

H 
O 


CO 

fa* 

W 
Z 
K 
< 


Hi 


33  - 

h  </>"•* 

*  £2  SP.  £^ 

2   5°  s i00 

2    M     -  O 

2  £<  S  Con  > 

"g  o,a>~pi 


2  S~ 
•8.2^"- 

■A93t   I  * 

20,M|  Son 

x  ~^7os 

os 


0>  t-3 


60  C  i 
O  «  v 

pq."S 


X  r 


-.  Wis  nj  «  c 

Ol  M,_| 

"  tl  0*  c  °  " 


< 

CO 

fa 

> 
i— t 

2 


—  «£  o  3  -~  * 

-,  <->co" 
■As-  ^-S^ 

s«H3  si  > 

"gOPST* 


«c  to 
O      t-,  c~- 

£    "  „>  c  £  . 


o 

^2 

■ 

26) 


•3 

j  n-c._  on 

O  E  > 


oO°  o 
•*"><to 

X£  3 


§3. 


2i« 

i  r 


C^2  §  oQ 

3 


CO  S  |,-n 

« 


-■  mW  repj.io 
ScoX  P. 


•Thq 

2d, 


O      M  Y 


2 
O 

< 

z 

HO 

w 


s;5 


>>3  a 

lo° 
2 


3 


93? 


Q  .  c 


9  S-M 


X 

o 

fa 

H 
o 

CM 


as  6» 


*  "    . «-  o  ^ 


2 .  e 
^§ 

w  ft. 


«w2  C 


O  *^  =3  ^  oo  u 

Q 


to  J 

2w 

H 


ON 


H  S  on  OO 

M  >.  c  2     ^  <->2 


to 
u 


Q 

< 
o 

M 


2    w  s 


J3« 


o^o£, 


■a 

'2  00 

n  2  • 


o  - 

o     ^ , 

2  w  >, 
o5§oS! 
<  r- 

fe2f 


■J 

<«  S  ri- 
>*£?«£ 

2 9  «  On 
t3  r; 


!3  ■»'< 


H 

<^o|~ 

Oo.  «  H  c 

Q'  '  " 
^2  SS*^ 


2  W  .o 

"  o  I" 


>  S  s- 

2  „Ji 


XJ  ^ 

<  r 

u 


H     g  n  £ 
w  O  o  •£  > 

"2  «7« 
p 


Ow BQ »° 

W  M  *    •£  bo 
£  C  j; 

fn  m  w  w 


«   Q  c 

Wm2  i-. 


<3 


u  £  OJ 


2  3 

I  ft 

O  w 


3 

<  9 


£2; 


o 

1—1 

1-1 
PQ 
S3 

« 


« 
fa 


< 

< 
fa 


O 
2 
O 


I 

o 


< 

PQ 

s 

t3 
(J 

o 

o 


fccoS 
°2" 

Oh)  C 
HCU'S 


co 

Scot's 

a  i 

Wco 

S  0w 


1— 1  *-i 


a  Eg 


20  £^ 

„-) 
w 
m 


•  CO 


C.2 

< 
« 


co 

<!  £  S 

J  «  4) 

Q°co| 

"I  *■  ^  £ 

m  8  52 

3<  I 


pi  H; 

O  ><  w  rr  ^ 
gW^-^  co~ 

w  O  w  ih  «£  W  w 

.06  <ss 

W       >'  to  " 

02  e 

h-1<U  Q 


2§  s  ss5 


g5« 

2° 

D 


0-0 
o 


to  OS  2^; 

rl Q  r5  « 

ft-*    _,  <v 

CJ5  I  >' 

O  S  «<  ju 


'ǤfQ(2 


<5™ w  00 

Op  u  *7 


to  u  in  *n 
O  a  a  '£  S 

2       *o  ■ 

0^4  +j  I  > 
C  1-    I  1) 

co  «  »2K 
«£■§  - 
<  OS 


co  bo  ^ 
D  *  c  o  "i  «o 

og|«.s5: 

W  J  «  c  00 

52o|p« 

Q  > 


O  HEP 

no  2  <  co  a 

l-<Qr3     CO  <r> 

^H<!H  js.o  £ 
20JH^-3> 
wo    w  <;  00 

"  2 


vo 

O        o>  ^ 

n_-"h  ►JCQ  O  vo 

s  I 

o 


OS  to 

.  2 

o  O 

O  Q 


wo* 

osY 

w  I 

°S   - , 

Pi  O  >o 


B  Z  03  2 

lcoH<.E 

10  5,1-1  41  C 


to  to  C05 


Q2" 


^2.  £  20 

™»  G  CM 


o<  S_  > 


OS  ^ 

to  «5S 

-as* 

2Wj  .J; 


w  »-) 

M 


^2 


iS 


I  toM  j:^wg  g>- 

0       «  £>o>ps: 


to««H^ 


s  ^*>2 


S5  n> 

On  CO  no 

to^  3<O0S 
cq  w 


■ga  g  sis  5' 

S>  u  o<<  -.pi 

Sj  a 


Oc -5 

OS  3/5 

OuO 

>  >,SS  E  . 
QWm^p^ 


•H<  °  u  in 

go5^!3»51 
<S  =  S  >: 

«  v  -o  S  > 

HH       —   OND  u 

co    co^,  I  pi 


OO  a  S 
co"  3  I 


os  m  sr, 

g  ro  On 


H 

to  >, 
°  § 


O02 


gcoiSfe.- 
2P-C|f 


to 

uos  «  S3 

>Oto3 
gos  o, 

M  to  nJ  cj 
<fHJ=  2 

co  OS 


^jco_.  >,*].§•«■ 
.2osK  araSir 
o>  o  ^  t-  v  "s 

»2^SS|  I  > 


si 

CO  C 


OS  Sc 

;=3>0Ef  Jos 

0<  m-dOc; 


w2o.  -"SO  - 
><  oa  2  0  «■"> 
wgg-E*  <OO.S2L 
2<toESc.rj^ES 
Wa  no^  Hrl^i-oo 

o  gaJ  s  nSJ  I  5 


2W>«  c* 

"wo  e^i" 

"_h)m  "t^ 
K2^^S7> 

"||™««So^os  os<-i|o« 
w 


co  ^ 
O  OS  ra  »C* 
OS50™  E^ 
wr 

m  H  w      *  00 

2"gSt|  > 
3<  ra.Sf  I  S 
<pH'-.coQW 


o  23ff  05  J3  ccv, 
&  5>  CO 

««"5>Qg 


gg.l.3.1 

20S  °  tlt^ 

w  Q  !37 
>to-o  m  I 
QOffJ  Sfl 


w<  II  c 
>"M  cc 

Jg2-S  I 

S  to  S 
pq  w 


"mS 

oS  S 

nocoW  § 
""S.O  8 

NO  ^  CJ 

<i  Qi  W 

o>h)™  « 


coo 


SW0S2^S 
-TSO^tooS 

■""oso™  <: 
2oo<o2 

o 


OS  K 
0_„-51 
Jo  5" 

W^CN-  > 

OS  « 
H 


to 


Wco  o  o 
-,  £"0SwZn 

osS  o os 
3"° 


to 


s  H  h 

2QH5:  Og3 
I  2    01  2^^ 

I  3  >,  .  £coos 

gcO^OS 

O.COw—  w 

co"  pq 


to 
X 

{-.OS  x-S 
*  to"  S 

> 


Wfa 


bo 


CO 


V3 


■a 

00 


5,  qo 

CO 


tj  \r\ 

o 


On 


d  N 


5> 

2  N 


o 

z 


I